Monuments to Selfishness: 7X15
Mar. 8th, 2011 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
readingratNow that was - surprising. I admit I hadn't reckoned with that. I was depressed after that, but that is, to be honest, usually a sign of a good House episode. House isn't supposed to make us feel all fuzzy inside, it's meant to make us think. This episode certainly did so to me.
The Unifying Theme: Bombs Waiting to Explode
The POTW is a sympathetic young fellow: reasonably cute, misunderstood by his obtuse parents who see only what they want to see, bullied by his classmates - Taub and we feel for him. He's depressed, cuts himself, and hates his life. What a good thing that Taub cares! Turns out, though, that our misunderstood mini-Taub is a drug dealer and a disaster waiting to happen - presumably. Perhaps he's only a mixed-up kid who slipped up once and likes exploding stuff. Taub doesn't know, we don't know. His medical problem becomes secondary, to the point that when his condition worsens one is inclined to hope he'll die to spare everyone the bother of trying to figure out whether he'd blow the other kids in his school to oblivion if the team saved him. The solution is almost trivial - a staph infection - but then again, House's fellows have a history of killing people with staph infections, so I guess trivial becomes non-trivial when faced with a team that wears filters designed to keep the trivial out.
This week Taub gets to present himself from his better side (last week was Chase's turn). His dilemma lies in whether to inform the police of the threatening videos on the boy's computer. The other fellows are not enthusiastic since there's no conclusive evidence and whatever there is has been gleaned illegally. Taub finally makes the right call - he informs the police against the wishes of the parents. It's a tough decision, because it could affect the boy's entire career, but nevertheless it's the right one. It's the parents' job to protect their kid and to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if that should ultimately harm others, but that's not the job description that outsiders have. They have to consider the greater good, and in this case that's protecting all those other children who might die if this child's disturbing, though non-conclusive symptoms are ignored. Whether this bomb would ever have detonated is uncertain, but Taub has ensured that it will be defused.
Similarly Cuddy has a potential time bomb in her body: a kidney tumour that seems to have metastasised into her lungs. If the diagnosis is confirmed, it's a death sentence. In this case, however, a diagnosis is possible. The tumour is removed in surgery, examined and deemed to be benign - a dud. Or isn't it? When House tells Cuddy she's clear, I was convinced at first that he was lying to protect her.
The third bomb on the verge of detonating is House himself. He takes vicodin to be able to face a potentially dying Cuddy and be what she needs him to be at that moment. Cuddy realises he's a disaster waiting to happen; at every crisis she'll have to fear that he'll combust, so she takes steps to remove herself from his detonation radius. That, unfortunately but rather predictably, lights House's fuse and we have the doubtful pleasure of seeing eighteen months' worth of sobriety scatter into the atmosphere.
Creating Tension
This episode gets 10 out of 10 for its arc, the tension it creates, then seemingly dispels only to bring it back with a vengeance. There's House slowly disintegrating during differentials. He starts off all cool with a differential during his girlfriend's bladder examination, getting himself kicked out so as to be able to stay with his team. As Cuddy's prognosis becomes worse, so does House's attention span during differentials, culminating in his bodily absence during her operation. House neglects a patient, not out of choice, but because he's utterly losing it.
In a parallel development Cuddy's dreams become increasingly angsty. She starts off with a sitcom version of a future without her - now I know why I don't watch those - that has House and Wilson raising Rachel. It's light, and even Cuddy's implied death throws no shadow on the familial bliss portrayed there. First cracks appear in the fifties spoof, where Cuddy realises that the future she's envisioning will never take place, even if she should survive. The next dream clearly foreshadows her death - deserted at the last minute by House, and the fourth one - was just WOW! It had me completely weirded out, like those psycho thrillers that I never, Never, NEVER watch because I'd never be able to sleep again. By the end of that hallucination
my heart rate was up, my breathing shallow, and I was terrified. It is a wonderfully ambiguous dream, that one. Superficially it shows Cuddy being led into the next world by House; thus it seems to chime into the greater 'Cuddy fears her imminent death' theme. Later, when we know more, it acquires a different meaning. House has never been one to believe in life after death, heaven, etc. His Happy Place is drug-induced and what we see is Cuddy's subconscious telling her that House is fleeing there again.
The Selfishness Ranking
There are episodes that bring out the best in everyone. This one brought out the worst in practically everyone - how pathetic can a bunch of humans get that getting stoned so as to be able to bear the company of one's dying partner seems an act of self-sacrifice? Because that's how it came over to me compared to the other stunts pulled in this episode (a lovely one, btw - House episodes live off the feeling of moral indignation that they engender).
Who gets to benefit from the week's development?
First and foremost, Wilson. He has been lonely ever since Sam left, and has admitted to being bitter at House's happiness. With the House/Cuddy split-up he gets House back and he gets to show everyone that he's the only one who can cope with him. 'See, even Cuddy abandoned him, but I can handle House.' Not to mention that an abandoned House is a needy House. That may sound cynical, but House MD is a cynical show.
