'Moving On' from House

[readingrat]

The other day I bought a book for a bit of light reading. The cover promised that the book was 'noisy, hilarious, tragic', 'outrageously enjoyable' and written by 'a brilliant comic writer'. I'm through three-quarters of the book now, and am a bit puzzled. I know that I have major deficiencies in the 'humour' department, but what on earth is funny about a fourteen-year-old boy who commits suicide because his mother is dying of cancer, his swimming coach abused him and his girlfriend gives blow jobs to the school psychopath in return for drugs?

That's roughly how I feel about House MD after watching the season finale. Hang on,folks, this isn't what you promised on the cover! You promised me House, the guy I've been watching for seven seasons; this episode was about some weird sociopath who, after spending a few months terrorizing his ex-girlfriend, now resorts to overt violence against her and her family. If, a few weeks ago anyone had recommended a fanfic in which an insanely jealous House drives his car through Cuddy's living room in the knowledge that there are five people in that house, I'd have laughed and said that I don't read fanfics with wildly out-of-character House in them. (Cuddy crashing her car into House's place? Yes. But this? No.)

I know that hallucination theories are spreading like wildfire, but I'm not going to speculate on what may or may not be revealed in mid-September (or whenever the hiatus is over). We're stuck for the next months with what we saw this week; that's our reality, our present perception of House, and it isn't good. Besides, there may be people who think it's cool to let the audience believe something for a few months and then say, 'Ha ha, fooled you all, that never happened!', but personally I think that's a pretty pathetic move. (But while we're at it, did you guys notice Thirteen's get-up and Chase's clothes? Very surreal. And one month's worth of vicodin in three days - shouldn't House be clinically dead?) The only part that I'm fairly sure is a hallucination is what we see of House after the crash. I think he's probably in a coma in some hospital, and the bar keeper telling him to go home is his subconscious suggesting that he should wake up.

The irritating thing is that the episode definitely had potential. The POTW and her choices, for instance, would in happier circumstances have made a topic worthy of discussion , but her character is now a victim of Shore's final(e) stunt. Marginalised, sidelined, banned into oblivion. Furthermore, she (and Taub) were merely vehicles for all those anvils that needed to be transported to the set: 'Amazing parallel to House!' I don't mind subtle hints and metaphors, but these past three or four episodes there's been too much of a good thing.

Furthermore, in ist basic structure and plot development, the episode didn't necessarily carry the seeds of disaster in it. The story line bore in it manifold possibilities for resolution; the ending was not one towards which the episode needed to drift with the inevitability with which 'Both Sides Now' or 'Wilson's Heart' reached their resolution. No, at the end of 'After Hours' House is poised on the edge of a personal epiphany, and at the beginning of 'Moving On' he is sincerely engaged in carrying out whatever resolution he has come to. Similarly, Wilson and Cuddy had come to their senses, realizing after House's risky DIY operation that he is not always right and that he might just manage to land himself in the morgue if he isn't reined in. Better late than never, Wilson decides, and stops House's prescription felonies, while Cuddy, jamming her foot into the narrow opening that House initial mellow mood offers, forces a clarifying conversation on House. In both cases the rate of success isn't high, but then, Wilson isn't exactly practised in stopping House's abuse, while Cuddy is only slightly less dysfunctional than House when it comes to personal communication. Yet there are changes in everyone's behavioural patterns, changes that could have been used to show some sort of positive progress for House after the seven-episode slump that he's been in.

Utterly believable, if not always reassuring, were the scenes between House and Cuddy. This episode was one of very few this season where I felt I was watching the 'real' House and Cuddy, especially in the cafeteria scene: House evasive, uncooperative and invariably sharp; Cuddy blunt, worried and tenacious. Change the text a bit and their exchanges could have been from earlier seasons.
The slamming against the wall in the corridor and the subsequent text had me wincing ...

C: I'm sorry. (Me: Lady, saying sorry only means something if you are prepared to do whatever it takes to make up for the wrong that you're apologizing for!)
H: It isn't your fault. (Me: Actually ... it is.)

… but gestures (the hand holding), facial expressions and body language expressed that Cuddy was acknowledging her guilt and that House was absolving her. At that moment I must admit that I was proud of House: it was possibly his openest and most vulnerable moment of the season, and the one where he showed the most kindness. Here again, an opportunity for House to find closure and move on. The scene felt to me as though it was a pivotal point, rather like the scene in 'Both Sides Now' where Cuddy brings House to Wilson's office and Wilson reaches wordlessly for the telephone - a turning point has been reached, a difficult decision has been taken. Here I assumed that House has finally managed to let go of Cuddy and all the hopes he'd placed in this relationship.

This could have been the last House/Cuddy scene of the season and of the series, with House deciding in the wake of that encounter that he needed to leave PPTH for a time. That would have made sense to me and have given the writers enough of an opportunity to leave Cuddy in the series or write her out, depending on how the contract negotiations went. The episode certainly didn't need that violent allusion to the final scene of 'Both Sides Now', only this time with Wilson leaving the car instead of House ...

But no. Drama took precedence over common sense.

In the absence of other viable theories I'll go with a brain tumour, because we're talking about domestic violence here, and that isn't something that can be swept under the carpet later, saying that penance has been done in some form. The rats didn't live long enough to develop other symptoms - House, whose leg tumours were removed in time, might well be otherwise impaired by his mad experiment. But even if a brain tumour was causing bouts of uncharacteristic aggression in House, it is no endorsement of his character that he chooses to vent that aggression on his ex-girlfriend rather than on his friend (who has cut him off from his drugs), his team, or any other person who crosses his path. Since House seems functional in all other respects and not otherwise impaired in his thinking, the tumour that I posit can merely disable the veneer of civilisation and culture that stops him from giving in to his baser instincts. It can't change his basic thinking patterns, and those seem to say that while it's okay for him to do every hooker on the East Coast and get married under his ex-girlfriend's nose, she may not have dinner with another guy. And that's misogynist to the highest degree. A brain tumour can remove his inhibitions and increase his aggressions, but it can't turn him into a Neanderthaler. So, if he suddenly acts like one, he always was one.

