'Banshee' Recap [SPOILERS] Season 3, 2015 Premiere Episode 1 "The Fire Trials" - Cinemax Kicks Off The New Year With Explosive Return Of Sheriff Hood & His Violent Town

Are you ready to catch up with Lucas Hood, Kai Procter and the rest of the characters in Banshee? Luckily for you, Jan. 9, 2015, marked the return of Cinemax's most violent series, with the season 3 premiere episode entitled "The Fire Trials." Where will Lucas go after last season's events and what obstacles will get in his way? Can he live a normal life or will he fall back on his past? As we found out this weekend, nothing is that easy, especially when your past involves the menacing Chayton Littlestone. Check out our episode recap of "The Fire Trials" right here! (SPOILERS to Follow)

Check out our Banshee season 3 preview right here!

Saying that season three opens with a bang wouldn't be cliché- it literally opens with a car crash within the first 3 seconds of the episode. We soon realize that the driver is the target of Lucas Hood, which we know is a bad position to be in. Hood's deputies, Brock Lotus and Siobhan Kelly, eventually corner this culprit, Hando, revealing that he was responsible for Deputy Emmett Yawner's death last season. Finally getting revenge on the murderer, Hood's "above the law" attitude seems to have rubbed off on Lotus, who gladly shoots and kills Hando. Kelly and Hood also join in, making it a firing squad.

Lucas and Siobhan have clearly advanced into more of a serious relationship, but then we also see that Carrie Hopewell, now a waitress, is in a less serious situation- motel sex. Meanwhile Kai Proctor and Rebecca have gone full incest by the time season three picks up.

Lucas is still looking to lock up Proctor for the Longshadow murder, even though it was Rebecca that did the deed, and seems to be getting more and more evil. But, while we're used to the looming danger of Proctor, a returning foe will serve as the new antagonist of the series: Chayton.

The episode's title, "The Fire Trials," is briefly explained as some sort of brutal fighting ritual of the Redbones. This reintroduces us to Chayton, who returns to the Redbones and reinstates himself as leader.

"I've come back because I'd rather die fighting than to live like a slave in my own land," he tells his tribe members. "It's time we took something back."

Thus starts the main conflict of season three.

One of the best moments of the episode comes when Deputy Lotus responds to a call to the Sheriff's office about a lurker. Apparently, he has a complicated romance going on with his ex-wife on the down low- and even gets a rough sex scene! Matt Servitto is too good an actor to not have his own side story, so we're glad it's happening! Plus, his drunken conversation with Emmett's grave was pretty stupendous.

Carrie's daughter, Deva, is still up to no good, though now that she's older the stakes are higher and her antics are more dangerous. Tattoos, drugs, stealing, and breaking and entering ... you name it, Deva's down. Unfortunately, Hood (her real father, if you didn't remember) catches her in the act. Then he gives her a quick lesson in thievery, juxtaposed to scenes of Carrie doing a similar, more serious job.

Dropping Deva off at home, the two have a heart-to-heart. The father, daughter element was still pretty sweet. We hope to see more of this as the season progresses.

Also, more drunk, sad Gordon, please! He's a wreck!

One scene in the episode serves as maybe the scariest of the series. Having a cigarette outside of Proctor's strip club, Rebecca meets Chayton and it is harrowing! This is followed by a bow and arrow assault on a bunch of Marines, as the Redbones secure some needed artillery for the impending war they're planning. Hood and Lotus get involved, but they're too late to stop Chayton.

Moving on to the military base and meets Colonel Stowe, who is revealed to be Carrie's current lover. We get a pretty good tour of the base, including a sweet vault of cash. Hood is mesmerized by the money. After basically being told off by Stowe about taking on the Redbones (apparently the Marines will handle it?), Lucas calls Sugar to tell him about the score. He also enlists Job to hack into the military network.

Just the mention of Job means that we're in for quite the opening scene for the character. Let's just say huge guns and grenades are involved. Of course, as soon as the smoke clears, he gets a call from Lucas.

Read our exclusive interview with series star Hoon Lee right here!

Job returns to Banshee, PA, meeting up with Lucas and Sugar to talk about their next big move.

The episode ends with the creepy return of Nola Longshadow examining the room her brother was murdered in. It looks like we shouldn't have forgotten about this character!

What did you think of this episode of Banshee? Let us know in the comments section below!