Differential Diagnosis People: Locked Up and Set Free

[namasteyoga]

Sorry for the delay in getting this up, but we've got a good long read here for this week. Check it out and let folks know what you think.
A Word of Warning: There are spoilers in the fic through the end of the third season's Tritter arc. If you haven't seen and are staying spoiler free, beware.

Title and Link: Locked Up and Set Free

Comments

[topaz_eyes]

I am glad to see this one up for nomination. The dynamic of House and Wilson growing apart was vivid and felt very real. Dee paints a very strong portrait of House slowly realizing that he did, ultimately, drive Wilson away through his neglect.

I really appreciated the understatement throughout the story; making the emotions thrum beneath the surface. The most poignant scene for me was at the end of the story, when the elderly lady asks House if he'd lost someone close. Dee handles this moment perfectly with House's stark " 'My best friend,' he replied." She infuses those five words with worlds of grief and loss.

My only teeny quibble was that I thought House would have fought harder to get Wilson back, but I accept the way this plays out, where distance ultimately destroys their bond. Definitely a worthy nomination.

[deelaundry]

Thanks. It's very interesting to look at this after such a lovely House-Wilson episode as 3-20. The contrast is that in 3-20, the "threat" was one House could act on immediately, and he did. (The added impetus of Cuddy being involved also had some effect.)

I think House is very much affected by Newton's First Law: An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. In the case of this story, the forced distance allows inertia to set in, and House, with his poor coping skills, is never able to recover. Without Wilson doing most of the relationship work, House is at a loss with how to proceed.

Thanks!

[jdr1184]

My favorite line because apparently I’m a pervert:
House wanted to take it all back, the thing he’d just said, and the things that he’d done, and, hell, he’d go back and lubricate the cop’s dry pubic area with his fucking saliva if it would mean this moment would never be here.I absolutely hate this story. Hate.Hate.Hate. While reading it, I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle House. I still haven’t forgiven Dee for writing it. Why do I hate it? Because she shattered by H/W shipper heart with a story that so perfectly illustrates the way that House pushes people away intentionally and unintentionally. It demonstrates his selfishness and failure to put the slightest bit of effort in preserving his relationships until it’s too late. I hate this story because it is so well written and in character. This is the bastard we all love. This is what happens when House pushes things until they break. He broke the friendship and Wilson was unwilling to repair it. Frankly, it’s hard to blame Wilson for giving up on House, even though

[deelaundry]

House/Tritter, hee.

The prompt for this fic - Wilson going to prison - allowed me to explore a theme I'd wondered about for some time: What if Wilson "got over" House? What if he didn't need House any more? The time away, and the bonds he formed with men who were more emotionally healthy than he or House, "broke the spell," and Wilson was no longer willing to do 95+% of the friendship work. House sadly couldn't pick up the slack.

Thanks.

[perspi]

I think this story is hard to reread, and difficult to praise, exactly because of what jdr1184 and queenzulu said--Dee hits on some of the worst aspects of the House we know and love. A lot of readers (me included!) want to see and believe in the best of House, so this story hurts in that it doesn't give us that.

It's painfully realistic, how the distance and House's own personality and stubbornness combine to drive a permanent wedge between House and Wilson, and how the friendship breaks beyond repair. Like topaz_eyes, I appreciated the understatement of the emotions, and the little details of how Wilson is healthier, if not truly happier, without House.

I think Dee should be commended for giving us such an unflinching look at a very plausible "What if?" and I think the fic belongs in the Hall of Fame, absolutely.

[deelaundry]

I am convinced that House feels things not only more deeply than some people give him credit for, but more deeply than the average person. But I also think he doesn't always understand those feelings, and has a hard time parsing them out and dealing with them. Combine that with his intrinsic self-focus, and his ability to repair his relationship with Wilson across a distance is severely hampered.

Thanks.

[deelaundry]

bironic had suggested removing the opening scene entirely. It serves two purposes: to assure that House really does miss Wilson and to show that Trish and Dean are in House's life to the extent that he says they are at the end. In reflection, those probably aren't enough to keep it there. I considered removing it between when you originally nominated the fic and when it came up for discussion but stubbornly left it in. Don't be surprised if you click on the fic some day and it's gone.

It's amusing that this came up for discussion the same week House Training aired in the US. The contrast in House's actions, I believe, is in the distance; it's just too much for House to overcome.

Thanks again for the nomination!

[genagirl]

I can't re-read this story. Honestly. I felt so horrible after reading it the first time - because it felt so REAL. I shudder to think of this happening. House and Wilson growing apart is just the worst thing I can think of and Dee has written it so beautifully. I mean, if any of you have ever had friends drift away you know how hard it is to take, how depressing and awkward it is and she has caught that so perfectly. A HallofFamer but could it be in a separate wing for the truly angst-ridden, break-your-heart stuff?

[deelaundry]

Aw, gena, it's not like I wish it on them! It'd break my heart if this actually happened. (I mean, in canon. Yes, I can tell the difference between fandom and real life. Kind of.)

Thanks!