Yes, this male jealousy is a double standard that is rampant in our society, yes, most other men are victim to it too, yes, House has always done iffy things such as using the services of hookers and strippers or making sexually inappropriate comments, so am I surpised? Yes I am. House has always been very aware of double standards and hypocrisy; his sexism was verbal and applied for its shock effect, while in his practical dealings with employees and patients he was neutral; his dealings with sex workers appeared business-like - okay, one can disagree on that one, but I very much doubt that House saw women as prey waiting to be exploited; he got through the entire Stacy episode without raising as much as a finger against Stacy or Mark. So, yes, I am very surprised. I refuse to believe that the end of his very tentatively begun relationship with Cuddy would affect him so much more strongly than the combustion of his five-year love-at-first-sight relationship with Stacy that included a chopped-up leg. If House were a manically jealous male chauvinist we would have got a hint or two of that during 'Honeymoon' or during the 'Mark in the stairwell' scene at the latest.

But David Shore says: 'This was always part of him.' (http://www.tvline.com/2011/05/house-finale-post-mortem-season-7-spoilers/) Problem is, not only did most fans fail to spot that part of him in the seven seasons that we've been watching House, but so did Wilson and Cuddy, who have both known him for oodles of years. Which forces me to come to the conclusion that we're being jerked around for the sake of a cheap effect. And no matter what David Shore says about House's intentions in crashing the car into Cuddy's House, it's ruddy dangerous regardless of whether anyone is in that room or not - there are reasons why this is not the standard method for creating a garage for your second car, one of them being that the whole house could collapse. (If walls were that expendable architects would use them less.) Let's also remember that although no one in the Cuddy household seemed injured, Wilson definitely was. Remind me please, what did he do to deserve almost getting run over? Oh, right, I forgot: he got on House's nerves.

What I really, really don't understand is how anyone on the House production team thought they could get away with this as just another 'outrage' in the long list that House has committed already. Misogyny is one thing - one can shrug and turn away or one can choose to ignore it. Domestic violence, like child abuse, is quite another. There's no way the largely female audience will forgive that. Did the producers think that negative publicity is better than none at all or did they not realize that a medical drama cannot afford to turn a serious issue like that into a comedy act, no matter how ridiculous the scene is from the moment House gets out of the car?

In a standard season ending for House MD  one wishes to take this poor boy into one's arms and give him a good cuddle. That's what one wants to do at the end of 'Honeymoon', 'Wilson's Heart', 'Both Sides Now' or even 'Help Me' before Cuddy turns up. (Season 3, not so much, I admit.) This episode breaks with that pattern - although Cuddy's behaviour was pretty crappy for two-thirds of the season, one feels like rising to her defence and doing unmentionable things to House. I now see what induced the writers to write Cuddy the way they did most of the season. Their reasoning probably was that if Cuddy behaved decently towards House while they were in a relationship, then, given his post-relationship treatment of her, she'd go down as the martyr of the season. If, however, they wrote her as a total B**** during the relationship while House did everything to make the relationship work, then at the end of the season, all wrongs would be evened out and those two big screw-ups would be quits. House's behaviour would also be justified on some level.

Unfortunately that line of reasoning doesn't work, and that not only for me. Cuddy was a crappy girlfriend, period. And she didn't dump House because she sensed his 'innate violence'; she dumped him for a completely different reason. As for House, nothing can exonerate him, for no one deserves what he did there. Not even if Cuddy had been doing Taub and Chase on the side while she was dating House would House's reaction be justified. I've seem comments by rabid Hilsons: even those who were bashing Cuddy all season for all they were worth can't condone House's behaviour and feel sorry for Cuddy for having to go through the horror of such violence.

So what do we have now? Roughly half a season of Cuddy behaving in a manner that served to dismantle whatever integrity the character possessed, and roughly another half season during which House was subjected to the same fate, while Cuddy suddenly and inexplicably went back to normal. Now both characters are face down in the dirt, no one is redeemed, no one is quits. And no one is happy. Least of all the fans.

Comments

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

"while it's okay for him to do every hooker on the East Coast and get married under his ex-girlfriend's nose, she may not have dinner with another guy. And that's misogynist to the highest degree."
I think I wrote almost the same words. I'm happy (and sad) not to be the only one ranting.

" If, a few weeks ago anyone had recommended a fanfic in which an insanely jealous House drives his car through Cuddy's living room in the knowledge that there are five people in that house, I'd have laughed and said that I don't read fanfics with wildly out-of-character House in them. "
Amen to that. Should be tattooed on Shore's forehead. Right-to-left so he can rid it in the mirror.

" Cuddy was a crappy girlfriend, period. "
Yes.

" As for House, nothing can exonerate him, for no one deserves what he did there. Not even if Cuddy had been doing Taub and Chase on the side while she was dating House would House's reaction be justified."
You're completely right. Now excuse as I go to scrub my brain with acid to remove that image from my memory.

" There's no way the largely female audience will forgive that. "
I also finally figured out that there's a male/female divide at work here. And, to my utmost surprise (and mild annoyance), I'm on the female side.

Altogether, I've decided to behave as a responsible beta reader would to an overenthusiastic beginner: I rewrote from scratch the most obviously OoC parts. If tptb can go OoC, I can change a few minutes' worth of canon. Makes me feel better.

ETA: Of course I forgot to say that I liked all your argument, and the only reason I didn't cut-and-paste it all and intersperse it with "yes", "right" and "sure" is that it's almost midnight here and I'll soon fall asleep with my face on the keyboard.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

And, to my utmost surprise (and mild annoyance), I'm on the female side.
I might be slightly narrow-minded here, but I believe that there's only one right side in this matter, and that side has no gender. The fact that most females happen to be on that side has nothing to do with greater percipience in general, but with a greater sensitivity for violence that's aimed at women, which is hardly all that surprising. Anyone with the slightest instinct for self-preservation reacts subconsciously to violence towards his/her sub-group; gays will react to homophobia, ethnic minorities to racism, etc. I have no problems if someone doesn't automatically register the implications of that last scene; I do, however, object very strongly if any person, on analysing that scene, decides to ignore what scores of women can testify to, choosing to justify House's behaviour by stating that Cuddy's previous or present behaviour begs for such a response. This is the reason why practically all human societies have some form of 'legal' system that takes revenge out of the hands of individuals and places it in the hands of a neutral authority. Defending someone who takes 'justice' into his own hands is a giant step backwards into the Dark Ages.

