HOUSE: Brave Heart
October 21, 2009 by Erik Wilkinson
The entertainment world has been short on big news lately. While showbiz insiders and bloggers whispered stories about how Jay Leno’s 10pm show is crippling the American economy, the average person has had little to get excited over. In this vacuum, a low-budget horror movie, “Paranormal Activity,” has given audiences a reason to jump from their seats. Playing to sold out audiences all across the country, the little flick has defied Hollywood’s norms and achieved “Blair Witch”-like cult status.
This week’s episode of House made me jump from my couch on several occasions. Unfortunately, it was to scream “NO!” in a panic, concerned that the show would take a disappointing turn for the worse.
My biggest source of fear was the looming presence of Amber in Wilson’s guest room, and House’s possible relapse. Hugh Laurie is always enjoyable to watch, but I almost hid my eyes during those critical moments, afraid that Anne Hudek would reappear as Wilson’s lost love. I was not a huge fan of last season’s closing arc, particularly the bait and switch tactics stemming from House’s hallucinations. Though my greatest fears were calmed by episode’s end, I shudder to think how mind-numbing this season would be if the writers had hit the reset button on House’s cognitive ailments.
Next on my list of fright-inducing scenes: the completely unnecessary “resurrection” of our patient of the week. Much like last season’s promos, the preview for this episode gave away a “shocking” moment for House and Foreman, so I anticipated Donny’s new lease on life. Instead, I was turned off by director Greg Yaitanes’ insistence on shooting that scene in the style of Eli Roth. Medical shows frequently tread the line between realism and appropriateness. In this case, I thought we could have done without the gratuitous use of the surgical drill.
Finally, I objected to the cut and paste approach used to construct Donny’s storyline with his son. Though House is a formulaic show, the writers have impressed me with creative resolutions to their patients’ plights. We have seen this story before in many places, and I thought the sincerity of Donny and Michael’s inevitable connection was lost in a sea of predictability. Though I have enjoyed Jon Seda’s work over the years, particularly as one of Andre Braugher’s colleagues on Homicide: Life on the Street, his acting chops could not rescue a story arc inspired by a Lifetime Channel movie.
Chase’s battle to escape the demons of the Dibala case will emerge as the headline from this episode. Though Jesse Spencer’s performance did not frighten me, I was disappointed that Jennifer Morrison was reduced to the role of doting spouse this week. Cameron’s healthy skepticism about her husband’s state of mind was a good fit for a strong, opinionated female character. Morrison is far too talented to be fed six different versions of the question, “What’s wrong?” in the weeks to come. The dark secret that has wedged a divide between man and wife ought not inhibit Jennifer Morrison’s ability to give a good performance.
I am genuinely curious how the House team will resolve Chase’s situation, and hopeful that we will see the direct impact on those closest to him.
With two weeks of baseball-induced repeats ahead of us, I hope our discussion can keep all of us excited about the lives and times of Princeton Plainsboro’s finest. Use this forum to share your thoughts and theories about House, Wilson, Chase, Cameron, Cuddy, and the rest of the team!
What did you think of Chase’s confession? Are we watching a man self-destruct before our very eyes? Were you surprised that Wilson has not been able to let Amber go? Will that affect his relationship with House? Are House & Cuddy back to a comfortable place, or is there more drama ahead for the “will they, won’t they” couple? I look forward to interacting with all of you!
Aside from writing about House and Parks & Recreation, Erik has become addicted to Top Chef, The Next Iron Chef, and most other shows with the word “Chef” in the title. Please forward any recipes for Chef Boyardee to his Twitter handle (@FreelanceErik).
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Great review, thanks for that! I’m almost happy for Jennifer Morrison that she can leave the show now (though I’m terribly sad, I’ll miss her, just like I miss the show like it used to be), they are only wasting her talent for the sake of boring storylines like Borteen and even more boring Huddy. I don’t even recognize House anymore, this forced Huddy thing makes it more like “House’s Anatomy”. Only the last few episodes had a bit of the brilliant awesomeness the first seasons had with the old team and House back together. I wish there was more, but I’m afraid once Cameron is gone (thus no old team anymore), it’s over for good.
I agree with you on many points: the scene of the “cut and Y” was shocking and unnecessary, could have done something smarter and less predictable.
Jennifer has already been wasted for a long time, favoring unfair to Lisa Edelstein and Olivia Wilde.
My opinion,Cuddy and Dra 13, are characters of weak character, and the actresses do not reach the same impeccable interpretation of Morrison,even with the text below capacity, prints a much dignity in every scene.
Unfortunately, the show’s producers insist on the romance of Cuddy & House, which in my view does not convince many people, including myself, I appreciate more the chemistry between House and Cameron.
Since they can not convince the public, the producers felt better take Cameron, to see if people forget the chemistry, there has always been between her and House.
Delete from the original cast, a charismatic and talented actress for a reason so futile, leads us to think that the producers do not care about your audience.House probably will not get very far, not with the indices that has been showing since the fourth season.
I cannot believe that the Wilson/Amber relationship merits this much post-mortem drama. I was shocked that he remained in her apartment. I guess my only rationalization for this is that their relationship was much deeper than we were let in on (because they were trying to steer clear of House knowing about them, therefore the audience was also in the dark). Any thoughts?
The episode as a whole was nothing special in my eyes, but Chase’s confession was one of the most intense moments of the series in a long time. The over-arching storylines of season 6 are making House can’t-miss TV again, which is nice after lackluster seasons 4 and 5.
Ok, first, “Are we watching a man self-destruct before our very eyes?” No, we’re watching a once-great show destruct before out eyes.
Second, a large part of that destruction is TPTB’s decision to (a) marginalize Jennifer Morrison, then (b) dump (of all people!) her.
And, third, Huddy, “will they, won’t they”? Don’t care because I will no longer be watching.
TPTB betrayed all the fans of Jen when they spent 2+ years setting up a subtle flirtation and attraction between Cameron & House, got us invested in the relationship, then dropped it like radioactive waste.
Is this the last season of House by any chance???
Like the husband from Fidelity (Season 1), a part of me wants the show to end, another part of me wants it to continue, albeit it means a convoluted House.
But, who am I to stop House from becoming all nicey-do-goodey. And seems like Huddy is back on track. Cameron is out? Wonder where this will all lead to!
Well, I agree in almost everthing but the part about Morrison´s performance. She is the worst actress in House MD by far and this week she played her character weaker than ever. On the other hand, Spencer is shinning this season as I never could imagine. He really has acting skills but she is just a pretty face and not so much nowadays that Olivia Wilde is in the show. Enough with one beautiful but non talented woman for this show.
Well written take on Fright Night on House as Hallowe’en aproaches, Erik. 🙂
I’m finding this season of House very much of a mixed bag. There are some good things, such as House finally getting some therapy, long, long overdue, and Chase’s arc. Both of these harken back to the first season when there was so intelligence and depth and so much potential in the show. The last two seasons have been very superficial and any problems except for House’s breakdown were quickly wrapped up so it’s nice to see the show can do depth and morality again.
Unfortunately, like a dark cloud, the bad hangs over what joy I got out of this episode. Cameron/Jennifer Morrison is being completely wasted as a prop to the Chase/House/Foreman story. Far from using the strength of the character and her belief in the ultimate goodness of people, she’s reduced to cluelessness and asking everyone “What is wrong with my husband?” It’s a waste of both the character of Cameron, who so often in the past was used to add depth to the show, and the abilities of Jennifer Morrison. How much more interesting and poignant would Chase’s story have been if they had also shown the marriage deteriorating from Cameron’s end too.
I’m glad Wilson is still connected to Amber. She was the best thing to happen to him during the time of the show and I think it was a mistake to kill her off so quickly. I would have liked to have seen another season of her messing with Houseon Wilson’s behalf.
It was a relief to be free of Thirteen for an episode and the Foreman/Thirteen endless scenes which I lost interest in two years ago.
House/Cuddy was ruined for me in seasons 4 and 5. Usually when I don’t like a pairing on a show, I zone out during their scenes but for this one fast-forwarding through their scenes together is not enough. House and Cuddy bring out the worst features in each other and as an adult who knows what is a good relationship and what is an unhealthy one, I can’t stand to watch them in any kind of interaction any more. This week House didn’t want to do the hours he needed to get his license back so he acted up like a 6 year old and disrupted everyone. And it worked, Cuddy again lied, signed the papers and let him off the hook. If she keeps reinforcing his worst behaviour, he’s going to keep doing it. I can’t imagine why anyone would find this appealing but I guess Cuddy must.
Does this appeal to the teenagers and guys in their twenties who haven’t grown up enough yet to want to be adults? For me, House’s Rebel Without A Reason and Cuddy’s enabling of it is a real turn-off.
