Diary of a House Virgin – Still picking up steam

Eight episodes in, and I continued to be impressed by House. Its obvious, though, that the ongoing weakness of this show will be its formula. I know I’ve harped on it already, but the show seems to follow a very similar arc episode after episode. The fact is, however, that it doesn’t really bother me as much as it would in other places, because of solid writing, great characterization, and great acting work. The guest cast on this show continues to shine, as well.

“Damned if You Do”

Ok, I have an admission to make. I’ve been an Elizabeth Mitchell fan since she played Dr. Legaspi on ER, but it took me a couple of minutes to recognize her as Sister Mary Augustine. It was her voice, honestly, that tipped me off. She provides an excellent performance here.

The Cuddy/House drama was amped up in this episode. It still feels to me like she “sinks to his level” (and I say that in quotes because I don’t think what he is is lower), which still just comes across as a little fake for my tastes. I’m waiting for this relationship to take off.

Foreman either back-doored House big time, or did the right thing. I really wasn’t sure what I thought until House dressed Cameron later in the episode. Yes, House is a jerk, but he (as usual) was right. Cameron seems to be more timid compared to the rest of the team, and had she more forcefully argued her point, then the Sister may have not gotten so bad. So Foreman did the right thing.

“The Socratic Method”

I hope members of the team breaking into patients homes does not become a recurring theme, but I have a thinking suspicion that tonight’s won’t be the last time.

Kids shouldn’t have to grow up that quick. I remember fifteen well enough to know that I doubt I had anywhere near the emotional maturity to take care of a family member this way. The kid, despite being a lot more grown up than me, was still a kid, and held a grudge against House. House, being our anti-hero, let him do so, so that the grudge wouldn’t transfer to the rightful Judas, his mother. Pretty cool for a guy who doesn’t care.

I get being dishonest to the kid to reveal his age, but lying to a fellow doctor in order to get him to perform a surgery is a bit dicey ethically if you ask me (and, you know, anyone with a brain). However, the surgeon’s empty threat to just close up a patient if he finds something similar done was a bit of unnecessary posturing. I can see how House will have pissed off pretty much everyone in the hospital by the first season finale, including the janitors (and we know pissing off Janitors is never a good idea).

“Fidelity”

I haven’t really talked about House’s clinic hours recently, and since we’ve got such a fascinating story in this episode, I figured I’d start now. But seriously folks … These asides are a nice opportunity to see how House’s mind works. It also opened the interplay between House, Cuddy, and Wilson, which was one of the first times I didn’t irrationally dislike Cuddy. Maybe she is growing on me.

The case was interesting, too. The husband finally lets the idea into his head that his wife might have been unfaithful, an act that saves his wife, but ruins his marriage. I understand how infidelity can affect different relationships uniquely.

It amazes me (though, as they named the show after him) that the one with the least amount of inter-personal skill is the person most likely to connect with those hardest to connect to. First with the husband, but especially later with Cameron. I’m not saying that House is the cantankerous man with the hidden heart of gold, but he gets people a whole lot more than he’ll ever let on.

“Poison”

I’m not going to lie. I was just a little freaked out by the clinic patient’s crush on Ashton Kutcher. Not because she was so significantly older than Kutcher or House for that matter, just because she was so, um, enthusiastic about things. Especially when she comes back to the hospital. Though the pay-off of House’s line, “Doomed to feeling good for the rest of your life,” was worth it.

Wow, the mom really was a … um … stickler. I can imagine that, in her place, seeing the doctors try and fail several different treatments would be incredibly frustrating. I am one of those people who tends to have faith in doctors. No, they are not infallible, perfect machines, but I think that they are smarter than I am, and that counts for a lot. It’s one of the lessons of House, that he may be an unqualified ass, and he may not always be right, but he’s always working in his patients’ best interests.

Wrap-Up

Still looking forward to the way the team develops, as far as the interpersonal relationships go. I’m enjoying the stuff with Foreman and House, how the writers have acknowledged how similar the characters are, while still playing them at odds. I also like House’s friendship with Wilson, even though I’m losing a little affection for Wilson himself. I can’t tell what he’s supposed to be at this point, other than a straight man to House.

Vol. One: Diary of a House virgin: Wait, that doesn’t sound right

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jun 25, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT