HOUSE & the Breckin Meyer Challenge
October 1, 2008 by Kath Skerry
Alert your neighbors and twitter your online friends. This cereal box of House goodness comes with a special prize. In honor of Breckin Meyer’s guest spot as Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital’s patient of the week, I sprinkled nine titles from his filmography within this recap. If you are up to the challenge, post your solutions to my riddle in the comments. Be the first to prevail in the Breckin Meyer Challenge!When we last saw Dr. House, he was facing rocky times in his relationship with childhood friend Wilson and irritating his subordinates with the hiring of private investigator Lucas Douglas.
Episode #3, “Adverse Events,” illuminated the importance of honesty to a loving relationship. As a struggling artist who has submitted to three clinical drug trials in order to keep his life in order, Meyer shows that his range goes far beyond the demands of voicing Robot Chicken. His character, Brandon, is deathly frightened of losing the touch of his girlfriend Heather, played by Marika Dominczyk. In a nice change of pace, Brandon’s chief caretaker is Dr. Taub, who is struggling with the discovery that he was clueless to his wife’s funding of a private bank account. Divided by decades in age and life experience, both doctor and patient are equally scared of losing their significant others if they are fully revealed. Though the information acquired by Lucas brought Mrs. Taub’s integrity into question, we are left with ominous hints that Dr. Taub has some tough news to share in the near future.
On a happier note, the House team continued to provide a few laughs as appetizers to the main course of fatal diagnoses and surgical removal of hairball-like growths. After just two episodes, I am ready to go start a Facebook group in appreciation of House’s P.I. Lucas Douglas. For those who were Six Feet Under fans, it is difficult to believe that Michael Weston has played both David Fisher’s assailant Jake and this quirky, principled snoop-for-hire? Even the most ardent fans of Dr. House had to be rooting for Lucas to get a second date from Cuddy. Call it payback for House’s refusal of friendship, or simply a way to get ahead in the rat race of love, Lucas has injected some fun into the ensemble. The coup de grace to tonight’s installment, the revelation that House actually was a college cheerleader, could have easily been the death blow to the bond between House & Lucas. Instead, the good doctor picked up his guitar and jammed with this strange new presence in his life.
What was missing from this entertaining chapter in the House saga? If you are a fan of either Jennifer Morrison or Jesse Spencer, you are probably tiring of their insignificant cameos. The EW cover piece last month hinted that the young doctors would receive more screen time later in the season. At this point, their appearances offer little chance for either actor to display their mastery of the craft. This is a big deal for folks who are attached to their characters. We will have to wait and see how the fabric of their relationship is woven back into the show.
The producers have made bold choices to begin Season 5, showcasing new personalities while pushing the veteran players to evolve. With next week’s previews teasing an extended House/Wilson story, I can’t hardly wait to see what the other doctors bring to the table.
Let me know what you thought. Are you loving Lucas’ impact on the storylines? Are you still hoping for House and Cuddy to get together? Will Thirteen ever be featured in a scene where she is not being mocked for her looks or sexually assaulted by a patient? Will the Angels win any games against the Red Sox in the ALDS? These are important questions, and they require your input.
How does Erik stay grounded from his luxurious life as a substitute teacher? He keeps it real with ALF DVDs & Fantasy Football. On weekends, the GMMR HOUSE & SURVIVOR guru spends quiet time imploring the TV gods to bring back Sports Night & Ed. Erik resides in South Florida and spends his summers following Dave Matthews Band.
Related Posts
Filed under House, House Recap
I think I got it!
1. Rat Race
2. Touch
3. Payback
4. Clueless
5. Can’t Hardly Wait
6. The Craft
7. Go
8. Rocky Times
9. The Near Future
Did I get them right???
House and CUDDY? Eeee. And not the good eeee. I don’t know, I just started watching this show last year (and copious amounts of reruns), but that thought excites me about as much as the thought of dating my own brother. Meanwhile, I love what Lucas has done for the show and I AM sort of into HIM and Cuddy, although she seems much older than him, although it can’t be more than about 10 or 15 years. I’m going to feel really bad if it’s a lot less than that, it’s just how they read to me.
I’m excited for a good Wilson story, and I like the new doctors, probably because they’re what’s been around since I started watching, but I do like the old docs too, and it sucks to see Chase and Cameron in character purgatory.
I LOVE Lucas.
So much so that I started a fanclub for him on LJ the day after 5×02 “Not Cancer” premiered.
http://community.livejournal.com/lucas_douglas/profile
Promote/come check it out, if you like!
I hate not having the Chase-Cameron-Foreman- House dynamic. I enjoy the new characters (especially Thirteen), but it’s not like the good old days. That’s why I always catch the reruns!
It intrigues me to think of Cuddy and House together, but I can’t think of House of anything except a grumpy single bachelor and I wouldn’t want it to mess up their bickering…
I LOVE LUCAS!!!! He is a great counterpart to House. No substitute for Wilson, but fun.
Amy P, you are the winner of the Breckin Meyer Challenge! The bragging rights you have earned should propel you through the weeks to come. Without giving too much away, I think there will be a little puzzle in next week’s recap, too.
SB: While I am not sold on the Cuddy/Lucas connection yet, I think it is refreshing to see an older woman & a younger man have a believable flirtation on primetime TV. I, for one, have grown tired of seeing fiftysomething actors live vicariously through their onscreen personas. This might be a change for the better. I’ll be sure to talk about this next week.
Winter Ashby: I will be joining that Lucas fanclub ASAP, as I do believe there is much more to come from Mr. Weston.
Amanda: Your comments represent the feelings of MANY longtime House viewers. I trust the producers will attempt to strike the right balance in Season 5, so that we won’t have a situation similar to Lost, where the Hatch & the Tailies began to overshadow the core cast members. That being said, the Lucas character does appear to be a bridge for House & Wilson to repair their friendship in a slower, more authentic process.
Keep those comments coming!
First off I would be the first to join your loving Lucas facebook group! I am liking this season of House so far. I think it is refreshing and bold of the writers to mix it up a bit! I am looking forward to more Wilson next week but also like the House / Lucas relationship. I wish they would bring back….and now ofcourse I am blanking on her name….the lawyer that House was with season 1. I think it was his ex-wife …she humanized him a little!
Tell me her name Kath. I want to say Selma something but I am stuck!
First off I would be the first to join your loving Lucas facebook group! I am liking this season of House so far. I think it is refreshing and bold of the writers to mix it up a bit! I am looking forward to more Wilson next week but also like the House / Lucas relationship. I wish they would bring back….and now ofcourse I am blanking on her name….the lawyer that House was with season 1. I think it was his ex-wife …she humanized him a little!
Tell me her name Kath. I want to say Selma something but I am stuck!
Sela Ward!