dorkage: House 4x04 Guardian Angels
Sigh, always late to the party - but better late than never, yes? Another fun episode - I'm still yearning for more angst and development of the characters I already love (House, Cuddy, maybe Wilson, maybe Chase), but I am enjoying the Survivor aspect of the show. Onward to the dorkiness:
- I really really liked this episode - aside from the whole Foreman thing, even though that was partly the point. But I'm still loving how the writers are examining all the new characters and how they're playing off House and vice versa. It means wretchedly little screen time for the older characters: Wilson had ONE scene, and Chase thirty seconds, so I guess I shouldn't complain that Cuddy got four scenes. But at some point I definitely hope they'll settle down into a rhythm and get back to the character development arcs that this show does so marvellously well. For House, at least.
- Bye bye Bosley. :( That was probably the bummer of the episode for me. I really really liked Ridiculously Old Fraud a.k.a. Henry, and it's so sweet that House liked him too. "Call Wilson" - awww. I mean, there's no way Bosley would be one of the final three, but I had hoped he'd stick around longer. I did like the reason he got booted though, in the end: House doesn't need someone who thinks the same way as he does. Awww, Bosley's smart! :) I guess the only consolation is that I really like Plastic Surgeon Guy too, and it was nice to see them get some interplay as PSG just kept getting more and more freaked out about how House seemed to be agreeing with everything Bosley said. I'm pretty sure PSG isn't around for long, since he's not particularly cute enough to remain as a regular cast member. But I'll take what I can, while I can.
- Especially since, hello, Brennan is COMPLETE FILLER. OMG - he has no personality or backstory other than that Doctors Without Borders thing, which is so painfully boring. Even more boring than 13 and her "I'm so mysterious" schtick. Her mystery had better turn out to be something awesome, like she's an axe murderer or something, or all this build-up is just going to lead to a lot of disappointment and bitterness. Especially since it's pretty obvious she's gonna make it to the Final 3, urgh.
- Big Love! Much love for Cole a.k.a. "Dark Religious Nut" in this episode - I liked how he stood up to House in the end, not because of all of House's horrible remarks about Cole's religion and having to take care of his baby (awww, he's a single dad with oatmeal on his pants!), but because House was too focused on needling him and not the patient. Nice punch there. Too cute how he figured out how House works by the end, and totally just asked for his flower. The 'flower five' with 13 was awfully cute. :)
- Amber - bah, I can't decide whether she'll drive me mad as a regular character. Probably. She was a bit strange in this one; I'd have imagined she'd be the first one down in that grave digging up the body with her fingernails and throwing entrails at everyone else. Weird that she tried to beg off with clinic duty. And the actress was a bit off in this ep, as
jukebox_grad pointed out - not quite as snappy as she's been in previous episodes, and a bit desperate even. Though I did love how House smacked her down after she said she hated 13 just like Bosley and PSG hate each other: "Not productively." LOL!
- A bit annoying how it turns out House fired the girls' team from last week's episode except for 13, who killed Wheelchair Guy. Hello?! Yeah, she's never going to do it again, but she did it in the first place! So the vet and the twins had to pay for it? Obviously they were cannon fodder anyway, but well - such an unceremonious booting.
- Speaking of ceremonies: HEE. I loved House's version of The Bachelor's Rose (Peony) Ceremony. Kal Penn (#6/9) hasn't had much to do, but he had a great line: "Those are peonies [cue House death glare] but I'm sure they're part of the rose family." LOL. Awww. House and pink flowers. Strange, but cute:
- And now that I've got that out of the way, back to my bugbear for this season: the writers' insistence on bringing back the Old Ducklings. Why, for the love of god, why!? Chase for 30 seconds? He might as well not be there! Cameron? Dial down the Smug, OMG. And Foreman - don't even get me started. Thanks to their having to bring Foreman back, they had to pull the "Cuddy as plot device" crap again, making her an incredibly confusing and difficult character to pin down. Mainly because her motivations don't make sense - why was she so insistent on getting Foreman back the first time? (And why was she so insistent on making him stay last season?) I absolutely don't buy what the writers put in her mouth about how House respects Foreman or how Foreman is brilliant - it's been proven that the former isn't true, at least not any more so than the amount of respect House has for Chase and Cameron too, and well, Foreman isn't brilliant. He tries for House's leaps of genius but falls short. No amount of fanwanking, usually involving Cuddy not knowing how Foreman really matches up (or not) to his peers because he's a good suck-up, really accounts for Cuddy's inexplicable moves to lure Foreman back. The show goes out of its way to show a very different dynamic between House and Foreman than what Cuddy seems to think is characteristic of their relationship. Long story short? Cuddy is a plot device to bring Foreman back. Which screws with her characterisation, obviously. Bugger.