Altogether, I've decided to behave as a responsible beta reader would to an overenthusiastic beginner: I rewrote from scratch the most obviously OoC parts.
I'm going to ignore everything that happened in Season 7, and probably about half of Season 6. Makes me feel better, too.

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

"Defending someone who takes 'justice' into his own hands is a giant step backwards into the Dark Ages."
I totally agree with you.

The reason I don't like being on the female side of this story is because I hate any kind of stereotype. Aso, the general pity towards Cuddy hides her faults towards House which are many. Abuse by women exists too - and because it is not physical it flies below the radar, and is never punished. I'll stop here, because to me this is a very personal issue and I can't even attempt being rational.

"I'm going to ignore everything that happened in Season 7, and probably about half of Season 6. Makes me feel better, too."
Good for you.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

The reason I don't like being on the female side of this story is because I hate any kind of stereotype.
Stereotypes are harmful - I agree on that. But suggesting that there is a 'female' side to this issue is an attempt by the abuser to make the abused side seem limited to a certain perspective that is not necessarily valid, namely one that is associated with emotions and a lack of logical perspective. In short, the abusing side is trying to divide and conquer the abused side and their supporters. There are any number of men who would feel mortally insulted at the idea that someone would consider them capable of using physical or verbal violence on an ex-partner, and the suggestion that this is a valid and understandable male reaction to an emotional disappointment is even more insulting to the male sex than it should be distressing to any women who watched the episode.

the general pity towards Cuddy hides her faults towards House which are many.
People who think that are getting two separate issues mixed up. If we believe in Season 7, then Cuddy is bad at handling relationships, but good at putting them behind her. House is (reasonably) good at relationships, but clearly a sociopath in the aftermaths of a relationship that's gone wrong. I find that it does not improve my outlook on life in general to see either of these two characters through the lens provided by Season 7. It didn't do anything greatly beneficial for any other character either, so I'm erasing Season 7 from the hard disk of my brain and will continue to believe that not all of mankind is bad, sad and rotten.

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

Thank you for alerting me to a language (or rather, communication) problem of mine,

When I say that there is a female and a male viewpoint on this issue, I mean that I see a strong correlation between opinion held by a person and the person's gender. Checking correlation is something very easy to do numerically, and is often an exercise in vector calculus.

I didn't realize that to others the symmetry male/female could imply that both opinions are equally valid. I'll try and be more precise in the future.

"clearly a sociopath in the aftermaths of a relationship that's gone wrong"
I didn't see that so much in the past. He didn't handle Stacy so badly. I saw 7x23 as much more OoC than the rest of Season 7,

[flywoman.livejournal.com]

No, at the end of 'After Hours' House is poised on the edge of a personal epiphany, and at the beginning of 'Moving On' he is sincerely engaged in carrying out whatever resolution he has come to. Similarly, Wilson and Cuddy had come to their senses, realizing after House's risky DIY operation that he is not always right and that he might just manage to land himself in the morgue if he isn't reined in. Better late than never, Wilson decides, and stops House's prescription felonies, while Cuddy, jamming her foot into the narrow opening that House initial mellow mood offers, forces a clarifying conversation on House. In both cases the rate of success isn't high, but then, Wilson isn't exactly practised in stopping House's abuse, while Cuddy is only slightly less dysfunctional than House when it comes to personal communication. Yet there are changes in everyone's behavioural patterns, changes that could have been used to show some sort of positive progress for House after the seven-episode slump that he's been in.

There were many reasons why I hated this episode, but here you've hit on exactly why it disappointed me so much. I thought that we were seeing some progress in S6 and the first part of S7, with House trying so hard to stay sober and be more mature. I thought that "After Hours" had set us up perfectly - that after the self-surgery fiasco, House had finally admitted that he was out of control and needed help. His words to Cuddy and Wilson in the first part of "Moving On" seemed to support this. And then... Vicodin overdosage so he could drive a car, stoned, with Wilson in it, and then plow it into his ex-girlfriend's occupied house. I'm appalled. I'm heartbroken. I don't know if I will ever want to watch the show again.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

I'm appalled. I'm heartbroken. I don't know if I will ever want to watch the show again.
That's exactly my emotional response. Before the episode aired I wasn't too happy at what the coming season had to offer - Taub babies, more Thirteen, no Cuddy - but I was resigned. But this, this leaves me outraged. I never, ever thought I'd say this, but I'm not sure I'll be watching regularly. I've been annoyed in the past at what the writers did to Wilson and Cuddy's characters, but that's no comparison to what I feel now that they've slaughtered House. It has killed my interest in the series.

[yahnis.livejournal.com]

It's so amazing article! And it's all my thoughts. I express exactly this idea but in Russian

Why was it so substitute character Cuddy put her unfeeling bitch, which, after such breaks the heart of the dialogue, with a light heart skipping runs to some guy! So TPTB make us think that she spit on House and his wounded soul. They could really finish the scene in the hallway and we would try to forgive them their heinous OOC during the whole season

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that you agree with most of what I wrote.

I don't think Cuddy 'skips to some guy with a light heart'. I think it was a conscious decision to put the past behind her, and House would have done well to follow her example. It doesn't make her callous or unfeeling towards House - not more so, at least, than dumping him in the first place. If Cuddy had intended to spare House heartbreak she shouldn't have dumped him in the first place. But staying miserable herself just because he chooses to be miserable makes no sense on any level.

[menolly-au.livejournal.com]

there are reasons why this is not the standard method for creating a garage for your second car, one of them being that the whole house could collapse. (If walls were that expendable architects would use them less.)

