House stuff
So the House two-parter finished tonight. I am in a blah state where I can't summon up the energy to talk about anything else--although I think I'll start rereading Bleach tonight--so I'll talk character meta for both parts of "Euphoria," although mostly the second.
It's about House and Cameron. No, not that way--I am personally rather nonchalant on pairings for this series, and "HouseCam" and "Huddy" fans annoy me equally. This is more a matter of comparing and contrasting.
So House is not as amazing a doctor when he knows and cares for the patient. This is explicitly stated in the second part of "Euphoria." Who wants to ponder what happens when it's Wilson getting sick? But that's not my point at the moment, anyway.
Now, in apparently unrelated news, Cameron was "not as annoying" this episode, as the fandom at large would put it. Although I'm sure they'll find something to bash her about this time, too. Anyway, my point is, she shows consistently better behavior than normal. She willingly risks herself to go back to the apartment to help Foreman--as House points out, the fact that Foreman stuck her just gave her an excuse. She wanted to go back there anyway. She's clear-sighted enough to recognize that Foreman is only apologizing to her because he's dying, but compassionate enough to accept the apology anyway in the end. When Foreman makes her his proxy, she grows a spine so fast you can practically hear it crunch. Not only does she stand up to House (which is something she's been learning to do since the start of the series), but she stands up to Cuddy as well--and afterwards, she has the humility to admit that she went too far.
So is this just the scriptwriters playing fast and loose with her character? Maybe, but I'd like to hope not. I'd like to hope that instead, this is their way of indicating that while House gets worse as a doctor when he knows and cares for the patient, Cameron gets much better.
This adds a whole new element to her constant wearisome attempts to befriend her patients. Maybe it's a conscious decision, maybe it's not--but in any case, she's always trying to reach a level where she can be a better doctor for her patients. And she's failing, because it's an artificial attempt.
The irony here? That House deliberately avoids getting attached to his patients, which implies that if he didn't go out of his way to be an antisocial bastard, he'd be able to easily forge the kind of connection that Cameron seeks. Cameron, on the other hand, tries and tries, but she can't do it. Hell, maybe she never even got that connection with her husband, because she always saw him as a patient. Instead, she got it with his best friend, quite by accident. (What was the episode where she confessed to Wilson that she fell in love with her husband's best friend? I forget.)
In any case, this doesn't excuse Cameron's mistakes, but it does lend them a kind of tragic air. She's a bad doctor because she can't forge the connection she wants with patients, but if she could form that bond with every patient who came along, it would destroy her.
It's about House and Cameron. No, not that way--I am personally rather nonchalant on pairings for this series, and "HouseCam" and "Huddy" fans annoy me equally. This is more a matter of comparing and contrasting.
So House is not as amazing a doctor when he knows and cares for the patient. This is explicitly stated in the second part of "Euphoria." Who wants to ponder what happens when it's Wilson getting sick? But that's not my point at the moment, anyway.
Now, in apparently unrelated news, Cameron was "not as annoying" this episode, as the fandom at large would put it. Although I'm sure they'll find something to bash her about this time, too. Anyway, my point is, she shows consistently better behavior than normal. She willingly risks herself to go back to the apartment to help Foreman--as House points out, the fact that Foreman stuck her just gave her an excuse. She wanted to go back there anyway. She's clear-sighted enough to recognize that Foreman is only apologizing to her because he's dying, but compassionate enough to accept the apology anyway in the end. When Foreman makes her his proxy, she grows a spine so fast you can practically hear it crunch. Not only does she stand up to House (which is something she's been learning to do since the start of the series), but she stands up to Cuddy as well--and afterwards, she has the humility to admit that she went too far.
So is this just the scriptwriters playing fast and loose with her character? Maybe, but I'd like to hope not. I'd like to hope that instead, this is their way of indicating that while House gets worse as a doctor when he knows and cares for the patient, Cameron gets much better.
This adds a whole new element to her constant wearisome attempts to befriend her patients. Maybe it's a conscious decision, maybe it's not--but in any case, she's always trying to reach a level where she can be a better doctor for her patients. And she's failing, because it's an artificial attempt.
The irony here? That House deliberately avoids getting attached to his patients, which implies that if he didn't go out of his way to be an antisocial bastard, he'd be able to easily forge the kind of connection that Cameron seeks. Cameron, on the other hand, tries and tries, but she can't do it. Hell, maybe she never even got that connection with her husband, because she always saw him as a patient. Instead, she got it with his best friend, quite by accident. (What was the episode where she confessed to Wilson that she fell in love with her husband's best friend? I forget.)
In any case, this doesn't excuse Cameron's mistakes, but it does lend them a kind of tragic air. She's a bad doctor because she can't forge the connection she wants with patients, but if she could form that bond with every patient who came along, it would destroy her.