The Ausiello Files: September 25, 2009

True Blood finale scoop: Who lived? Who died?

Though last Sunday's True Blood finale tied up a bunch of loose ends, it also untied a bunch more! Luckily, series creator Alan Ball agreed to a little post-episode Q&A to finish us off.

Why wasn't there more Eric in the finale?
There is a reason, but if I explain it, I'll be [giving away] too much.

Are you surprised how passionate the Sookie-Eric fans are?
Yes. Eric's hot, but I don't know if he'd love anybody beside himself. What's the appeal there? The bad boy? The danger?

Have we seen the last of Maryann?
Yes. They destroyed her. She will never rise — which I hate, because I love Michelle [Forbes].

Any regrets killing off Godric?
No, because I think that [story was] really powerful. However, he and Eric had a relationship for a thousand years. We can always go back and see him again.

What else can you tease about season 3?
We will meet the King of Mississippi [played by Tony winner Denis O'Hare], and there will be some interesting stuff happening between him and the Queen.... We will also meet Sam's blood relatives, the superbad vampire Franklin Mott, and [werewolf] Alcide.

Any plans to give Lafayette a boyfriend?
Yes.... We will see him get vulnerable next year — and not just being afraid of Eric.

Are Hoyt and Jessica doomed?
They still love each other. But there will be problems, as you could tell from the finale.

Is there anything I'm forgetting to ask you?
I'm surprised you didn't ask who took Bill.

Who took Bill?
Hoyt's mother. [Ausiello here: He's kidding. I think.]

SCOOPLETS

CSI: Miami's Delko cheats death
When Adam Rodriguez failed to come to terms on a new contract with CSI: Miami, the logical solution would've been to have his character, Delko, succumb to the gunshot wound he sustained in May's cliffhanger. Rodriguez says that's the route CBS wanted to take, ''but I wasn't comfortable with that,'' he adds. ''I wanted to [give Delko] a proper send-off.'' So with the help of exec producer Ann Donahue, the actor worked out a deal to return for 10 episodes — plenty of time to give fans closure. ''Hopefully, they'll be satisfied with where he ends up,'' says Rodriguez, who will juggle his Miami eps with a recurring gig on Ugly Betty as the ex of Ana Ortiz's Hilda.

House cleaning under way?
Speculation is heating up over what will become of Taub (Peter Jacobson) and Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) now that their three-year fellowships are winding down on House. ''We haven't figured that out yet,'' says series creator David Shore. ''But that won't be until the end of the season.'' Meanwhile, Michael Weston has signed on to reprise his role as House's (Hugh Laurie) trusty private eye, Lucas, for multiple episodes this season. Word is he'll rekindle his almost romance with Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) — much to the chagrin of Dr. Ornery.

Dollhouse makes a Wise move
Dollhouse has tapped Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, Reaper) to join the cast as Howard, Adelle's (Olivia Williams) counterpart in the Washington, D.C., Dollhouse. Adelle and Topher (Fran Kranz) visit the D.C. branch to retrieve an Active. In case you don't know, an Active is someone who... Oh, damn, I ran out of space.