dorkage: House 4x04 Guardian Angels

[ellixian]

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

Comments

[jukebox_grad]

Cuddy pretty much made this episode for me. I'd trade both Foreman and Cameron in for more Chase, though for whatever reason, Cameron was less grating this week (it is a mystery, since they were putting her in the Wilson/Cuddy role, and I can really do with less House/Cameron undertones).

I like PSG, too, though I got tired of his hang ups with Bosley. But it's understandable, and it was interesting. I think Bosley should've stuck around. Brennan does absolutely nothing. At the very least, Bosley was able to get under everyone's skin and brought out more from them. I would think House would keep him around just to annoy the others. I'm guessing next week will be a turning point, if the voice over guy isn't lying and secrets actually come out.

Heh, I hadn't even noticed the rest of the girls weren't there. That's how intriguing those characters were!

Word on you Cuddy as a plot device point. I really don't understand her infatuation with keeping Foreman around. It goes against what Cuddy found out during the Vogler arc about Foreman's level of competence -- sure, if you want to say she thought he was the best choice among the ducklings then (and he was) that's fine. But there's this thing where you learn from your experiences. Foreman had no control over House when he was actually in the position of power. But your theory on Foreman as a suck up, it would make some sense that she'd want him to be her eyes and ears -- there shouldn't be any question that he wouldn't run to mommy to let her know what daddy's up to.

I have decided, though, that Cuddy knew exactly what Foreman would do, and only offered him the extra money because she knew he'd turn it down and eventually come crawling back. Just digs the knife a little deeper, yes? That's fanwank though. Oh, and we pretty much know now that Cuddy has even bigger balls than House.

"SEX! In my office! NOW!" -- YES PLEASE! Fly on the wall, though.

[ellixian]

You're right about Cameron being placed in the Wilson role here - I noticed that too, and I'm certain many Wilson fans were most displeased that suddenly we have Cameron being best buds with House and making these bets that Wilson usually makes. I sure hope the writers have a better idea of where they're going with House's relationships with all three of his erstwhile Ducklings, actually - how do they want to redefine it now that, inexplicably, all three of them appear to be back at PPTH, which must surely be the centre of the universe given how they all gravitated right back to it after, what? Six weeks?

Can you tell there's much bitterness in me over the Old Ducklings Coming Back arc? ;) I REALLY hope the writers know where they're going with this and can make it work. Because, for god's sake, it's the hugest clunker in this season so far. (Plus, hello, if you're bringing them back? MORE SCREEN TIME FOR CHASE, and LESSLESSLESS for Cameron and Foreman!! Is that really so hard?!)

I suspect the entire fandom needs to have a brief mourning period for Bosley - seems to me he was an immensely popular character. Certainly better liked, and more universally so, than any of the other newbies, who each have their own detractors.

Cuddy as a plot point always frustrates me. Of course, that's what they need her for to advance the story. But it still bugs - as I've mentioned before, she'd have agreed to cut the dead policeman's head open a lot quicker in Euphoria if she wasn't busy being a plot device. I read somewhere an interesting fanwank - that Cuddy is so insistent on keeping Foreman out of guilt because he lost part of his brain in that incident. Interesting - certainly plays on Cuddy and her guilt issues! I personally don't think Cuddy is that sentimental about anyone other than House though.

LOVE your fanwank. I'd love to think that Cuddy is all kinds of awesome and totally cut Foreman down a peg or twenty for being so arrogant and insufferable since the second half of Season 3. Go Cuddy!! ;)

And woot, YOUR ICON! Totally calls for fly-on-the-wallness when that scene moves from cafeteria to Cuddy's office. *ahem*

[jukebox_grad]

Is it wrong that I may have found Cameron's manipulation in the ep less annoying than some of Wilson's attempts? I feel slightly dirty. I'm sure a lot of H/W fans weren't too happy about Cameron taking over his role; especially when he really wasn't in the ep much at all (I forgot to mention, after Wilson's "what's with this obsession about the afterlife?" I wanted to let him know that, duh, it's the thematic arc of the moment!). It seemed like a stretch, for Cameron to be hanging out in House's office. Sure, she referred the case to him, but even so. Chase's lack of game-playing thus far DOES speak to his confidence and maturity, both of which he had in spades (compared to Cam and Foreman) by the time he was fired.

I think some bitterness is called for. The writers do seem somewhat aimless at the moment. I mean, I think they've already said they hadn't picked which pseudo-ducklings would get hired at the start, but would rather see how people respond. I think that's kind of lazy -- and it doesn't really appear to be true, given how many people like Bosley/ROF and now he's apparently gone. I know we're only four episodes in, but I'm getting a little impatient, too. At this rate, the season will be half over and we'll have learned how much about who the new (rather main) characters are? After reading the episode descriptions for all of November, it doesn't seem like this will all be settled in the near future.

I'd like to have seen Bosley stick around in some capacity -- I certainly don't think it was typical of House to let him go already. Brennan hasn't offered anything, but at the very least, Bosley has managed to get under some of the others' skin, and he was fueling some ideas from people. I'd think House would like that.

Cuddy's guilt over the whole "Euphoria" thing -- I could see it, to an extent. I don't think the writers have any such motive urging them on, though. And like you (surprise!), I don't think Cuddy would be so sentimental over any other employees (besides House, most definitely, and perhaps Wilson, to an extent). And after so much time has passed? Not at all.

I'm iconing now, and I'm actually feeling like I'm on a roll -- of course, it's an exclusively House/Cuddy-filled roll, but I'll take what I can get.

[ellixian]

Ha ha, no need to feel dirty about the Cam-confession - I actually agree with you. This form of manipulation is nothing compared to some of the tricks Wilson has pulled, IMHO. I'm still wondering where the Cam-is-best-buds-with-House thing came about, but the bet worked insofar as it made House ruder with Cole than even House would normally be, I think. He really WAS trying to get a reaction this time, and proved it by being genuinely quite insufferable. As Cuddy pointed out so insightfully in FJ, House is holding back, most of the time. He could be one heckuva lot meaner if he put his mind to it!

Word up to the maturity of Chase. Seriously, I loved it how when House fired him in Human Error, Chase actually called him back to let him know the results of the test, even though everyone else was mad at House and withheld the results from him! Chase pwns me!! Seriously, if they had to give the old Ducklings screen-time this season, I just wish they'd give more to Chase. I'm more interested to know how HE will interact with House, since he was the only one who didn't leave voluntarily at the end of S3. But it looks like the season is shaping up to be Chase-light at the moment. :(

Re the killing off of the new ducklings - I don't think Bosley would have stayed no matter what, but it'd be nice to have had him around for a few more episodes, just to needle the hell out of PSG. And I'm pretty sure TPTB had an idea pretty early on of who would make the cut - in fact, there's a press release out there somewhere listing the three ducklings that made the cut, if I'm not mistaken. A press release from some weeks back, even. Which means they weren't ever really waiting for audience reaction in the first place. I don't know who the final 3 are, though, since I'm trying to stay unspoiled this season. But geez, as if 13 wasn't guaranteed a spot by virtue of her being all wide-eyed and pretty and mysterious and Olivia-Wilde-like. *rolls eyes*

Cuddy's sentimentality, IMO, doesn't extend to anyone other than House. I'm of the belief that she's an administator of the distinctly kickass variety in all other aspects of dealing with PPTH staff other than House. Even with House, she's the only person who can deal with him the way he needs to be dealt with to produce ANY kind of results, which makes her strong rather than weak in my book. If House were paired up with Andi (again, Foreman's Cuddy will always be Andi in my book), he'd be out the door in a heartbeat.

Oooh, can't wait to see the results of your icon-making!!! XD

[jukebox_grad]

Remember like a decade ago, I mentioned I had a House/Cuddy song that I wanted to share? Well, it dawned on me a few times after, and I always re-forget. So here it is, Brendan Benson - Alternative to Love (lyrics).

Proper reply to follow (oh, and I'll definitely be working on the Bruce starter kit for you).

[ellixian]

Aw man, that song is so great! I love the beat of it - I'm such a spaz when it comes to understanding lyrics, I ALWAYS hear them wrong, so many thanks for so thoughtfully including the lyrics. Which, I agree, is a total House/Cuddy song. From House's POV, of course. (Joy!)

And YAY for Bruce starter kit! You rock so hard, m'dear!! :)