[Movie] House Season Three

The third season premier is a week away so I figured I start this thread and see if anyone else is anticipated the premier. As is standard practice in these types of threads please be considerate to others and post anything regarding an episode that has not been aired or anything seen only in previews inside of spoiler tags.

Ok I really looking forward to this season.
Let starts the discussion were seasons 2 ended. many complained at the end of seasons 2 that the last scene with House being wheeled in to surgery and saying he wants ketamine was not very climatic or much of a cliffhanger. I disagree the entire episode was about the inner working of House mind and the last line shows us something we rarely see in house, hope. The ketamine represent healing, a desire to be normal again. If House were truly as attached to his own misery as Cuddy Wilson and other have lead us to believe their was enough in his hallucination to convince him to give up on trying to feel happiness again. By asking for the ketamine his is risking everything he is cling to for a chance to be whole again. Personally I think that was much better way to end the season then the “was it or wasn’t it a hallucinations” ending most people I know seemed to want.

I just hope they don’t continue the whole “sex kills” theme from seasons two, good episodes but the theme got kind of repetitive- sex is risky we get it already.

Stuff in preview:

Spoiler:

House will be back “but not how you think” which means:
A) Scary FOX announcer guy is doing the typical let us over hype everything routine. “This week's House was the most shocking ever but next week’s will shock you even more, that is until the week after that which is even more shocking. That is till you see them in reruns when somehow they’ll be even more shocking then the original broadcast!”
B) Cuddy gave the ketamine and House is suffering from black out (which much like foremen’s brain damage will heal within however much time passes between two episodes.
C) House’s leg get worse and he has to do Physical Therapy which case their will be one more person for house to drive insane.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I’ve never seen Grey's Anatomy so I can’t compare, all I known is that there seems to be a general consensus that the medicine on House is the more accurate of the two. That is also the opinion of the doctor that runs the following site: http://politedissent.com/ If look on the right you’ll see he writes up weekly reviews of how accurate or inaccurate the medicine was on House that week: (BTW he mostly does medical reviews of comics so if anyone is interested in that take a look, it is an interesting read). Of course this accurate description doesn’t included medical ethics; I assume your friend already informed that House approach to medicine is very much “ends justify the means” the means very often being highly unethical, illegal or likely to get any doctor in the real world fired. You definitely have to be able to suspend your disbelief in that regard as well be able to appreciate a character study of a sarcastic, bitter, misanthrope in order to enjoy the show

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Tomorrows night is the premier unfortunately I had to fish out the VCR from the garage,(I know, I know get with times) since I have class till 9:30 tomorrow but anyway anyone else catch the latest preview, for tomorrows episode:

Spoiler:

It shows house not just walking, but all out running, I believe it was 8 miles that he said!. This better just be the hallucination part two other wise we have a pre-nom for House’s jumping the shark moment. House disability is far more then just chronic pain; it comes from the muscles having died on account of his infraction. Part of his thigh muscles were surgically removed and judging from the one good look we got of the scar on his leg there is little doubt that it was a significant chuck that was removed. Stopping the pain may help him work easier but he shouldn’t be running a marathon. For now I’m just working off the assumption that this is a continuation of the hallucination he was having in the season 2 finale. I have heard rumors the Hugh Laurie was having back problems from pretending to have a limp for show many hours, but even if this is true completely throwing medical accuracy (along with suspension of disbelief) out the window is a drastic accommodation.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The premier overall was one of two things: a really good episode that is setting us up for a twist or a bad episode and an insult to everyone who has watched the show from the beginning.

Here is the thing I can’t get passed House’s leg magically healing, yes Ketamine (sp) is being used experimentally for chronic pain, but again House’s leg is not just in pain it missing major muscles tissues, Ketamine won’t re-grow muscles. The lack of pain may be able to help him walk better, without a cane even but there is no way he would be able to run 8 miles, do all those skate board tricks, and especially not two months out of treatment. Heck how many of you can run 8 miles to work (and presumably 8 back) walk around all day (taking ,sometimes running, up the stairs some times running away from your colleges) and do board trick in your free time.

Which part of the reason I’m not conceived this is not just a continuation of House’s dream from no reason. Their where clear parallels between this episode and no reason, the mood was a toned down version of the surrealist feel no reason had, there are clear parallels between the patient of the week (hence forth POTW) and House.

