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House - General Discussion

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in House

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So, one of my continual fascinations is the evolution of James Wilson.  I love Robert Sean Leonard as an actor, and I initially was very displeased with the seeming passiveness of the character.  I thought he was fascinating to watch but would be annoying as heck to know, since I'm always rubbed the wrong way by people who need to be needed so desperately.

 

Ultimately, though, I became taken with the fact that his addiction, if you like, is the mirror image of House's.  If House will ignore the patient to solve the puzzle, Wilson will ignore the need to be objective to prove to whoever it is that he cares.  He cares so darn much that, in "Wilson," he's willing to donate part of his own liver to a patient turned not-so-great friend who can't even get Wilson's name right.  (Hence the name of the thread.) 

 

I finally decided that this is why Wilson chose oncology; it is where he is most likely to have the most people who feed his need for need (so to speak) on a daily basis.  The patients who are battling their cancers will need him to hold their hands and talk to them for weeks or months or years, possibly culminating in their deaths as he holds their hands.  The ones who are or who become healthy will disappear.  Just like his friendships; someone like House needs him forever, and those that are healthy enough will walk away.  (Amber being the exception of course).

 

 

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House is interesting to me because it is all about chasing zebras; in fact, I guess the working title was "Chasing Zebras, Circling the Drain."  The reference, for those who haven't read it, is a joke:  "What does a medical student think of when he hears hoof beats?  Zebras."  That is, they think of the rarest thing that fits the facts (zebras), not the most likely (horses).  House's entire job is hunting zebras.

 

I get very weary of the medical shows that are all about the horses.  I tire of (fictional) pneumonia and domestic abuse and breast cancer.  Bring on the pheos, bring on amyloidosis, bring on something that is hard to diagnose.  I loved House for this -- the "what-done-it" kept me guessing until the end, unlike most shows where I had the COTW figured out 10 minutes in.  

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HyacinthBucket

HyacinthBucket

I think Wilson lived up to his "adorkable" description, especially back in the early episodes when he looked so darn young!  I always loved his little off-hand quips, such as "Gidot would be faster," especially when dealing with House.  One of my favorite scenes with House and Wilson was in the "Sports Medicine" episode from Season 1.  House discovered that Wilson was lying about attending a speech instead of going to the Monster Truck Rally with House, and their conversation showed how much House depended on Wilson for his work and his life outside of work, and the scene is both sad and funny as House tries to conjure up another best friend (someone in accounting) to take Wilson's place.  

 

I stopped liking House, the character, around Season 5, and gave up on the show not long after that.

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HyacinthBucket

HyacinthBucket

During the first three years of the show, I always said that I loved the six main characters equally.  It was the perfect cast, and each character was well-defined and special.  When the new team came in Season 4, I hated what it did to Chase and Cameron.  For me, the changes spoiled the chemistry of the entire show, and I felt that House changed too much once he had new characters to kick around.  I thought the writers seriously weakened Cuddy's character around that time period, too.  

 

I'm going to cheat for my "favorite character" answer and say that my favorite character was the old team as a whole.  I stopped watching in the middle of the season where Cameron left since it crushed all hope of an original ducklings reunion, and also because I disliked Thirteen so much.  (too much focus on her)  I am so thankful I missed the House/Cuddy hookup.  

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turbogirlnyc

turbogirlnyc

(edited)

During the first three years of the show, I always said that I loved the six main characters equally.  It was the perfect cast, and each character was well-defined and special.  When the new team came in Season 4, I hated what it did to Chase and Cameron.  For me, the changes spoiled the chemistry of the entire show, and I felt that House changed too much once he had new characters to kick around.  I thought the writers seriously weakened Cuddy's character around that time period, too.  

 

I'm going to cheat for my "favorite character" answer and say that my favorite character was the old team as a whole.  I stopped watching in the middle of the season where Cameron left since it crushed all hope of an original ducklings reunion, and also because I disliked Thirteen so much.  (too much focus on her)  I am so thankful I missed the House/Cuddy hookup.  

 

I started watching House on Netflix and quit when Cameron left as well. I can't say that I have a favorite character, but the circumstances of her leaving was almost unbelievable to me. I think it was out of character for Chase to "kill" the tyrant. It felt like a setup for Cameron to leave the show. Cameron and Chase had only been married, what...  a year? I liked them as a couple and felt horrible for Chase. Not that what he did was right but House risks lives all the time and they weren't mass murderers. Cameron suddenly grew a conscious?

 

I also liked the original team and I admit I skipped most of the episodes concentrating on the new hires.

