7x08 Small Sacrifices
Patient? What patient? 'Cause I'm Huddy ;-) Anyway, lots of spoilers ahead, kiddos!
First off, TPTB aren't going to break up Cuddy and House any time soon... calm down, sweeties! :-) Remember, they've got to keep up some tension, if only to placate the non-Huddies.
Nothing is ever really as it seems with House. He does trust Cuddy, he does love Cuddy. But he's hesitant to forget how people can disappoint you even if they love you. He is also unsure about himself, whether he can be enough for Cuddy. He wants to believe but... He's just going back and forth between rational realism and hopeful idealism. His default position is still the former though. Cuddy is influencing him/getting him to open up to possibilities but it takes time. Heck, who can say they really, truly believe the world is a good place all the time? We all feel more or less cynical or doubting at times. House did apologize-I don't think he actually lied-but justifies this weakness/dependency on someone else inside his hyper-rational and cynical mind by pretending it was just to keep having access to what's inside Cuddy's pants. So, was he 100% telling the truth when apologizing? No, but not 0% either. Feelings, relationships are not black or white. They respond to/are influenced by circumstances. They're not absolute but to some extent situational.
Totally agree with maudmf 's analysis: "then, i need to point ou[t] that this epi is called 'small s[ac]rifices', and i think we can all agree that the personnal drama relating to this title is bascially 'what is house willing to do to make it work with cuddy?' that's where it get ambiguous: for the one part, house does say he is sorry, and i believe he wasn't lying... and cuddy was just asking for that... on the other hand he promises smtg that seems impossible to me: never lie to her again... this show has going on for 7 years, and we all know house basically lies to cuddy every other episode.... ... i think ... that he lied when he promised her not to lie anymore, and she cannot have at least a little part of her that says 'watch out for this one, it doesnt seem reliable'... i mean, just in this epi, how many times does she dissect house's actions and shows how much she knows and understand him??? i guess what i m trying to say is that this epi shows that house is willing to do small sacrifices to have a relationship with her, we just don't know if those sacrifices will be enough... in the end, house seems deeply affected by the admission he just did, and although wilson seems to think that hosue did just what was needed to make it work, house doesn't seem to have his mind as settled as wilson... maybe because hosue sees his relationship with cuddy as smtg way more deep than what wilson could build with anyone ... i thought this epi was brilliant because it brought us back to house trying to make a point by doing things he usually considers ridiculous (you know, the stubborn child trying to make a point...) and it was just fun... at the same time, i must say that the fact that the spoilers were saying 'the end of this epi sets the tone for the rest of the huddy relationship' kinda scares me..." -One remark about the spoiler: spoilers are made by the Fox TV people, not by anyone from the actual House MD team, so they're always to be taken with an enormous grain of salt. They've been absurdly wrong in the past often. :-)
oc7ober also expressed it well: "House ... showed that he cares about being with Cuddy more than winning an argument (and we all know that House hates to lose)." Then, Cuddy having been very briefly married when she was 20 or so: believable to me. It's usually the most "together" people who have skeletons in the closet. She was stupid... but rectified it and learnt from it. This puts her and Lucas' proposing to her in a whole new light too. She was (again?) quick to say yes but then changed her mind, maybe thinking back to when she was young and naive...
More good commentary from jlch : "Ok I just watched the ENTIRE episode. I loved it. Seriously! After having watched it in full, I could really House fully realized how much he hurt Cuddy at the wedding by throwing her past mistake in her face. When she said 'Well played' [that's what she said... I couldn't figure it out, thought at first I heard "fuck you" but knew that couldn't be right :-) ] and left, man that look on his face. You could tell he regretted his decision. I don't think Cuddy's so-called marriage is even an issue, shouldn't be for us either, it was a six-day mistake, obviously a bad judgment call for her that she wishes she hadn't made, but she hates to have something like that thrown in her face. Cuddy tells him on the dance floor, all she wants is an APOLOGY. All along she has not asked for anything else has she? Nope. She's demanded NOTHING else from him. I saw it as a tug of war, a war of wills between two incredibly stubborn and strong-willed people to see who would win. ... In the end, in her office, he sounded truly sincere. Even the music alluded to that. He had a choice. It was either Cuddy or his ego. He chose Cuddy. [my emphasis] When he said he wouldn't lie to her again, OMG you could tell she didn't believe that. All she wanted was the apology.
Cuddy, that wonderful woman, has really changed him. Oh he's still an ass but she has changed him. Also, in regards to the last part with Wilson. ... I don't think for a moment House is sorry about apologizing to Cuddy. Also, think about this. When Wilson says "good for you" it's intended to imply House is suddenly a stand up guy. When House knows, really he is not. So it could have meant that too...not that he's lying about not lying to her again but that he's not the great guy maybe Wilson thinks he is. Make sense? So, to be honest, I loved the episode. I think our main characters learned a lot this time around. I like that Cuddy stood her ground, I like that true to her word, once he apologized, she let it drop (she really did) and moved on, as evidenced in her 'thank you' and the look on her face and the fact House was expecting her at his apartment that night. I like where this is heading. Having watched from day one, Cuddy and House have come a long way. They have learned a lot about each other. I truly believe that while this will be a bit bumpy, they will be just fine."
