stunt_muppet

Also, I really can't do five-page reviews anymore (unless the episode is something *really* special). They take so much time to type.

 While I found this episode entertaining, I think giving House “inoperable brain cancer” was just a touch over the top. I know what they were trying to do with that subplot – trying to see how everyone would react to House dying – but come on. There were other ways to go about that. Once the words “inoperable” came up, I knew that it wasn’t real. House can’t have inoperable brain cancer because the series can’t exist without him, and therefore he can’t die. Since nobody’d said anything about the series being cancelled and it’s still pretty highly rated, the brain cancer subplot was obviously false.

 

Also, I feel like the writers are going out of their way to make House a jerk. I like that he’s a jerk, but still. I mean, faking terminal brain cancer for drugs? That seems a little extreme even for him. I think House is certainly capable of that, but I just can’t see him going to that much trouble. He has access to all kinds of prescription medications; why would he schlep all the way over to another hospital and fake cancer?

 

For the most part, I did like the duckling’s reaction. Chase’s “I’m going to hug you now. I don’t know how you feel about that” scene was probably my favorite. The scene was really, sincerely sweet from Chase’s end, but, since sweet has no place in Princeton-Plainsboro, it was nicely offset by House’s deadpan reaction. Foreman’s reaction was well-done, too – I love House’s argument with him over whether or not Foreman really likes him (my money says he doesn’t). And, being a closet House/Cuddy shipper, I couldn’t help but giggle at the scene between the two of them, and how House uses Cuddy’s hug as an excuse to cop a feel.

 

However, my rage over the scene between Cameron and House is almost inexpressible. I’m sorry, but no. A hug is one thing. A teary hug is one thing. But that make-out scene was simply uncalled for. For starters, I don’t like the idea of House and Cameron together. I don’t like it at all. It feels like nothing more than an obnoxiously insistent crush on Cameron’s part, and I have no desire to see it consummated. And the slow, dramatic buildup just made it worse. No more scenes like that, please. They annoy me. (Although I approve of House’s eyeroll mid-kiss.)

 

Also, I did like the scene where the ducklings told House he didn’t have cancer. They acted so excited, like they were giving him a Publisher’s Clearinghouse check. And then House brought that all crashing down. The looks on their faces when he informed them he didn’t have cancer – more stunned and confused than angry – I loved those. I’m not sure if I like it as a dramatic scene, but it made me laugh.

 

Oh yeah. The patient. I didn’t see too much of him, since I missed the first part of the episode. By the time I came into the episode, he was already practically incoherent. The scenes I did see of him were very good, though. I’m always a little apprehensive when musicians show up on my TV, since I’ve seen both good and bad performances from them, but Dave Matthews did an awesome job. He was convincing and gave a moving performance, and his smile at the end made me teary.

 

Of course, I did have my own issues with the way that the actual case ended. This is the second time in the space of maybe five episodes that they’ve done something drastic to someone’s brain; the last time, extreme brain operations turned out to be unnecessary, so I was less than thrilled that they were going to rip out half this guy’s brain. Must we keep doing this? Do we have to make a choice between living a normal life and losing your gift? Granted, this did bring up some ethical questions that I’m even now mulling over, which is usually a good sign; I just wish that we didn’t have to bandsaw someone’s head open to bring them up.

 

Okay, scenes at the end. I already discussed the duckling’s reaction, but I think the scene between Wilson and House was my favorite in the entire episode. Wilson is possibly the only character in any of my shows who I will tolerate psychoanalyzing other characters; this is mostly because House is deeply in need of analysis (and high-impact therapy). The discussion between them brought out how perceptive Wilson is, and how committed he is to sticking by House no matter how much or how often he’s pushed away. I hope House takes him up on his invitation for pizza. I don’t think he will, but it’d be nice if he did. I think it would help him.

 

(There’s certainly no slashy subtext in that discussion. None at all. No sir.)

 

So, now for a continuous run of House uninterrupted by American Idol! Exciting.