It's a beautiful religion. Very caring.
Nov. 15th, 2007 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khaosworksI can understand why medically trained people can get annoyed at House. I feel the same way when I watch shows like The Practice or Ally McBeal. It's hard to be able to enjoy hijinks when you know how bad the law is, or in this case, the medicine is. So despite the fact that the medicine (or so I've discovered) in the latest episode of House, "Ugly", is mediocre at best, I still think it's the most hilarious episode yet.
The medical plot is barely consequential, although it does serve to emphasize a point in the end, as they all do, this time about judging by appearances. The real gold is the character interactions that arise out of and around the presence of a documentary crew covering the Patient of the Week as he goes through the typical hazardous near-death experience that is being a patient at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Usually, documentary shows are a sign of when a television series is jumping the shark: and usually the lazy way out for characterization by making characters confess to the camera. Basically, after M*A*S*H did it, it became a cliché. The only two shows to ever pull it off properly were probably that and Homicide: Life on the Street.
But not this time. Rather than making this true confessionals, the fun comes from seeing how House and his merry crew dance around the documentary crew, screwing them up and House himself getting screwed at the end. Even Cuddy manages to salvage some of her lost authority.
There's so many great exchanges and interactions I won't and can't list them here (except for me imploring Cameron to just stop talking and digging herself in deeper about her feelings for House) but my favourite has got to be when Wilson starts talking to the crew and giving them "details" about House's personal life.
After the near-disaster that was Season 3 with the Tritter storyline, it's nice to see House getting back to being entertaining again. I'm also glad to find out from E! that the three candidates for House's staff I like the most are indeed the ones that are getting regular slots.
The medical plot is barely consequential, although it does serve to emphasize a point in the end, as they all do, this time about judging by appearances. The real gold is the character interactions that arise out of and around the presence of a documentary crew covering the Patient of the Week as he goes through the typical hazardous near-death experience that is being a patient at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Usually, documentary shows are a sign of when a television series is jumping the shark: and usually the lazy way out for characterization by making characters confess to the camera. Basically, after M*A*S*H did it, it became a cliché. The only two shows to ever pull it off properly were probably that and Homicide: Life on the Street.
But not this time. Rather than making this true confessionals, the fun comes from seeing how House and his merry crew dance around the documentary crew, screwing them up and House himself getting screwed at the end. Even Cuddy manages to salvage some of her lost authority.
There's so many great exchanges and interactions I won't and can't list them here (except for me imploring Cameron to just stop talking and digging herself in deeper about her feelings for House) but my favourite has got to be when Wilson starts talking to the crew and giving them "details" about House's personal life.
Wilson: Well, it's great how he rebounded from that setback.I was snickering at the Larry Craig reference, and completely lost my shit at "practising Wiccan". I have never loved Robert Sean Leonard so much.
Director (off screen): What setback?
Wilson (deadpan): He didn't tell you about the...? Well, it's his right. The records were sealed. Personally, I think he was just tapping his foot and reaching for the toilet paper. Obviously, it was a witch hunt.
Director: You think they singled him out because...
Wilson: No, literally. It was a witch hunt. Doctor House is a practising Wiccan. It's a beautiful religion. Very caring...
House (entering off screen): Hey hey hey!
After the near-disaster that was Season 3 with the Tritter storyline, it's nice to see House getting back to being entertaining again. I'm also glad to find out from E! that the three candidates for House's staff I like the most are indeed the ones that are getting regular slots.
