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"We know that people are missing some of the old team members (Chase, Cameron, and Foreman -- who have been reduced to more marginal roles in most episodes). Frankly, we are as well. It's a juggling act. We have only 42 minutes to tell a story." And telling the story becomes paramount. "We have to service the story -- the medical mystery. The people circling House and circling the medical mystery are going to get screen time. We're bending our brains in knots trying to figure out how to get the other people into each episode. We're still struggling. And it's something on our minds."

Great! that means we won't get to see much of Cameron and Chase in season 5 either, how much time do they need to figure out how to get them into each episode? It's been a year already. Add more clinic duty to this larger cast and the only way to see our favorite characters will be by looking at the promo picture released at the beginning of next season.

Thanks for the interview.

Am I going to be watching next year? I doubt it. I haven't liked this season at all and I've only been hanging in to see the old show come back, and that means Chase and Cameron.

I don't care about Wilson's brother, I care about Cameron and Chase. I'd rather not see Cuddy debased any more and a Cuddy/House romance is something I'd wish were over quickly rather than being excited about it.

Lerner and Friend are offering what I don't care about and telling me that they don't have time to give me what I do want to see.

If that's the case, I don't have time for this show myself. NCIS is going to be on opposite and this attitude on the part of the writers makes the decision easy.

I love this season and appreciate what the writers have been trying to do. I kind of want them to put Chase, Cameron, and Foreman out of their misery. I don't really miss them and I do like Thirteen, Taub, and especially Kutner.

Wish we knew more about the finale. I'm petrified!

I love Wilson!! and I love St. Doris for coming up with the idea for the S4 finale. I am loving S4 and don't miss CCF at all. After Amber, I like 13 and Taub and then Kutner.

AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WILSON'S BROTHER!!

Wow, Barbara! Thanks for another excellent article! It must have been great fun to interview Friend and Lerner! I am so psyched for both the finale tomorrow night and for Season 5 that my heart is pounding! Further exploration of what makes House tick personally, a 10-episode arc, the possibility of Wilson's brother coming up again, and, hopefully, allowing Cameron, Foreman, and Chase to move on is almost more excitement than I can handle! It's going to be a long summer...

Thanks for getting this interview, sasmom! Love to hear from these two wonderful writers and glad to see they have many of the same concerns as the fans. Big, big kudos to them for the first part of this finale (and I'm sure the second will be excellent as well: am terrifically excited to see that!). "House's Head" is a singularly fine piece of filmmaking, and if this fan could give them all Emmys, she certainly would!

I'm also thrilled to hear Lawrence Kaplow may be coming back: his was a wonderful contribution to the mix and I look forward to seeing where all the excellent House writers take the show next.

One minor nit: I think you meant "No Reason" rather than "Meaning" at the end of S2. ;-)

As for the earlier posters' comments regarding Cameron and Chase, well, I suppose no matter what you do some folks won't like it. That's just a given. I have been impressed that all the supporting characters had good moments in the last few episodes and think the writers are doing a great job giving screen time to each while keeping the focus on the main character, House. It's House that is truly fascinating and compelling and Hugh Laurie's performance that is so consistent and consistently dazzling. And that happens because the stories are so complex and the dialogue so very smart. It's the only show that I've ever felt so strongly about, and I think it's amazing they've been onfour four seasons and kept the quality so high and frankly, still have both the courage and the interest to keep upping the ante by taking the presentation to new places while keeping the character of House, the core of the story, both enigmatic and familiar. Brilliant!

I've been eagerly awaiting this article in the hopes of being reassured that Chase and Cameron will finally be rescued from their miniscule roles on the periphery and return to House's orbit where they belong. Instead, I get the impression that the writers STILL don't know what to do with them or how to incorporate them into the main story. How can that be? They're the WRITERS, for heaven's sake. Were the writers caught unaware that Chase and Cameron have a big following? Did they never consider that fans loved the old team and their interactions with House, and that many of us were drawn to the chemistry of the six wonderful characters that helped make this show a great success? Did they think we all would welcome new cast members who are poor copies of the originals and who are viewed as replacements for those characters we love?

I find it ironic to read that Shore and other writers were concerned about the reality of keeping the original team on as fellows, yet reality flies out the window when it suits them. How did House run 8 miles with a missing leg muscle? How would House keep his job in the real world? How would an administrator who plays panty games keep her job in the real world? Wouldn't House have gone to jail in the real world?

I understand the writers can't say too much about the upcoming season, but from the way it sounds to me, we're going to have more of the same thing. Too much Thirteen, and too little Chase and Cameron. It's discouraging to know that the finale will not be resolving any of this.

I might actually understand the problem of trying to get the old fellows into the story if this season had had one decent medical mystery, however the original fellows were not sacrificed for the sake of the medical mystery- they were sacrificed for gimmicky story lines and three far inferior characters.

Sadly, it looks as though they are still clueless as to what to do with them. You would think that they could have come up with some idea of what to do after a year.

It's funny that they chose to discuss House's "humanity", because I have personally found him far less human and less engaging a character since the old cast has been marginalized. There's a disconnect between House and the new fellows that makes him seem less like a tortured genius and more like an arrogant jerk.

Hugh Laurie is brilliant, but he's not a miracle worker. I beleive there will come a point where a show based primarily on House's wild antics and cutting wit will cease to be cute. Hopefully the show will rediscover that it has other interesting characters that they can spread the story lines out to before they run that well completely dry.

Wow, if people are not seeing House's humanity in this episode, I don't know what to say. It was there in the depth, subtlety and intelligence of Laurie's performance; it was in the story and the writing; it was there in the way the other characters reacted to him both in caring about him and in putting up with his jerkiness when they never know if he's just being a jerk or if it's headed somewhere they need to go. House's fundamental decency and commitment come through a prism of confusion and misdirection that he seems to have a habit of creating. Complicated? Oh yes.

Thanks Barbara, great interview. I'm also thrilled to hear that Lawrence Kaplow is returning to the show. He's been missed. It does appear they still don't know how to incorporate the old ducklings into the mix. Hopefully it won't be too far into Season 5 before they can figure it out.

Regarding Kaplow - he didn't win an Emmy for "Autopsy", alhtough he should have. He won a WGA award and I think maybe a Humanitas award. Sadly, the show has only won 2 Emmys: the script of "Three Stories" for David Shore, and the special effects team won for the prosthetic fat suit in "Que Sera Sera". I'm hoping "House's Head" will increase the tally :)

It's House that is truly fascinating and compelling and Hugh Laurie's performance that is so consistent and consistently dazzling. And that happens because the stories are so complex and the dialogue so very smart. It's the only show that I've ever felt so strongly about, and I think it's amazing they've...kept the quality so high and ...have both the courage and the interest to keep ...taking the presentation to new places while keeping the character of House, the core of the story, both enigmatic and familiar. Brilliant!

Boffle, that's beautifully worded! I couldn't possibly agree with you more! I have NEVER been this involved with a TV show, ever, and I have never before spent so much time analyzing a fictional character in literature, film, or television.

Thank you.

Pat (comment no. 3) said EVERYTHING I would have said so I'm just adding, "Hear, hear!"

Aw, thanks, sassydew! It's true. I am consistently amazed that I continue to be so involved in a tv show and that the House folks are such a class act in every possible way.

I'm only half way through the interview but I noticed that you said "Season two also concluded with the unconventional "Meaning", the last episode of season two was "No reason" and the theme of both last episode of that season and first episode of season three was "Meaning".

(Gee, I feel like such a dork pointing this out xD)

Barbara, I'm pleased that Lerner & Friend talk about House's humanity. He may not show it at times, but we've always known it was there. (I didn't really see it in Season 4 until "Frozen.") When Lawrence Kaplow was interviewed for last season's finale, I remember being a little shocked at reading, "...he balks at the suggestion that House shows glimmers of humanity, calling it an "odd" sort of humanity." I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to stay with the show if we didn't see House in episodes like "Autopsy" or "Kids."

Thanks, Barbara, for your review on this interview.

I'm thrilled to hear that Lawrence K is making his way back. He was my favorite writer and I was sad when he left last year.

Thanks for asking about the potential for further Cuddy/House exploration.

I think what we are witnessing here is the perfect storm: the incomparable David Shore, top-rated writers, talented cast, decent directors and a storyline being laid out by a talented and great looking Hugh Laurie. All of it comes smashing together to put forward the best show I have ever watched.

I liked your interview but it didn't reveal as much as I have hoped. I am glad that Larry Kaplow is coming back and House will recover from his coma state. I agree that the show should be about the people who circle House and the medical mystery. But Jesse Spencer has said he was excited about the changes for Chase. He would not want his character back in House's dept. And Cameron's scenes with House are better when she is independent. They can't remain students forever or crowd one dept with 7 doctors for one patient. The writers are making bold moves and most of it feels right. But I wish Forman wouldn't be there in diagnostics. I think it just interfers with House working with his new team. Put him in the neurology dept. I think House is just as compelling now as in the beginning. He is still layered with subtlety, mystery and edginess. Long may it continue! I believe HL might have said there will be 28 episodes for season 5. I have heard some shows were increasing the number to cover what was lost in the strike.

Wonderful article! Well written and very informative.

I enjoyed this season's changes and like the new fellows, especially Kutner. He has been a great addition to the cast.

It's also nice to know that the writers are aware of past storylines and haven't left them in the trash to be forgotten. I'd love to see a story involving Wilson's brother some time in the future.

As long as Hugh Laurie is still on the show, I'll be there! Oh, and RSL needs to stick around too.

I just wish they weren't changing the time slot for next season. That means I'll have to record it and watch it after I put my son to bed. Oh well.

It was very interesting to hear words from two of the stellar writers on this show. And that is GREAT NEWS about the return of Lawrence Kaplow! I was gratified to hear that Lerner & Friend miss Cameron and Chase, too. I am still perplexed as to why their screentime has been signficantly reduced in favor of Thirteen and Taub, who emanate no electricity and have no chemistry with the other cast members, most notably Dr. House. A return to more clinic scenes and more classic episodes in S5 sounds great ... this has been a tough season for me to get through (I think it has lacked the quality of the first three seasons in so many ways), but I remain hopeful, especially after seeing an increase in quality in the post-strike episodes.

Wow, Barbara! Thanks for another excellent article! It must have been great fun to interview Friend and Lerner! I am so psyched for both the finale tomorrow night and for Season 5 that my heart is pounding!
Thanks sassydew! It was fun (and terrifying) to interview them. They were really nice.

In response to concerns about what was covered and not covered, I was the one asking the questions and directing the conversation. The discussion's lack of one character or another doesn't suggest any sort of preference or lack of screen time for next year.

I have always believed that the series is about House (and how those in his orbit are affected by and affect House). In the writers' defense, people were also getting on their case when it was clear that the fellows were fellows for much longer than realistic (at least within the Houseverse).

I apologize for the couple of errors--I actually knew that Kaplow got the WGA award (and not the Emmy), so I stand corrected. (Chalk it up to graduation weekend madness--not me--my daughter). And you are correct about "No Reason." Another "oops."

I am also thrilled that Kaplow is returning to the staff. I can't wait for his first season 5 episode!

To me (and really a cornerstone of my column here at Blogcritics) House's humanity is one of the most interesting and important threads of the show. When it takes a back seat, as it had earlier in the season, the show loses a bit of its heart and soul. When it's there, the show is at its best, and we can forgive House anything (almost).

Thanks to everyone who contributed thoughts and questions before the interview. I really did try to get some spoilers, but they wouldn't bite. The Leonard Kaplow "spoiler" is the best I could do!