While tongue guy represented a negative representation of House current state, wheel chair guy represented a overly optimistic view of how his life would be if his pain were gone. Disabled and cut off from the world then suddenly back to normal again. Remember his comment to the family about if he was trying to kill himself, there still had to be some part of him is still present in his mind, this applies to House himself he is reassuring himself that despite his self-destructive tendencies his true self is still alive somewhere inside him. The speeches by Wilson about meaning taking over molaritey (sp) role in No reason, Wilson having to explain why he is so serious. The many scenes that shot in a similar way: Cam stopping house, Cuddy crying in the hallway. Remember at the beginning when House walked in, and Cam told him that they never caught the guy, well wouldn't House know that? Why would she have to tell him? (plus is security that lacks at the hospital surely security if not a heroic bystander would have tackled the guy). The self conscious analyses of the show’s formula. The way the duckling behaved around House in general, ie The whole asking Cam out thing, it felt like how house would imagine Cam responding. Cam and foreman so explicitly stating why they are doctors, the duckling responses to the brain scan again sounded like what house would imagine things going down. House grappling with his fears regarding his identity, his addictions and his brilliance.


Now there are many other reasons the writers may have chosen these parallels and not many writers are willing to risk becoming the next Dallas by doing such an extended dream sequence, but I rather have the writers be doing an uber risky story arch then making the lead character into a running (literally) medical impossibility.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

Luckily, my view of the show isn't tied to being completely medically correct. If they're close, I'm happy. I don't watch for a lesson in healing people, I watch because it's an entertaining show.

Willing suspension of disbelief, it's a good thing to have.

I agree with that statement the problem is to me it not even close.

It breaks suspension of disbelief on every level:

1)From technical stand points: It just not medical accurate for House to be this physical active.

2)From a common sense stand point: you can not heal that which is not there.

3) From an internal consistency standpoint, this is a big one the show been on the air for two season at this point internal consistency is one of the most important things if not the most. Everything we have been told about House and his injury suggest that the amount of muscle removed was too extensive for House to ever be this physical active. Even then if the writers real wanted to do this there is always the stand by of reconing established cannon, but their was none of this no comment on the removable of muscle being less then we have been lead to believe no snaky comment about the scar being all and no bite, no talking of extensive PT, just a miraculous recovery with no attempt to rationally explain it. The treatment becomes pure Deus Ex Machina. Also while we are here the show has a “who done it formula” to extend the comparison house leg healing is like catching the evil bad guy sidekick (in house’s case the chronic pain) and declaring everything perfectly resolved while the real bad guy is at large (house's missing muscle).

4) From a cost/reward stand point. I see nothing in the plot of this season that requires House be a marathon man to work, the near death experience plus simple being physical normal (instead of superman) again would suffices for the arch they seem to be going for. The gossip is as I said above that HL was having back problem and need a break from the cane but again this doesn’t require House to go from being a cripple to a tri-athlete.

5) Conceptual accuracy: by which I mean the basic concept is correct on only the details are incorrect, timescale etc. i.e. wheelchair guy the concept is right medicine X fix condition Y away the patient to eventually walk again. Him get up immediately after the shot (timescale issue) is not possible. There is no conceptual accuracy house taking away house’s pain will not let him run that way ever, the equipment just isn’t there.

Add to this that because House is the focal point of the show and just not a single insulated moment, as say incorrect handling a needle would be, this magnificence how much suspension of disbeliefs is lost. There is a difference between suspending my disbelief and shutting off my brain entirely.

In short: House leg healing is not just inaccurate, if it were just that I may be more forgiving, it is inaccurate, inconsistent and unnecessary, a lot more difficult for me to look past.

Any since I’m posting anyway: I’m I the only one who hates Cameron new hair do?

I was speaking idiomatically.

Now this is what I’m talking about!

Miracle-leg is gone. Yay! The writers remembered to take their realism pill before writing this episode. (For those who think I’m being to critical try replace removing thigh muscle with removing penis and running with having sex with a half dozen hookers and tell me it doesn’t sound ridiculous? Same basic concept). The only thing that bugged me was a couple of lines like your "muscle is going to atrophy again" Yes Cuddy the muscle he doesn’t have is going to atrophy again. Plus I’m no physical therapy but if House was using that leg as often as he said he was atrophy would not be my top concern. I’d say at 8+ miles a day he doing just find and this is just another example of how the whole leg thing was reduced not improving the drama in House. How exactly are we supposed to take that line seriously after seeing House in meaning?