Secondly, House himself. House has been using Cuddy as therapy ersatz. In 'Baggage' he quit therapy because the process was too long and painful; in the following episode he got together with Cuddy and never went to therapy since. Now I can't imagine that the writers simply forgot about therapy - I'm pretty sure that thousands of former addicts all over the world who have systematically worked at their problems over the years are flooding David Shore and Co with emails to the effect that getting into a relationship is no alternative to dealing with one's issues the hard way, and would the writers please get House back into therapy. The longer the season continued without dealing with the matter the more uneasy I got - this was beyond a bit of political incorrectness, this was sheer, stupid, senseless lack of responsibility. Then, finally, the cracks showed in the last episode, 'Recession Proof'. House admits to relying utterly on Cuddy, to the point that even Cuddy is spooked. And in this episode Cuddy accuses House of not having his fear of pain under control - a clear signal that although House is ostensibly coping, the underlying cause of his addiction is by no means combatted. Cuddy leaving him means that she can no longer serve as a buffer to his misery, and his relapse means that he'll be dealing with his issues sooner rather than later.
Who doesn't get to benefit? Well, Cuddy. As her sister points out, she's been ranting about House these past ten years, to the extent that it isn't clear to her sister since when they've been dating. Relationships aren't Cuddy's strong point; add to that a pretty exclusive taste in men and it doesn't take a genius to see that she's going to be one lonely woman. (May I point out that House's taste is far less exclusive and that he hasn't been ranting about Cuddy half as long? Once he's ship-shape again he should not have a problem finding an alternative to Cuddy.) Perhaps Wilson will take pity on her and marry her; she certainly fulfills all the necessary neediness criteria.
The other main non-beneficiary is probably the audience. I thought till recently that a break-up would be beneficial for getting the show back under steam, but now I'm not so sure. When this season got under way, the medicine was neglected sorely in favour of the House/Cuddy story line, or so I thought. I have, however, been watching some of the House/Stacy episodes, and I noticed that intense as their interaction was, it was never at the cost of the medical mystery. Ergo, it is possible to write episodes full of angst, passion, and what-have-you without bulldozing over everything else. If the writers chose to do so this season, it isn't because they felt that the romance needed to supersede the medicine. No, I fear I was mistaking cause and effect. The Cause was a lack of decent medical cases. The effect was to fill up the episodes with lots of Huddy angst to fill the time. What other explanation can there be for massage therapists, babysitting and similar plot oddities? This is a problem that will not disappear miraculously with Cuddy's disappearance from House's life, so I very much fear that we are not done yet with needless angst and indifferent medicine.
The Unifying Theme: Bombs Waiting to Explode
The POTW is a sympathetic young fellow: reasonably cute, misunderstood by his obtuse parents who see only what they want to see, bullied by his classmates - Taub and we feel for him. He's depressed, cuts himself, and hates his life. What a good thing that Taub cares! Turns out, though, that our misunderstood mini-Taub is a drug dealer and a disaster waiting to happen - presumably. Perhaps he's only a mixed-up kid who slipped up once and likes exploding stuff. Taub doesn't know, we don't know. His medical problem becomes secondary, to the point that when his condition worsens one is inclined to hope he'll die to spare everyone the bother of trying to figure out whether he'd blow the other kids in his school to oblivion if the team saved him. The solution is almost trivial - a staph infection - but then again, House's fellows have a history of killing people with staph infections, so I guess trivial becomes non-trivial when faced with a team that wears filters designed to keep the trivial out.
This week Taub gets to present himself from his better side (last week was Chase's turn). His dilemma lies in whether to inform the police of the threatening videos on the boy's computer. The other fellows are not enthusiastic since there's no conclusive evidence and whatever there is has been gleaned illegally. Taub finally makes the right call - he informs the police against the wishes of the parents. It's a tough decision, because it could affect the boy's entire career, but nevertheless it's the right one. It's the parents' job to protect their kid and to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if that should ultimately harm others, but that's not the job description that outsiders have. They have to consider the greater good, and in this case that's protecting all those other children who might die if this child's disturbing, though non-conclusive symptoms are ignored. Whether this bomb would ever have detonated is uncertain, but Taub has ensured that it will be defused.
Similarly Cuddy has a potential time bomb in her body: a kidney tumour that seems to have metastasised into her lungs. If the diagnosis is confirmed, it's a death sentence. In this case, however, a diagnosis is possible. The tumour is removed in surgery, examined and deemed to be benign - a dud. Or isn't it? When House tells Cuddy she's clear, I was convinced at first that he was lying to protect her.
The third bomb on the verge of detonating is House himself. He takes vicodin to be able to face a potentially dying Cuddy and be what she needs him to be at that moment. Cuddy realises he's a disaster waiting to happen; at every crisis she'll have to fear that he'll combust, so she takes steps to remove herself from his detonation radius. That, unfortunately but rather predictably, lights House's fuse and we have the doubtful pleasure of seeing eighteen months' worth of sobriety scatter into the atmosphere.
Creating Tension
This episode gets 10 out of 10 for its arc, the tension it creates, then seemingly dispels only to bring it back with a vengeance. There's House slowly disintegrating during differentials. He starts off all cool with a differential during his girlfriend's bladder examination, getting himself kicked out so as to be able to stay with his team. As Cuddy's prognosis becomes worse, so does House's attention span during differentials, culminating in his bodily absence during her operation. House neglects a patient, not out of choice, but because he's utterly losing it.
