Diary of a House Virgin: Wait, that title doesn’t sound right

I’ve always been told that I would love House, but I’ve never had the time to give it a chance. Big mistake. I was hooked instantly (Not unlike our own Julia Hass’ reaction to seeing for the first time CliqueClack’s Unofficial Favorite Show, Leverage). I’m not one to like jumping into shows three or four seasons in, but after watching the first several episodes of the first season, I might just make an exception to the rule. The only thing that really concerns me is the standard structure of the show, but as long as the characters stay strong, I’m all in.

“Pilot”

One of the few things that always struck me about this show was the outstanding guest cast that was popping up on the adverts on FOX, and the pilot was no exception. I know I should probably be concentrating on the regular cast this early on, but its hard not to recognize the bang up job that Robin Tunney did as the first patient of the week. I loved the way she stood up to House, and the way that she made giving up feel OK. Well, at least until my new favorite doctor put her in her place.

The team works for me. I like Foreman in particular, as he seems to stand up to House the most (whom in his own way respects him for it), but Cameron and Chase as well. The conversation where House explained to Cameron why he hired her was a nice, if not incredibly backhanded, compliment.

I’m all for a giving your friends and close ones a hard time, but it seems to me that Cuddy tip toes the line of being too harsh. Its almost like she tried to be a dick just to keep up, but it just doesn’t work for her. I have always loved Lisa Edelstein, but I’m not really impressed with Cuddy so far.

“Paternity”

I can tell that the medical mysteries are not going to be what keeps me interested in the show. The speech that Foreman gave the parents was almost delivered for me. “You’re really not going to understand what’s going on. Just know that it’s bad.” I’m actually fine being on the outside looking in on understanding all of it.

I thought for a very, very quick second that House was having a moment of kindness, but it was all just a ploy to get the parents to leave DNA evidence. I thought the parents were a little harsh. I mean, they can get a cup of coffee, but the kid’s doctor isn’t entitled to a break?

“Occam’s Razor”

Where the first two episodes seemed to fire on all cylinders, I thought there was a little drop off here. Not to say that I didn’t like it, because I still find myself loving the show. It’s apparent that House is going to be pretty formulaic (though most procedurals are). Patient gets sick, regular doctors can’t get it licked. Bring in the ‘pros from Dover,’ who take several stabs at it before getting it right. So the show will stay character driven, which is fine by me.

I loved the interaction between Cameron and Chase over the sex talk, but in general I’m not buying any real tension yet. I do know these two end up together (Hey, I may not have watched the show, but I haven’t been living under a rock, either), and how that chemistry changes. I am curious if she was as aware of what her orgasm conversation had, or if she was just playing coy.

I’m also interested in following House and Wilson. Best friend stories can turn out so well when crafted properly, and I love how these two are set up as total opposites, yet still manage to have a large amount of respect for each other.

“Maternity”

And just when I thought I found a formula, they’ve got to go and break it. Having multiple patients made for an interesting storytelling dynamic. Cameron’s history and how that affects her relationships with patients will hopefully come back from time to time.

This episode posed an interesting ethical dilemma (though one that ended up having no bearing on the actual root cause of the illness). Different treatments for the same diagnosis could be construed as experimenting, but provides the opportunity for the greatest survival rate. I think the team made the best decision, even if it didn’t make the most legal sense. It was nice to see Cuddy back House up.

I will say that I think this episode included probably the most horrible, fictional thing I’ve seen on screen. Watching House sit down to do the autopsy was incredibly hard, but I think the show earned that moment. Like he said earlier, this child died to save five others. Oh, and to be clear…. If House was an ass just for the sake of being an ass, he’d have made Cameron do the autopsy, akin to what Addison Sheppard did to Izzie Stephens on Grey’s Anatomy.

So far, so great. I’m finding it hard to wait until next week to watch the next couple of episodes!

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jun 18, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT