TV Review: House, MD Season One Pilot (Revisited)
Published January 10, 2008
When House connects with patients, he believes that his emotions (perhaps about his own physical condition) get in the way of rational, empirical medicine. And judging from the season two episode “Euphoria,” he may be right. But that speech to Adler, starting off so haltingly, so difficult for him to articulate at first, becomes passionate and we know the emotional toll it has taken on House to do it. That feeling we get about House in the pilot remains true and consistent throughout the series’ three-plus years, as House’s most intimate character reveals often occur with patients (which is, at the very least, paradoxical for a character who is a self-described misanthrope).
House can’t afford to become involved with patients, Wilson says towards the end of season two. If he gets involved then he has to care; and if he cares, well… the game is up. Wilson, also true to form from the pilot on, has ever attempted to manipulate, cajole, lecture, and hound House into ridding himself of his affected indifference. I recently saw the film The Scarlet Pimpernel - the original - with Leslie Howard, whose foppish air of indifference masked a deep and dangerous humanity. I realize how much that reminds me of House. (Not the fop part, however. That's more Black Adder territory.)
But as far as the people who work with him know, House is an arrogant jerk, borderline racist, bitter, happily miserable, and a terror to his patients, colleagues, and hospital nurses. But, as Wilson admits in the pilot episode, caring has more to do with actions than words. “Does he care about you?” asks the patient, Rebecca Adler. Wilson can only reply that he “thinks so.” But Adler comes back with a retort that defines the entire series: It’s not what you say; it’s what you do. “Yeah, he cares,” Wilson finally acknowledges.
House has a particular empathy for the powerless (especially children) and people who are harshly prejudged. But his colleagues never see that side of him. Those scenes are carefully written to be out of sight of the series’ regulars. And have been from the pilot, as they must be. They don’t see House dealing with the strain and pressure of what he does; never observe him agonizing about the life and death decisions he has to make. As Wilson pointed out in last season’s finale “Human Error,” Foreman’s issue is with what he believes House to be; not who House is. House refuses access to this part of himself: the man who fell apart after Stacy left; who sends sticky-sweet romantic notes, who wakes up on some mornings so much in pain that he seems on the verge of collapse. And the writers have been ever careful and consistent to keep him hidden (mostly). House hasn’t changed, but he remains consistently the same, as Hugh Laurie has said he must.
- TV Review: House, MD Season One Pilot (Revisited)
- Published: January 10, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Television, Video: Drama
- Part of a feature: Welcome to the End of the Thought Process: House MD
- Writer: Barbara Barnett
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Comments on this articleComments
I'm not entirely sure what you're reacting to in my article, but I'll try to respond best as I can.
I wasn't actually suggesting that House is a racist at all. I meant. House's self-promoted "image" of racism has nothing to do with discrimination (what he does), but more to do with his sometimes snarkily offensive language (what he says).
And as I remarked, it's all image that HE projects. In fact, I do not see House as a racist or even as being judgmental. I think he's the least judgmental (when it comes down to treating a patient for example) than any of the people with whom he works. But House works hard at that image to further promote himself as a jerk.
Barbara, thanks for the wonderful articles the past few weeks. I've greatly enjoyed reading your thoughts of these earlier episodes. I remember watching the Pilot during it's second airing in March of 2006. It was the first one that I saw and I was drawn in right then and there. I have been a House addict ever since. The speech to Rebecca and the conversation with the little girl in Autopsy remain my favorites to this day. I started rewatching my DVD's in order over this long hiatus and realized that, although Season 4 is not my favorite, I'm struck at how House has stayed the same. I was one that as Season 4 has progressed that was complaining how different everything is. Rewatching has shown me how much things are the same, evolved, but the same. I remember the interview where Hugh pointed out that he thought everyone around him would change, but House would stay the same. The jokes have perhaps become a little more vulgar, but no less snarky.
"To me, the medical cases are always less interesting than the character study of House." I couldn't agree more!! When I read that viewers are only interested in the medical cases I'm baffled. To me the medicine has always been the sideshow, interesting yes, but that the point of it all is to learn more about what makes House tick. That's the main reason why I couldn't understand why so many fans disliked One Day One Room. I'm looking forward to the three episodes that are left, and saddened that it will all be over in an 8 day time period. Please keep writing about the older episodes as they air.
Great article and beautifully crafted.
Season 4 is not the best when compared to the last three. I really didn't see the need for change. The ducklings could have had their fellowships run out and they can still be working in that department with house but not as fellows. I don't care for the new ducklings because I just find them boring and easily compared to the original and the old ones have become wall paper. The old ducklings have so many things about them that I want to know about but seem to be pushed aside. I didn't like that house became a bit of an idiot in s4 especially around the cia chick.I really hope things will go back to normal because they took that survivor game too far and it seem to take over the show for a time instead of splitting it with the medicine.
Ann--Thanks for your kind words. I will continue to post commentaries on the old episodes as they air.
I haven't yet done a full beginning to end re-watch, but I will as I have time (especially if season 4 is truncated after episode 12 in early February.) Like you, I loved One Day One Room for what it told us about House (and I don't mean simply that he was an abused child).
Susanne--thanks also for your kind words. I've liked season 4, but I think it's been (at times) harder to like House (the character). They have pushed his likability more than in other seasons, and maybe that's what I'm reacting to. I think the writing has been very strong and even more sophisticated. I think it's unfortunate that the strike has truncated the season, so that it will be (potentially, if episode 12 is "it" for the season) dominated by the survivor arc.
Barbara
I agree Barbara! They really did do a great job projecting House to be the character that he is today. The one thing that I found to be different is Greg became a lot less caring over the episodes (read on). In the 'pilot' we see house have compasion, show compasion openly, and ask for opinions and actually cared what people had to say. In newer episodes House does care, which WE see deep down, but he does not under any circumstance show that, or show any compasion to anyone, short of his ignorant stare.
In the 'pilot' we see house have compasion, show compasion openly, and ask for opinions and actually cared what people had to say. In newer episodes House does care, which WE see deep down, but he does not under any circumstance show that, or show any compasion to anyone, short of his ignorant stare.
I see what you mean, Ken, but I do think we see House caring, and have seen it in both his actions and his face. But I agree that he's become a lot more guarded in this season. Maybe it's like Wilson said...he wants to distance himself even more from anyone getting close to him. Last year (season) was hard on him, as was the year before.
That very first line that we hear from House, "People don't want a sick doctor", along with the sight of his cane as he limps down the hallway beside Wilson, is so poignant, and for House, quite open. You can just hear the undertone of anguish that he must live with everyday. A brilliant opener to a brilliant pilot to a brilliant show! Thank goodness someone was willing to take a chance on this show and begin airing it in the fall of 2004.
Great review, Barbara! Thanks for helping make the strike hiatus go by more easily.
Hi, Barbara: Thanks for the wonderful review. The pilot has always been one of my favorites. In that first 45 minutes, we were provided a great introduction into the complex character of House.
We learned he is brilliant, avoids clinic duty like the plaque, hides from patients, thinks everyone lies, pops vicodin like candy, enjoys torturing Cuddy and vice-versa, has a unique friendship with Wilson, fondness for soap operas, degrades his team while at the same time challenging them to think outside the box, breaks into patients home for clues as to how they live and a great conversation between him and his patient.
You are right. TPTB truly understood from the beginning who this character was. Is it any surprise that David S wrote this episode? I believe what came as a surprise to them was how brilliantly Hugh would play this character and the mass physical appeal he would have to women of all ages.
No problem, HL_L!
As far as the strike goes, I hear that George Clooney, Spielberg and Hanks are about to get involved in trying to put an end to it.
Sdemar--Yeah. The one thing I think the powers that be did not consider was that the character of House (and the actor who plays him) would catch fire as a thinking woman's sex symbol LOL.
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From article:
"House is an arrogant jerk, borderline racist..."
Let's remember, when the politically correct use the term racist, they simply mean white Gentiles who discriminate.