Anyway I found this episode interesting in that it proved what I was thinking the whole time during meaning. House struggling to rehabiltate his leg is far more interesting then watching skateboard-House. Most people felt sorry for House not being to be a marathon runner anymore, I didn’t. The whole miracle-leg thing was too unrealistic, and overdone for me to take seriously but I enjoyed all the scenes with House on the tread mile and struggling with his leg this episode regardless. It was a realistic human struggle for recuperation we saw in those scenes and it should have been that way since the beginning. (and again meaning was meaningless this is good drama, the miracle cure was cheap and emotionally hollow).

Other things I liked:
They addresed Cuddy's desire to get pregnant and since House is “almost always eventually right” we can assume he is right. Anyone want to take early bets on watch she is going to have? I loved the banter in those scenes.
I liked the little bit with the now cured wheel chair guy in the clinic.
There were a lot a great lines this episode for some reason my favorite line was “she not nearly as delightful as she think she is” by Cuddy in regards to Cameron, don’t know why. Perhaps we can have a Cuddy Cameron catfight on the DVD releases (they already turned them into valley girls for season two’s).
Just an observations, the writers don’t seem to like Chase this season, he seems dorker (the your mommy line) and even more spineless then normal these two episodes.

After being disappointed with the premier I’m quite happy to see House is back on it legs (or should I say off its legs?).

Most amazing jew boots

Quote:

You do know that his entire muscle isn't gone, right? The muscle that is still there can go into atrophy.

Yes, there was just something in the way Cuddy said the line that just made me think the writer were counting to ignore the missing muscle issue entire. Maybe I was overly harsh coming off the disappointing premier.

That why I also include that little rant on how at the level House was working the muscle not running one day isn’t this massive red flag Cuddy was making it out to be. If anything House is likely to be overtraining the muscle at that point. (He said 8 miles to work it implied he ran back as will that 16 miles, adding in time running around the hospital, doing skateboard trick at lunch and you get the idea.) Ya, I know it House and they were worried about his metal state, but it hard for me to get worried about house skipping his rehab when he is already in better shape then the majority of the country. That line would have worked so much better had the season started here and meaning never happened.

Anyway it was just a minor annoyance in other wise solid episode.

PS: Also I just realized something when I watched these the two episodes of House it has been the day after, right after coming home from my very intensive Medical Nutrition Therapy class perhaps that why the medical mistakes are bugging me more this season.

FELIPE NO

I liked this episode while it suffered from some forced lines, the episode was an overall good analysis of this issue which not only managed to keep all the character in character but actually managed to have some genuinely interesting character development in the process. In particular Cameron being the one to euthanize the patient was something I didn’t expect from her. Some people hated Cam for being “wishy-washy” but I found it to be perfectly in character for her and I don’t mean that in a negative way, consider Cameron past it makes sense for her to be the most conflicted. Also speaking of Cam just poking around the net I’m surprised some people actually question wither or not it was Cam who did the deed I don’t see how there could be controversy over this, Cam -an atheist- was going seriously emotional in that chapel plus House doing something so out of character by gently touching her and saying he was proud of her? Seems obvious to me who did the deed.

Other notes House has taught us that you should never under estimate the power of red thong, but seriously not sure I like the writers doing a crazy psycho teenage stacker story line but we will see.

That my 2 cent deposit.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Highly, belated thought on the son of a coma guy episode. Short version worst episode so far this season did not like it and hope the writers get there act together.

Long version: Now I heard a rumor that one of the principles writers left this show, I’m quickly starting to believe that rumor, the more of this season the more I see a marked decline in the overall writing quality:

1) Telling instead of showing the writers overall story telling has gotten far blunter and less tactful. It “show don’t tell” writers!. Perfect example: the cup point blank saying “everybody lies” al la house. Far too blunt and obvious a better way to handle the scene would be the cup implying that everybody lies foremen bring up House motto and both him and the viewer coming to a realization of the parallels between the two characters, rather then have it be spelled out.
2) Medical accuracy. First, a rant I’m surprised at the lack of critical analysis amongst house fans. An attempt at some degree of medical accuracy is a part of the show PERIOD! What the writers did in this episode is completely ignore the rules that they, not I, chose to follow in writing the show. If this show were supernatural or some fantasy show I wouldn’t even give a second thought, I can suspend my disbelief but to accept the crap writing is too ignore the first season second season, it’s genre, it’s setting or in other words to pretend I’m watching a different show.
On to specifics the entire premise of the episode was absurd but ignoring that it’s the execution was terribly. Why couldn’t the guy be in a wheelchair instead of walking around like a man in his prime? Driving a car? The thing that makes this so annoying is that attention to detail would only make the show better putting the guy in a wheel chair would increase the guys need for house help and (Wilson’s ride), increase the meaningfulness of the power game between them, let house make fun of a fellow cripple, make the guys finial sacrifice ring true and so on.