Edited by turbogirlnyc
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HyacinthBucket

HyacinthBucket

I could never understand why the showrunners did what they did with the old team, especially considering that the show was at the top of the ratings when they were marginalized/replaced.  It pleases me to know that both Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison went on to become popular lead actors in popular series.  

 

I did go back to the series to watch the last few episodes, and it was nice getting some closure for the character of Cameron in the series finale.  

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Boton

Well, one thing to consider is that House could always establish a backlog of Vicodin, even though Wilson seemed to be his primary prescriber and I doubt Wilson would go over the suggested number.  Generally, you can get an Rx for about 6 Vicodin a day (one every 4 hours), although I think in extreme situations you can take 2 every 4 hours, so that would be 12 a day.  We almost always saw House take Vicodin in pairs; I don't think there were too many times he took just one.  Yet, his stashes always had those amber pill bottles, and they looked fairly new, so I think the bulk of his stash was acquired legally.  If most of that came from Wilson with the occasional pity-Rx from Cuddy or from the Team, then I assume the backlog was acquired because he took fewer than 12 a day.  Eight to ten a day would be plenty to sedate an elephant under normal conditions but probably what House has worked his way up to.

 

(Note:  Yeah, I know most of this was probably just an artifact of acting choice and prop choice, regarding House always dry-swallowing two at a time and the stashes full of new amber pill bottles.  But I'm bored, and I'm a Sherlockian/Homesian, and I deduce things.  :-)  )

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I agree, the later seasons were really uneven.  I think the House/Cuddy relationship kind of killed the magic for me, because, if you look at this as a Sherlock Holmes universe, this is the equivalent of Holmes dating Lestrade, which is just structurally wrong.

 

That said, Wilson held my fascination until the very end.  For me, the House/Wilson interactions in "The C Word" were some of the finest in modern television.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you convey the idea of a platonic marriage.  I have never seen a more clear demonstration of what the words "til death do us part" really mean, and it nicely sets up the series finale.  I still get a little misty every time House tells Wilson, "You have everything you need, right here.  We both do."

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HyacinthBucket

HyacinthBucket

(edited)

I didn't watch the last season. What happened with Cameron?

In the final montage at the end of the finale, we see Cameron working in an emergency room, smiling to herself as she finds a picture of the old team with House.  (Some people think her smile indicates that she knows the truth about House, but I don't really believe it.)  We see a handsome young man come into the ER, pushing a baby carriage.  Apparently, this is Cameron's family, and she looks happy and fulfilled.  

Edited by HyacinthBucket
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roamyn

roamyn

So after HyacinthBucket explained what happened to Cameron, I decided to go back and try to watch S8.

The first few episodes were terrible, but I'm at 8.08, and they're getting better, I have to say.

But what happened to Cuddy's office? The one Foreman occupies is huge, and completely different than hers.

Also, I'm really liking Adams. She's fiesty and Odette does a good job.

Glad to see Taub and Chase back. But still missing Cuddy.

Lady Calypso

Lady Calypso

I've been rewatching House on Netflix and just finished A Simple Explanation. As of right now, House goes back and forth on my favourite character list, only because he can be more than an ass at times. I get why he's like it, and it makes him interesting, but sometimes he needs a swift hit on the head for his actions. But he is certainly up there. I also really liked Cameron. She just worked as a character and there hasn't been a moment yet that I haven't liked her. Now, Cuddy I don't like that much. Even more so with the show going for House/Cuddy in season 5. Them becoming a couple later on is what turned me off the show and what made me not watch season 8, even with her not in it. 

As for other characters, Wilson's a good character most of the time. I also really liked Chase and Kutner. They were good, likeable doctors. Both similar to House, but they had the compassion aspect that House never did with patients. I liked Foreman a LOT in the first three seasons. Then season 4 happened and he turned into a House-lite. His relationship with Thirteen was the final straw that made me not like him anymore. I didn't mind Thirteen, but I didn't love her. Taub's definitely down on the list; I never really liked his character or his problems. He was just there for me most of the time. 

Honestly, after they got rid of the original team, and especially after Cameron left for good, I found myself less interested in the show. Up to season 5 is good and watchable. I can't remember an episode I liked in the last three seasons, though we'll see as I finish the rewatch. I found that when they replaced the team, I had wished the team consisted of House, Amber, Thirteen and Kutner. Maybe throw in Cole, because his character could have been interesting. But yeah, I wish Taub and Foreman never stayed. 

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vibeology

vibeology

I'm in the middle of a rewatch (just finished season four) and I guess I'm unpopular opinion girl because I prefer the new team to the old. I love Taub and his messy personal life. Kutner is such fun. 13 and her need to be mysterious is a little tedious but I love that she isn't a giant empathy sponge the way Cameron was. It's nice to see a female doctor who isn't always the most caring person in the room. 