Made me laugh and so true, I've seen people trying to say it wasn't a big deal to drive a house into a car, perfectly safe if no-one is in the way...

Sadly i don't think there is meant to be an hallucination/brain tumour/ drug overdose explanantion. I don't think the writers/producers realised exactly how severe a thing they were writing (a sad indictment of their mentality in that case). The police at the scene suggest that Cuddy might not want to pursue it, she says arrest Greg House if 'he comes near me or my hospital' (how about just arrest him on sight) and Wilson asks if they are going to arrest him. They all imply that this is some sort of private squabble between Cuddy and House, not a major criminal act. Maybe over the summer they will have a rethink, I did read an interview with one of them that says there will be 'consequences' - one can only hope.

In short - yeah agree with everything you are saying. Trying to wrap my brain around trying to see if differently so I can still watch House but it's difficult.

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

David Shore started speaking of consequences on his second post-finale interview. He did not mention anything after the first one, speaking of it like a shocking but harmless act. He genuinely seems not to have anticipated this amount of anger, which is even more disturbing.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

I've seen people trying to say it wasn't a big deal to drive a house into a car
Yes, that was David Shore's first response. But even if no one was actually endangered, can any of the persons in that house ever rest easy when they hear a car revving at the end of the road? If nothing else, the whole manoeuvre was psychological terror of the worst sort.

I don't think the writers/producers realised exactly how severe a thing they were writing
You're probably right about that, more's the pity. There seems to be a 'how can we top previous outrages' mentality that has made them lose all sense of perspective. IMO, the audience can accept it when House violates norms that we (subconsciously) identify as social ones. There are, however, a few norms that we consider universally valid, and when House violates those, the audience turns away from him. Had he actually done a spinal biopsy on that CIPA patient we would have been outraged too, which is why the writers of that season had Wilson stop him in time. This time, for some reason, the collective writer/producer conscience seems to have had a black-out.

[barefootpuddles.livejournal.com]

the bar keeper telling him to go home is his subconscious suggesting that he should wake up.

I thought this was very similar to when Amber told House to get off the bus in Wilson's Heart.

If House were a manically jealous male chauvinist we would have got a hint or two of that during 'Honeymoon' or during the 'Mark in the stairwell' scene at the latest.

Absolutely. Not to mention Lucas, who went after Cuddy knowing that House liked her and knowing that house was the reason eh ever even met Cuddy. When House thought those two were marrying he even gave Cuddy a special gift. How can that man (the one that also bonded with her child according to 'After Hours') suddenly decide to kill, or at least terrorize, Cuddy and others? It makes no sense.

Wilson definitely was. Remind me please, what did he do to deserve almost getting run over? Oh, right, I forgot: he got on House's nerves.

Well of course, because he deserved it. After all he was 'bothering" House with all those ridiculous concerns about House's health and sanity.

Cuddy was a crappy girlfriend, period. And she didn't dump House because she sensed his 'innate violence'; she dumped him for a completely different reason. As for House, nothing can exonerate him, for no one deserves what he did there.

I think they did turn her into a martyr now because suddenly she seems totally right to have dumped him. Indeed Cuddy (and the actress who played her - LE) seems amazingly percipient.

I've seem comments by rabid Hilsons: even those who were bashing Cuddy all season for all they were worth can't condone House's behaviour and feel sorry for Cuddy for having to go through the horror of such violence.

Well this killed everything for us Hilsons too. There is no way anyone can want Wilson to be with House now because what happens if Wilson's eye strays? Will be be set on fire while he sleeps? Seriously, they destroyed all thee fun in that pairing (H/W) as well as Huddy in one fell swoop. House will now have to be a lone character because no one can want him to be with anyone.

A nicely stated review of which I wholeheartedly agree.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

I think they did turn her into a martyr now because suddenly she seems totally right to have dumped him.
'Seems' is the decisive word there. She wasn't 'right', because she didn't dump him for that reason. She was just lucky to have done the right thing for the wrong reasons. Luckily for us, LE is leaving the show, otherwise a considerable portion of Season 8 would be devoted to showing how Cuddy was coping with the crap they served us in that scene. Which, much as I love (used to love) the character, is not something I want to watch, because I simply don't buy the original premise that House would turn violent.

There is no way anyone can want Wilson to be with House now because what happens if Wilson's eye strays?
There's no way anyone can want Wilson to be with House now, because how can one respect a character who starts a relationship with someone who is known to indulge in domestic violence?

[brighidsfire.livejournal.com]

House's ugly blue Dodge sitting in Cuddy's dining room is David Shore telling the fans 'Kwitcherbitchin'. Huddy's done and House is back to square one. Get it? Got it? Good. Now STFU.'

It takes a substantial amount of arrogance to talk to loyal fans of a popular show that way, but the House showrunners and writers don't lack in that department. Since the beginning of this season in particular characters have been twisted into pretzels to serve the storyline, which has become increasingly improbable, even outrageously ridiculous. Now we are instructed to believe House has become a jealous, vengeful ex with his cheese slipped completely off his cracker. The cogent observer who's been watching House for years can only tilt his or her head and say, HUH? House has been headed for a crash all season, but . . . THIS?

At first after the finale I thought of the car crash as a Vicodin-fueled fantasy. It didn't really happen; House simply hallucinated it as he sped away from Cuddy's place on the way to an unplanned sabbatical on a tropic isle. Yeah, it's dark, violent and mysogynistic, but it was all in his head, and House has had hallucinations similar to this before (remembering him clocking Wilson in the season 2 finale). Who hasn't dreamed of caving in someone's noggin with a baseball bat on occasion? Anyone? Anyone?

*crickets chirping*

Well, at least I'm honest. Anyway, to continue . . .

Then David Shore indicated in an interview that House did indeed actually do what was depicted, and that there would be 'personal, professional and legal ramifications' (unintentional pun there, I'm sure) for House in season 8. I suspect that statement is supposed to reassure us somehow, but in light of what's happened this past season I don't trust what I'm being told.

