(Season One, Episodes 9 – 12)
I wouldn’t say my honeymoon with House is now over, but at the same time, I’m starting to get some of the criticisms of the show. It is kind of the same story week after week. Sure, there are tweaks and twists, but the set-up for each episode is very similar. That being said, I’m still in. The characters and the dialogue writing are where this show shines.
“DNR”
The guest cast carousel this week has Harry Lennix from Dollhouse, Commander in Chief, and the Matrix movies. I’m a big fan. I continued to be impressed with the casting director on the show. Not only do they continue to get great actors on the show, but cast them in perfect roles. This is the case with Lennix here, though he does spend quite a bit of the episode lying in bed with a tube down his throat.
House has a lot in common with John Henry Giles, and the dying musician definitely calls him out on it. House’s one minded pursuit of whatever patient or illness he sets his sights on has everything to do with the fact that he has no life outside the walls of the hospital, at least not anymore (I know we’ll eventually get to that back story, but in the meantime, it’s pretty obvious).
General Hospital…. I know I haven’t mentioned it yet, but … Really?
“Histories”
The rivalry, for lack of a better word, between Foreman and House continues to be interesting. Foreman thinks he doesn’t respect House, but deep down he does. Its not always easy on the recipient of ‘tough love,’ but the smart ones get it.
The teaching project that Cuddy gives House really speaks to what he does well. He’s a problem solver, and even though he discounts patient histories, he proves to the two students, and to us the viewer, that despite the lies he expects to hear, there is still good information to be learned.
More backstory into Wilson, and continued development of the relationship between and House. Our curmudgeon of an anti-hero follows his friend because he knows Wilson was hiding something from him, and he was right. Wilson opens up about his missing brother, but only to House, and only after House saw through his lie.
“Detox”
The bet between Cuddy and House has been the most interesting side plot yet on the show. A battle of the wills like this is a fairly standard trope, but considering how personal the bet is, it was a bit different than just standard TV drama. And it made House admit to being an addict, to Wilson, obviously. I didn’t see the twist that it was Wilson’s idea in the first place. It’s obvious that both he and Cuddy care a great deal about House’s welfare.
I try to only gush about the guest casting once a week, but I’m a big fan of Amanda Seyfried. I wish she had been used more.
I talked last week about House lying to other doctors to get what he wanted (and saw a little bit of that in “Histories”), but here the question is raised, “Is it ethical, EVER, to lie to a patient?” I wouldn’t think so, at least I would hope not. But what do you tell a parent when the best treatment might just hurt more in the short run?
The cat autopsy was bad, but not nearly as bad as the baby a couple of episodes before.
“Sports Medicine”
I break my rule again. At first, it was just Scott Foley (Because I’m a big fan of The Unit, and not any other TV property he’s been in, no sir) but then, BOOM, Meredith Monroe! I’ve been a big fan of hers since … well … (Ok, so if you didn’t know of my weakness for sappy high school and college dramas, I pretty much just outed myself there). And I didn’t miss Bryan Singer sneaking in there, either.
And thank God for Monroe. To show joy and more joy, and then to have it ripped away … She played it brilliantly. She is one of those actors that I just don’t get why she’s not getting more work. She brings depth to every role she plays, and did great work here.
Wilson lies to House, but only to protect him from knowing about his dinner with Stacy. As Cameron asked House about his past, and I haven’t been completely unspoiled about the show, a quick IMDB search for Sela Ward confirms my suspicions. I’m glad that Wilson was lying for good reasons, though I couldn’t imagine him not.
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jul 02, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