The old team is okay but Foreman is too self-righteous and Cameron both annoyingly caring and obsessed with House in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Chase I've always liked. I didn't really miss ant of them when they were gone.

But favourite non-House character for me is Amber. I was giddy when she showed up and started being cutthroat and awesome. Anne Dudek really understood how to give that character layers. I just adore everything about her. She almost made Wilson tolerable. 

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Ca1iforniaCat

Ca1iforniaCat

Agree about the exotic, hard to diagnose.  Obviously more fun. Even if some of the plots didn't hold together.  Some diagnoses would have come much sooner with normal testing.

LOVE: the various uses of hallucinations (and dream sequences) throughout the series.

HATE: when doctors don't wash, don't swab injection sites, don't close the blinds before examining someone, and those who walk in on exams.  Yeah, it's t.v., but those still bothered me. every. time.  And female doctors with boobs showing seems pretty unprofessional.  Yes, ok, television ratings.  Sigh.

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Ca1iforniaCat

Ca1iforniaCat

(edited)

My question:  As a person who wants to be entertained, I love House -- his insults, relationship & pranks with Wilson, extreme bad boy behavior, etc.  But as a person who likes good relationships, part of me was bothered by some of the things he did, and I've asked myself: How many of those actions would have resulted in cutting off the relationship? Which activities would be, due to indications of the person's character and selfishness, too difficult to forgive when you'd learned that your friend/lover did them?

For example, they had the Russian bride leave over House keeping her finalized greencard from her (by throwing away the notifications), but that would have been forgivable, because he did it so he could keep her around.  He liked her and enjoyed her company.  He could have explained it and asked her to stay.

However, stealing notes from someone's therapist would be, IMO unforgivable.  It really violates a legal and moral boundary.

Yeah, I'm overthinking it, but what else is the forum for? Discuss.

Edited by Ca1iforniaCat
Ringthane

Ringthane

On 5/29/2016 at 10:27 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Honestly, after they got rid of the original team, and especially after Cameron left for good, I found myself less interested in the show. Up to season 5 is good and watchable. I can't remember an episode I liked in the last three seasons, though we'll see as I finish the rewatch. I found that when they replaced the team, I had wished the team consisted of House, Amber, Thirteen and Kutner. Maybe throw in Cole, because his character could have been interesting. But yeah, I wish Taub and Foreman never stayed. 

Who was Cole?  I don't remember a Cole.

vibeology

vibeology

Cole was Big Love, the Black Mormon who tried out for the team and made it almost to the end. I liked him well enough and he could have been interesting.

I've just started season six of my rewatch. Still love Amber, even the one that was just in House's head at the end of season five. Still hate Wilson. I forgot how boring Foreteen was as a couple. I also forgot how bad Cuddy gets in the name of the House/Cuddy story. They've taken someone who I liked and thought was a smart person who was often only a half step behind House and made her dumb, overly emotional, needy and have actually started dressing her like a hooker. In the early seasons her outfits were "professional for TV" which is to say too much skin but in line with how other female executives on TV dress. Now they've got her dressed like the some 20 something sexpot who doesn't know or care about office norms.

I have to say, Cameron though has moved up my list considerably. The farther we get away from her "crush" on House, the more mature and likeable she becomes. I didn't appreciate it, but the idea that she's on this low-key growth arc throughout the series (until she leaves) about going from being someone who needs damaged people to someone who is centered and self-assured enough to be kind and caring but not needy is actually very nice. Watching the show again, I think I was too hard on her because the early immaturity is being paid off now as she's growing and finding herself in a very realistic way.

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roamyn

roamyn

I dislike Cameron.  She's boring & self-righteous.  She treated Chase like shit, yet blamed him for being poisoned.  

I loved Cuddy the first 5 seasons.  Hated her in 6, and stopped watching in S7.

House was love one week, hate the next.  He was funny, irreverent and so damn intuitive.

Thirteen was okay, Taub was horrible except S8 (which I went back & watched).  I agree Cole could've been interesting.  Hated Masters!  

Cut throat bitch?  AWESOME!

I liked Foreman except with Thirteen.  He really matured into a great Administrator.

Chase seemed incompetent at first, but IMDB says he had more correct diagnosis than any of the ducklings.  He's another that really matured as the show moved on.

Someone once posted elsewhere that the original ducklings were younger versions of their senior co-workers.  Cameron=Wilson, Foreman=Cuddy, House=Chase.  Looking back I can definitely see it.  Esp when watching Chase all of a sudden get the answer and run off w/o telling anyone what it is.  When he was stabbed and limping I thought the show was hitting me over the head with the connection though. 