In a parallel development Cuddy's dreams become increasingly angsty. She starts off with a sitcom version of a future without her - now I know why I don't watch those - that has House and Wilson raising Rachel. It's light, and even Cuddy's implied death throws no shadow on the familial bliss portrayed there. First cracks appear in the fifties spoof, where Cuddy realises that the future she's envisioning will never take place, even if she should survive. The next dream clearly foreshadows her death - deserted at the last minute by House, and the fourth one - was just WOW! It had me completely weirded out, like those psycho thrillers that I never, Never, NEVER watch because I'd never be able to sleep again. By the end of that hallucination
my heart rate was up, my breathing shallow, and I was terrified. It is a wonderfully ambiguous dream, that one. Superficially it shows Cuddy being led into the next world by House; thus it seems to chime into the greater 'Cuddy fears her imminent death' theme. Later, when we know more, it acquires a different meaning. House has never been one to believe in life after death, heaven, etc. His Happy Place is drug-induced and what we see is Cuddy's subconscious telling her that House is fleeing there again.
The Selfishness Ranking
There are episodes that bring out the best in everyone. This one brought out the worst in practically everyone - how pathetic can a bunch of humans get that getting stoned so as to be able to bear the company of one's dying partner seems an act of self-sacrifice? Because that's how it came over to me compared to the other stunts pulled in this episode (a lovely one, btw - House episodes live off the feeling of moral indignation that they engender).
- Rank 5 goes to Masters for wanting to pull House from Cuddy's side to diagnose the patient. She's just stupid, really, so she gets the lowest rank.
- Rank 4 is shared by Foreman and Chase for not wanting to report the boy to the police. They aren't worried about ruining his life, they're just bothered it might backfire because legally it isn't airtight. No, he probably won't get more than a rap on the knuckles, but sometimes an official rap will wake up parents and kids to the dangers of their doings.
- House makes a mere 3 in this week's selfishness ranking, but only because the contenders for ranks 2 and 1 beat him, not because his own efforts weren't valiant. He was a very strong contender for Rank 1 through most of the episode and only lost Rank 2 right at the end. Refusing to be with his girlfriend when she's probably dying - I didn't think anyone would be able to top that. Needing to get stoned in order to go to her and hold her hand - the mind boggles. If that seems normal to us (no, I wasn't really surprised) it's because we're used to House's habit of looking after his own emotional needs rather than others' by now, not because his conduct is excusable in any way. Getting stoned, BTW, does not count as selfish here. It's probably the only redeeming feature of his behaviour that he's willing to sacrifice something he worked for so hard, namely his sobriety, in order to be able to be there for Cuddy.
- Cuddy beat House to Rank 2 literally at the last moment. That her behaviour topped House's is a gut feeling that has little objective content to base it on. But sometimes gut reactions can be revealing: my reaction to her telling House that he's an addict who avoids pain was, 'But you knew that, woman!' Cuddy wanted Mr Bad Guy. She wasn't contented with Mr Nice Eastern Lube or with Mr Half-Bad Lucas Douglas. No, she wanted the Real Thing, but apparently only the Good Side of the Bad Guy. Unfortunately, there's a reason why mothers warn their kids about the bad guys - it's because the bad side really isn't that funny. Cuddy is right when she says that relationships are about accepting pain and that House avoids pain because he can't deal with it. (He promptly proves her right by deadening the pain of being abandoned by her with a couple of vicodin.) I absolutely agree that a guy who runs for the hills or gets stoned to the gills every time there's a family crisis sucks as a partner, because sooner or later the going will get rough again and Cuddy can't be expected to keep herself together, look after Rachel and babysit a relapsing House. But I would never, ever, ever have got into a relationship with someone like House. Either one is selfish like me and stays away from the badasses or one sucks it up. My second gut feeling said that one doesn't dump a guy who is on the verge of falling apart already. Maybe there's no good time for dumping a former addict, but this seemed a tad ruthless. My last point is a debatable one, but I think that House deserves the benefit of the doubt when he says he can do better. At that moment he's putty in Cuddy's hand; he's guilt-ridden and he really wants to be able to be there for her when she needs him, so if Cuddy had said, 'Therapy, now!' he'd probably have gone stat. Yet Cuddy won't take the risk. It's her belief that he can't do better against his that he can, and she chooses the safety of a life as a single over the hard work of dealing with an addicted partner. That is a selfish choice, even if it is a sensible one.
- This may surprise some, but my winner of the week, hands down, is Wilson. He accuses House of making it about himself when it's Cuddy who may well be dying. Good point, Wilson! Yet how exactly does Cuddy benefit if you decide not to interfere with House as a matter of principle just to show that you won't play his games? With one fell swoop Wilson manages to make Cuddy's death about himself and House. Wilson knows that leaving House to his own devices will lead to House probably not showing and possibly relapsing. House's side of the latter problem aside, neither outcome is one that will be pleasant for Cuddy, yet Wilson risks that simply to make a statement. Or maybe it isn't as simple as all that ... It's a bit like the time he makes the deal with Tritter and Cameron calls him on it. How can he be sure that his motives are pure when the deal is a windfall for him? Which brings me to my final analysis.
Who gets to benefit from the week's development?
