More thoughts on H/W and codependency
Thinking about codependency on House made me ponder. I actually don't mind codependency in my ships. In fact, many of my favorite pairings thrive on it. So why does it just bug me in H/W?
I think it's because my appreciation of codepency comes based on whether or not it seems necessary. If you have some more extreme or more sci-fi-ish plots that gives compelling reasons for why:
(1) the person can't extract themselves from that position (main character has to save the world, nobody else can do it)
(2) why really nobody else could understand
While this episode essentially argued that House CAN connect to others if he just comes out of his shell/meets the right people aka AB. IMO best symbolized by the scene at the party where AB tells House that people didn't rat him out for his crazy lies, so why does he assume that they would treat him worse if he actually told the truth? This is what invalidates point (2) since the thesis of the episode is that people are essentially nice and it wouldn't be that hard for people to sympathize with House.
And the episode even went as far that House could even retain his gift despite getting better. So not only is (1) generally not true (aka House is the only one who can fight the Apocalypse or uncover the alien coverup or whatever), it even isn't true that he wouldn't be able to do his positive part in the world anymore. The episode at least suggest the idea that he could have all that and still be better (plus find a better way to cope with his failures).
Aka the universe of House is no longer set up in a way where House needs to be miserable. Nor, as the show has established, does House enjoy being miserable/wants to be miserable anymore (imo something that was clear going back to House standing outside Cuddy's place but not being able to go in). So this type of misery is not appealing at all, as it is neither desired nor necessary.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the show will find a way to have Wilson be part of this new House and maybe prove himself there. But yeah, essentially this is the reason why, even though I'm a fan of codependency in fictional pairs a lot of the time, the H/W brand just doesn't appeal to me at all and just grosses me out.
(btw, ever wonder whether somebody in the House writing team found love or something? It kinda seems that with Cameron/Chase and, yes, even Foreman/Thirteen we have relatively nice and stable relationships and now we have House getting better too; almost seems like their current more positive philosophy being branded on the show. Not that I mind. Just the opposite. But it seems like a change)
One last note, of course the episode wasn't perfect. The whole "oh, btw, we found some alternative way to deal with the leg pain" was way too easily brushed aside. And various people have pointed out the lack of realism in House being put together with this level of patients.
I think it's because my appreciation of codepency comes based on whether or not it seems necessary. If you have some more extreme or more sci-fi-ish plots that gives compelling reasons for why:
(1) the person can't extract themselves from that position (main character has to save the world, nobody else can do it)
(2) why really nobody else could understand
While this episode essentially argued that House CAN connect to others if he just comes out of his shell/meets the right people aka AB. IMO best symbolized by the scene at the party where AB tells House that people didn't rat him out for his crazy lies, so why does he assume that they would treat him worse if he actually told the truth? This is what invalidates point (2) since the thesis of the episode is that people are essentially nice and it wouldn't be that hard for people to sympathize with House.
And the episode even went as far that House could even retain his gift despite getting better. So not only is (1) generally not true (aka House is the only one who can fight the Apocalypse or uncover the alien coverup or whatever), it even isn't true that he wouldn't be able to do his positive part in the world anymore. The episode at least suggest the idea that he could have all that and still be better (plus find a better way to cope with his failures).
Aka the universe of House is no longer set up in a way where House needs to be miserable. Nor, as the show has established, does House enjoy being miserable/wants to be miserable anymore (imo something that was clear going back to House standing outside Cuddy's place but not being able to go in). So this type of misery is not appealing at all, as it is neither desired nor necessary.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the show will find a way to have Wilson be part of this new House and maybe prove himself there. But yeah, essentially this is the reason why, even though I'm a fan of codependency in fictional pairs a lot of the time, the H/W brand just doesn't appeal to me at all and just grosses me out.
(btw, ever wonder whether somebody in the House writing team found love or something? It kinda seems that with Cameron/Chase and, yes, even Foreman/Thirteen we have relatively nice and stable relationships and now we have House getting better too; almost seems like their current more positive philosophy being branded on the show. Not that I mind. Just the opposite. But it seems like a change)
One last note, of course the episode wasn't perfect. The whole "oh, btw, we found some alternative way to deal with the leg pain" was way too easily brushed aside. And various people have pointed out the lack of realism in House being put together with this level of patients.