Picspam/Recap: House 7x03 Unwritten Part 6
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HOUSE: It was a car crash, not a skiing accident.
ALICE: What?
HOUSE: The screws in your leg.
ALICE: You got me. I'll be going back to sleep now.
HOUSE: You damaged your thyroid gland in the crash when the shoulder strap cut into your neck. You don't have Lupus. What you have is curable.
ALICE: Go away.
HOUSE: I read your book. It sucks, by the way.
ALICE: Nice try but impossible.
House is spending a great deal of time with this patient. It is Amy Irving but it's nice that we don't have SHE'S IN PAIN AND THAT'S WHY HOUSE IS INTERESTED blinking at us in every scene; it's a little more subtle than that.
And it's a nice exploration of it. He doesn't want her to commit suicide because he wants her to write more; he doesn't want her to commit suicide because she's all out of reasons if he can fix her pain.
They have a nice repartee, actually. He's sitting on a patient's bed-- has he ever done that before? He does feel like he knows her; partly because of the books, mostly because of they both have pain in common.
In common. There's that phrase again.
I’m also enjoying the fact that we’re not getting YOU’RE ALONE HOUSE; YOU’RE ALL ALONE AND THE PATIENT IS ALL ALONE AND THAT’S WHY THE PAIN IS WORSE. I’m liking this very much; the physical pain he deals with every day is enough, regardless of whether he’s in a relationship or not.
HOUSE: How can I be right and wrong? I deduced car accident because thyroid fit the symptoms. But damaged thyroid wouldn't explain the paralysis. How can I be wrong about the thyroid but right about the accident?
TAUB: What if you're not?
HOUSE: I like the way you think, kid.
TAUB: At least, not completely.
. . .
HOUSE: Do it.
TAUB: We're dead on our feet. We've barely slept in four days.
HOUSE: Awwww, that's sad. You know what's even sadder? 13 was the only man on my team.
FOREMAN: Yeah, it'd be nice if you'd hurry up and hire someone to fill her spot.
HOUSE: Do it. Cuddy wants it to be a girl.
FOREMAN: There are a couple of people--
HOUSE: I was talking to Chase. I was just looking at you to screw with you.
Still curable, just need medical records from back then (which would have helped with, say, the pins). Not surprisingly, they don't find the records.
You know what's sadder still? For as long as House has been in charge of Diagnostics and had fellows, he's always only had three. I got the impression from the pilot that Chase and Cameron had been there for awhile but Foreman was the new hire. Perhaps it didn't matter much since he rarely took cases, but still. You know who I'd love to see? An old fellow from before the series started. You actually take cases weekly now? You go to the clinic? You're dating--who?
ANYWAY Chase and Foreman are used to having three and Taub . . . had dealt with only three for a time. They're getting spoiled now. On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of exhausted people treating me.
You know what I'm finding interesting this season (apart from the obvious)? House is going home every night and he's coming back, presumably showered, with fresh clothes. Not that he stayed the night a lot before, but now he's not doing that at all. HIs patient had sudden onset paralysis and still he went home without knowing why. He's delegating.
Why do I get the feeling that Foreman already knew about what Cuddy wanted and was already pulling resumes? He and Cuddy must meet on a regular basis. Chase in charge of hiring? A woman? That sounds like a perfectly sound plan. Nothing can go wrong there.
Steps of the Thin Man: Wow is it a good idea that he didn't get the suspects together for a final reveal just yet. House is close to a solution but he's still missing something.
CUDDY: I know. Alice is refusing surgery.
HOUSE: She'll be dead in a few days without it.
CUDDY: Which is why I've spent the last four hours trying to find a legal way to do it without her permission. Unsuccessfully. I'm sorry.
HOUSE: As your boyfriend, I am grateful for the effort. As your employee, I am disappointed at your ineffectiveness. Why would she not tell us about the pins in her leg?
CUDDY: She wants to die.
HOUSE: By having her leg ripped off? She wants to punish herself for something that happened before she was famous. Before she even started to write. I think the answer's in her old medical records but Dopey, Sleezy, and Uptighty can't find them.
