I said in my TV sidebar on Tuesday that I was starting to lose interest in House, and I must say that it was with some reservations that I sat down to watch this week’s episode, the first since early January. The first episode of the season to benefit from the American Idol lead-in, it garnered huge ratings. And, I have to wonder what people really thought about the episode, because it was different from its usual formula. And, for this reason, I viewed it as an example of how good House can be, how strong this character is, and how he continues to flounder somewhat within the unfortunate circumstance that is the nature of procedural TV shows.
I love Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of Gregory House. I believe that he is deserving of the awards he has received, and of the praise that has been placed upon him. And, episode that allow House to deal with his own issues, or ones that allow for him to remain in his element of humour and attacking patients verbally, are something to look forward to. They can be a bit heavy-handed, and last night’s episode certainly headed in that direction, but it worked out in the end.
I didn’t miss the weekly mystery; in fact, I was almost disappointed where it appeared that it might be popping up early in the episode. Written by show creator David Shore, it made me wish that he could write more often. He was also responsible for Three Stories, the episode where we learned the details of House’s injury, and I think that this type of episode is what House does best. The problem is that, in other episodes, there isn’t enough there to sustain it.
In those episode, House is buoying a plot that eventually gets solved in its usual contrived fashion. The plots are good, don’t get me wrong, but they never really go anywhere. Episodes that simply show House being his usual self are fine, but it’s so tough to watch after the beginning of this season.
We opened the season with House jogging. He was getting better, he was feeling better, and the show stopped dead becausse of it. House wasn’t a liability anymore, and the show’s dynamic was thrown out of balance. And, like most dramatic shows, things all went back to normal. House got worse, got hooked on drugs, and then the cycle continued. They even then recycled a plotline from before, having House challenged by someone not charmed by his actions and who thought him dangerous. The entire storyline with Tritter slowed things to a crawl, and House appeared unchanged through almost the entire arc. He was flawed, almost too flawed, and came out looking sterling.
How often can they do this? How often will they be able to reset this show? Future storylines are apparently heading back to the aborted Cameron/House romance, which isn’t exactly filling me with excitement, because I’m really looking for something new. I want to see House head to a new direction, but this week’s episode didn’t really give me much hope for the future. I seriously doubt we’ll suddenly see a changed House, and chances are we’ll head back to another mystery of the week and a flawed House who can’t empathize with his patients. And, if this is the case, I shall have to be entertained by House himself, and wait until we get another episode that dares to go deeper into his character.
Cultural Learnings 