House 8x21: the lavish payoff continues
Again, the episode and this post come with a strong warning for medical angst.
My ship, she is still afloat, even though there's an iceberg just ahead.
I love Wilson's "We went for a cure" when he went to House's apartment to tell him that he wasn't going to undergo any more treatment.
House: I'm not going to let you just die!
I would of course prefer that Wilson didn't believe in some sort of existence after death. It's odd that they haven't discussed this before, and in fact I think it's almost deceitful of Wilson to have let House think that he shared his views on a topic he knew was important to House. I wouldn't be impressed to have this come up 20 years into a relationship, and I'd love to know what House really thinks about it (if he could think at all beyond his grief at the moment). However, moving on...
House's stunt in the cafeteria made me cry. Wilson might not have been taken in, but I was.
House's white flag, when he goes to Wilson's office to invite him to dinner.
Just look at this beautiful shot of them laughing together at the restaurant!
When Wilson accused him of conning him, House's expression (not screencapped) said loud and clear that his goal had been changing Wilson's mind, not simply enjoying an evening together.
House, very seriously: I need you, okay? I want you to be around as much as possible, because I don't know what I'm going to do without you.
Wilson: No. No! Don't do that! I don't owe you anything! Our entire relationship has been about you. My dying is about me.
House watching Wilson cry in the car outside the restaurant
My favourite line in the episode was right after House got in: "Look at you. You don't want to die." The "look at you" was so tender.
I personally can't pull out of a full-on sob and go into complete sentences as quickly as Wilson did here, but it was an amazing scene.
Wilson: I need a friend ... I need you to tell me that you love me.
House, with tears in his eyes: I'm not going to tell you that unless you fight.
Wilson was maybe a little hard on House in accusing him of making him go through this alone (though of course he's entitled to be irrational under the circumstances). House hadn't said he wasn't going to be there, and I think he was entirely within his rights to give Wilson his opinion. You might have to accept someone else's wishes, but you don't have to do it without a word of dissent! If their positions were reversed, would Wilson say, "That's fine with me!" if House didn't want treatment? I don't think so.
This episode asks such an interesting question: for whom are you morally obligated to try to survive, if it will be painful and difficult for you and the odds are poor that you'll live for long anyway? I think Wilson was spot on with his "He's not my child!" to Foreman. Speaking hypothetically and without having had to make this decision, I'd say the only person you are obligated to in that way would be your child. Not your parents, since they brought you into the world for their own reasons and without your consent. Probably not any other adult, either, even your nearest and dearest. I always come back to: you're going to die anyway, whether sooner or later.
Foreman took a different view: "You are responsible. The past 20 years, you've had three wives, hundreds of colleagues, thousands of patients, but you've kept that one best friend."
Wilson, explaining why he's now willing to undergo more chemo: Because you need me. And I don't think that's a bad thing any more.
House, explaining why he's now willing for Wilson not to have more chemo: I think it's time for me to accept that you're just smarter than I am.
House's "Well, I'm not going to say I love you" after Wilson asks what they do now sounds to me like he's not going to say it right at that moment, but that he's definitely going to say it - and it's completely understood between them in any case.
Planning a hiking trip. House is just about to remind Wilson that his leg isn't the same as it was last time they went camping.
House's quavering voice at the end when he asks how long he had to spend in prison as a result of his prank gone wrong was heartbreaking. This is one of the most heartbreaking and emotional storylines I've ever had the privilege of watching.
My ship, she is still afloat, even though there's an iceberg just ahead.
I love Wilson's "We went for a cure" when he went to House's apartment to tell him that he wasn't going to undergo any more treatment.
House: I'm not going to let you just die!
I would of course prefer that Wilson didn't believe in some sort of existence after death. It's odd that they haven't discussed this before, and in fact I think it's almost deceitful of Wilson to have let House think that he shared his views on a topic he knew was important to House. I wouldn't be impressed to have this come up 20 years into a relationship, and I'd love to know what House really thinks about it (if he could think at all beyond his grief at the moment). However, moving on...
House's stunt in the cafeteria made me cry. Wilson might not have been taken in, but I was.
House's white flag, when he goes to Wilson's office to invite him to dinner.
Just look at this beautiful shot of them laughing together at the restaurant!
When Wilson accused him of conning him, House's expression (not screencapped) said loud and clear that his goal had been changing Wilson's mind, not simply enjoying an evening together.
House, very seriously: I need you, okay? I want you to be around as much as possible, because I don't know what I'm going to do without you.
Wilson: No. No! Don't do that! I don't owe you anything! Our entire relationship has been about you. My dying is about me.
House watching Wilson cry in the car outside the restaurant
My favourite line in the episode was right after House got in: "Look at you. You don't want to die." The "look at you" was so tender.
I personally can't pull out of a full-on sob and go into complete sentences as quickly as Wilson did here, but it was an amazing scene.
Wilson: I need a friend ... I need you to tell me that you love me.
House, with tears in his eyes: I'm not going to tell you that unless you fight.
Wilson was maybe a little hard on House in accusing him of making him go through this alone (though of course he's entitled to be irrational under the circumstances). House hadn't said he wasn't going to be there, and I think he was entirely within his rights to give Wilson his opinion. You might have to accept someone else's wishes, but you don't have to do it without a word of dissent! If their positions were reversed, would Wilson say, "That's fine with me!" if House didn't want treatment? I don't think so.
This episode asks such an interesting question: for whom are you morally obligated to try to survive, if it will be painful and difficult for you and the odds are poor that you'll live for long anyway? I think Wilson was spot on with his "He's not my child!" to Foreman. Speaking hypothetically and without having had to make this decision, I'd say the only person you are obligated to in that way would be your child. Not your parents, since they brought you into the world for their own reasons and without your consent. Probably not any other adult, either, even your nearest and dearest. I always come back to: you're going to die anyway, whether sooner or later.
Foreman took a different view: "You are responsible. The past 20 years, you've had three wives, hundreds of colleagues, thousands of patients, but you've kept that one best friend."
Wilson, explaining why he's now willing to undergo more chemo: Because you need me. And I don't think that's a bad thing any more.
House, explaining why he's now willing for Wilson not to have more chemo: I think it's time for me to accept that you're just smarter than I am.
House's "Well, I'm not going to say I love you" after Wilson asks what they do now sounds to me like he's not going to say it right at that moment, but that he's definitely going to say it - and it's completely understood between them in any case.
Planning a hiking trip. House is just about to remind Wilson that his leg isn't the same as it was last time they went camping.
House's quavering voice at the end when he asks how long he had to spend in prison as a result of his prank gone wrong was heartbreaking. This is one of the most heartbreaking and emotional storylines I've ever had the privilege of watching.