First and foremost, Wilson. He has been lonely ever since Sam left, and has admitted to being bitter at House's happiness. With the House/Cuddy split-up he gets House back and he gets to show everyone that he's the only one who can cope with him. 'See, even Cuddy abandoned him, but I can handle House.' Not to mention that an abandoned House is a needy House. That may sound cynical, but House MD is a cynical show.
Secondly, House himself. House has been using Cuddy as therapy ersatz. In 'Baggage' he quit therapy because the process was too long and painful; in the following episode he got together with Cuddy and never went to therapy since. Now I can't imagine that the writers simply forgot about therapy - I'm pretty sure that thousands of former addicts all over the world who have systematically worked at their problems over the years are flooding David Shore and Co with emails to the effect that getting into a relationship is no alternative to dealing with one's issues the hard way, and would the writers please get House back into therapy. The longer the season continued without dealing with the matter the more uneasy I got - this was beyond a bit of political incorrectness, this was sheer, stupid, senseless lack of responsibility. Then, finally, the cracks showed in the last episode, 'Recession Proof'. House admits to relying utterly on Cuddy, to the point that even Cuddy is spooked. And in this episode Cuddy accuses House of not having his fear of pain under control - a clear signal that although House is ostensibly coping, the underlying cause of his addiction is by no means combatted. Cuddy leaving him means that she can no longer serve as a buffer to his misery, and his relapse means that he'll be dealing with his issues sooner rather than later.
Who doesn't get to benefit? Well, Cuddy. As her sister points out, she's been ranting about House these past ten years, to the extent that it isn't clear to her sister since when they've been dating. Relationships aren't Cuddy's strong point; add to that a pretty exclusive taste in men and it doesn't take a genius to see that she's going to be one lonely woman. (May I point out that House's taste is far less exclusive and that he hasn't been ranting about Cuddy half as long? Once he's ship-shape again he should not have a problem finding an alternative to Cuddy.) Perhaps Wilson will take pity on her and marry her; she certainly fulfills all the necessary neediness criteria.
The other main non-beneficiary is probably the audience. I thought till recently that a break-up would be beneficial for getting the show back under steam, but now I'm not so sure. When this season got under way, the medicine was neglected sorely in favour of the House/Cuddy story line, or so I thought. I have, however, been watching some of the House/Stacy episodes, and I noticed that intense as their interaction was, it was never at the cost of the medical mystery. Ergo, it is possible to write episodes full of angst, passion, and what-have-you without bulldozing over everything else. If the writers chose to do so this season, it isn't because they felt that the romance needed to supersede the medicine. No, I fear I was mistaking cause and effect. The Cause was a lack of decent medical cases. The effect was to fill up the episodes with lots of Huddy angst to fill the time. What other explanation can there be for massage therapists, babysitting and similar plot oddities? This is a problem that will not disappear miraculously with Cuddy's disappearance from House's life, so I very much fear that we are not done yet with needless angst and indifferent medicine.
What About Me?
Where does all this leave my poor inner Huddy? Well, it has been dumped back where it was lying at the end of the last season, and that wasn't a bad place. I was fine till then with no Huddy on-screen, and I'll be fine again. After all, it isn't as though the House/Cuddy relationship was in any way satisfying to watch. It was a roller coaster ride, and I happen to hate roller coasters. I'm quite happy to go back to reading huddy-centric fanfic to satisfy my desire for fluffy shallowness, and I'll take things on-screen as they come. Besides, I'm a good loser. Hey, all you Hilsons, enjoy yourselves while you can! I'm pretty sure that David Shore will be able to make you as miserable as the most miserable Huddy-shipper in no time at all. This is, after all, House MD: audience misery is part of the deal.
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no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 01:29 am (UTC)I agree that Cuddy's timing is heartless, but in a way I think she's making a sacrifice, too. Much like Stacy gave up a future with House in order to save his life, she is giving up a relationship she really wants, rather than enabling the addiction or accepting excuses that will only continue the relapse/recovery cycle.
This relationship was, imo, doomed when it started on such a terribly unequal basis, and never overcame the rescuer-rescuee dynamic. I'm not sorry to see that go. I am hoping that some of the progress and growth that House made, and some of the relationship skills he learned during the last 14 episodes, can eventually be put to use in a healthier, more equal relationship of his choosing. We know now that he's willing to work at a relationship, and he can compromise for someone else's needs. I thought he showed himself to be, by and large, a pretty good boyfriend.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 09:35 am (UTC)As for Cuddy, she has always been someone who looks out for herself. One of my key Cuddy moments is her behaviour in the Tritter arc. First she cuts House off from his vicodin supply, then she realises she can't deal with a detoxing House, so she puts him back on it again, doling it out pill by pill. When she makes decisions she often doesn't oversee their long-term implications for herself, and when she finally realises that something is backfiring on her, she'll rescind her original decision. IMO that's what happened between 'Now What?' and 'Bombshells'. She thought she can deal with an addict, but now that she's seen that she can't depend on him in a real crisis, she figures that she isn't up to it. So I'm not sure her motives are noble here at all. I'm okay with that - I'm selfishness personified - but I much prefer House's clear-cut, 'I take the consequences for the decisions I make, with all the backlashes that entails.'