Like you, I was happy to see a few moments of genuine communication between House and Cuddy in this episode; it felt like we were finally seeing the real characters, not the cardboard cutouts we've been subjected to since shortly after 'Broken'. I've not been a fan of the Huddy storyline to say the least, but probably would have kicked against it less if it had been written as a romance between two flawed adults, rather than the juvenile, superficial free-for-all the writers gave us. Now, in order to get them out of the corner the writers painted themselves into, DS has ensured we all know Huddy's done, finished, gone, kaput, over.(And make no mistake, this order came down from on high--I'm certain of it. 'I don't care how you do it, just make sure the fans know Huddy's dead as a doornail.')

I was thrilled to think House was going to move on. I was happy that he'd escaped the horrors of 'After Hours' with just some nasty fantasies in his head and sutures in his leg as he went off to Cancun or the Bahamas to drink whiskey and cop feels off cabana girls and get some r&r. I was celebrating the chance to speculate about what would happen in season 8. And now, knowing this really happened (within the storyline--I know this is tv) . . .

*sigh*

This is way beyond bad writing. This is the the fans being b*tchslapped by the very people who ought to be thanking them for years of loyalty.

I really hope season 8 is it. My beloved House is being turned into a monster because inferior minds can conceive of no other use for him, can think of nothing better to do than tear him apart, and destroy everyone around him in the process.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

At first after the finale I thought of the car crash as a Vicodin-fueled fantasy.
I was reasonably sure from the start that the crash had taken place because there was no reason for House to hallucinate the aftermath that we saw in the teaser, since he wasn't around any more. But I would have been fine if he had 'only' hallucinated it. You won't get me to out my own private fantasies of violence on a public forum, but I agree with you: people may fantasize what they like if it keeps them from putting their darkest thoughts into practice.

My beloved House is being turned into a monster because inferior minds can conceive of no other use for him
It's unbelievable, but it's true. A whole team of professional writers couldn't come up with anything better than a season of mediocre medicine, bad continuity and character assassination. Or maybe they could, but they couldn't persuade their superiors (David Shore?) of their concepts. How could a whole team of intelligent, witty and wily TV professionals not anticipate what reaction this would precipitate among their viewers?

[brighidsfire.livejournal.com]

I posted a couple of comments at Barbara Barnett's blog--something I haven't done for a very long time. She interviewed the writers for the finale, Peter Blake and Kathy Lingenfelter, and it's a good interview. If you don't mind, I'll repost my shorter comment here because I think it has bearing on what we're discussing.

Referencing Libby, comment #130: I get it. I understand the continual use of metaphor in the series and have enjoyed it for the first six seasons, when it actually meant something. I think most of us also understand it's just a tv show.

My main problem with the metaphors used in this season is that I just don't buy them. They feel like they're a substitute for intelligent storyline. In fact the entire season feels self-indulgent to a large degree, as if the production crew is making home movies and deigning to share them with us. 'Bombshells', aka 'House: the Musical', is probably the best example of this attitude. What on earth was the point of all that excess, except for the writers and production crew to get orgasmic over creating the dream sequences? [I know many people enjoyed the episode; I didn't, obviously. JMO, as always.]

At some point in the proceedings this season, one of the writers tweeted something along the lines of 'wait till you see tonight's episode, you'll wonder what we've been smoking!' That attitude has been pervasive throughout most of the episodes this year. It probably makes for great fun in the writers room and on the set. It doesn't necessarily make for great viewing.

I fully understand what we're watching is basically a medical procedural/allegory. What I dislike intensely is the writers and production crew using the allegory to get off on ever more elaborate gimmicks, stunts and cheap dramatics, and then expecting us to consider those antics sufficient to replace thoughtful, intelligent and insightful drama. There have been glimpses of good writing here and there; I particularly liked 'Unwritten' and 'After Hours', for example. But we shouldn't be getting just glimpses. We should be getting whole episodes. I'm hoping against hope we'll return to good writing and storylines in season 8, but tbh I'm not going to hold my breath.

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

At some point in the proceedings this season, one of the writers tweeted something along the lines of 'wait till you see tonight's episode, you'll wonder what we've been smoking!' That attitude has been pervasive throughout most of the episodes this year. It probably makes for great fun in the writers room and on the set. It doesn't necessarily make for great viewing.

It was the writers V-Log after Bombshells, and I'm delighted to hear I am not the only one that cringed hearing that. I am not opposed to the writers having fun, but at the end, the whole thing should rather entertain the viewer. I disliked Bombshells because it was a showcase of "look! See what awesome ideas we can come with!". My second gringe was a delighted writer (after Out of The Chute), saying that they could ask for anything and were never denied, regardless of any cost (he was speaking of the trailer with the bull). And that is my problem. The House staff in interveiws seems always more interested in new cameras/technical tricks/shock value. We probably have a misunderstanding since lots of people did not start watching House for such reasons.

Cutting Cuddy

[teegee531.livejournal.com]

May I ask you why you are so certain that Cuddy's demise was an edict from above? What do you suppose the reasons behind such an order might be? I have my own theories, but I like the way you think, so I want to pick your brai, if I may.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[brighidsfire.livejournal.com]

Sure. This is pure conjecture on my part, no hard facts to back it up. I just want to make that clear going in. All opinions are my own, and could very well be completely wrong.

I think DS hadn't realized how invested in the Huddy storyline some fans and people in the production company had become. I also think (and again, this is just a surmise) that Lisa Edelstein was given to understand her character was equal to House's in importance, and it caused problems. I think that's why she probably tried to hardball her negotiations and ended up walking away rather than take the pay/episode cuts; she thought her importance would get her what she wanted.

Because of this situation, it's possible the storyline was rewritten to destroy any semblance of relationship between House and Cuddy. We were told the writers were directed to conduct a massive rewrite over the holiday hiatus, and I suspect that's when Huddy, which was doomed anyway, was turned into the ludicrous mess we've endured over the last couple of months.