CUDDY: Maybe "Alice Tanner"'s just her penname
HOUSE: Your boyfriend is an idiot.
CUDDY: I'll contact the National Records Archive and run the type of screws in her leg against blood type, age, and anything else I think of.
HOUSE: Her first name could be Helen.
CUDDY: Even better.
Awwwwwww She didn't return the peace penguin! I really do love his little bowtie.
This scene is amazing. Cuddy being good at her job, House hanging out discussing the case. House is the one that continues the "as your boyfriend, as your employee" thread. She's a little more irritated today (look at what she's wearing! her neck's still hurting) but they're very relaxed together. You know what else they have in common? They tend to sit on the arms of chairs. I also love how House just slides back. This is good for them; I like this. They're so much more entertaining on the same team.
And Cuddy's helps! She's the one with the key in this episode. So, she provided the epiphany stimulus and the final piece of the puzzle. She’s been actively involved in every stage of this case (I don’t know if she’s ever been this involved before); I love it. It’s how I expected them to be (but so much better); them, hanging out, discussing a case? Him seeking her out for help? Her being a good sounding board and being her smart and savvy self? SO MUCH LOVE.
Dopey, Sleezy, and Uptighty. Heh.
Profile of the Thin Man: Teamwork! House comes to her for help and she helps more than he anticipated. They’re just amazing. *hugs them*
HOUSE: Don't bother to get up. You know the way you write Jack always made him feel real to me. Now I know why.
CUDDY: Because I'm a good writer.
HOUSE: He's cool but he's awkward. He's brilliant but he makes mistakes. He's funny but sometimes he takes it too far. Sounds like a great kid.
ALICE: Please. Just leave me alone.
HOUSE: You weren't alone in the car crash. Your son was with you, Helen. The books are your way of keeping him alive.
ALICE: Why can't you just let me die in peace?
HOUSE: You haven't been at peace since it happened.
He’s being kind here. And, yeah, he wants her to keep writing and, yeah, he’s branching out from browbeating a patient into the treatment she needs. But not once has he called her an idiot; he’s only used it to describe himself.
She’s so willing to believe him. He does weave a good story but perhaps she just wanted to believe him, that it really was a freak accident. She sees commonalities between the two of them; perhaps she sees enough truth it what he’s saying, perhaps even the lie is enough reason to stop punishing herself and move on.
CUDDY: Her son didn't have a brain aneuryism.
HOUSE: Nope. She shouldn't have let him drive in the rain. Jack was never very coordinated.
CUDDY: As your boss, I am opposed to you lying to a patient. As your girlfriend, I'm glad you care.
HOUSE: I don't. I just wanted to save Jack Cannon.
CUDDY: Well, I can see why you like him. I started reading one of the books you gave me.
HOUSE: I find that very hard to believe.
CUDDY: Why? Because I can't like something you like? We couldn't possibly have something in common?
HOUSE: Because I lied about giving you the books.
CUDDY: Oh.
HOUSE: Oh. Wilson told you
CUDDY: Yeah.
HOUSE: He's such a gossip.
CUDDY: I'm not going to dump you because we like different food or books or music. On the other hand, I might dump you if you don't talk to me when you have a problem with our relationship.
HOUSE: I know you believe that now but the fact is--
CUDDY: Who cares about common? Common is boring. Common it's --pfft. Common. I like being with you. You make me better. Hopefully I make you better. What we have is uncommon. And I've never been happier.
Am I supposed to be coherent after this? How is it possible that their scenes just kept getting better and better?!
Anyone else flash back to “The way the security light hits your leg. Looks good / Thank you” scene? Because of the “I know you care. / I don’t care. I really don’t care. / Then pull the plug.”
And it looks like this is the scene that OE tweeted all those months back.
Awww, Cuddy. So cute (and you know where to find him, too). Their matching “oh”s are so adorable and sexy.
