HOUSE: Here Kitty
March 18, 2009 by Erik Wilkinson
If you have picked up a newspaper or watched a cable news broadcast lately, you may have seen a mention or two about our ailing economy. Since most of us are not Ivy League economists or full time financial professionals, we might be hard pressed to explain the reasons behind the credit crisis or the provisions of the stimulus package just signed into law. What we can do, however, is rely on our own experiences, as well as those of our friends and family, to illustrate the emotional toll that the recession is taking on American families and small businesses. Old habits are hard to break, and it can be taxing on the soul to concede that a daily trip to Starbucks or an investment in endless movie channels may have to be curbed in order to make ends meet. The reality of the times we are living in is falling far short of our expectations of how things ought to be.
This week, Dr. Taub became one of us, a person struggling to find satisfaction and purpose in a career path that has taken him from a life of vanity to one of simplicity, and from an ivory tower of control to a dunce cap of verbal abuse. Though the reasons for Taub’s decision to join House’s team were not scripted to reflect the news of our day, the journey that he took in this episode illuminated a fight that millions of us have to wake up to every morning.
In the early part of this season, our window into the Taub household was limited to House’s taunts about the plastic surgeon’s foray into adultery. While the exchanges between teacher and student were good comedic fodder, Peter Jacobsen was left to play Taub as a defeated second banana, unable and unwilling to stand his ground with the esteemed Dr. House. In “Dear Kitty,” Jacobsen stepped forward as the true foil to House’s penchant for cruel and unusual verbiage. I was spellbound by Taub’s arc in this episode. Rather than cower in defeat when House revealed the setbacks in his portfolio, Taub fired back and confronted the personal issues that arise from having a bruised ego and an ailing balance sheet. What happens when a man begins to question the nature of his family, the meaning of his life’s work, and the relationship that he shares with the people around him? All of those questions have been raised by Dr. Taub in this season, and the end result has been a star-making turn for a brilliant character actor. In the closing moments, as Taub fulfilled House’s premonition with a box of donuts in hand, even his boss appeared to possess a newfound level of respect for him.
While Taub was preoccupied with doom and gloom scenarios, Dr. House appeared to revel in the playground that was the psychic cat storyline. Hugh Laurie is rarely unappealing, so the bar set for him is already high. However, this was a banner week for those who enjoy the ringmaster side of House. From a number of fun and flirty exchanges with Cuddy, proving once again how that relationship works best, to a command performance as a cigar-toting, cat-fondling Bond villain (which also echoed a childhood cartoon favorite, Inspector Gadget), the good doctor delivered huge helpings of comedy. I am curious if anyone reading this recap was able to contain his/her laughter as House unleashed the circus wheel of superstitions on poor Dr. Kutner. I confess to being driven to tears, and eagerly anticipating the next unlucky prank that would befall the young apprentice. It must also be noted that Kal Penn was pitch perfect in this episode, both in his concern for Taub’s well-being and his stupified indignation at House’s escapades. With the season finale approaching, House will probably face a slew of new crises, both personally and professionally. In the meantime, I am perfectly content to watch Hugh Laurie, Comedian!
Last but not least, I thought director Juan J. Campanella orchestrated a story that was as visually engrossing as it was verbally stimulating. I am not a film student, so I cannot speak to the variety of techniques Campanella utilized. However, any episode of House that can break from the normal cold open formula and tell the “A” storyline through the eyes of a cat, yet remain faithful to the tone that we have come to expect from the show, is a work of artistic achievement. Admit it, as the credits rolled, you still believed in the cat, right?
I am eagerly anticipating your comments about this episode. Was the psychic cat angle interesting to you, or too far afield for your tastes? What did you think of Judy Greer’s performance? Which of House’s one-liners was your favorite? Were you disappointed to see Chase show up with 11 minutes left, or happy just to see him at all? Have you noticed a shift away from Foreteen lately? Let your thoughts be heard!
How does Erik combat writer’s block? He indulges in Adam Carolla’s new daily podcast at carollaradio.com and reads Bill Simmons’ columns on ESPN.com. The GMMR House scribe is an active participant in the economic recession, and is working on a pamphlet outlining the etiquette of handling Facebook requests from old boyfriends/girlfriends.