What I'm not okay with is that she didn't see this coming. She's an intelligent woman who has known House for most of her life and certainly all through his addictive phase. I'm supposed to believe that she went into the relationship thinking he'd be able to cope with stress? As far as ridiculous behaviour goes, it still can't compete with the idiocy of Wilson donating his liver, but it's definitely second on my list of 'Plot Devices That Make My Eyebrows Recede Into My Hairline'. Okay, third, after House thinking he can help a man with delusions by supporting those delusions.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 03:51 am (UTC)Most things I think we are in totally agreement on with this sentence: Unfortunately, there's a reason why mothers warn their kids about the bad guys - it's because the bad side really isn't that funny. being FTW. I think you summed up what happened to Cuddy right there.
However my initial reaction concerning Wilson in particular(which I wrote up last night), is diametrically opposite of yours. Your excellently made arguments gives me pause on my own interpretation, so I thought I'd throw out to you why I thought Wilson was not being underhanded. Perhaps you can spot the flaws in my thinking.
We have more scenes than usual with Wilson this week. He is the one who does the ultrasound which I think speaks to Cuddy's trust in him. Any radiologist would be a better choice, but she likes Wilson and he can keep her secret. He tries to make her feel more comfortable and I don't get that 'passive aggressive' vibe that I sometimes get from him. He also shows up at her door at night - he really cares about her and he seems to be taking this very hard too. I think it is easy to forget that he considers her a friend (and he doesn't have too many of those because of House). When Foreman comes to talk about House, Wilson obviously knows already that Cuddy is dealing with this without him and he is angry at House. He BELIEVES House can do better. If he didn't he wouldn't be annoyed. Very much like Cuddy does, he thinks that House has it in him - if he would just suck it up and stop running from the pain - to show up and do what Cuddy needs him to. Both Cuddy and Wilson believe House can do it, but you also get the sense that they both aren't sure he will do it. I also get the feeling that it is Wilson picking up the slack for House here with Cuddy though we don't get to see those scenes. At some point along the way Wilson also tells the team that "he doesn't want to pick up those pieces" if House falls apart while Cuddy does slowly. But I think he will (even if he doesn't want to) because unlike House he will do what needs to be done. He's a lot braver than House on that score. He turned off the machines on Amber after spending the last hours with her, he sees death close up all the time and often sits with his patients to the end (remember Joseph?), and he once gave House a speech about people dying of cancer and how they don't get depressed if they have family and friends around - he knows what a loved one means to a terminally ill person. I think that is why he was so annoyed with House. Personally I didn't see any jealousy in his behavior in this episode. Whether he is in love with House or just missing his relationship with his best friend and feeling left out, it seemed to me that he put it aside in favor of Cuddy's well being.
So, what do you think? Can you punch holes in that for me?
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 09:51 am (UTC)That's what I meant when I referred to the Tritter arc. In 'A Merry Little Christmas' Wilson makes that deal with Tritter. Yes, House was the one who started it by feloniously forging scrips with Wilson's signature, yes, he's endangering patients (Wilson's and his own) and alienating his staff, yes, the deal is a really good one that would benefit House no end, but as Cameron points out, when something benefits Wilson as much as that deal with Tritter does, one can't separate noble motives from selfish ones any more. Had Wilson wanted to be sure that he was being noble and not just a little bit self-serving, he should have ratted House out before he himself was affected by House's behaviour. It's the same here - Wilson should have stopped playing House's game when not playing would have harmed him and not Cuddy.
That's not saying that I don't love this. Wilson is not a 'nice' guy, any more than House or Cuddy are. If he were all noble friendship, he'd be boring. It's this ambivalence in his behaviour that House is attracted to, not the niceness. House hates 'nice'.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 11:14 pm (UTC)Well, to be fair, he did try a few episodes back but House kept sucking him back in (remember the "Crap!Crap!Crap! line?). And I got the feeling that he couldn't leave the hospital because he was dealing with Cuddy for House. With Tritter we did eventually find out that Wilson was willing to go to jail for House if he didn't accept the deal "Better me than him," he said. So, in this case I think his motives were pure, even subconsciously. I also think he really believed House could pull it together and come in on his own, but if he chased House down into a bar like he had the episode before, House would be drunk or do what he wanted anyway as he usually does.
I could be wrong though. Wilson has a screwed up line of thinking sometimes and a moral compass that floats with the wind, sometimes pointing towards whatever will look better to others or society or he feels is 'his last chance', and not really be the right choice. He could wind up being just as much of a problem to House as dating Cuddy proved to be - it could go either way and be believable. I just hope he comes through for House. Somebody needs to help right him or the last season will be House's spiral towards self-destruction.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 06:32 am (UTC)I agree with you. Cuddy does not benefit from the fallout. She's been in love with House for a long time, but there's a reason (or reasons) she's steered clear of any romantic entanglement with House all these years. Cuddy can be as cold and calculating as House (she'd have to be to become the first female Dean of Medicine and to run PPTH for 15 years) and these traits have served to counter-balance her attraction to House. I believe she's known all along that House's main damage is not his addiction per se, but his inability to make himself vulnerable to the vagaries of life. In a sense, this is also Cuddy's main weakness. in "Help Me," Cuddy was only able to open herself up to House and risk potential pain because House has for the first time openly acknowledged his responsibility for his own misery. right or wrong, Cuddy took this as a sign that House is finally willing to allow himself to love and be loved. I agree with Cuddy's assessment, and i think that that House in Help Me" may be in distress right now but he hasn't flat-lined yet. It is right that Cuddy took a step back from House. She's deeply hurt, but more than this she knows she can't save House. I believe she believes that she is making a rational decision.