Thanks for pointing out the two errors in the article. They have been now duly corrected.

bb

Barbara, you have nothing to apologize for! The interview and your article are both wonderful.

I have faith that all the writers, including Lerner, Friend, Kaplow, Egan, and Shore, know what is best for the show. Shore particularly will guide the storylines to follow his particular vision, and I'm willing to follow where that may lead. So far, they have not let me down, and here we are at Season 5 and it's 'full steam ahead'!
Really, I do not understand those who don't 'like' House because it isn't written to suit their personal whims. Seems quite egotistical to me, and yes, they should go watch something else. Perhaps this much-rumored spin-off should have a medical orientation and feature the original duckling trio in their own show. There appears to be an audience for that, from reading this blog's comments. Hey, I'd watch it, too! :)

Happy to hear about Kaplow, about the exploration of 'what makes House tick' in Season 5, and about additional clinic scenes!

Oh, and since we seem to be into correcting other's errors publicly, I'd like to mention that Hugh did not say that season 5 will be 28 episodes long. He was referring to the combination of filming season 4, episodes 13-16 and continuing straight through to the 24 planned for Season 5.
Let us all hope for a strike-less resolution to the SAG negotiations!

That was a wonderful article Barbara.

I am looking foreward to House/wilson. Not so much House/cuddy but I am willing to see it play out.

I had no problem with the old ducklings leaving as fellows but I did thought that some how they will come back into House's orbit and into full capacity at some point next season. There is so many things I want to know about Cameron and Chase since their backgrounds are so limited, I still think that they can bring more out of House, the characters didn't get boring I thought it was because they wrote the same thing for the characters over and over and I believe that there is more to a person then just one note, two note. So I hope we can dig in deeper to Cameron and chase and hopefully discover more about House through their relationships. That being said I think it will be interesting to see how cameron and chase can handle House now that they are not under his rule which is why I have been seeing their new postions more interesting and maybe a little wired cameron in the ER? Chase in surgery? They must have advanced super powers or something. But I hope to see more of them next season. I really don't want this season to be all House/wilson and House/cuddy it would just get boring.

Out of the new team I only like Kutner, he brings something new and refreshing to the table. The other two I don't care of because I would have fallen asleep by the time they finished their sentence (I am not kidding either, I really do fall asleep everytime I see them)

I was suprised that there are people saying that House has no humanity because it is there thanks to HL brilliant acting. Particuarly in the eyes and facial expressions.

I will be honest though I was a little bit surprised when they talk about reality but only go out of it when it suits them (survivor arc). I din't quite get it. I understood what they meant when the old team left and I agreed with them but when the survivor arc came out I began to question it. Because it was a little double standard.

But either way I am excited about this season finale. Thanks again for the review Barbara!

Art is imperfect. "House"-- as far as television goes-- is as close to art as they come.

And I seriously do not understand the Chase and Cameron fans who feel like they were robbed of backstory. They were played out. I don't care at all about them. The few times we've seen them in the post-strike episodes have been fun, and I don't want more.

All I know about cameron is that she has a brother, her husband died and that she is an athiest. Other than that nothing.

Great article Barbara. Just wish the writers had dropped some more spoilers. Another 18 hrs for the finale. Argh!!

I am tired of seeing this extended cast, and think its about time the writers made a decision about the team. Forman is the most annoying of the old cast in this season and has become so two dimensional. Forman needs to get out of this rut he is stuck in.

It has been interesting to see Chase, Cameron, and House interacting now that their circumstances have changed. I would like to see at least one episode next season where the new team ( Taub, Kutner and Hadley (13 was way cooler!!!) ) are away/unavailable, forcing House to work with his old team on a case. That would be fun.

