Analysis of "The Tyrant"

[luridlurker]

"The Tyrant" was a difficult episode if one let oneself become too distracted by the side plot of President Dibala and Chase's fateful decision.
This is not about that.

Comments

[culuyetille]

This is really sweet. Makes me want to watch the ep again! :) And they SO deserve a garden for Wilson to care for and House to mock him while secretly loving how he looks with his cheekbones reddened by the sun.

[luridlurker]

Thank you, and you paint a picture there, I so long to see! What I saw, so far, from the new house/appartment they are supposed to move in soon, there is no garden at all...may I be mistaken.

[phabrication]

Loved this analysis, how it's so thorough. :)

[luridlurker]

thanks a lot! Yeah, we overdo the thinking about it a bit, I'm afraid. :)

[asocialgrl]

Wonderful analysis. There is nothing to add - it's absolutely perfect.
And I just loved that episode...

Freeing the man from his pain is as if House is curing himself.
I know this probably sounds foolish, but I think the mirror box therapy might be symbolic to House mirroring himself - or a part of himself that for too many years had been clenched in a suffering that painkillers could blunt but not chase away - in Amber, and through that reflection starting to deal with his emotional issues.
I don't mean House's pain is gone, not completely, but at least now he knows, he really knows, because of what happened with Amber, both the real and the hallucinated one, that he's broken and divided and he's got to try to put himself back together if he doesn't want to destroy both himself and the ones he loves - Wilson above all

[luridlurker]

M.E.W.:Thanks so much for this insightful comment! I don't think House is pain-free either. After all, he's still taking meds, he uses his cane, but at least the pain seems to be manageable now. And I absolutely agree with your view on House and Wilson's relationship. They definitely need to find a way to truly talk to each other, to communicate, but maybe this will get better in the future, too.

I see a difference between the mirror box and House’s own confrontation with the hallucinated Amber, though. Murphy sees something he has lost, something positive that he has been missing and longing to have back for decades. House, on the other hand, confronts himself with the parts of himself he dislikes. At first he assumes the hallucination just gives him access to hidden parts of his brain, which is why he thinks it's pretty cool at first. This changes, however, when he starts to realize that he's losing control. Through the hallucination House also confronts himself with his self-hatred, self-doubts and emotional issues.