I have nothing against LE, from what I've read she's a thoroughly nice person. I also have nothing against Cuddy; she's been sinned against as thoroughly as House and Wilson have when it comes to OOC writing. The Cuddy of the early seasons was not a humorless, uber-controlling perfectionist; she was warm, witty, shrewd, compassionate and very hard to fool. But *IMO*, Cuddy is not equal to House in status on the series, and never was. Her part was pumped up and expanded to fit a storyline some people wanted to push for various reasons, and I don't think that was the original plan at all, or at least Huddy wasn't meant to consume such a large chunk of the storyline. I think originally it might have been the way ReadingRat has suggested: a plotline running quietly in the background, coming to the fore now and then, but always there until it was ready to derail.

So I suspect DS decided to kill two birds with one stone. He made sure Huddy was destroyed so thoroughly that it would be very difficult for LE to come back, and he also sent a message to Huddies everywhere: it's done.

I'm sure there's a lot more to it than this, and again, it's entirely possible I'm completely wrong and stupid with it. But this is what I've pieced together from various remarks made by pertinent entities.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[teegee531.livejournal.com]

Thanks for responding. The only hole in your argument appears to be timing. The unceremonious dumping of Huddy and marginalization of Cuddy happened well before it was clear there would even be an 8th season, let alone during the negotiation period. My pals and I currently are entertaining 2 other explanations, all speculation, as well. An indepth explanation of theory #1 can be found here. http://fatolady.livejournal.com/676.html. It's a well thought out, interesting read if you have some time. The second theory in a nutshell is that a personal relationship between HL & LE developed and threatened the Laurie marriage. HL, who is the undeniable and undisputable star of the show, demanded a change in direction which would eventually force LE out. The contract was either an offer so low she would look foolish accepting it if the details were made public OR LE agreed to walk away and the contract was never even tendered. Your thoughts?????

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

Ummm, could we agree to keep speculations on people's private lives out of this thread? I'm fine with speculations on why LE left the show as long as those are speculations of a professional nature (pay cuts, other professional contracts, less screen time during the coming season, etc.). Send anything that goes over and above that via PM to the person(s) involved in the discussion, please.

As for the timing, Brighid meant the Christmas hiatus, I think, and there was already a massive re-write of the season opener. The original, 'Thunder Roadtrip' had identical text for the team/Richardson plot, but a completely different House/Cuddy plot.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[brighidsfire.livejournal.com]

I will make this my last post re: speculation, since I didn't mean to hijack RR's blog entry with what is really just a side issue. I also agree with her on not discussing private lives on public forums, etc. JMO of course, I'm just not comfortable talking about that sort of thing.

So let me just say this: yes, I meant the Christmas hiatus, thank you for clarifying that for me ma'am. :) RR is right, there was a complete rewrite of the opener. 'Thunder Roadtrip', the original script, would have set up a somewhat more mature (and more believable) version of the House/Cuddy relationship. That version was ditched for the nonsense we saw in 'Now What?' The explanation we were given--the original script had been leaked to the fans--is as flat as a fallen souffle, considering shots of the beach scenes from the original opener were apparently deliberately leaked to the fans by someone within the production company. That suggests filming had already begun on the original script--very intriguing, that little tidbit. (I'd heard they had about half the episode in the can already.) It leads me to believe someone objected to the relationship as it stood in 'Thunder Roadtrip', put the kibosh on the script and demanded a rewrite to set up the parody of an affair we got through season 7. Three guesses as to who that someone might have been.

Okay, I'm done. Thanks for being gracious, RR.

/hijack :)

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[teegee531.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing your insight. Suffice to say we are in agreement! So, do you think the "Everybody Lies" thing is one of those anvils we're always referring to?

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[stenveny.livejournal.com]

So, do I understand the theory correctly -- when TR was written and (partially) shot, there was no certainty that there would be a season 8, but once season 8 was secured, the idea of a mature, in-character relationship got scrapped (and with it, Cuddy's character)?

I'm confused. If anything, the uncertainty over the series length would have made the need for a breakup more imperative, and they'd have busted up in "Small Sacrifices." Can't have House content for long; we only have 6 more episodes to crush him utterly and make him dejected and alone for the series finale! Quick! Manufacture a crisis! Oh, I know: House lies to his boss!

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

Ummm, I don't really know. I was only adding my snippet of knowledge to Brighid's theory, to which I don't subscribe entirely. I only know that I preferred Thunder Roadtrip enormously to what we got in 'Now What?'. It had a relaxed, fun and appreciative Cuddy in it, one who shared common interests with House, appreciated his attempts to keep her amused and didn't bitch when things went wrong - very badly wrong at times! (They got bust for b&e, kicked out of a Bruce Springsteen concert and Cuddy got stoned. At the end of that day she was happy. Does that sound like the Cuddy of 'Unwritten' to you?) Since that episode never got aired despite several scenes being shot, one can only assume that someone asked for a re-write that got rid of most of Cuddy's positive attributes and substituted irritating ones instead (geting rid of the vicodin behind House's back, demanding a declaration of love, chickening out when Wilson arrives.) That line was continued in 'Unwritten' and 'Massage Therapy', and then taken to new excesses in 'Office Politics'. I don't know the reason behind this revisionist writing of Cuddy's character, I only know that there was a conscious decision to make her a lot more unpleasant than Doris Egan had originally intended to write her, and there must be a reason for that.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[stenveny.livejournal.com]

You know, I initially thought that when Cuddy got so proud of herself in "Office Politics" and House started faking it in "Small Sacrifices", it was all over, but looking back now I can see the proverbial writing on the wall from the very first episode, when Cuddy put off House's romantic offer to take her to Mont St Michel.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[flippet.livejournal.com]

but looking back now I can see the proverbial writing on the wall from the very first episode, when Cuddy put off House's romantic offer to take her to Mont St Michel.

You should have seen my bitching about that episode. It took me three ranty posts to calm down enough to even try to see the good stuff, the Cuddy-character-assassination set me off so badly. And believe me, it wasn't fun to be feeling so negative, when everyone else is all 'woo-hoo, SEX.'