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Anyone catch the Arrested Development reference in the title? Here Kitty. Judy Greer IS Kitty after all…
I confess to not having connected the AD callback, as well as having referred to the episode title as “Dear Kitty” rather than “Here Kitty” in the text of the recap. Can I start claiming senior moments at 31?
I didn’t particularly love this episode. The cat story didn’t really draw me in. It seemed a bit all over the place.
I like more than one story in my HOUSE episodes.
It’s been discussed to death but I don’t understand WHY Chase and Cameron are still on the show. As actors haven’t they been humiliated enough?
I was definitely not a fan of the supernatural angle taken with Judy Greer’s character, though I was hesitant to criticize a performance that appeared to be true to the writer’s intent.
Is it possible that this would be the first episode all season where fans of both Foreteen and Chase/Cameron can complain about a lack of screen time? The extra spotlight on Dr. Taub may not have been welcome in the two romantic camps.
I may have included a note about Jennifer Morrison in a previous recap, but I do feel more invested in both Chase & Cameron’s interactions with House, Cuddy, and Wilson. We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the producers’ vow to bring everyone back on board by season’s end will come to fruition.
I laughed a lot during this episode.. I lovedd the opening with House building a race track! It was really funny when House spit cranberry juice on Kutner, too funny! My favorite part was when House set up all the superstition stuff with Kutner. Hugh Laurie is awesome!!
Alison: Thanks for mentioning the race track construction from the cold open. It was definitely a highlight of the hour, and I completely forgot to mention it as a special moment. Even when parts of the show aren’t that interesting (i.e. the cat story), Hugh Laurie always finds a way to make House worth watching each week.
Thanks for your comments, and I hope we see you back here after the March 30th episode with your take!
Late!
Well, the episode storyline seemed to be uninteresting but it did claw its way back. The best was Kutner’s reverse-prank on House.
I noticed that quite a few episodes are using the “faith vs rationality” fight more often now-a-days? I know House basically is all rational, but somehow at the end, each “faith” character has the last “say” in these episodes??
Ah!! Judy from AD!! Now I know where I saw her!
I would take the House-Wilson-Cuddy over any of the romances in the show..
Geebs: The patients of Season Five do appear to have been used for the purpose of advancing the debate of faith vs. science. Your assertion that House has been “one-upped’ by these individuals is correct, as the signature wit of our favorite doctor has often been silenced in the face of a spiritual person. I would be fascinated to know if Katie Jacobs and the House team intended to inject that road map through the season.
House’s steadfast insistence on sticking to medicine has been compromised on a number of occasions, including “Here Kitty,” and his sympathy for patients who are in debilitating pain (particularly the chronic fatigue victim who attempted suicide) opens the door to the notion of a higher purpose. As a character study, this may be the most academic of notions to evaluate from this batch of episodes.
I’m just bummed that we have to wait two weeks until we get to do this all over again!
2 weeks again!! I don’t know if this will break the linearity in the show for me! Good thing, the show in itself isn’t a continuity.
Another thing I noticed is that House hasn’t been shown popping vicodine anymore. I don’t know if I missed it or they probably didn’t want to show it on purpose. Did anyone observe it??
Geebs: I am getting tired of the regular interruptions to the schedule, as well. From the selfish perspective of someone who attempts to dissect the show, it is difficult for me to recall specific pieces of character development or continuity when we see three episodes in five weeks. House isn’t Lost, which drives people crazy at the sight of any repeats at all. However, we could use a bit more consistency. Of course, if we did not love the show, we would not miss it, right?
As for the vicodine, you are the first person to mention that, and it does seem like too big a point to simply be a mistake. Has it been since the episode Cuddy confronted him about the heroin? Maybe the week before? We have to stay tuned on that one.
If you get a chance to read this reply, please let me know what you thought of Dr. Taub’s story in this episode. I argued strongly that he was a standout, but if you are not a fan, I could see the focus on his introspection as a distraction.
There… now it’s really hard to hate the show if they come up with pieces like this week’s episode.
About Taub, I think any character development is great. Especially when it connects the people outside of the box with people inside the box (read economic hardship).
Now, he’s taken another episode too.
Geebs: Please add your two cents to the “Locked In” discussion, as I am anticipating a wide range of reactions to such a distinctive episode. It felt like a gimmick to me visually, but Taub’s story continues to impress!