I really wish other fans should stop bashing Cuddy and calling her a selfish bitch. I've always liked Cuddy because at the onset she's struck me as someone who, if i may paraphrase House, insists on seeing the possible in the impossible. ("Humpty Dumpty") Cuddy is not a damsel in distress, she is not a dolorous matriarch (mater dolorosa), and she may like the bad boys but she is not a fixer of broken men (the way Cameron is a fixer). Cuddy is a middle-age woman which means she's lived a life, have gone through many ups and downs and have acquired good as well as bad habits. It also means that she still has a full life ahead of her, and she may or may not still be holding out hope that House can fix himself but I am convinced that Cuddy knows that this crisis with House is transient.
so sorry i seem to have cluttered your space. I'm friending you btw, because you're a sane voice in the House fandom in LJ. there's so much "insanity" right now, and while i do understand where this is coming from I'm not ready to call it a day for House.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 10:09 am (UTC)she may like the bad boys but she is not a fixer of broken men
Exactly. That's what she has always refused to be. She'll hold House's hand when he's down, but she's not about mending him. In fact, in 'Help Me' she refuses to be the one to 'save' him - she tells him unmistakably that it's his call, not hers. And at the end of 'Recession Proof' she's worried, IMO because she senses that House is once more trying to turn her into his saviour. (He speaks in 'you'-messages instead of 'I'-messages. The content may be positive, but with it he's delegating responsibility for his actions to Cuddy instead of taking it himself, and that's what spooks her.) In 'Bombshells' she recognises that his basic behavioural patterns have not changed despite his superficial renunciation of his addiction. She can't accept that, quite rightly IMO because accepting it would be enabling his addiction.
What I'm not okay with is her decision to drop him. I think there's a middle way where one sits down, spells out what changes need to be made (and yes, he IS going to have to change, but anyone who says that asking him to change from addictive behaviour to non-addictive behaviour is asking him to change his entire persona is a Wilson-esque enabler), spells out the consequences if those changes aren't made, sets up a control mechanism to check on whether both sides are sticking to their agreement and then starts implementing the agreement.
For example: House will go back to therapy. He will continue to do so for the rest of his life. If he has a relapse he will sign up for detox and treatment straightaway. If he panics and feels the need for narcotics he will contact his therapist. As long as he sticks to these points Cuddy will not dump him.
That's hard work for Cuddy, because he will relapse sooner or later, and she'll probably have to drag him to therapy every now and then, and when he does relapse it's tough on family life, but if it's clear that there are benefits for both sides, it's workable. It gives the addict the incentive to tackle therapy and detox after a relapse because he has the certainty of not facing negative consequences at random, but only if he violates his side of the deal.
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Date: 2011-03-09 01:24 pm (UTC)but even without touching on meta, i can still sort of get behind Cuddy's decision to drop House. i agree with your assessment that Cuddy tends to not see the long-term implications of her decisions for herself. but i think this is mainly true when she's dealing with House. this time though, i think Cuddy has done the math so to speak. right or wrong, her calculation is quite simple: House's problem is that he's insulated himself from feeling pain first through vicodin and then through his relationship with her (Cuddy). She can't help House because she has become part of the problem.
(i wish i can keep up with this "exchange", but our time is sort of reversed and i need to get off the computer now and call it a day...)
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Date: 2011-03-09 04:24 pm (UTC)~~As you well know I see things from House's perspective most of the time, but I also do my best to stay aware of his limitations and deep flaws =) You're correct--this is House returning to square one, the last few minutes of Help Me when Cuddy came in and took the place of Vicodin. The relationship was destined to fail, not just by the decree of DS and the writers but also because (as you point out) House hasn't dealt with his addiction, just switched from one drug to another. I'm pretty sure he was aware of it at the time, but didn't care.
~~Wilson can act like a jilted girlfriend all he likes, but the neediness feast about to be laid on the table will be rich pickings for him. The dumped addict and the original Jewish mother--the perfect combination, in Wilson's view anyway. I'm anticipating the angst to come.
~~Cuddy kicking House to the curb when she knows he's in dire need of help: reprehensible behavior, but not unexpected. She's never faced the reality of living with House. I am disgusted with her for not getting him some help, even if it was just to call someone else to stop by and haul him off to the spin bin. You don't dump your addict boyfriend and walk away without considering the consequences of your actions, especially when you know this will devastate him.
~~House unable to handle the rigors of standing by his woman in her time of need: again, reprehensible behavior, but it's been plain since the beginning of the series that House simply does not handle other people's pain in any way, shape or form. He runs at the mere thought of encountering it. There was no way he could handle Cuddy's need. I knew he would resort to drugs to deal with the situation because he's been doing it for years. A stint in rehab and couple of months of talk therapy isn't going to 'fix' that response. (I also knew he was either using or about to when he licked the pills in Recession Proof. That's the same as an alcoholic popping the top on a beer and tasting the mouth of the bottle. The logical next step is to take one little sip . . .)
~~I'll be honest and say I'm glad Huddy's gone. I never felt it was a good choice for a storyline; despite what some people have said, once you mess with the UST in a series, you destroy the delight in tuning in for witty sexual banter and will they/won't they suspense. I much prefer the House/Cuddy relationship of the early years.