And another comment I feel I have to include in this post, this one by mirandascully : "[Cuddy]'s punishing [House] very lightly, almost flirting, little banter. That is nice. But House, oh, he's so stubborn. And yet they are on good terms. She's up for the game. When he tells her about her real age and how he intends to 'trap her', she smiles as to say 'you're on, biatch'. They are okay. As proven by the fact they're still very couply. I love how domestic they look together. How he zips her dress. How he carries her purse (LOL). It's all very old time married couple. Very sweet. Even their dance - although a little bittersweet - is a very high moment. He pays her a compliment (simply stunning OMG I want to date this guy), she smiles, she touches him lightly, tells him she wants an apology, but dances around him in a very sexy, sensual, manner. She's teasing him When they're at the champagne fountain she's a bit tipsy. She's having a good time, barriers down. I love how she says it would be her first time. She's completely casual and relaxed. I also like they're kind of discussing marriage - as if it could, one day, be a possibility. And THEN - he ruins it. I think that if he had waited a bit longer, no traps, she would've let it go. She was just making a point, but she wasn't really angry anymore. After all, as many have pointed out, marriages (or long time relationship) are in fact based on lies [my emphasis]. Which sounds un-romantic, I get it. But you lie to make the other happy, and therefore to be happy. Little white lies. ...
I still really like his speech. The one about trust. Even if he said he had lied, I'm not really sure he lied about everything. He believes trust is fictional and he believes he has to make the leap of faith for Cuddy. But he knows that even if he wants to be honest with her, he'll lie to her again. But he said he wouldn't - maybe he wishes he can, maybe he just wants to give her this faith, to give her this dream, to give her something that would make her feel safe and protected and not alone: like God - a good kind of lie that makes you feel safer and happier. He said he lied to her, because he's not sorry and he'll lie again. He hasn't lied about what matters: that he loves her and would do anything to take all of her pain away. He'd do anything not to hurt her. I won't take sides on this. There are NO sides. No House, no Cuddy - surprisingly, we have to root for them as a couple [my emphasis]. ... White lies. Eventually, you find out about them, make them suffer for it, get a bit of revenge, and move on. That's what love is about. Knowing you must lie, sometimes."
First off, TPTB aren't going to break up Cuddy and House any time soon... calm down, sweeties! :-) Remember, they've got to keep up some tension, if only to placate the non-Huddies.
Nothing is ever really as it seems with House. He does trust Cuddy, he does love Cuddy. But he's hesitant to forget how people can disappoint you even if they love you. He is also unsure about himself, whether he can be enough for Cuddy. He wants to believe but... He's just going back and forth between rational realism and hopeful idealism. His default position is still the former though. Cuddy is influencing him/getting him to open up to possibilities but it takes time. Heck, who can say they really, truly believe the world is a good place all the time? We all feel more or less cynical or doubting at times. House did apologize-I don't think he actually lied-but justifies this weakness/dependency on someone else inside his hyper-rational and cynical mind by pretending it was just to keep having access to what's inside Cuddy's pants. So, was he 100% telling the truth when apologizing? No, but not 0% either. Feelings, relationships are not black or white. They respond to/are influenced by circumstances. They're not absolute but to some extent situational.
Totally agree with maudmf 's analysis: "then, i need to point ou[t] that this epi is called 'small s[ac]rifices', and i think we can all agree that the personnal drama relating to this title is bascially 'what is house willing to do to make it work with cuddy?' that's where it get ambiguous: for the one part, house does say he is sorry, and i believe he wasn't lying... and cuddy was just asking for that... on the other hand he promises smtg that seems impossible to me: never lie to her again... this show has going on for 7 years, and we all know house basically lies to cuddy every other episode.... ... i think ... that he lied when he promised her not to lie anymore, and she cannot have at least a little part of her that says 'watch out for this one, it doesnt seem reliable'... i mean, just in this epi, how many times does she dissect house's actions and shows how much she knows and understand him??? i guess what i m trying to say is that this epi shows that house is willing to do small sacrifices to have a relationship with her, we just don't know if those sacrifices will be enough... in the end, house seems deeply affected by the admission he just did, and although wilson seems to think that hosue did just what was needed to make it work, house doesn't seem to have his mind as settled as wilson... maybe because hosue sees his relationship with cuddy as smtg way more deep than what wilson could build with anyone ... i thought this epi was brilliant because it brought us back to house trying to make a point by doing things he usually considers ridiculous (you know, the stubborn child trying to make a point...) and it was just fun... at the same time, i must say that the fact that the spoilers were saying 'the end of this epi sets the tone for the rest of the huddy relationship' kinda scares me..." -One remark about the spoiler: spoilers are made by the Fox TV people, not by anyone from the actual House MD team, so they're always to be taken with an enormous grain of salt. They've been absurdly wrong in the past often. :-)
oc7ober also expressed it well: "House ... showed that he cares about being with Cuddy more than winning an argument (and we all know that House hates to lose)." Then, Cuddy having been very briefly married when she was 20 or so: believable to me. It's usually the most "together" people who have skeletons in the closet. She was stupid... but rectified it and learnt from it. This puts her and Lucas' proposing to her in a whole new light too. She was (again?) quick to say yes but then changed her mind, maybe thinking back to when she was young and naive...