The entertainment value of watching a medical drama is seeing how writers can explore their characters while maintaining believability, take away that attempt at believability and it is like 24 taking away the real time format because we should suspend our disbelief. It’s bad writing plain and simple.

Now their was some good in this episode but that good is elapsed by the poor overall quality of this ep.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Good episode I hope the climax lives up to the build up. Unfortunately I have one annoyance and it is that the writers seem to want us to believe House is indeed an addict it the truest sense, (he doesn’t really need his meds) but looking at the series as a whole an equal argument could be made that house is suffering from pseudoaddiction (where a person with a legitimate pain problem acts like an addict in an attempt to better mange their pain). The fact that House did not detox or need vicoden after his leg magical healed in “meaning” seems to suggest a legitimate pain issue is the root of House's med use and the season 1 episode “detox” is also more indicative of pseudoaddiction. Now I don’t mind having room to interpret House’s behavior, what annoys me is I get the impression that the writers didn’t intend this ambiguity and want us to lean to addict.

So what do you guys think is the addiction true or pseudo?

How ya doing, buddy?

Ok, I’m disappointed with this episode.

The patent of the week case didn’t have me interested, the male menopause thing was good but over other then that. You would think some would try to verify the guy’s story or notice a lack of engagement rings and the brother and the girl before going all lets wipe out your memories or ask the question about martial status as part of the examination when they were testing the girl too see what could be causing the guy’s heart attacks. Why didn’t House yell at his team for not seeing something so obvious? If it was the entire act reformed thing I can understand. Well not even that was House team even testifying in his trail? The rehab people weren’t around in the scene were he met his team after walking out of court. There no reason for him to be so accepting of this screw-up. A screw-up isn’t even truly acknowledged as a screw-up. (more on that below) What I really can’t understand is why the writers are agreeing with that mindset.

The act screwed up the dynamic of House and his team functioning on a deeper level then just the geographical separation of a few floors. House team Cuddy, Wilson supposed to second guess House when they don’t, like in this episode bad things happen had they seconded guessed House they might have caught the real culprit (or more accurately to the show make House discover it) or if House was down in his office being made to see these people against his will instead of in the rehab wing he would have found it. Why is this not being pointed out to us? Why is this destroying of the dynamics that make the team (and the show) work properly being portrayed as good. “It bought us time” is not a good enough reason. First off it you expect me to believe that the guy real couldn’t have lasted the time with out the treatment; without seeing the girl for a few days at most? Not too mentioned had normal dynamics been maintained the team would have likely caught the false memories and started the correct treatment right away.

The show in how it handled these elements betrayed it own premise and it further betrayed it own premise by Cuddy saying House make everyone around him worse for being there (and again it not that she said it but that the writer in every aspect of how it was done agree with her). The entire point of the show is like Dr. Cox on Scrubs House is a jerk but one that make those around him better for it not worse. As a interesting parallel the latest episode had the same “broken heart syndrome” and parodied House only they not only kept Dr. Cox in character (the father of House really) they showed a good understanding of what make House work. (sad that parodies seem to be more in touch with the shows dynamic then the show itself.) The entire handling of Cuddy’s perjury was a misstep also.

The entire Cuddy perjuring herself and the judge just dropping the case was a cop-out, but was really is disappointing is that the cop-up draw light on what could have been a much much more interesting twist. It would have been much more interesting had the writers written the arch so Cuddy did actually swap out the real meds. (make House’s recovery afterwards a placebo effect like the “morphine” shot in the she-male model episode, it whould make the issue of house addiction more intersting anyway, and the passing out just from drinking alcohol or a drug/alcohol interaction with some over the counter meds Cuddy swapped in.) and that she was letting House sweat it out to try to change him to make him learn humility. This has been an arc all season with Wilson and Cuddy plotting behind House’s back for his own good this twist would have wrapped up the arch nicely especially since Wilson himself said the word “meaning” bring us back to the beginning of the arch.

