House M.D. - S6x08 "Teamwork" and being Checked with your own Queen.

[eucleia]

I'm not entirely sure about my feelings towards this episode. I have personal opinions though, which may or may not be wrong, but... *shrug*.



The first and probably most controversial opinion I am going to throw out here are my suspicions that many of the House writers themselves seem to be biased towards one of the two major House pairings at the moment (i.e. House/Wilson and House/Cuddy). Everyone has personal opinions, and thus I may be completely wrong and merely reading into things which are not there (God knows writers have it hard, and it's not an easy job - what with all the tense deadlines...), but my problem arises when the episodes see-saw wildly from one extreme to the other in an effort to push a certain agenda (or pairing as it may be).

Again, everything I say here are my perceived pet peeves and personal opinion only; far from scientific fact. My probably majorly biased (I suspect it may be - I'm not certain it is though) and I-am-going-to-be-bricked view is that putting pairs in competition with each other to an extent on a show is fine. It makes for some excitement and interest on the audience's part, but I dislike it intensely when House/Cuddy is pushed via Wilson, since he is the other half of the House/Wilson pairing.

I view it as similar a rival holding up my hard-drive full of astrophysical research and using my results to "prove" something from their own research it was entirely unintended for, and something which I was attempting to disprove at that. In such a scenario I would be frustrated at the situation because I couldn't speak out against my own data, but would be resigned to tiresomely eek out logical reasoning to third-party viewers as to how that data wouldn't fit their research (something which I shouldn't have had to bother with in the first place), and also relegated to having to point the finger at the wielder of my data for doing so.

I wouldn't mind say... 13 telling House to wise up and get it together with Wilson already (to make up for both Wilson AND Taub pushing Huddy (even if the latter was doing so in jest)), but yeah... at least 13 is a neutral party when considering the pairings, having already taken up with Foreman.

I was not surprised to see House returning to his manipulative ways.



Might add more later, but I can't think of more to say on this episode yet.

Comments

[may-unleashed.livejournal.com]

*ponders*

This is a very interesting discussion, and it makes me more eager for catching up with Season 6. As far, I think this thursday they are going to air Ep 7. *ponders some more* Or 8? Uhhh, I am much too flooded with work, I think I lost focus of my dear House MD these past weeks.

But if I have to say something, is that I am surprised at how evident the script of the series is getting with the whole appealing to House's pairing(s). I think is a bit of a wrong turn, focusing so much in the love-hate thing of this House-Cuddy-Wilson triangle.

And it's not subtle at all anymore. In previous seasons, geez, you could tell Wilson and House were very good friends and all. But as of late, the way they dance around each other makes me blink. I think: "is it me, or is this some kind of fanservice?"

Of course the thing with Cuddy has been evident since Day 1, but now...now it gets worse, especially because Cuddy is pretty messed up. I do like her character most of the time (with exception of those awful skirts and low tops) but she keeps sending mixed signals and being inconsistent in her behavior.

Sometimes it does seem like the only sane one there, is House himself. He may have issues, but he's pretty consistent and rational about them. Everyone else keeps skirting around their problems and motivations.

*....* And if my wording is awkward and full of grammar mistakes, and my ranting doesn't make sense, I am so sorry! Brain is malfunctioning lately.

(but I couldn't miss the chance to comment on something House-related)

*passes out*

[midgar-skyline.livejournal.com]

(Sorry for so many deleted replies in your account. Many corrected spelling mistakes)

Oh, tell me about it. I've been snowed under by project work myself, but I was getting too frustrated and needed to vent. Thanks for bearing with me and the discussion.

Indeed, the word "subtext" seems to have faded a good bit these past two seasons. If it means that House/Wilson pairing can at least hold it's own against House/Cuddy, however, I'm somewhat alright with it, because the House/Cuddy is starting to has become more than a little ridiculous, in my opinion.

Cuddy's character I liked seasons 1 through 3. Well, through half of three or so. Towards the beginning, when we heard those tidbits about how she was only one of three female department heads, and also the youngest of those three, I thought to myself, "Kickass. :)"
My favourite scene with Cuddy, was actually the take-no-shit "Your tie is becoming a Petri Dish [...] I warned you. *SNIP!*" scene back during Maternity in season 1 when she cut off the tie of the guy who was swabbing.

