House, "5 to 9": Cuddy class

As I've said previously, I've largely given up on writing about "House" because there's no point in my repeating the same complaints week after week after week, but last night's Cuddy-centric episode - like the Wilson-centric one that was the last one I previously wrote about - was of an order of magnitude so much better than most of this season that I felt it deserved mention. Some quick thoughts coming up just as soon as I get a prescription for breast milk...

The basic idea was the same as in "Wilson," which was to show the huge part of this character's life that's unrelated to House, and to show what typical House stories must look like from the perspective of someone not on the team. And even though it was coming relatively close on the heels of "Wilson," I thought the execution was really effective, in part because Lisa Edelstein is really talented (and only occasionally gets to show off that talent), in part because the day-in-the-life structure gave "5 to 9" its own distinct vibe. We got a great sense of just how overburdened Cuddy is as both single mom (even with a nanny and a helpful boyfriend) and administrator at PPTH, let alone how exponentially harder House makes her life just because he can. And I loved the use of two songs by tough female singers of a certain age (The Pretenders' "Break Up the Concrete" and Mary Chapin-Carpenter's "Passionate Kisses") to bookend Cuddy's story.

What episodes like this one, and "Wilson," and "Broken" show is that there are still really strong elements to this series. I'm just tired of the formula, and too much of this season has been hardcore formula.

I'll still watch it (or have it on in the background) most weeks, but until they go off-format again, or find some way to do a transcendent formula episode, it's back to not writing about the show again. But kudos on a job very well done last night.

What did everybody else think?

House, "Wilson": The Zeppo

Just when I thought I was out... Robert Sean Leonard pulls me back in! Some thoughts on the Wilson-errific "House" coming up just as soon as I stop thinking about German porn...

"I can handle it when things go wrong. You can't. And things can go very, very wrong." -House

I doubt "Wilson" is going to get me writing about "House" again full-time, because the things that made it so strong were (like "Broken") not something the show can do every week, or even ever again, period. But for one night, at least, "House" was compelling, and touching, and funny, and not really annoying at all.

"Wilson" was good because it showed us House's world through someone else's eyes - not in a gimmicky, Hey, look at our Very Special Episode! way like the Mos Def episode last year, but in a more thoughtful, organic way. We got to see what the cases we've grown so used to must look like when only seen in Wilson-sized bites (the overweight tennis pro on the popcorn diet, House appearing soaking wet), and we got to see what it's like for the sensitive, empathic to a fault Wilson to try to play House's game.

And, for that matter, we got to see what it's like for House to be the one on the other end of the differentials and the wrong turns and insane treatments.

And we got to see Robert Sean Leonard, who has said he likes the easy workload (and accompanying fat paycheck) of being in a couple of brief scenes a week, rise to the challenge of carrying the show for once, with Hugh Laurie gracefully, beautifully working in support of him.

An ongoing Wilson-centric series obviously wouldn't work. It was the contrast to what we've come to expect from "House" that made this hour so interesting, and, again, you can't go to that well more than once before it starts to feel as formulaic as the regular show.

But after being so frustrated with the last batch of episodes, "Wilson" at least reminded me why I keep watching this damn show even when I'm struggling to remember that I used to love it.

"Chuck" is back in this timeslot in January, and that's going to get my top viewing/blogging priority for the time being. But if this is going to be the last time I write about "House" for a long time, at least we're going out on a much higher note than "Ignorance Is Bliss."

What did everybody else think?

House, "Ignorance Is Bliss": That's it for me?

Brief spoilers for last night's "House" - and an explanation for why I may not be writing about the show again for a while - coming up just as soon as I wonder what took them so long to acknowledge the resemblance between Omar Epps and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin...

Okay, we're now at a point in the show/reviewer relationship where I just need to walk away for a while, if not forever. It's clear that the "House" producers have a vision for the show that doesn't interest me: not only their belief that Thirteen is endlessly fascinating, but that the show only works if House acts like an abusive middle school jackass as often as possible.

I don't think they're completely ignoring the events of "Broken." House's ultimate reaction to the Cuddy/Lucas relationship, and to Chase punching him out, suggested he still retained some of the lessons he learned from Dr. Nolan. It's entirely possible that they're doing a one-step-forward, two-steps-back arc right now. House's progress would have peaks and valleys, after all.

But given things David Shore has said in the past about his belief that people can't change, and given how abruptly and permanently the show dropped previous changes like the ketamine leg cure, I fear that we're back to House as misanthropic bully for good. And even if we're not, I've grown to hate how far they've taken that version of the character - and grown so tired of the juvenile House/Cuddy non-relationship - that I need to take a break, from writing if not from watching.

Taking a step back from regular blogging helped me come to a new appreciation of "Grey's Anatomy." When I didn't have to write every week, it became easier to ignore the parts of the show I hated and focus on the parts I liked. Maybe that happens with House, but I'm not sure. Were it not for "Broken," I'm not sure I would have come back this season, and the part of the show that was keeping me interested was seeing House attempt to grow and change. I've long since lost interest in the patients, don't much care for most of Team 3.0, and wish Lisa Cuddy would take the baby and the pod person who has replaced Lucas and go somewhere very far away.

That leaves the occasional House/Wilson episode, plus a character arc they may have abandoned. And that's not enough, I don't think.

So I'll give them a handful of additional episodes where I'll watch but won't write, to see if they can turn this boat around. But if not, I'm out.

We'll always have Mayfield, I guess.

What did everybody else think?

House, "Teamwork": How to drink supplied worms

Some quick thoughts on tonight's "House" coming up just as soon as you get rid of my crow's feet...

Wow, that one angered me.

I will say upfront that I don't give a toss about Cameron. Didn't care about her attraction to House in the early years, nor her relationship with Chase. Wasn't trouble by her two years wandering in the Sinai while House assembled his new team. Wasn't ecstatic when Cuddy reassembled the original team early this season. Nor am I that bothered that Jennifer Morrison is leaving the show for a while, possibly forever.

My issues with "Teamwork" are entirely about how awkwardly the show strained to achieve the outcome, and how many characters had to act out of character in the process.

The House of this episode bares zero resemblance to the guy we've been watching this season. It was like "Broken" never happened. He had something he wanted - in this case, keeping as many past/present team members close to the vest as possible - and even if you can ascribe that to his newfound need to make emotional connections, what we've seen this season is a House who's (slightly) less ruthless, (a little) less obnoxious, and (a whole lot) more compassionate as he's tried to do that. This was just House being a jackass, all so the writers could punt Cameron and bring back 13 and Taub.

For that matter, I don't buy Chase choosing the team over his marriage, no matter what kind of psych-ops House ran on him. I don't buy 13 going back to work for House, and/or with Foreman, under any circumstances. Nor do I buy that House would let Cameron rip into him about him having "ruined" Chase when Chase was a spoiled brown-nosing rich kid when the series began, and whatever growth he had as a man came as a result of working for House.

Couple that with Lucas mostly being a pod person since he returned last week, and what you have are a whole lot of creaky machinations by the "House" writing staff. n the best drama writing, the plot should be dictated by what the characters might d; here, the characters were doing things in order to support the plot.

And while I don't really care that Cameron is gone, there's a certain chemistry to the original recipe team that she's taken with her, and in her place are 13, who's still boring, and Taub, whose relationship with House overlaps too much with Chase's.

One bad episode isn't enough to overturn the goodwill created earlier this season, but I'm not feeling very kindly disposed towards the show right at this moment.

What did everybody else think?