House

[Nubbins]

I dunno if there's another House thread.  I am too lazy to look.

I love this show and we TiVo it every week, but... I think maybe I am starting to see some cracks.

There's just a lot of it that doesn't make much sense to me about the last few episodes.  While I'm completely able to overlook the fact that every week they have a patient admitted to the hospital with some bizarre, freak-o illness that only 1 in a billion people have... while I'm able to overlook the fact that House knows everything, is a complete and utter asshole yet still has friends and, somehow, maintains his job... all of these things I can look past because the other parts of the show are so engaging.

I just can't get over this fucking cop though.  Like... why the fuck are people even talking to him?  These hushed conversations in poorly furnished basement spaces in the hospital are getting old.  It's too forced.  For one thing, any real person would tell this guy to either arrest them or get bent.  There's no way doctors would continue to take time out of their day to be manipulated and threatened by a rogue cop if they didn't have to.

And, what... does this guy just spend all his time hanging out at the hospital now?  Doesn't he report to anyone?  Does the hospital grant him office space for his little inquisition, or does he just squat in various rooms and whisper at people?

I dunno... maybe I'm being nit picky, but the episode I watched last night really turned me off a little bit.  I like angry, withdrawal House though.  He's an utter bastard.

[nacho]

Haven't seen last night yet, but Tritter is the biggest mistake this show has made.

He battled Chi McBride in season one, which was great.  He tried to take over the hospital and wanted House out, but it was a sort of a background thing.  Chi and Laurie played it up well.  Seen those?  Much better handled than this Tritter thing... This cop is so clearly harassing everyone that I'm shocked he still has his badge.  And, suddenly, the hospital doesn't have lawyers?  I'd like to see a cop try to do this against any hospital.  That'd be like a country lawyer trying to sue Verizon because a customer service agent hung up on them.  Tritter should have been crushed early on. 

And, yes, they are carrying it on far too long.

Even though season 2, without an arch enemy, did fine, I guess they want to try and give House something to bounce off of.  But this seems like a desperate attempt.  We've got House working off of the only five people who tolerate him, and all of their conflicting emotions.  If they really want to add some more meat to the story, how about looking deeper at those relationships?

[Nubbins]

Yeah... it's all just a little much.  Even House seems like a totally forced character right now.

The thing I hate the most about the cop is that we've been sure how the whole debacle's going to end for 4 weeks now.  He's going to come down with some strange illness, House will save him, the cop will find a new respect for House and back off.  Or he'll get hit by a bus... one of the two.

Whatever they do, they should do it soon.

[nacho]

If the cop gets sick and House has to save him, that's it for me.  I'll stop watching.  I'm already about to hit the gong on the show.

One thing that always bugs me -- the whole reason House keeps his job is because he's the world-famous lead in what he does.  Doc's like that don't have clinic duty.  You don't go to have your splinter removed in the ER and meet the top doc in the field.  Especially at a teaching hospital.  You get Jackie the PA or Timmy the 4th year med student.  In fact, you couldn't get within 100 feet of the House-type doc if you tried.

I've always overlooked that because the clinic duty stuff was cute and funny, but with this cop thing it's really become a glaring thing.

[Nubbins]

If the cop gets sick and House has to save him, that's it or me.  I'll stop watching.  I'm already about to hit the gong on the show.

Yeah, this week's episode is fairly heavy on "I'm almost done with this show" type stuff... I'll try not to spoil it or anything.  I'll just say, "Most generic cliffhanger ever."

[nacho]

Whew boy... Yeah, looks like the beginning of the rise of the dreaded shark jumping phrase.

And, Christ, the confrontation with Cuddy.  What a fucking pussy.  Cuddy's the dean of medicine running one of the central teaching hospitals in the States.  A woman like that would have Tritter for breakfast.  He'd be sitting there reading those files one minute and flushed down the toilet the next.  Again, I've put up with Cuddy being a helpless, huffing pretty-girl this whole time because it's cute (hot!) and funny... But facing down this bully cop?  Man, I'd pity him.  Yet... She looks like she's on the verge of tears when he delivers his patriot speech.

Of course, okay, let's roll with it because the show has given us two good years... So, even forgiving the whole cop thing, House would have been pulled off of everything the moment it became clear that he was in psychoville with withdrawal.  Hell, House would have been at home with his feet up a few episodes ago...

My prediction isn't that the cop gets sick.  I say somebody famous gets something and House isn't able to help them.  The death is directly blamed on the harassment and all is okay.

That said, guilting my little daughter into going on a scary carnival ride is something I would do.

[Nubbins]

The amputation thing was fairly absurd as well.  So cliche.  Right down to the stupid scalpel lingering millimeters over a dotted sharpie line on her shoulder... give me a break.

Cuddy is hot though.  The laserbeam cleavage was great.