Just... ergh. Her character is/has become... *clutches head*

"but she keeps sending mixed signals and being inconsistent in her behavior."
THIS. And that's all I can really say to that sentence this early in the morning.

I not only think of Wilson as the third point in the House-Cuddy-Wilson triangle you mentioned, but also as the Babel fish to translate between House and Cuddy. He has to explain Cuddy's behaviour/actions in human terms to House (House just analyzes in an analytical way), and then constantly has to defend House's actions, again via translating the motives, to Cuddy.

A friend of mine put it best I think, and I shall quote her now:
"She seems to want to love House, but only if he changes enough to suit her (not a blue ribbon endorsement of genuine love on her part)."
which I completely agree with.

A also suspect she would have a much harder time coping with House, even as it is now, if Wilson were not around to translate for them, for to look after House. It's something I'm glad the writers picked up on in Simple Explanation, when Wilson actually calls her on it:
Wilson: I can't deal with this and House.
Cuddy: You need a friend too.
Wilson: You don't give a crap what I need! You just want someone to take care of him.
Cuddy: ...He told Kutner's parents it was their fault.

I actually agree to an extent about House being one of the sanest people there, now that you mention it. Considering that he is the one who sees and says things as they are, I suppose this should have been obvious to me from the start, but I didn't think of it in such terms until you mentioned it there. ;)

[may-unleashed.livejournal.com]

*pats* No problem, surely it's a collateral effect of the murderous job load. I understand perfectly.

I think the snippet you got out there, of Simple Explanation, is one of the suprisingly MANY "Wilson acting pro-House" scenes. Again, the subtext is getting lost in their more-than-friendship thing, but fortunately is not as crass and forced as the House-Cuddy interaction.

I do wonder if the authors of House M.D. ever imagined that Wilson's character was going to become so damn pivotal in getting through House. I mean, at this point, House could survive through almost everything (losing his job, muscle pain, no vicodin, death of his workmates, no romance whatsoever with Cuddy) but take out WILSON and he would crumble.

He has coped in his usual aggressive way whenever he has a problem with Cuddy, and he has also barked at Wilson more than once, but whenever the situation with Wilson get from normally-bad to seriously-bad, then the series shows a very human and worried side of House.

I don't know, I mean, even if one doesn't want to see it through the lenses of same-sex love, these two are practically obssessive-possesive brothers.

And Cuddy is bordering on either a disheartened shcool-girl losing her crush, or a desperate single woman who needs people around her fixing her world for her (including her almost-love interest). Your friend did use a very precise turn of word: Cuddy does want House changing a million things about himself, to suit her. *shakes head*

*ranting urge is not letting go of my fingers LOL*

I just hope that House-Wilson doesn't turn out as explicit as Shore-Crane of Boston Legal. They might be funny, but sometimes make me cringe. And I have nothing against it, but really! I do love some subtext!

[chase-austenfan.livejournal.com]

This is the problem (in my opinion) of when a show gets very mainstream- I think that at first the writers write for themselves/for the characters. But when there is a Lot more of a spotlight, there becomes a pressure to please the viewers and continue the ratings. The writing becomes more "self-conscious", which can end up in these completely odd swings sometimes that make you think "Whaaaaa??" because the writers are trying to appeal to too many different "sections".

The Huddy thing to me is an example. It was there from the beginning in the banter and such, but... then suddenly Cuddy is *Pining* alternating with House *Pining*. What?? That doesn't seem right.

Another example- 14. Where in the world did that come from??

Also- Wilson/Amber was like that in my opinion- it was building nicely and then *BOOM*- the accident, the "OMG she is *The* love of my life"- to me that sort of came out of the blue.

And also going back a little- Chase and his angst, and Wilson and his depression. There was SO much build up with Chase and his relationship with his father and his mother's alcoholism and then *POOF* as soon as Daddy dies everything is resolved?? Wilson's depression was totally forgotten and seems to only be brought back when the writers "need" an angsty House/Wilson episode. I understand that every episode doesn't have to and shouldn't focus on the same things- but having Some continuity with main plot devices seems good to me.

As I said I still *Love* the show and continue to watch it- there are definately glimpses of Brilliance. There is just a little part of me that wishes that shows that I Love could all just stay out of the limelight. Have enough viewers to keep them on- but not enough where it affects the writing. Not sure if that made sense or not.