House, you know Wilson is a gossip, but you told him anyway. You know WIlson is big (right now, anyway) on not keeping secrets from each other in the OT3, but you told him anyway. You know Wilson meddles, but you told him anyway. Any chance that maybe you wanted WIlson to tell her because you’re too afraid to tell her yourself? I can’t imagine you think he’d keep that information to himself especially after the fiasco with the go-karts; combine guilt that Cuddy’s in pain with his desire to meddle and advise? No way he’d keep quiet. I REALLY wish we could have seen that scene, though (I really, really want a Wilson/Cuddy scene). Wilson wants this to work; meddling is how he shows his love.
i’m impressed with Cuddy in this episode. This aligns with her attitude in Now What; it’s as if she’s been really considering their relationship and what they have together all along and she’s decided she’s more than willing to rely on the intangible nature of them. She’s tried dating sites which match you based on common interests and it didn’t work. It might have worked for her if not for House but the fact is he brings out her confident, compelling self. He brings her into focus; she’s the brighter, sharper, clearer version of herself that she always wants to be. He makes her better. He makes her more herself.
House doesn’t handle intangibles well. He doesn’t like things he can’t quantify. Unfortunately for him, this thing he has with Cuddy has always been indefinable and intense and unwritten, to go with the theme. He doesn’t care what anyone else thinks but he has the need to impress her. He argues with her and jokes with her. He focuses on her. He knows she’s not an idiot. She makes him feel funny. And he can’t explain it; he’s never been able to explain it. All he knows is that he’d like it to continue but has no idea how because he’s not good with this. So he looks at what others have done (stop looking to the thrice-divorced guy) and tries to apply it to them but it won’t work. What they have really is unusual and odd and uncommon.
I love watching him as she’s giving her little speech. He so wants to believe her. His little gulp as she says they’re “uncommon”? Amazing. HL is amazing. LE is amazing. They’re both doing incredible jobs with this material. Macros for everyone!
“And I’ve never been happier.” House was right. As he usually is.
And she can make him smile even when he’s panicking (he can make her smile even when she’s sad). YOU TWO!!! *squishes*
Thin Man Goes Home Again: Brain broken. He solved the case, settled things with Cuddy. I’m pretty sure cocktails were the only thing missing.
ALICE: Mind giving us a moment alone, Cristina? I'd like to thank you.
HOUSE: Great. You can dedicate the next Jack Cannon to me.
ALICE: I can’t.
HOUSE: You’re still in pain?
ALICE: No. It did everything you said and more, I can finally move on. Thank you.
HOUSE: Move on where?
ALICE: I want to write books for adults.
HOUSE: What about Jack? Your last book didn’t answer anything.
ALICE: The way I ended Jack’s story was perfect. Each reader can decide what fate they want for him themselves.
HOUSE: But that’s stupid; that doesn’t make any sense.
ALICE: How many answers do you get in real life?
HOUSE: This is a book; books have beginnings, middles, and ends. You can’t just leave it on a cliffhanger. Who does that?!
ALICE: I’m sorry. His story is done. There’s really nothing you can say to change my mind.
HOUSE: You’re son-- *sees Cuddy* was very lucky to have you as his mother.
CUDDY: That was--
HOUSE: Oh, shut up.
You make me better. Hopefully I make you better. alks;fdjfkaldslkajsdfkldafsakjsldk;ldadsdakl/hlm,sdasdamlnks
Hopefully I make you better.
They had her say it then had him show it. ajkfdsfldksladfs;adfs;lkadfs;ladfsl;dfs
WOW. Wow. Is it a little on the nose to have Cuddy standing there, watching him (playing with a rubberband on her wrist?!) and have him look back to see her there? Perhaps. Don’t care. I’m sure he was talking about it a lot the night before, she was just . . . interested in the outcome in case Alice didn’t write another book.
And they’re color-coordinated again! And she’s in a great dress!
Hey, look, Cristina's back! I’m glad. ‘Bye, Amy Irving! You were a fantastic POTW!
Thin Man’s Last Word: “Oh, shut up.” And they’re back!!!!!! Brief display of tender emotion . . . then snarkiness. That’s them. AND I LOVE IT.
Previous picspams
7x02 Selfish
7x01 Now What
6x21 Help Me
Flashback recap-picspams:
6x19 The Choice
5x06 Joy
3x19 Act Your Age & 3x20 House Training
2x22 Forever
1x03 Occam's Razor