Sandra: Thanks for joining the discussion! I’ve been trying to avoid the topic of Jennifer Morrison’s imminent departure, but the flood of mainstream stories have eliminated any fear of spoilers. In my opinion, Cameron is the strongest female character on House. The respect she commands from the men of Princeton Plainsboro, particularly from House, is an integral part of maintaining balance in the show’s universe. I doubt that Thirteen or Cuddy can patch this hole in future episodes. Looking forward, I am hopeful that the creative team has a way to get out of this corner.
Kelley: We see eye to eye on Morrison’s ability to make the most of each scene, as well as the mistakes made by focusing too much on Huddy & Foreteen. Here’s a theory: What if the decision to write Cameron out of the show had something to do with a potential House & Cuddy relationship? Is it possible that Cameron’s presence, even in small doses, reminded longtime viewers of her chemistry with House, and could jeopardize the reaction to House & Cuddy attempting to become a real couple? I can’t imagine that my hypothesis holds any water, but the situation has evolved in such an odd way that I can’t rule it out.
Jen: Happy to see that House is still part of your TV routine! I still owe you a “Before They Were TiVo’d” feature on Hugh Laurie, which I promise to get cracking on when the real job calms down a bit. As for the focus on Amber, you make a very interesting observation. Since the Wilson/Amber romance was used as a huge reveal, rather than as the payoff to a long-term courtship, the writers have great difficulty in asking us to grieve even more for her loss. Even in my real life, I am far more affected by friends’ breakups if I had spent time with them personally. The difference between empathy and sympathy is often geographic. That being said, are you happy with House’s evolution this season? Are we seeing a shiny new model, or is his persona a wax job that will inevitably fade?
Gravity: Jesse Spencer certainly gave everything he had to the confession scene. Though I have not been captivated by the DiBala storyline as a whole, I welcome the chance to have House & Chase share screen time more frequently. In last week’s recap, I noted that House was playing the role of protector this season, and I look forward to each episode to see whether that theme sticks. In Chase’s case, we know that House has reached out to help him. Will he find another way to absolve his guilt without turning himself in? Can he maintain a marriage without being honest about the most personal of secrets? Questions like this make Season Six more of a “must-see” than the previous two years.
NLP: I applaud your passionate view, because it represents a significant number of fans who have lost faith in House’s executive producers. I do not know David Shore or Katie Jacobs personally. From a distance, I can say that they are skilled at the art of publicity. Attracting eyeballs is a difficult task in an industry that grows more segmented each day. In order to maintain the widest audience possible, they have taken liberties with certain characters, relationships, and individual scenes. Hopefully, there is a system outside of Nielsen ratings (which have remained strong) that keeps them informed about audience reaction to Cameron’s absence. If so, your voice will be heard. If not, then your worst instincts may prove prophetic.
Kate thank you for your comment – you have very eloquently stressed a good few points that have been bothering me this season (and the two seasons before that 🙂
And Erik I agree with you that Cameron seems to be the strongest female character on the show. Amber was a good contender but was sacrificed for the sweeps. While I do believe House’s only real relationship is with Wilson I am not ruling out the possibility he just might find someone who will make him less emotionally constipated (it is possible as we saw in the first episode).
I never was a whatchayacallthem shippers but I simply do not understand this Cuddy fascination the writers/producers have for the exact reasons Kate mentioned. I agree that if you look at character of Cuddy she would seem like a perfect match however it is blatantly obvious these two do not go together. And not in “opposites attract” kind of way. And going back to the writing and story lines – how does this particular dysfunction fit in with the whole concept of House getting better?!
As I said before I am really, really baffled with this whole season. I see no rhyme or reason to it all and the worst thing is I really do not think I’ll be able to hang in there until the end of the season to see where this is all going. I think House’s writers room (with producers included) should have a sit down and go back to the drawing board because and IMHO this season is half botched at best and plain sloppy at it’s worst.
bertas, it occurred to me this week that the reason I would rather have had House hook up with Cameron than with Cuddy or Stacy (if he had to hook up with anyone at all, which I wish they hadn’t done) is that he was at his most adult when interacting with Cameron. With Cuddy, he was a rebellious child who liked causing mischief just to see what would happen and she had to act as his mommy or teacher to keep him doing his work. With Stacy, it was very adolescent, like Romeo and Juliet in the mad passion of teenagers, something that was very intense but which would not last once they grew up. Cameron may have developed a crush on House after he invited her to the monster truck rally but after that, she handled their interactions the most mature of all, finding another job to protect herself when she thought he didn’t care about her and asking him for a date when she realized that he did when he came to ask her twice to come back. Cuddy couldn’t be honest with House about asking him to her baby’s naming ceremony even after being his friend for 20 years, House couldn’t knock on Cuddy’s door to ask her out, and Stacy never thought past sleeping with House while she was married to Mark. Cameron also doesn’t let House get away with behaviour that is less than his best, unlike Cuddy who lets him get away with either everything or nothing.
