10 things we learned in the first 8 minutes of 'True Blood' Season 4

"True Blood" doesn't kick off season four until next Sunday, but after giving the small audience of HBO GO a sneak peek (thanks to Time Warner and Comcast not being on board yet), the network debuted eight minutes of the season premiere after "Game of Thrones" to increase the hype.  And, surprisingly, we got a quick lesson in the world of fairies that Sookie (the always spunky Anna Paquin) is seemingly now a part of.

But, if you are waiting to see the entire episode next week, stop reading now.  Spoilers ahead...

Note: When we last left Sookie, she'd been magically transported out of Bon Temps to some other world where season four begins.

There are golden apples or lumieres in fairy world
When Sookie arrives in what appears to be a fairy "heaven," she quickly deduces that the humans or other fairies there are a bit addicted to the golden fruit they are being served.

Sookie has a fairy godmother - really
It turns out that the fairy that first met Sookie, Claudine (Lara Pulver) is actually her fairy…godmother.  Plus, Fairy Godmother's can be guys too, but they are still called godmothers even if their real name is, um, Lloyd.

Gary Cole is Sookie's grand father Earl
In a stunner for Sookie, not only does she run into that self-hating telepath she met in Houston a few years, er months prior, but her grandfather Earl is alive and well.  Strangely, he's been in the Fairy world for twenty years, but he thinks it's only been a few hours.

Meet Marnie
The fairy kingdom ruler Queen Marnie (Fiona Shaw, and at least we think she's a queen) reveals that after a vampire breached their realm (Sookie's love Bill Compton), she's decided it's become necessary to seal the portal forever.  But what does she need Sookie for then?

We still don't know the secret of Sookie's powers
Queen Marnie seems stunned when after trying to force Sookie to eat the lumieres she is able to blast her into the light tree.  Sookie's turning into a regular Iron Man here with those laser-like rays.

Fairy world really looks more like Joshua Tree
When Queen Marnie crashes into the tree the illusion of fairyland and needless to say, the race's new home looks a lot like the Southern California Desert.  Not pretty.

Real fairies have a lot in common with those aliens on "V"
Yes, fairies bring humans to their realm not for safe haven or to bare lovechildren, but to eat them.  Makes you rethink that whole vampires are evil thing doesn't it?

Some fairies who want to seal off the fairy world to humans, another that does not
"Good" fairies (go with me here) help Sookie and her grandfather escape the hard charging Queen Marnie and quickly provide exposition to explain they don't want to seal off the portal and intend to return to earth some day.

Fairies shoot magic balls
All fairies appear telepathic, but most of them can also shoot energy balls out of their hands that can vaporize a human or another fairy in an instant.  Perfect for the HBO iPhone game debuting any moment now.

Is Sookie human, half-human or fairy?
It's a bit confusing.  It appeared the reveal at the end of last season was that Sookie was a fairy, but judging from Queen Mab's revelations she may be half-human, half-fairy?  We're guessing we'll find out when she eventually makes it home to Bon Temps.

Look for continuing coverage of "True Blood" all this week leading up to Sunday's season four premiere.

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