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

Since I hate watching sex I wasn't blinded to the bad stuff. I hoped, however, that as Cuddy needed to learn as much about relationships as House (we've never seen her in any except that ridiculous one with Lucas), she was being given a learning arc. Not in my wildest dreams did I anticipate crap such as sex in return for babysitting or 'You don't get to lie to me'.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[flippet.livejournal.com]

I hoped, however, that as Cuddy needed to learn as much about relationships as House, she was being given a learning arc

Wouldn't that have been nice. That certainly would have made her behavior easier to swallow.

She was just so....cranky. And all I could think was - you're going to be cranky now?? He hasn't even done anything! (Yet. There's always a 'yet' with House, I get that.) And she should have been riding some pretty nice endorphins at the time.

I just could not make the leap from 'I don't know if you can fix yourself, but I love you in spite of that' to him having to practically beg her to stay (which broke my heart for him), she gripes at his analyzing (which is simply who he is - if you don't love that, baby, you don't love him), and practically demands an immediate 'I love you' out him.


But what bothered me the most over the arc was that she was generally portrayed as always right - that there was no issue with what she was demanding of him. Her methods were not going to achieve the results she wanted. Having her do those things, then discover that - that would have been a nice learning arc. (Especially if they'd somehow found a way to have her remember that she does know how to get what she wants from him in their working relationship - usually cleverly, and sweetly, though with a spine of steel.)


Cuddy was a crappy girlfriend, period. And she didn't dump House because she sensed his 'innate violence'; she dumped him for a completely different reason. As for House, nothing can exonerate him, for no one deserves what he did there.

I agree SO HARD with EVERY LETTER of that. I appreciate that you've managed to divide the season, and the character assassinations so clearly.

Just because House went off the rails at the end doesn't justify Cuddy's behavior at the beginning - because they're really separate issues. And although you'll generally find me being a fierce defender of House - you're exactly right that there's no defense for that. None. I can't believe that's who they're trying to tell me House is, because there is ZERO defense for that. I can't even see a way back from that. Not just for H/C, but for House himself.

And I'm devastated, because I *loved* this character, but this - this I can't love, can't forgive. He would have to break down into a literally sobbing, remorseful, soggy heap for me to even consider it. And I just don't see how DS takes the character from 'it's no biggie, LOL' to what I described.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[teegee531.livejournal.com]

My sincere apologies It was not my intention to offend since I absolutely agree that private lives should be off limits. It's just in this case it seems like it could very well be the elephant in the room! Maybe it's not the "whys" but the "hows". HMMMM, where have I heard that before? Anyway, thanks for your perspective. I can honestly say I agree in entirety with your take on House, as it was, and as it is. I'm not a "Huddy", just a somewhat intelligent fan who like so many others, is left feeling worn out and insulted by the juvenile manipulations of Season Seven. I always knew House would end someday. I just never thought it would be anything like this. It's unfathomable that any longtime fan would have any interest in tuning into this train wreck next season. BTW, I love your style and sense of humor. Your essay made me laugh out loud more than once! Thanks.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

I think originally it might have been the way ReadingRat has suggested: a plotline running quietly in the background, coming to the fore now and then, but always there until it was ready to derail.

This is what lots of people were hoping would come. It would have been way bolder and smarter that what we were given, unfortunately.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

I'm more inclined to believe that LE leaving was a mixture of unfortunate negotiations and a clever career move on her part. I doubt she overestimated her importance to the show - the limited screen time she got in Season 6 was an unmistakeable hint that she isn't needed, and the limited screen time Wilson got in Season 7 another one that everyone except Hugh Laurie is considered expendable. LE has been around for long enough to know the way the business works, and emotions aren't usually a part of it.

1. I think she was subjected to tougher and later negotiations than RSL because there's a simple law in the world of series: fewer women are needed than men (just look at the male:female ratio on House), hence it is more difficult for women (especially women over forty) to find alternative offers. The production company hence assumed that they'd be able to get her a lot cheaper than a male actor who is of similar importance to the series.

2. LE probably figured that it will be easier for her to land a new contract after her successful Season 7, where she had a LOT of screen time and a very good salary, than after Season 8, where she is bound to be marginalized, on a much lower salary, and a year older than she is now. Public awareness of her is very high now - in a year's time, with only short appearances per episode (if at all), she'll be as good as forgotten.

As such, it is probably sensible of her to refuse an offer that will not increase her market value, but to move on now while the going is still good.

Re: Cutting Cuddy

[tauwja.livejournal.com]

I also think (and again, this is just a surmise) that Lisa Edelstein was given to understand her character was equal to House's in importance, and it caused problems.

Who would tell her that (other than her most rabid fans)? The show is called House MD, surely none of the writers, producers or directors would think she was or should be equal in importance to House? I'm a huge LE/Cuddy fan but I've never once thought she was as important as House himself -- the show revolves around him and she is obviously just a side character. One of the two most important side characters, but just a side character all the same.
Also, what kind of problems do you think this may have caused?

So I suspect DS decided to kill two birds with one stone. He made sure Huddy was destroyed so thoroughly that it would be very difficult for LE to come back, and he also sent a message to Huddies everywhere: it's done.

Why would he want to do this? I already have a hard time wrapping my mind around his determination to utterly destroy any last morsel of a relationship between House and Cuddy. I mean, even if you yourself don't really like the storyline, just the fact that so many fans DO is a good reason to keep the coals glowing just a teeny bit, to keep those fans hopeful and have them stick with the show. Which is why I found it so utterly baffling when after Bombshells he kept insisting they were totally completely done forever (although obviously they were). I mean, even if you never want to go back to that storyline, why completely destroy all hope the many Huddy fans might have, take away all their fun in watching, and basically encourage them to stop watching? Do they not understand that hope keeps people going (in real life, and in watching a TV show)? That was just a really stupid move IMO. Terrible, terrible PR.

But I have an even harder time to try and think of a reason why he would want to make it difficult for Lisa to come back -- do you have any theories on that? Why would he want to do that?