Cuddy may seem like a perfect match but that’s mostly in terms of superficial things — she’s roughly his age (until they took at least 5 years off her age in The Social Contract, making it impossible for her to be the doctor in Three Stories), they’re both doctors, they work at the same hospital and they like flirting with each other. But I’ve never seen House and Cuddy discuss anything deeper than what House should or should not be doing (unlike his discussions with Wilson or Cameron) nor does she share his passion for getting the right diagnosis (again, Cameron is obsessive about getting it right just as House is and they both have a moral code they have worked out for themselves).
On the surface Cuddy seems like the better match but not when you look at who the characters are. That’s why I thought that for House, Cuddy would be the transitional relationship that would move him from his post-Stacy “years of self pity” into being ready for a real relationship, as Chase would for Cameron to move her from mourning her husband into seeing that the world still holds love for her. (Cameron turned down Chase so many times in the first five seasons, I have trouble believing that he is The One for her.) But that is impossible now since Cameron is going.
In addition, the writing for House/Cuddy is so bad, it’s like they forgot how to write subtle and nuanced. Trip wires, thong challenges, and almost every random episode someone comments how hot House and Cuddy are for each other. Sometimes a patient, sometimes a staff member, in this episode it was the two interns. The heavy-handedness of it struck me particularly while watching Castle last night where no one had to say out loud that Castle and Beckett should get a room, it was all there in the looks between the supporting characters as well as the leads.
Erik, like you I wondered if seeing House with Cameron interfered with the House/Cuddy storyline they are writing. (And I’m glad you were the one to say that.) Cameron really has grown up over the years of the show and become a strong female character. I also think that Hugh Laurie is very good when he is acting opposite Jennifer Morrison both in dramatic scenes (in the last scene of Role Model when Cameron tells House she is quitting you can see that House is finding it hard to breath) and in terms of screwball comedy (the ‘get me a heart’ scene from Sex Kills), so the loss of Cameron affects not only her role in the show as someone who can stand up to House and who calls the team on it when they are being unethical but also in terms of the quality of acting the others bring to their scenes.
I think the other reason for getting rid of Cameron permanently is that she is still much more liked than Thirteen. The timing is striking, shortly after Thirteen and Foreman finished as finalists in all the Television Without Pity ‘most disliked character’ voting categories, and Kristin and Mike Ausiello were both asking David Shore if she and Taub were going to be leaving House’s team when their three years were up at the end of this season as Cameron and Chase left. With Cameron gone, Thirteen has to stay because she’s the only woman on the show other than Cuddy.
I thought that killing off Amber was a short term gain but long term loss, somewhat like burning tyour furniture to keep warm — you’re warm for a while but then the fire is out, you’re cold again and you have no furniture. Getting rid of Cameron permanently strikes me as the same kind of short sightedness. Whatever storyline there is for Chase or House after she is gone, how much more powerful it would be if she were there still in the hospital as a constant reminder of what went wrong, rather than out of sight and only a memory.
Wow Kate – what a cool analysis 🙂 Love. It!
And you know what – it totally makes sense when you put it like that. I am not saying that they should keep Morrison on the show because I think somewhere down the line her character should end up with House. As I said I’m not really a shipper 🙂 However if we consider Cameron as a sort of female version of Wilson (which in a way she is albeit she doesn’t enable House as much as Wilson does) then I really do not see how it would make sense for Morrison to get the boot. And not even as a short term gain because we are nowhere near the season finale to have her killed off to boost the ratings.
I am aware Cameron was a bit wet in the beginning but I do think that out of all the characters she changed the most for the better.
And I totally agree on the bad House/Cuddy writing. If you go by comments that I can read here every week it is obvious House viewers do give a lot of thought on what happened/what was said/what was implied/how was something acted out in every episode. I do find the heavy handedness (as you call it) of it all frankly even more off putting then their scenes together. I might be blond you know but I don’t need the writers to tell me House/Cuddy would be great together. Because if they keep behaving as they do (or to be more accurate if they continue to write them as they do) it has disaster written all over it.
And good heavens above I cannot even begin to contemplate the idea of Thirteen as Cameron replacement *shudder* 🙂