More good commentary from jlch : "Ok I just watched the ENTIRE episode. I loved it. Seriously! After having watched it in full, I could really House fully realized how much he hurt Cuddy at the wedding by throwing her past mistake in her face. When she said 'Well played' [that's what she said... I couldn't figure it out, thought at first I heard "fuck you" but knew that couldn't be right :-) ] and left, man that look on his face. You could tell he regretted his decision. I don't think Cuddy's so-called marriage is even an issue, shouldn't be for us either, it was a six-day mistake, obviously a bad judgment call for her that she wishes she hadn't made, but she hates to have something like that thrown in her face. Cuddy tells him on the dance floor, all she wants is an APOLOGY. All along she has not asked for anything else has she? Nope. She's demanded NOTHING else from him. I saw it as a tug of war, a war of wills between two incredibly stubborn and strong-willed people to see who would win. ... In the end, in her office, he sounded truly sincere. Even the music alluded to that. He had a choice. It was either Cuddy or his ego. He chose Cuddy. [my emphasis] When he said he wouldn't lie to her again, OMG you could tell she didn't believe that. All she wanted was the apology.
Cuddy, that wonderful woman, has really changed him. Oh he's still an ass but she has changed him. Also, in regards to the last part with Wilson. ... I don't think for a moment House is sorry about apologizing to Cuddy. Also, think about this. When Wilson says "good for you" it's intended to imply House is suddenly a stand up guy. When House knows, really he is not. So it could have meant that too...not that he's lying about not lying to her again but that he's not the great guy maybe Wilson thinks he is. Make sense? So, to be honest, I loved the episode. I think our main characters learned a lot this time around. I like that Cuddy stood her ground, I like that true to her word, once he apologized, she let it drop (she really did) and moved on, as evidenced in her 'thank you' and the look on her face and the fact House was expecting her at his apartment that night. I like where this is heading. Having watched from day one, Cuddy and House have come a long way. They have learned a lot about each other. I truly believe that while this will be a bit bumpy, they will be just fine."
And another comment I feel I have to include in this post, this one by mirandascully : "[Cuddy]'s punishing [House] very lightly, almost flirting, little banter. That is nice. But House, oh, he's so stubborn. And yet they are on good terms. She's up for the game. When he tells her about her real age and how he intends to 'trap her', she smiles as to say 'you're on, biatch'. They are okay. As proven by the fact they're still very couply. I love how domestic they look together. How he zips her dress. How he carries her purse (LOL). It's all very old time married couple. Very sweet. Even their dance - although a little bittersweet - is a very high moment. He pays her a compliment (simply stunning OMG I want to date this guy), she smiles, she touches him lightly, tells him she wants an apology, but dances around him in a very sexy, sensual, manner. She's teasing him When they're at the champagne fountain she's a bit tipsy. She's having a good time, barriers down. I love how she says it would be her first time. She's completely casual and relaxed. I also like they're kind of discussing marriage - as if it could, one day, be a possibility. And THEN - he ruins it. I think that if he had waited a bit longer, no traps, she would've let it go. She was just making a point, but she wasn't really angry anymore. After all, as many have pointed out, marriages (or long time relationship) are in fact based on lies [my emphasis]. Which sounds un-romantic, I get it. But you lie to make the other happy, and therefore to be happy. Little white lies. ...
I still really like his speech. The one about trust. Even if he said he had lied, I'm not really sure he lied about everything. He believes trust is fictional and he believes he has to make the leap of faith for Cuddy. But he knows that even if he wants to be honest with her, he'll lie to her again. But he said he wouldn't - maybe he wishes he can, maybe he just wants to give her this faith, to give her this dream, to give her something that would make her feel safe and protected and not alone: like God - a good kind of lie that makes you feel safer and happier. He said he lied to her, because he's not sorry and he'll lie again. He hasn't lied about what matters: that he loves her and would do anything to take all of her pain away. He'd do anything not to hurt her. I won't take sides on this. There are NO sides. No House, no Cuddy - surprisingly, we have to root for them as a couple [my emphasis]. ... White lies. Eventually, you find out about them, make them suffer for it, get a bit of revenge, and move on. That's what love is about. Knowing you must lie, sometimes."