I also wondered about that. I had a moment of anxiety thinking the old man was going to have some kind of psychic ability resulting from his proximity to death—talking to angels or some such tripe. It was a relief that it didn’t happen—it would have submerged an already subpar episode deep into a sea of schmaltz.
I don’t mind them having House soften and “learn things” as the series progresses; it’s pretty much obligatory for a network TV series. But they’re going to have to try harder than that to convince me, and stop taking credibility-straining shortcuts. Geobabe’s reference to Swearengen’s character development (I assume it was to him you were referring) is a perfect example of how skilled writers (and one very talented actor) can portay someone both changing and revealing his inner nature in a believable way, without ever losing the essence of the character or insulting the viewer’s intelligence.
I had some trouble swallowing (heh heh… get it?) that plot point as well. First of all, what nurse would leave, even for a moment, a full bottle of pills within reach of a patient? (Whenever I’ve been given medication in a hospital, the nurse brought just my single dose and a cup of water.)
When we see the girl, she’s already foaming at the mouth—but pills take time to take effect. It took the nurse 20+ minutes to notice the patient had emptied the entire bottle when she turned her back? Either they’ve hired the world’s most negligent nurse, or they’re testing out some experimental instant-release benzodiazepines.
for me, the whole point of the episode was that there …
was no right answer.
all the interplay between the team, the back and forth… House wanting to help but not knowing how… that’s what made it the puzzle that House could deal with.
I, for one, liked it, laughed with it…
all but the ‘b’ story with Cameron’s patient… I’m not entirely sure what the point was with that, except perhaps to give them a reason to do the “sad melody” at the end…
I sat through more than 2/3 of the episode thinking that Cuddy and/or Wilson had sent in a therapist to work with House in the role of the rape victim. Those two are always trying to get him to see the entire person, not the patient.
I found the episode annoying-the ducklings had too little to do.
Which reminds me that I didn’t like that subplot, either. The guy “just wants someone to remember him.” She assures him that she’ll remember him, but he still refuses medication. Guess he’s content to be remembered as “that asshole who made me watch him die in agony.” I mean, I got where they were trying to go with it, and I get that Cameron (as yet mostly unknown) dead-hubby issues would make her more likely to honor the guy’s wishes and understand his POV (if you’re not remembered, were you ever here?), but I still thought his actions were selfish and mean, and I am by no means convinced it’s better to be remembered for causing someone pain than it is to simply be forgotten.
I loved it because there’s House, without a clue about how to handle something emotional, asking his minions what he should do. And they each come back with something different. Big help, guys!
Le sigh. Once again, I find myself among the minority, but I just can’t help it. I thought this was the best episode I’d ever seen. I have no idea what people mean by “psychobabble”. I’ve just always called them metaphors. I kept waiting for the big bomb to drop, and it didn’t until the end. She terminated, and thus once again House’s worldview was vindicated.
And that’s what bothers me about this otherwise great show overall. House’s atheism is too formulaic and cliche. Too rooted in disaster and dispair. Too tied to cynicism and curmudgeonry. And frankly, too primitive theologically. The bug to the universe analogy, for example. Every erudite atheist knows what a bullshit analogy that is. The human may be small compared to a galaxy, but only one can comprehend the other.
I wish the writers were a bit more delicate about the nuances of his beliefs. He doesn’t come across as an atheist, honestly. He comes across as a man who believes in God and hates Him.
And with these sentences, you just saved the episode for me. I know not everyone will view it the same way, but this makes me feel better. I’m not sure why, yet. But it does.
Well, okay, this, and the eye candy that is Hugh Laurie, which will keep me tuning in even if the show flops horribly.
He paid 150 to get people out of emergency then went back to work for 10 bucks a patient. To break even he needed to treat 15 without laying a paw on them. illogical
Or hates Him for not existing. And wishes God did exist so that he’d have someone to hate. All very Graham Greeneish.
The decision for the patient to terminate felt dishonest; frankly, it looks to me like the writers giving into their own beliefs that a termination is the best ending for a pregnancy from rape. That’s as may be, but people who are passionately pro-life (as the patient was) don’t change that conviction at the drop of a hat, and tacking it on like that is a cheat. I think it’s telling that they couldn’t put the words in her mouth – it had to be told second-hand.
Yes, his worldview was validated … which is the whole problem. House is pathologically cynical; any sane person knows life isn’t as bleak as he paints it. To me, the heart of the show is the tension between his medical brilliance and his emotional dysfunction. When they resort to implausible emotional tricks to make it easier for him to maintain his desperate pessimism, they undermine that conflict.
A more plausible and more dramatic ending would be for her to decide to keep the pregnancy. Confronted by that kind of hope and optimism, House would have the chance to make a slight turn from his bitterness … which he would no doubt pass on.
You know you’ve got balls. I was going to say the same thing but chickened out. Instead I said, “I really, really liked this episode.” Close, but not as ballsy.
I give you credit sir.
Cuddy with the whole “you owe me” thing was bugging me too. As he pointed out, she would have to admit to perjuring herself and while that’s not as bad as what he did, it’s not nothing.
And she had the nerve to act dismayed that rehab was fake…what else does she expect from him :smack:
Who says rehab was a fake, or that the pill was vicoden? He was clearly not popping as many pills, and he still has the legit pain… it was a play for cuddy, pure House.
Part of the victim’s issue was that she was questioning everything… she was conflicted with her faith and her stance on pro-life… she needed/wanted the debate over ‘termination’ in order to make the right decision for her… at least that is how I see it… she had been raised/taught one way… now she was caught in a situation that makes you question those things.
I have no idea, as I’ve never been there. I’m one of those annoying people whose location is not accurate, but merely an obscure song reference.
We do get House in Florida.
