True Blood Season 3: Who Is Franklin Mott?

This is part 5 in our series of features about the new characters coming to True Blood in season 3. We’ll be taking a look at these new characters using both information from casting calls and from the novels on which the show is based. Beware, spoilers ahead!

Who Is Franklin Mott?

James Frain will play Franklin Mott

Sookie’s best friend, Tara, has been reluctant to participate in vampire culture so far, but this season she’ll be changing her tune when vampire Franklin Mott sweeps her off her feet. We meet Franklin in Club Dead, the third novel in the series, and probably in the first episode of season 3. In the book Sookie describes him as having gray hair and a mustache, looking to be in his 50s or early 60s, and as “vigorous and very masculine.” He also has an Italian accent in the books. From the casting call, we know that he’s tall, dark and handsome, and “sexy, sexy, sexy.” The casting of (sexy) James Frain in the role suggests that he’ll be portrayed as younger and probably won’t have gray hair.

On True Blood Franklin meets Tara when she’s confronted by some racist rednecks. Although we know Tara can give as good as she gets, Franklin swoops in to come to her aid, drawing her attention. However, a later comment from Alan Ball describes the character as “not just crazy, [he’s] evil.” In the books Franklin is alternately generous and abusive with Tara, and it sounds like we’ll be seeing something similar on the show. The novels have Sookie helping Tara out of the relationship, with the aid of Eric. The question is, how is Franklin entwined with the rest of the vampires on the show? Is he affiliated with the King of Mississippi or the Queen of Louisiana or someone we have yet to encounter? And just how long will it be until Tara finds a good man?

Franklin Mott In Brief

Sex: Male
Species: Vampire
Age: Unknown
Status: Single, then attached to Tara
Relatives: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Location: Louisiana