Anyway--thanks for posting the review and providing a place to discuss what's happening with intelligence and humor. It's much appreciated.
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Date: 2011-03-09 06:12 pm (UTC)Since a major part of my insights stem from over a year of extensive communication with you, it's hardly surprising that we agree ;-) At the moment the shipper forums are a place to be avoided at all costs. The Huddies are heart-rending in their grief, but as House says, 'You whine. It's boring!' If poor Wilson knew what expectations the Hilsons have of him, how he is to pick up the pieces and put House together again because he's the only one who truly understands him and can give him what he needs, he'd be running for the hills. Some Hilsons have even lurked in the Huddy forums to gloat [sic!]. There's a very sensible discussion going on in HHoW, but that's about it. For a mid-season episode it has caused quite a stir.
I am disgusted with her for not getting him some help, even if it was just to call someone else to stop by and haul him off to the spin bin.
That was my gut feeling too. But in that show responsible behaviour doesn't seem part of the vocabulary of anyone practicing medicine. I was already gasping in dismay when Foreman and Wilson more or less openly considered the option that House could be relapsing, but neither saw the necessity of sending out a search party for him. Wilson had his own reasons, but does that exonerate the team for relying on him to do what was clearly called for?
But then, on a meta level, if anyone in this show acted like decent human beings, there'd be no plot. There's just so much misery House can create for himself; for the rest, he needs the help of the people who surround him. It's something I've grown to accept - I don't even ask any more. Acting like selfish morons is part of the job description of supporting roles in House MD. Suck it up or get written out of the show.
I'll be honest and say I'm glad Huddy's gone.
I'll be honest and say that I feel the same. As I said, my desire was for comfy couch scenes, not roller coaster rides, so the show's take on Huddy did not rock my boat at all. Had they given us fifteen episodes of the kind of comfy, snarky scenes that we had in that episode with stoned House teasing potentially dying and then recovering Cuddy, yeah, I'd be devastated, but as it is .... shrug.
I was shocked because firstly, I didn't see it coming in this episode, and secondly, because House was absolutely heart-rending in those last scenes. The memory of his kicked-puppy-dog face still has my stomach churning. He was a lot less pathetic in 'Help Me' even if he was on the verge of a relapse there too. I'm happy that they got it over in five minutes instead of torturing us with a three-episode arc of will-she-won't-she-dump-his-ass.
once you mess with the UST in a series, you destroy the delight in tuning in for witty sexual banter
Couldn't agree more. As in many other things, the less one shows and the more one leaves to the imagination, the better for all concerned. (I spent a lot of Season 2 and 3 asking myself incredulously, 'Are those two really flirting - they CAN'T be - or am I imagining it?' That was great!) As long as everything was unresolved and ambiguous, hard-core fans could interpret as they pleased; other fans honestly don't care either way. Now the scope for imagination is limited, there's never any doubt that they were attracted to each other, but fizzled out most miserably.
On another note, one of my spawn and I have watched the clip to 'Come on, get happy' on YouTube about five times. Hugh Laurie rocks!
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Date: 2011-03-11 11:45 pm (UTC)Yes, I've heard all the maundering going on in all camps. All I can say is, told you so.
No one ever really seems to care if House is all right or not; Foreman showed a faint glimmer of compassion at the end of Help Me, but it was probably in aid of the plot. You are right, however; this series is about how everyone's a cretin at heart, with occasional glimpses of humanity that are quickly negated by more cretinism.
Agreed on the comfy factor, and also on the last moments with House looking like he's been gutted with a dull grapefruit spoon. I was (and still am) furious over that. It's not logical, but that's how things stand.
Absolutely. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: sex is a strong condiment. Just a little adds a lovely spicy taste. Too much burns your tongue and leaves you with an upset stomach, unless you're used to using too much; then you can't taste anything else, which is boring. House and Cuddy's intricate flirtation has been destroyed, and that's truly a shame. It gave the series that nice little kick.
I need to watch that sequence again. It scared me the first time through. Glad you and your spawn enjoyed it though. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sam Raime/Evil Dead zombie dream, with House as Bruce Campbell. When the Foreman zombie adjusted his tie before he attacked, I nearly split a seam. :)
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Date: 2011-03-12 01:20 am (UTC)I need to watch that sequence again. It scared me the first time through.
It IS absolutely scary, but I must hand it to the choreographers and whoever else is responsible - it fits spot on. House, who should be miming a carefree Astaire, sporting a mien of sad knowing and dreaded anticipation, Cuddy in a wedding dress thinking her dreams are coming true, but then her face when House pulls her towards him with his candy (vicodin) cane! I also loved House as Paul Newman. He exudes the same kind of careless charm. The only sequence that I didn't like was the sitcom one, but that might be because that's exactly the kind of humour I don't appreciate. I can't judge whether it was well done or not since I don't watch sitcoms and never have. I'm afraid I also don't watch zombie movies at all - sleepless nights and that sort of thing - so the references there totally evade me.
Now, after a few days to contemplate the episode, it's my favourite this season. I really believe it could get Hugh Laurie an Emmy nomination (or isn't it the Emmy - I'm very clueless about these awards) due to the versatility he displayed in it.