Out of the new team, I got bored of Taub after "Don't Ever Change" and of Hadley (her name was the only interesting thing left) when they started (and have gotten stuck on) the bisexual thing. 13 showed promise early on in the series when there was that whole air of mystery around her, since then she has gotten boring and dull. I think one of the reasons for this might be the juggling act of trying to give everyone screen time. Kutner though is still fresh, funny, and interesting. Taub and 13 seem to have gotten bored of their jobs, which would be a really great way to kick them off the team and get CC back.

So basically what I'm saying is that they need to get rid of either 13 and Taub, or Cameron and Chase.

House wouldn't be Gregory House without Wilson the same way Holmes wouldn't have been Sherlock Holmes without Watson. Their interactions are an integral part of the series.

Anyone know when season 5 is supposed to start airing?

Excellent article!

I do truly trust the writers on House - they seem like a professional bunch with both vision and an eye for detail.

It does make me a little nervous that they're writing season 5 without a complete plan yet...but am crossing my fingers.

I don't desperately miss the old team. I'm more into the grown ups!

Can't wait for some House/Cuddy action. Come on writers, Katie Jacobs promised us season 4, but then the strike happened..plz let something happen in Seaons 5 :)

I'm glad to hear House will be back in the clinic!!

Wonderful write up of your important "get" Barbara! I am delighted with all the news you have broken in this interview particularly the fact that the writing team is still pondering what to do about Wilson's brother. It is heartening to learn that the concerns of us nit-picking fans are reflected in the musings of these excellent writers. Now if we could only learn where Wilson was during House's infarction, I would rest contentedly.

I have not missed Chase and Cameron one bit this season and would gladly trade all their highly repetitious scenes for more from the clinic. Those random encounters with ordinary patients hold an infinite variety of humor, pathos, and insight into the human condition and I look forward to seeing more from the clinic next season. Add lots more on the sizzling House/Cuddy front and I will be a satisfied camper indeed.

House's humanity and his struggle to express/suppress it is at the heart of this marvelous show. Hugh Laurie's brave work gives texture and depth to the wonderfully complex words concocted by Shore, Lerner, Friend, Egan, Hess, and the incomparable Lawrence Kaplow. We are so fortunate to have this sterling team creating "House" for our pleasure.

Like Boffle I have never been so enthralled by a TV series as I am by House . As somebody else ( sorry forget who ) said House is as close to art as TV drama has ever come.Quick witted , sure footed , profound and funny - it packs more into one episode than other series do in a whole season.In House the writers have created a character that lives outside the box, that provokes and engages us like Hamlet and Hugh Laurie, our perfect Bertie Wooster, has revealed that he is a great tragic actor ( of course,it helps that he looks like an El Greco saint ! )

I dread to think that I would have dismissed House MD as just another Hospital soap had I not hit on an episode by accident.

Thanks for a revealing nterview, Babara. I am really glad to hear that the writing team intends to concentrate more on House in Season 5. There is still so much to explore in that complex inner world.

As always Barbara you have given us a great opportunity to peek behind the curtains. But this time, instead of a peek behind House's curtains we get a peek behind the show itself.

First I need to squee a bit. Great news on the return of Lawrence Kaplow. I really felt he brought that playful element to House that no one else seems to hit as squarely on the head. Not to take away from any of the other writers, they are all head and shoulders above. But each has a particular aspect of House that they bring out best, as you've pointed out with Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend affinity for bringing out House's humaity better than any of the others. LK just does mischievious House the very best.

I love that childish, playful House and I think that was glaringly absent in season 4 (Maybe for more reasons than just LK's absence, like an abrieviated season). But LK also, has a great way of bringing that same humanity and emotional pain into the mix as a beautiful undercurrent to that playfulness. And he still manages to keep the jerk factor at a high level. That just blows my mind (as well as the balancing act all the writers on this show have displayed throughout the run)

Anyhow, I wanted to really comment on two things. One, These guys wrote a fantastic set of episodes! I think that worry about the departure from the normal inevitably bringing comparisons to "Three Stories" is a great worry to have. It has prompted them to rise to another level of intensity that has yielded some of the most memorable televison I have seen. Even though I have not seen the second part (is it 9:00 yet?!) I cannot forsee a let down. Thank you, Mr. Lerner and Mr. Friend it is a pleasure to watch your creation.