- The Cuddy I know and love? Was the one who issued an Almighty Smackdown to Foreman at the end of the episode. YES. THIS is my Cuddy. Take-no-prisoners, tough-love Cuddy. Come back, Cuddy, come back! Plus, LE? Yowza.
"You haven't re-thought anything. You've just been blackballed."
"You're House Lite now. The only administrator that will touch you is the one that hired House Classic. Good news is, she'll pretend she's not doing you a favour."
CUDDY ILU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- One thing I am liking about Cuddy characterisation is that they're continuing the theme of proving, week after week, that House needs a Cuddy to practise medicine the way he does it. The woman didn't even blink at a grave robbery! But it's true; without a Cuddy and her extraordinary permissiveness in order to save a life, House would be shut out of the profession and thrown out on his ass. He knows it, she obviously knows it, and now? Foreman knows it. Bwa ha ha! SLAP HIM DOWN SOME MORE, CUDDY! ILU!!
- She ruled in her scene with Amber too, again proving that she knows exactly where House is coming from and it's better to know less than more (plausible deniability is key):
Amber: Dr Cuddy? I'm Amber Volakis, one of Dr House's new fellows.
Cuddy: Sexual harassment claims go through HR, stress-related leave through workers' comp and any accusations of criminal activities go directly to the Princeton-Plainsboro police department.
Amber: Actually, I was wondering if you needed any extra help in the clinic tonight.
Cuddy: (laughs) You're not going to score any points with House by kissing my ass.
Amber: Understood. But I hear Dr House hates clinic duty. If he were to hear on the grapevine that I were willing to work overtime and take some...
Cuddy: My advice to you is to do whatever House wants you to do tonight. And then tomorrow night you can come back and I will give you extra clinic duty.
Amber: Does everybody around here have trust issues?
Cuddy: I don't know what House wants you to do and I don't want to know. But if you really have a problem with it, quit now. It's only going to get worse.
Edited to add: I didn't even get around to discussing what I MEANT to discuss, which is the theme of the entire episode and how well that played out - it was, of course, about respect. Not just getting House's respect, as Cole did. It was also about House respecting Bosley but recognising he had to let Ridiculously Old Fraud go, it was about Cuddy kicking so much ass that you wonder how she hasn't lost all respect for Foreman, it's about respecting boundaries. I think I liked it that House was being particularly obnoxious to Cole in this episode; clearly because he had made a bet with Cameron and was intent on pushing it as far as it could go. I don't think he would have been quite as in-your-face or downright rude as he was otherwise. (Again, as Cuddy pointed out so insightfully in Finding Judas, House is holding himself back - this here is an example of what happens when he allows himself to REALLY let go.)
Dude. That was amazingly long. And I haven't even hit the photo essay yet. Heh. My love for this show clearly knows no bounds. ;)
Setting the scene: House is having breakfast. Mmm, eggs.
[Yes, that's Cuddy arriving in the background, about to disrupt his morning idyll.]
Cuddy: The doctors' lounge is covered in mud.
House: 13 and Cutthroat Bitch had a disagreement. Cafeteria was out of jello. <-- way to play the puppy dog eyes card, House!
Cuddy: There were pickaxes. Either you had them dig up a body, or you're building a railroad.
[House does not like semantics.]
House: Little tiny piece of his brain. Seemed a waste, he wasn't using it anymore.
Cuddy: That's your defense? 'We just dismembered him?' <-- yes, Cuddy - because jazz hands will make House admit everything!
House: We're looking for Creutzfeldt-Jakob. <-- oops, serious face. :(
[Cuddy is stunned.]
[Like the good administrator she is, she gets up close and personal. Well done, Cuddy.]
Cuddy: You get the results yet?
House: Does my breath smell baity to you?
Cuddy: (sarcastically) Yes. Let me know when you hear anything.
Cuddy: And get that mess in the shower area cleaned up.
House: I know just the guy.
Cuddy: How many of them agreed to dig up a grave? <-- the look of liability; I love how Cuddy looks here like she's rolling her eyes while calculating her legal bills...
House: Six. But don't worry, the one who didn't didn't stand on principle. He just had a diaper change. I really think there are no bad choices in this group. <-- ahhh, the look of diabolical pride. How House would look if he were a dad and he sicced his kid on the neighbour's dog or something.
[Cuddy is, understandably, horrified. "This is the guy I wanted to father my baby?!?" She leaves.]
And, favourite random cap as always:
"SEX! In my office! NOW!"
That really WAS worryingly long and detailed. Congratulations if you stuck it out this far. Imagine what it's going to be like next week, which looks set to be quite Cuddy-heavy from the promos... god help me (and you guys!) then!