Expect the fairies to come back into play, including the return of Claude ( Giles Matthey ) as they give Sookie some new lessons about her powers and legacy.

Waiting sucks, but it’s always rewarding when True Blood finally makes it back onto the air. HBO’s vampire drama kept fans wondering all year about the fate of many of the residents of Bon Temps, from what Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) would do after killing a member of the Vampire Authority to the fate of Tara (Rutina Wesley), who had been shot by an angry werewolf.

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Season 5's premiere was quick to reward patient fans by throwing the show's characters straight into action the moment the show began on Sunday, June 10. In normal True Blood style, no time has passed in the character's lives, and things pick up right after the final seconds of season 4.

Here's a rundown of the most note-worthy developments from Sunday's episode:

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Tara is being turned.

"What happens to Tara?" was the biggest question after the season 4 finale. She'd been shot by Debbie, and was pretty much dead. At the start of season 5, we discover that Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) enlist Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) to turn Tara into a vampire. Yes, Tara has always hated vampires, but it's the only way to keep her alive (sort of). So, they bury Tara and Pam in the earth, and wait, and wait, and wait, and then in the final moments of the episode, vampire Tara bursts out from the earth. How will the new Tara compare to the old human Tara? Hopefully, we'll find out next week.

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Reverend Steve is back... and gay.

Reverend Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) had shown up on Jason Stackhouse's (Ryan Kwanten) doorstep in the final moments of season 4. But now he's a vampire. After glamoring the often-easily-tricked Jason into letting him into his house, Steve reveals another surprise. He likes men. Specifically, Jason. When Jason doesn't accept the reverend's advances, Steve gets a little mad, but luckily Jason has Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) to come to his aid.

Eric has a sister.

Eric has friends in high places, namely a sister (they have the same maker, Godric) in the Vampire Authority. When Bill and Eric are grabbed by the Authority and stuffed into a trunk after killing Vampire Authority member Nan, they eventually escape by blowing the car up. It's then revealed that Eric's sister, Nora Gainsborough (Lucy Griffiths) had planned to help them escape all along. She takes them to an empty shipping container to sleep for the day, where she and Eric get to spend some quality time together. "We fight like siblings, but we f--- like champions," he explains.

Sam has a werewolf problem.

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) was surrounded by wolves at the end of season 4, and it turns out they are pissed because they think he killed their packmaster, Marcus. They really want to find his body, so they dabble in a little torture to get Sam to talk. Even though Sam wasn't the one who killed Marcus, he claims he is because he wants to protect Alcide (Joe Manganiello).

Terry's visitor is the bearer of bad news.

Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe) had a visitor from his Marine days appear at the end of season 4. Patrick Devins (Scott Foley) isn't stopping by just for a friendly chat, however. He's on a mission to find out who is burning down the homes of his former Marine buddies. "One squad, four fires, that has to be a hell of a coincidence," Patrick says. This new mystery is sure to lead Terry down a dark path into his past, and perhaps to the root of his PTSD.

The season 5 opener planted a lot of new seeds for the upcoming season. How will Tara react to being a vampire? What will Alcide do if he finds out Sookie killed Debbie? What role will new vampire Reverend Steve play in Bon Temps? How will Eric and Bill deal with the repercussions of killing a member of The Authority? And what does the return of baddie vamp Russell Edgington mean for the survival of vampires and humans alike?

Email: Rebecca.ford@thr.com; Twitter: @Beccamford