It would have also made the entire end sequence more interesting we would be left with House unable to out fox Tritter, but still be smart enough to say ahead of Cuddy and Wilson it would have changed the dynamics of the scene so that when Wilson said nothing has changed we could see how the character on there own, not via the contrivance of the writers, have come full circle. It would have been a more layered more satisfying conclusion.

I don’t how the writer could have overlooked such potential in making the arch as such. maybe they were afraid it would be too big a twist for an everything stays the same ending; maybe the various false dichotomy that the show bases it self around are become too obvious for disbelief too be suspended or maybe the writer just don’t know how to make a satisfying arch spanning multiple episodes. Whatever the reason I’m disappointed very very disappointed.

In a way the three week wait doesn’t seem so bad now it lets me erase this mess from my head.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Belated response to the latest episode:

Ok, this show is really starting to annoy me this episode wasn’t bad, it was actually pretty good, the 2 patient of the week and their mysteries were good, and it had some good lines but the writers have pretty much ruined Cuddy and Cameron for me and are they are on their way to ruining Chase.

Lets begin with Cuddy: Is she House boss or his bitch? Right now I’d say bitch. Sure she took a lot of crap from him in seasons 1 and 2 but she retained some degree of power over him, now it is obviously that she has no control other house what so ever (also keep in mind that it has repeatedly made clear, including in this very ep., that house needs an people to second guess him it is part his “unique” DDx process.) and if the episode before last is to be believed she doesn’t let him get away with this because he saves lives or even guilt at cutting of his leg no it because they apparently slept together. The last episode did have Cuddy standing up to House but for all the wrong reasons she was being emotional, irrational and un-objective, Cuddy made the wrong call, she got lucky, and if she saw a hundred of the same case she would have made the wrong call again and gain and a 100 people would have died. Isn’t this the situation she was trying to prevent by lying to house in the first episode of the season? So now Cuddy is a hypocrite? And she was completely ineffectual during the Triter arch, where were the team of lawyers the frequently gathered in Cuddy’s office in season 1? Especially after she not only went after House but also completely shut down the practice of another department was pretty much making life a living hell for three more of her best doctors; was make every other doctor overly concerned with covering their ass hence disrupting the function of the entire hospital, especially when he for no good reason hijacked a room in your hospital and started walking around intimidating all your doctors like he owned the place and was apparently illegal shuffling through hospital files and although you full admit that House brought all that on himself and that House make everything around him worse you still willing to let better doctors sacrifice themselves for him (yes house is NOT the best doctor in that hospital being a good doctor is more then dxing zebras, House is at the end of the day I highly profitable one trick pony) and prejudge your self for him? And after all that way to prove to him that he owes you in fact why not bring that up to him right now when he said you owed him. Which brings us back to the present Cuddy a hospital administrator with a medical degree and who is supposed to control House is now also apparent easily susceptible to influence and prone to hysteria, and not mild hysteria major hysteria and when it over Cuddy who is supposed to be a rock on which the function of entire teaching hospital of some fame is supposed to rest on then brushs it off as if that was as natural as getting a cold; not to mention this little story could make it way to the media, a bunch of panicky people on an airplane with an unknown infection a heroic doctor post 9/11 with the ability to spin it in to a story about the importance of scuba diving safety I’d say at least one magazine would want to report on this and she is apparently not concerned about those all important benefactors reading about the hysteria prone hospital administrator. Way to care about your hospital image Cuddy. Boy she sure seems like a great hospital administrator doesn’t she?

I was going to write some thing about Cam’s character assassination but my hand is getting tried. But I will say this my problems with this seasons have shifted from un believable plot lines (miracle!leg, son of a coma guy)) to their treatment of the characters like the above about Cuddy. That these two elements have not hit their respective lows at the same time is probably the only thing keeping me watching, but the fact that a lot of people seem to like both of these thing has me fearing that they are going to combine the worst of the worst into a single episode. Shudders at how that might look like: “House’s leg mysterious gets better while have sex with Cuddy on top her desk meanwhile Foreman get a cold, Cameron gets jungle fever and they also have sex on Cuddy’s desk with Chase watching?” At this point wouldn’t surprise me.

So is anyone pleased with the direction this show is going.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?