No one ever really seems to care if House is all right or not;
Actually, I got the impression that in this episode Foreman and Chase do care. Foreman still doesn't challenge Wilson's authority, but I honestly think it's a mistake on his part - a stupid one, admittedly - but not a sign of not caring. And Chase shows a lot of compassion in this episode. He's the one who shoots Masters down in that last differential while Cuddy is being prepped for the operation when Masters keeps wanting to page House.
As for House, Cuddy and Wilson, I've made my emotional peace with all of them. I probably feel more strongly about House's behaviour than you do, because the situation that Cuddy was in is one that I have experienced indirectly. Had my partner behaved the way House did, our family would have fallen apart - it nearly did as it was. As for Wilson and Cuddy, my emotional response often distresses me - it's difficult to separate the rational knowledge that these people don't exist from the gut response to what they do on screen. In House's case it's easier to live with his shortcomings - I tend to exonerate him very quickly, I find. Too much boyish charm and puppy dog wistfulness there.
Now, looking back on the episode, I feel a lot different about their behaviour than I did at first. Yes, both of them had a major screw-up, House in not showing, Cuddy in leaving him with his vicodin. But the rest of the episode both of them acted like mature beings for a change - no head games, power struggles, hissy fits, crudeness. And it came as a major pleasant surprise to me that they managed the break-up with no yelling and no recriminations on either side. Considering that they are both people who, ahem, have problems expressing themselves without being assertive or aggressive, that was quite a feat. (I'd expected the break-up to be accompanied by a major scene of the kind that leaves onlookers cringing and running for cover.)
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Date: 2011-03-10 12:17 am (UTC)As for Wilson, I share your views, and yet I like him. I'll paste my recent comment on him on HHOW :
Also, I'll authorize myself a little Wilson rant. I never went over his "go terrorize her" in BSN, which had hell broke loose. Before that, he originated the bet leading to detox in season one, the lie who had House spiralling down in Meaning, the Tritter process. All of that, with good intentions, i agree. But he could possibly be the worst friend on earth, if House was'nt.
He is a nice, caring man, i know, and I like him, but his counceling skills are the worst in history of TV. RSL thinks Wilson is a darker man than he looks, I believe him. Here, he guilted House in doing something House knew he was incapable of, without chemical help. Repeteadly. House was physically and mentally paralysed and he could not go.Positive reinforcement could help, or let him be himself. It wont be worse thah push him the wrong way and get the return of the Vicodin.
Any time House followed Wilson's advice, it went worse (on House behalf)
Who said keep my away from my friends, I can deal with my enemies?
Thank you for reviewing and thinking quietly. Knowing that a lot of us have been distressed by House's devastation makes me feel less stupid. It is almost soothing.
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Date: 2011-03-10 12:32 am (UTC)A lot of H/W shippers have idealised that friendship without seeing the things that you see. That's a bit dangerous, and they're in for the same kind of fall that the H/C shippers just went through. Yes, Wilson knows House really well, but as often as not what he does is not beneficial to House. This is a show that thrives off misery, so if Wilson replaces Cuddy, he'll be the one to provide the misery that the show throws House's way.
I have read most of the episode discussion on HHoW - it's one of the few havens of sanity in a stormy shipper ocean. I always find blacktop's reviews very insightful and thoughtful, as also Namaste's short but pithy comments. They help me get a more objective and less emotional perspective on the show.
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Date: 2011-03-10 12:41 am (UTC)I like HHOW, too. It is the first time I have been disagreeing with Blacktop's reasonably optimistic opinion : right now, I feel like I'm done with the show (it will heal, probably). But I can't get over the heartbroken acting of HL. I seriously feel like a loved one has been hurt. How amazing is this man.
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Date: 2011-03-10 09:41 pm (UTC)Now the ending was devastating, but - it could have been a lot worse. Neither of them blamed the other. If anything they blamed themselves, Cuddy for not realising from the start that she wasn't up to the relationship, and House for not doing well enough. Most viewers didn't notice, but Cuddy does NOT blame House. She's disappointed that he seemingly can't change, but she doesn't blame him. She just says that she can't live with that and she actually apologises for that. That's tantamount to taking the blame herself and it is totally different from saying, 'You screwed this up.'
I don't believe they'll get together again. But since they aren't blaming each other there's a good chance that they can be friends, real friends, after this, who care for each other, know each other's faults and respect each other. Cuddy can deal with House and his addictive behaviour if she isn't dependent on his support, and House won't get stressed and run for the hills (or drugs) if he knows that demands on him are low.
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Date: 2011-03-10 10:52 pm (UTC)Second, I was happy to see House happy in a relationship, with any partner he would choose, and I did not think he was bad into it. Now he is going to be miserable again, and I feel for him.
But mostly, I strongly disagree with David Shore recent comments, that House is a bad partner, a bad spouse, and is back to square one. ANd that relapses can be long. If this is really what he thinks, after 7 seasons, and no improvement, then I have been watching the wrong show. But that is my problem, not his.
And I loved our second installment. Very strong Cuddy and Wilson voices, and your interpretation makes perfect sense. Season 6 was a painful one, and it suddenly feels crystal clear.
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Date: 2011-03-10 11:31 pm (UTC)And I loved our second installment.
Thank you.