[nacho]

I've always had a thing for Cuddy.  She far outshines the show's intended sexpot --Jennifer Morrison.  She has "dead" eyes, you know?  I've seen those leather bra and panties pictures and you still notice those dead eyes and that passionless face.

Cuddy's bright and alive.  In real life, too.

[nacho]

So, with the latest episode, I will confess to getting into the storyline.  They've made Tritter so evil, I'm just dying for House to get even...or find a House-friendly resolution.

But...is that the point?  I'm wondering if we're supposed to be worried about House being an addict.  Are we supposed to care and think, poor House, he needs to be saved?  Because, if so, that's stupid.  House is a life-saving hero all of the time, until the writers get guilty about having a pill-popping doctor and try to bring that in as a problem.  It's never a problem for anyone, and House is just fine, and pain patients the world over are in the same boat as he is.  If he's the wizard doctor for 90% of the episodes, and kills people when the pills are gone, then...

And people in pain take painkillers.  I get that House has taken that to excess and it's a problem, but, still, it's like their general lesson is pills are bad.  I'm starting to get that feeling.  A show about someone in chronic pain wants us to think there are other solutions?

And that comes to the defense -- okay, House fucked up with the forged scripts, but...he needs medication.  Chronic pain doesn't go away with Jesus and meditation.  And everyone watching with chronic pain has pills hidden all over the place.  Trust me. 

But, yes, the larger issue is that he had zillions of pills in his secret stash and all those fake scripts.  So that's what he's going down for... But all the proselytizing is bugging me.  "If he can do it with the pills, then he can do it without." or whatever Tritter said in the car.  Yes, okay, the pills aren't where his genius comes from... But Wilson's argument was correct, the pills let him be clear headed enough to function.

Way back in the beginning, before Tritter dug and found all the shady stuff, he'd of been shot down.  Cuddy is House's doctor.  When Tritter came to her, that would have been the answer -- he's in pain.  And the documentation, and opinion of one of the biggest docs in the country and head of the hospital, would have floated with any judge. 

I'm enjoying the square off, but it's just about 110% unbelievable, childish, poorly constructed and insulting.  Good thing it's being done with two good actors.  But if this turns out to be an elaborate way to create a clean House for the fourth season, then fuck this show.

[Nubbins]

This episode was really great... at least I thought so.  It's the most vulnerable I've ever seen House be.

But yeah, right there with you on the 110% stretch of the imagination.

And yes... I guarantee they're setting us up for a clean, rehabilitated House.  My guess is that he'll go to trial after checking into rehab and his stellar record with patients will convince the judge to drop the entire case... bla dow.

Tritter can suck my dick too... I still fucking hate that guy and I think one of the main reasons this week's episode was so great was because he wasn't in the show at all.

But yeah... this show is on a motorcycle circling the tank.

[nacho]

And yes... I guarantee they're setting us up for a clean, rehabilitated House.  My guess is that he'll go to trial after checking into rehab and his stellar record with patients will convince the judge to drop the entire case... bla dow.

A reverse Seinfeld finale?

[Nubbins]

Tritter's demise!  AT LONG LAST!

Not a terrible episode... fairly predictable I thought though.

The Donovan track at the end was a nice touch... Season of the Witch is one of my favorite songs of all time.

[nacho]

Oh yeah...and one of my fav songs, too.  And a perfect choice, huh?  The ever-corrupt House.  Season of the witch for sure.

It was almost like they did a last minute reaction to the fan complaints.  Kill Tritter quickly then move on, with House still House all the way...and even sidekick Wilson placated.  This is, after all, Holmes and Watson.  Can't tear that down, not even the politically incorrect drug stuff.

I'm happy again.

[Nubbins]

Yeah, me too... can't have a clean House, it just doesn't work.

The question is, and of course this is entirely debateable and can't really be proven either way, but was the whole rehab charade entirely fake?  He seemed to be taking the recovery steps in stride, but was that for the judge's sake?  Was it ALL an act or simply just parts of it?  I get the feeling that some of the introspection and apologies to his close friends were sincere, even if his rehab effort wasn't.

A good end to Tritter as well.  He was a total dick to the bitter end and I'm glad House pulled one over on him.

Now, hopefully the show will move the fuck along again.

[nacho]

The whole thing was a fake, yeah.  The apology to Wilson makes sense...no matter what, we've seen that House does value Wilson's friendship.  We saw that when House was trying to keep Wilson around after his divorce.  He likes the guy.  But, again, they do the Holmes thing.  Holmes never openly expressed his friendship with Watson, but it was always clear that the only human being Holmes could connect with was Watson (and Moriarty, of course).  And Holmes did display a fondness in his way.  But it was always distracted, dismissive and, sometimes, cruel.

I also liked giving Cuddy an edge.  Owing her a debt might better focus her character.  I also like her ass.