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I have been runnig in circles since Monday, with alternate bursts of anger and nausea, at the simple thought of this ending. This is so plainly wrong in so many ways, and leaves an open door to ugly comments (how many times have I read that Cuddy "kinda deserved it"). And I am happy that this is not a Huddy feeling, either. Most of the Hilson fans I know are heartbroken (and disgusted) too.

There is NO WAY this was in House before. This is not Gregory House. This is some puppet psycho they needed to fit in their story.

I can't understand how Shore, and the writers, who seem nice and articulate (I'm only talking about the writers, here) can't understand how wrong this is, what amount of damage they have done to House, and how difficult (if even possible) it will be to find people still willing to watch a serie about a drug addicted man who is able to snap again at any time, if he did this once, and doesn't even seem to have any other compelling quality left.

I know I don't want to watch this. As a collateral damage, I don't even want to watch past seasons any more, knowing that House can turn into...this.

I sure hope Shore will swallow his pride and ego and back pedal to some hallucination scenario, which I am sure is actually not the case, which is the most perturbing. He is considering this as no big deal, like another House stunt. Thinking that before this wave of "do not want", we were supposed to be appealed by that (and no "consequences" were spoken of in his first interview)... What is Shore thinking of his viewers, I don't even want to know.

On a quieter note, your review is perfectly spot on, quiet, and pointing all the kinds of wrong in this ep. I would like to link it to the writers, who have been very patients with the fans on Twitter, and took time to answer. They don't seem to get why we are that bothered. I think you are expressing what a lot of us are thinking, in a very civil way. But I would not link it if you are not okay with it.

Thanks again. Your review makes me feel like I am on the sane side, again.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

I felt a bit bad writing this review thinking of you reading it in the hope of finding some peace of mind. I really couldn't offer any sort of explanation for what I saw that can reconcile any sane person to what we saw in that episode.

how difficult (if even possible) it will be to find people still willing to watch a serie about a drug addicted man who is able to snap again at any time, if he did this once,
Couldn't agree more. As House once said himself, other people in similar positions restrain themselves, so why should we absolve someone who doesn't restrain himself?

I know I don't want to watch this. As a collateral damage, I don't even want to watch past seasons any more, knowing that House can turn into...this.
I don't want to watch this either. But I'm going to ignore it completely and return to watching old seasons, telling myself that the 'old' House is the only true House and that the 'new' one is a dark fantasy of David Shore's that I don't have to share.

I would like to link it to the writers
Feel free to post links, but please don't post the article or parts of it anywhere else.

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

You don't have to feel bad. I was not waiting for you to pat me on the shoulder, but to express clearly the reasons why you and I were right to be that unhappy about it (I knew that you could not be okay with it). Knowing I was angry and shocked for reasons valid to others helps.

I will probably rewatch past seasons in a few months, when I am healed a little. I have loved this character too much to be able not to rewatch him (I'll probably run the first half of season 2 again and again). In optimistic days, I'll rewatch Selfish, which has Huddy scenes that were still in character.

I had no intention of copying your article elsewhere. I sent the link to the writers, pointing that it was a polite and thoughtful review that many fans agreed with. They should read it instead of receiving angry tweets. (Although, anger seems mostly directed towards Shore and Yaitanes). ANd I believe press reviews are out, too, and impressively negative so far. I hope, at least, they'll be aware of this before starting to write season 8. Ad not blame it on a kind of "end-of-Huddy angry fans". But the House staff seem so brain washed/arrogant/ full of themselves, that I'm not sure they will learn anything. Good thing that Shore's contract negociations are not ended yet. The lowering in ratings and the impressive negative reaction should play a part in a possible "game-changing writing". Like, a good one.

And I fully agree with you that consequences, whatever they are, won't change the fact that House's character has been destroyed. Even punishing won't change the fact that we now have to deal with a cold blooded, unrepentant abuser. Heck. I try hard to erase it.

[stenveny.livejournal.com]

Following the fan reactions and the negative reviews, TPTB have backtracked on the justifications and rationalizations, and recently mentioned "consequences -- legal, professional, and emotional" for House's violence in season 8. Which act of good sense, for some reason, rather than placating me, further pissed me off.

This show has always appealed, I think, to an intelligent and thoughtful viewer, the exact viewer who is most likely to be outraged when their intelligence is insulted. You can't tell such a viewer that their hero of the past seven years "has always had homicidal tendencies, LOL", pat their little heads and assure them that everything is just fine, it's really funny, they just don't *get it*, and then two days later, convince them that "we really take this very seriously." That dawg, don't hunt.

[vicpei.livejournal.com]

I am happy to see that I am not the one even more pissed of by staff declarations than by the episodes themselves. I can interpret the eps the way I want, but I don't like to be explained what I should have understood, apparently. Probably something to do with the habit of using my brain on my own volition.
Sorry for adding more to comments. This place is soothing.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

As the POTW pointed out, art shouldn't have to be explained. If you have to explain it, you made a major mistake somewhere along the way.

[readingrat.livejournal.com]

TPTB have backtracked on the justifications and rationalizations, and recently mentioned "consequences -- legal, professional, and emotional" for House's violence in season 8.
That would be very satisfying, no doubt, if we, the audience, were the victims of House's crime. But we're not. We're the victims of the writers' lack of discrimination, so how does that help us? We've lost a character we admired and loved to their stupidity. 'Legal, professional and emotional' consequences for that character won't bring him back.

assure them that everything is just fine, it's really funny
That's what totally gets at me - the assumption that attempted homicide in a show that is neither comedy nor cartoon is being passed off as humorous. Has our society lost all sense of moral perspective?

[brighidsfire.livejournal.com]

They really just don't get it. The writers and crew were so enthralled with how well they executed the crash, with how great it looked on film, that they had and have no idea of the psychological, emotional and spiritual shock that scene caused.

Now, along with all the revisionist back-tracking statements being issued, we're also being told that for the last seven years we haven't really understood who House is, that our shock at his actions is our problem--the implication being that something's wrong with us for not getting the vision the writers presumably had when they created this mess. And so the arrogance and condescension toward loyal fans continues.

I'm sticking with the early seasons of House, and with fic. At least there he's the House I know and love.