The dénouement of that episode a couple of weeks ago, Fall From Grace with the young man who had olfactory impairment and lots of scars, was worth practically any amount of repetitive shark jumping. I was thisclose to gasping out loud. Yes, there is a repetitious formula for the show, but it is capable of so much more than that.
Update: I’m now only two episodes away from “Three Stories” (the one that most people in here seemed to regard as one of the best episodes and the one I should, at least, watch to). I just finished the episode “Baby and Bathwater”, and I must say it was a REALLY good one.
At the time of making this topic, I had not yet gotten to the season one episodes that feature the character Vogler (played by Chi McBride), a billionaire who donates 100 million dollars in exchange for becoming the new Chairman of the Board. His character stayed on for five episodes (in a row) and seemed to be an actual antagonist, looking to bring down House’s department any way he could. They only just got rid of him in this episode (“Baby and Bathwater”)…and I must say that THAT episode was the best, so far. I was captivated not only by the Vogler subplot, but the usual “Patient of the Week” story. It sort of renewed my interest in this show.
Here I thought there were no story arcs (however small), but the Vogler/Chairman of the Board one is something I’d consider a story arc, even though it only ran for 5 episodes. If there are any more storyline arcs, even this small, I’d be able to keep some interest in the show.
So…are there? More mini-arcs throughout the rest of the seasons after one?
Please, no spoilers as to what they are…just if there are any.
Yes there are many story arcs. One just completed last night during the scheduled run. One closed last week that spanned seasons, another closed two or three shows ago. I’m sure I missed others but that’s just this season. Most seasons have at least two and there’s often a season cliffhanger of sorts.
The show is repetitive on the surface and I don’'t think the actors playing Chase, Forman and Cameron are particularly talented. But there have been other good actors that come in for shorter stays, and Hugh Laurie is fun for me to watch.
Everyone’s tastes are different, but in my case it’s the only TV I intentionally watch during the entire week. Oh, that and Saturday Night Live.
Repetitiveness is a matter of nuance. If you are only superficially engaged, every Chuck Berry song sounds the same. So does every Ramones song, and every Beethoven symphony.
But the more that you study the nuances, and learn to appreciate the details, the more the various incarnations begin to distinguish themselves from their brethren.
It’s all a matter of how much you want to put in to it, in order to get more out of it. If you like the basic structure, you will. If you don’t you wont. It’s all good…TRM
Actually, season 2 has an arc that spans most of the season…without giving too much away, it’s similar to the Vogler arc in that there is an antagonist for House.
And while I personally didn’t much care for that arc of season 2, I will say that the antagonist character was well written and very well performed.
If you fel this way about “HOUSE”, then I suggest you avoid the old courtroom series “PERRY MASON” at all costs.
His clients are never guilty and bar one case, he wins every time.
House isn’t about the plot. It’s about the characters. The patient is just a template, but the real show is about their lives, plus House’s great dialog.