TV Review: House - "Autopsy"
Published September 21, 2005
I hate this show. OK, hate may be a strong word. Maybe the word I'm looking for is love. I love this stupid show that gave me emotional whiplash again tonight, making me sob inconsolably moments after I was laughing uproariously.
Damn Lawrence Kaplow for writing this episode, proving that Emmy award winning creator David Shore doesn't stand alone in writing thought-provoking, witty, heartbreaking scripts. Damn Hugh Laurie for proving once again how clueless Emmy voters are for not recognizing this role as the performance of a lifetime, never mind of a season.
After a frenetic season opener last week, "Autopsy" is more subdued, but even more gripping. When the patient of the week is a nine year old girl with terminal cancer, my cold dead heart's immediate reaction is: "manipulation." But if I've learned anything from watching this show, it's that the expected emotional heartstrings are not the ones that get pulled, even with this lesson in carpe diem we think we've seen a million times before. House makes its audience think without necessarily trying to be profound, but there is a real depth to its emotional core, and a willingness to risk offending some viewers to get there.
"Terminal kid trumps your stuffy nose," declares oncologist Wilson, who finally has a reason to hang around, to a sniffly House. He entices his friend to take the case of Andie, whose cancer should not be causing the hallucination she suffered, and who might have another year to live if they can cure whatever did cause it.
Since the plot veers once again from last year's formula of at least two to three wrong diagnoses and almost-deadly treatments leading to the correct diagnosis, it's probably time to stop calling that the formula. And the potential cure is as drastic as House can get: he must literally kill her to save her. But like last week's patient, a cure would put her right back on death row.
In "Autopsy," House surpasses even his high standard for shocking callousness. He scoffs at the bravery of dying children, and points out that odds are, some of them are whiny brats. "I'm not terminal. Merely pathetic. And you wouldn't believe the crap people let me get away with," he tells a flabbergasted Wilson. House is cold enough about Andie's case that even ever-patient Wilson is disgusted with him and tells him to go to hell.
But House is actually a most compassionate cynical bastard when he lets himself see her as a person rather than a case. He finally meets with his patient to encourage her to reveal what she really wants out of her short life, and as usual, the exchange reveals more about House than it does about anyone else. Andie may be the literal representative of living death in the episode, but as Wilson points out, she is more alive than House. Yet to young actress Sasha Pieterse's credit, she's never the cloying saintly child, and to the writer's credit, Andie won't let anyone condescend to her.
Diane is a publications manager who's addicted to television, movies, and books and justifies her pop culture obsessions by writing about them for Blogcritics. She also runs the TV, Eh? website, a compilation of news and information about Canadian television series.
- TV Review: House - "Autopsy"
- Published: September 21, 2005
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Review, Video: Television
- Part of a feature: House
- Writer: Diane Kristine
- Diane Kristine's BC Writer page
- Diane Kristine's personal site
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Darn. I thought I finally found someone else who hates this series.
assuming you mean emotion when you reference word that is...
Once more, I think I need to start watching the show. I've been so very lax in my TV viewing habits. But if everyone is going to keep raving about it, it must be time to tune in.
At the end of episode 2 in season 2 - Autopsy, when the little girl comes out to say her goodbyes to everyone, what is the name of that song?
It's called "In The Deep" by Bird York - also known as Kathleen York, who played Toby's ex-wife in The West Wing. She has a website at www.birdyork.com. Gorgeous song, a little buried in the show because Elvis Costello's "Beautiful" played right afterwards.
Thankyou so much, its a really gorgeous song. I was trying to listen for the lyrics so maybe i could catch the name of the song by searching for the lyrics, but i couldnt make them out over the voices.
I'm from Australia, and season 1 is being showed now, about half way through, but i've been downloading them as they've become available on the net. I'm a pretty die hard fan :-)
Thanks again.
The lyrics are on her site:
Thought you had all the answers to rest your heart upon, but something happens, don't see it coming, now you can't stop yourself, now you're out there swimming in the deep
Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles till you let go, till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven and you throw yourself off, now you're out there spinning in the deep
words: bird york music: bird york and michael becker
Just had to say "yay" - Lawrence Kaplow won a Writers Guild award for this episode tonight. He named it as his favourite of the episodes he's written in the interview I did with him back in October: Constructing House
I'm posting this belatedly because I just rewatched this episode on DVD a year or so after I viewed it live.
Sasha Pieterse was the young actress who played the cancer patient who gave us one of the series' most memorable scenes when she persuaded Chase to kiss her. For this experienced performer who's been in several series and films, appearing on "House" was also memorable. She says: "The project that I'm most proud of is the episode of "House" that I did. I played a young girl with cancer. I had to sit in make- up for about 5 hours a day for 9 days, while they hid all of my hair and made me look the part. The make-up artists are very talented. What an amazing time I had, and wow, did I realize just how lucky I am to be healthy."
Diane, thanks for another of your splendid reviews.
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And I believe, that this episode pushed some buttons. Perhaps the more conservative crowd will find some scenes hard to digest from this episode but I think it went deep. The kissing, the sniffing and the "They are not all heroes" arguments were not the scenes we are accustomed to seeing on primetime TV.
This is by far one of the best episodes of the series. Just like you mentionned, makes you laugh and then cry, all in one long sentence. I'd give it a 5 outta 5.