Exclusive: Peter Jacobson talks 'House'! Cynthia Watros is in, Jennifer Morrison's out (then she's in, then she's out again...), there are rumours of a Cuddy-Lucas engagement, and the finale is only a few weeks away. In short, there's a lot to discuss when it comes to House. Having exhausted conversation with House fans around the office, we deemed it time for a chat with someone who is really in the know. Enter Peter Jacobson - aka Dr. Taub - who we phoned to talk about life at Princeton Plainsboro. What are his thoughts on 'Huddy'? Read on to find out!
Where are you at with filming now?
"We've shot the finale and we're now on hiatus. I didn't have a whole lot to do for the final episode - the team was removed because of the crisis that was occurring. That's all I can really say! I didn't have as much direct involvement in the finale as Hugh, obviously! It was fun though."
The title of the episode is 'Help Me'. Is there one particular character that that relates to?
"Yes - there is a character who needs a whole lot of help."
There is speculation of a marriage proposal in the finale. Any truth to that?
"That I don't know. I've proposed to my wife again, so that's all I know about proposals..."
Is there happiness on the horizon for Taub and his wife?
"I hope so and I don't hope so. I think it's a fun, interesting relationship to explore and I'm always thrilled when they write that stuff. Obviously the more tension and stress, the better. Taub is never gonna have an easy ride though. I hope we see more of his home life next season, but the writers keep everything pretty close to their chests."
Where do you stand on House and Cuddy? Would you like to see them together?
"This thing they call 'Huddy'?! I don't want it to go too far. Part of the duty of the show is the tension that exists there and I think the writers know it well enough - after six years, nothing has really been consummated, which I think is smart. They've got two fantastic characters working in close proximity and they can't seem to get it together. It creates this ongoing deliciousness, so I hope they keep going with that."
Is it inevitable that they will get together by the end of the show?
"Whenever that final House episode airs, I guess so! It'll be just one long love-making sesh between House and Cuddy! Inevitably, I think it's gotta happen."
What was it like having Jennifer Morrison back on set recently?
"That's the episode that airs this Monday and it's the one that Hugh directed. It's a very different episode where everyone is sectioned off in pairs. Something has happened to make it that way and force us to be cut off. I was not paired with Jennifer - I was with Omar - so really I hardly saw her. But it's always great to see her. It was very nice to have her back and I know she had a really good time working on it."
Will Cameron and Chase fans finally get some closure?
"I believe that closure never happens on House! There will be a lot happening though."
Is it likely that Jennifer will pop up now and again next season?
"I just don't know. I wish I could give you a juicy hint, but I have no idea."
How did it feel when she left the show?
"It was odd. It's always strange and we had been through it not that long before with Kal [Penn]. It's different circumstances, but as an actor - and a human being - these are colleagues and friends and Jennifer's so lovely, and a wonderful actress. She's great to be around, so it was definitely sad and strange to see her go - especially now that the team has reformed. We've only just found our legs with Omar and Jesse and Olivia and I and that took a while to find its way - and part of that was getting over the strangeness of having Jennifer gone."
Do you think there's room for a new addition to the team? Cynthia Watros's character perhaps?
"I would say anything is possible. They've shown in the past that they're very keen to keep the show as fresh as they can, which I think is really smart. They've always made wise decision at every turn. It would really be interesting because you don't ever wanna get too settled. I don't know what they have planned, but they loved all the stuff Cynthia did. She's a terrific actress and lovely to be around and Wilson's gotta have someone out there that can help him make House crazy!"
We've seen an episode based around Wilson this season and also one which focused on Cuddy. Would you be up for doing a Taub-centric episode next season?
"The only thing I've heard about next season is that the whole thing is going to be about Taub! I know Hugh was asking whether or not there'd be any episodes that focus on him next year... but no, of course - what actor would not want that? I'd be self-conscious because obviously the show is not called Taub and I don't want to stray too far afield from what works. We've done episodes which show his home life with his wife and the response to that has always been very positive, so if they feel like they want to go further, I think it would be very interesting."
