Diary of a House Virgin – Stacy leaves, and Foreman’s reign ends

by Ivey West

House's Team Debates season 2

(Season Two, Episodes Ten – Thirteen)

The second season of House is still going strong. The Stacy storyline has come to an end (at least for now; I doubt we’ve seen the last of her), but while she may not be walking the halls of our favorite New Jersey teaching hospital, I think we’ll see her shadow cast about House for quite some time. Hopefully her departure will give more time to the House/Chase dynamic, as we see the beginnings of in “Skin Deep.”

“Failure to Communicate”

While House is away, the kids will play. With no one to wrangle the team in, I guess they naturally would all push their own diagnoses’ as much as possible. Foreman’s continued “supervisory” position didn’t do him any favors with his colleagues, but I do find it ironic that while he and Cameron are slowly becoming more like House, Chase has experienced no character growth in two season.

For as much as the doctors of Princeton-Plainsboro use it as one of their tools in leading to a diagnosis, I really wonder how often real doctors break into their patient’s homes. If this show is any indication, it happens all the time.

The whole House/Stacy dynamic is starting to grow on me. I love Sela Ward, but have only recently been warming to the character she plays here. The endgame obviously has to be her leaving, which is going to make House even more of an ass than he normally is.

I forever won’t be able to look at anyone bouncing a ball against a wall while working out a problem, without thinking of Toby Ziegler.

“Need to Know”

Foreman’s reign over House is thankfully over. What started out interesting has, truthfully, just become monotonous. Foreman’s indecisiveness makes him a poor leader. He’ll continue to be a great character on the show, but won’t be in this role again, at least for a while.

When I said it was obvious that Stacy would have to leave, I didn’t expect her to say she was leaving so soon. She said it just to prod House into action, and she got what she wanted. Then, she decides to straddle the fence. Every action she can take is going to hurt someone. House forcing the issue was interesting, but I don’t necessarily believe Wilson had the right answers in the end.

I love continuity, especially in such an episodic show like House. Bringing back Cameron’s HIV test was a nice touch.

Oh, and Lisa Edelstein does a mean Sela Ward impression.

“Distractions”

House certainly knows how to hold a grudge, doesn’t he? The whole story was worth it just for the image of House in a trucker’s hat. As per usual, the good doctor takes things too far, testing his rival’s miracle drug not only on Coma Guy, but himself as well.

The conversation with Cuddy at the end was interesting, as well. House has waited the 20 years to get even with Webber, and then waxes poetic about how the universe will eventually right all wrongs. We don’t believe, it, nor does Cuddy, who calls him on it. It’s simply a matter of vindictiveness, or more likely, as Wilson pointed out earlier, a distraction.

Wilson is the one character I want to see more of, but continue to be disappointed on that score. He’s easily the least developed character on the show at this point. I would trade ever learning anything more about Chase, for just another snippet of Wilson.

“Skin Deep”

I love the Ryan Adams song used at the beginning of Act One, “Desire.” I’ve been a fan of it since it was used in an episode of The West Wing a year earlier, one that also had scenes involving alarm clocks. A little ironic, don’t you think? (Further irony was Karis Campbell, who was recurring on The West Wing at the time, playing the pregnant woman in the clinic).

Had I watched House when it originally aired, I wouldn’t know Cameron Richardson at all. Instead, I’m watching it now, after falling in love with her Chloe on Harper’s Island. The continued harping on her age made me double check, but, yeah, she’s my age (in fact, about 60 days older). So, at 26, she played 15. Furthermore, I thought she did a damn fine job playing what turned out to be a fairly complicated character.

I don’t normally talk about specific gags, but House hitting Chase with his cane, and then asking, “Do you miss Stacy, too?” was just hilarious. I’ve always enjoyed how the writers balance drama and comedy so well.

I guess I should have seen Cuddy giving House a placebo, but the revelation came as a surprise.