True Blood or True Disappointment?

Let's be honest, I watched the 8-minute preview of this season's premiere of True Blood last week and was SO confused. As a faithful Charlaine Harris reader, I have no idea where they're going with this season...witches other than Amelia? Sookie gone for over a year? Tara as a lesbian wrestler? Not so much in the books. And since when does Sam shapeshift into a horse? The one deviation I enjoy is keeping Lafayette around. He was killed in the first book, but is the most colorful character on the show. And Jesus isn't hard on the eyes either. I do love the Jessica/Hoyt storyline. And it's always nice to see Eric. Technically, I got HBO for True Blood, but I guess it's time to catch up on In Treatment, Game of Thrones, Treme and Boardwalk Empire.