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roamyn

roamyn

House punching Chase,would've been unforgivable in 99% of other workplaces. 

But then Chase gets him back later, so I guess the show felt the incidents washed each other out.

Sometimes his actions have ne scratching my head - like running his car into Cuddy's house, or flushing those tickets down the drain, or the self surgery (which was the grossest thing I've ever seen).

But now that I've seen S8, the show had one of the best series endings ever.  Just behind MASH.

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slf

slf

Favorite characters were Cameron, House, Chase, then after a considerable gap Foreman, Cuddy, and Wilson. I disliked everyone from the new team, 13 most of all.

I never forgave Foreman for stabbing Cameron with a needle in hopes of infecting her, I don't care what the circumstances were. He also had a bias against poor women that led to two of them dying.

On 7/30/2016 at 5:19 AM, roamyn said:

Chase seemed incompetent at first, but IMDB says he had more correct diagnosis than any of the ducklings.  He's another that really matured as the show moved on.

On TWOP there was a tally done toward the end of the series that had either him tying with Cameron or Cameron being the lead of the ducklings. Foreman came in dead last.

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roamyn

roamyn

7 hours ago, slf said:

On TWOP there was a tally done toward the end of the series that had either him tying with Cameron or Cameron being the lead of the ducklings. Foreman came in dead last.

I don't think that would be possible, since Chase & Foreman were on the team much longer than she.  Unless you're only talking the first three seasons.

 I agree that Foreman was rarely right.

slf

slf

(edited)
15 hours ago, roamyn said:

I don't think that would be possible, since Chase & Foreman were on the team much longer than she.  Unless you're only talking the first three seasons.

 I agree that Foreman was rarely right.

I was surprised by the tally too but because I never really paid attention to who solved the mystery illness of the week since there seemed to be about fifty misdiagnoses an episode. Cameron might not have been on the team as long but she was always very focused on each case and at times overly involved with the patients so it doesn't surprise me that she was often right. Now Foreman so often being wrong is weird seeing as he was always talked up as being really gifted.

Edited by slf
zillabreeze

zillabreeze

3 hours ago, ForReal said:

Me, too! I watched the first two episodes and it was just as good as I remembered. I'm hoping the show airs weekly and that it wasn't a marathon. I will totally be watching. I haven't found anything to match House, ever.

Still terrifically original!  It looks like there's 6 or so every Saturday afternoon, then those will repeat a few times during the week. 

 I was glad I had forgotten the diagnoses!

It's not the same, but have you tried "The Good Doctor"?   Pretty decent medical mysteries.

ForReal

ForReal

I do watch and enjoy "The Good Doctor," but I don't find it quite as deep or nuanced, although it's getting better all the time. I particularly like Shaun and the autism angle.

Yes, with House it's been long enough that I don't quite remember what happens, so it's all good. I forgot how gory some of the medical scenes could be. Good stuff!

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zillabreeze

zillabreeze

(edited)

@ForReal- watching an episode that I get what you mean about nuanced.  Cameron is so desperate for Houses approval, which he keeps out of her reach.  On the surface, he's a dick, but he really likes her.  He's making her a better doc.  She just doesn't know it.

He sees her demons, like his own.  But knows she's always skated on her looks & his aloofness keeps her off kilter.  Which is exactly what she needs.

Edited by zillabreeze
ForReal

ForReal

I loved how he called her out first thing, that she could have skated on her looks but she chose to work her intelligence instead, and he wonders why. 

I saw a rerun elsewhere (I think I had recorded it for some reason) of the episode of the guy with mirror syndrome. In that episode, Foreman comes to realize he really does like working with House, deep down inside. It was a good episode, especially after a long time away.

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ForReal

ForReal

4 hours ago, Granny58 said:

Why those who like House also typically like the Good Doctor.  https://www.tvovermind.com/five-similarities-the-good-doctor-house/

That was an interesting article. I do like the Good Doctor, but it's nowhere near as compelling as House was, in my opinion anyway. That said, my husband likes the Good Doctor as well, but he didn't like House.

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ForReal

ForReal

I just saw the episode where House tells Stacy to go back to Mark. It always gets to me how wrong Wilson was in his assessment. He thought House was just rejecting a chance for happiness and choosing to be miserable, when he was really thinking of what was best for Stacy and best for himself.  He was being brutally honest, like he always is. Granted, he was a jerk on the way to this revelation, sleeping with her and all, but still, Wilson was wrong. I think for me this episode colored the way I viewed Wilson ever after; I did not see him as any kind of authority on what House was thinking or feeling, even though he seemed to think he was.

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