House 5.2
Three things that make today worthwhile:
1. Brownies. Box brownies, with two eggs instead of three so they're chewy-fudgy. Mmm. I think I will share some with my classmates tomorrow.
2. I just broke up with someone (after one whole week, wow) and do not feel bad about it at all. Only relieved. That tells me it was the right decision. And I didn't even lose a TV-watching partner over it.
3. That was one of the slashiest episodes they've ever done. Maybe even slashier than whatever that episode was after the writer's strike where House and Amber argued over Wilson (although I'll have to rewatch both someday to be sure). House and that other doctor in the cafeteria in their exchange? Not only with the hilarious "Will you be my Wilson?" third-degree but with all those comments like "are you checking me out?" and "I'm not gay" and "we don't have to have sex"*? So nonchalant about the orientation, and no denials (weak argument, but still true). That was as close as we're going to get to a picture of how House and Wilson became friends. The PI's assertion that House wanted to see if Wilson was pining for him? An outsider noticing their connection, recognizing House's anguish that the relationship was broken off, and using romantic language to describe it. House being consistently heartbroken when the PI told him (and I am certain he was lying) that Wilson never talked about him? The look on his face-both their faces-when House tried to see him again, in his own messed-up, defensive way? The fact that House cited Wilson's hourly rate and threw money at him as if he were a prostitute and House had to pay for his time now that they weren't in a relationship anymore? Etc. etc.
(I don't know. Couples therapy would've done it for me last week, if they hadn't called it couples therapy. There's a lot to say for favoring subtext over innuendo. Though innuendo from third parties does have its value.)
* Now that the episode is over, I am guessing this is what the unusual "viewer discretion" warning about suggestive dialogue was referring to, which, what? Lower threshold for suggestive remarks when they're between men? Hi, FOX network. Please join us in the 21st century.
Okay, I've clearly lost the ability to perform analysis, but the point is, tonight's episode made me happy, seemed to last a while (in a good way), had a compelling opening (though I thought it was setting up an epidemic plotline, and the way they figured out what was going on could have been an episode in itself) and premise, and proved an exception to my rule that episode quality is directly related to the amount of Wilson screen-time.
Other things. Um. Hm. The fact that everyone kept saying "that doesn't make sense" was amusing and true and yet did not make up for the fact that nothing made sense. To give one of many examples: How does giving a patient a placebo prove or disprove anything?
Was also amused when House declared that no one was allowed to say anything they hadn't said before-and nobody could come up with anything. Meta comment on the series, much?
Liked that we got to see other hospital employees, and liked the characters; nurse swaggered too much, but redeemed herself with the "boy who cried wolf" remark, and the Wilson-replacement doc had great understated humor, if verging on being too perfect for what the writers needed in that scene/for House. PI was cool and snappy, but overdid the Wilson-replacement and House-psychoanalyzer angles (so typical for this show; ditto for that moment at the patient's bedside where she asked if House or his view of the world would be different if his leg hadn't been damaged).
Liked that House wanted the girl to see the world as a more beautiful place. One more tiny step in his evolution towards hope or whatever that Shore & Jacobs & everyone keep referring to in their DVD commentaries.
Also: Poor Foreman. We all saw it coming but him.
And can we just mention again -- House and Wilson's faces in that scene with the door between them. Wilson's eyes. House's eyes. They are clearly both hurting. This separation clearly will not hold. Wilson will cave; House may have to treat him better; Wilson may treat him differently. Although, uh, Wilson, if you want to move on, you should probably not be living in your dead girlfriend's apartment.
And finally: Breckin Meyer next week!
Wow, sorry. One day my posts will be thoughtful and well-phrased again. (If they ever were. Hm.) I will not tie myself up in knots about perceived declining quality. I will not tie myself up in knots about perceived declining quality.
1. Brownies. Box brownies, with two eggs instead of three so they're chewy-fudgy. Mmm. I think I will share some with my classmates tomorrow.
2. I just broke up with someone (after one whole week, wow) and do not feel bad about it at all. Only relieved. That tells me it was the right decision. And I didn't even lose a TV-watching partner over it.
3. That was one of the slashiest episodes they've ever done. Maybe even slashier than whatever that episode was after the writer's strike where House and Amber argued over Wilson (although I'll have to rewatch both someday to be sure). House and that other doctor in the cafeteria in their exchange? Not only with the hilarious "Will you be my Wilson?" third-degree but with all those comments like "are you checking me out?" and "I'm not gay" and "we don't have to have sex"*? So nonchalant about the orientation, and no denials (weak argument, but still true). That was as close as we're going to get to a picture of how House and Wilson became friends. The PI's assertion that House wanted to see if Wilson was pining for him? An outsider noticing their connection, recognizing House's anguish that the relationship was broken off, and using romantic language to describe it. House being consistently heartbroken when the PI told him (and I am certain he was lying) that Wilson never talked about him? The look on his face-both their faces-when House tried to see him again, in his own messed-up, defensive way? The fact that House cited Wilson's hourly rate and threw money at him as if he were a prostitute and House had to pay for his time now that they weren't in a relationship anymore? Etc. etc.
(I don't know. Couples therapy would've done it for me last week, if they hadn't called it couples therapy. There's a lot to say for favoring subtext over innuendo. Though innuendo from third parties does have its value.)
* Now that the episode is over, I am guessing this is what the unusual "viewer discretion" warning about suggestive dialogue was referring to, which, what? Lower threshold for suggestive remarks when they're between men? Hi, FOX network. Please join us in the 21st century.
Okay, I've clearly lost the ability to perform analysis, but the point is, tonight's episode made me happy, seemed to last a while (in a good way), had a compelling opening (though I thought it was setting up an epidemic plotline, and the way they figured out what was going on could have been an episode in itself) and premise, and proved an exception to my rule that episode quality is directly related to the amount of Wilson screen-time.
Other things. Um. Hm. The fact that everyone kept saying "that doesn't make sense" was amusing and true and yet did not make up for the fact that nothing made sense. To give one of many examples: How does giving a patient a placebo prove or disprove anything?
Was also amused when House declared that no one was allowed to say anything they hadn't said before-and nobody could come up with anything. Meta comment on the series, much?
Liked that we got to see other hospital employees, and liked the characters; nurse swaggered too much, but redeemed herself with the "boy who cried wolf" remark, and the Wilson-replacement doc had great understated humor, if verging on being too perfect for what the writers needed in that scene/for House. PI was cool and snappy, but overdid the Wilson-replacement and House-psychoanalyzer angles (so typical for this show; ditto for that moment at the patient's bedside where she asked if House or his view of the world would be different if his leg hadn't been damaged).
Liked that House wanted the girl to see the world as a more beautiful place. One more tiny step in his evolution towards hope or whatever that Shore & Jacobs & everyone keep referring to in their DVD commentaries.
Also: Poor Foreman. We all saw it coming but him.
And can we just mention again -- House and Wilson's faces in that scene with the door between them. Wilson's eyes. House's eyes. They are clearly both hurting. This separation clearly will not hold. Wilson will cave; House may have to treat him better; Wilson may treat him differently. Although, uh, Wilson, if you want to move on, you should probably not be living in your dead girlfriend's apartment.
And finally: Breckin Meyer next week!
Wow, sorry. One day my posts will be thoughtful and well-phrased again. (If they ever were. Hm.) I will not tie myself up in knots about perceived declining quality. I will not tie myself up in knots about perceived declining quality.