And second, I wanted to briefly throw my hat into the ring on the overpopulation of the show and the concerns that seems to be bringing on all levels.

I can only speak for myself but as long as you folks keep writing the amazing scritps and Hugh Laurie keeps bringing it on I don't care who you have flitting around the edges. This is what the show is about for me.

I love Wilson and Cuddy and would certainly be saddened if they leave, just as I am with the minimal screen time the old ducks are getting, but I realize that this show is and always has been about House. If you watch it for any other reason you may be missing the point.

Yes, we need the peripheral characters for House to bounce off of and they need to be developed, or things will suffer, We have to care about them as well for it to work and thus we, as an audience, become attached. THat is as it should be, but I think TPTB made a fantastic decision in doing what they did. From the get go I was saddened most by the loss of Chase as he was just "getting it". But then I thought if he is getting it why does he need to be around House anymore?

David Shore has done us all a favor and kept this show real and organic. In reality these folks would not be hanging around under House's guidance for any longer.They would be leaving to pursue their own careers, using the lessons they have learned from House to do what they do. Maybe, occasionally flitting in to see or visit or consult with House.

Thank you Mr. Shore for having the goombas to stick to your vision and do this. Sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees.

And thanks Barbara. I hope you have more opportunities in the future to talk with the folks behind the scenes at House and allow us the pleasure of getting these little peeks behind the scenes.

The relationship between House and Cuddy? What about all the unresolved sexual tension between House and Wilson?

The relationship between House and Cuddy? What about all the unresolved sexual tension between House and Wilson?

Seriously! They make such a cute couple. They should just get it over with and get married already.

I agree with you Toni, Wilson and House make such a cute couple that they should get married already. And I really hope Katie Jacobs is the bridesmaid.

Thank you for this wonderful and insightful article. Most interviewers these days seem to not really care much about what questions the audience wants answered which results - more often than not - in having a dozen interviews with the same old questions and - how else could it be - nearly identical answers from the powers that be. So, thank you for having gone deeper into the minds of us normal folks and the writers. I think quite a lot has been revealed and I am completely and utterly psyched for the next season.

Dankeschön!

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and contributions to the "discussion." Sorry for being a bit AWOL, myself, but real life (daughter's college graduation) called me to Boston (and very, very limited time).

I am completely psyched for the finale (thank goodness Keith Olbermann is on to distract me until showtime!). Love to know everyone's thoughts after the show. My review will probably be up some time on tomorrow or Wednesday morning.

This article is great, and so are the comments. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, everybody!

Thoughts regarding the show? !! First of all it was absolutely amazing, a magical masterpiece, wonderfully beautiful, horribly sad... THE best House episode to date. Was anybody else sobbing uncontrollably? I watched another video clip today and cried my eyes out. No show, or movie, for that matter, has ever made cry so hard. Wow.

Can't wait to read more of your articles, Barbara and see more comments re the finale!

Thanks, Clara.
My finale review is up on BC as well at this point. One of the reasons I specifically asked to speak to Lerner and Friend was that they just seem to "get" the character of House. They always manage to access his essential humanity and his nobility (as well as his tragedy) better than any of the other writers (with the exception of Shore or Kaplow). They certainly did not disappoint.

Kudos to the whole writing staff for the season-long Amber story arc. She was slipped in under the radar at the start of the season in the "new interns" story. The story ended, she left, and then, out of the blue, she popped up again, becoming more and more a significant presence, until the heart-wrenching finale. Wow, very clever, inspired writing. (And props to Anne Dudek for displaying an amazing range of acting chops, going from the Cutthroat Bitch that everyone hated to Amber, whose tragic fate was so deeply moving.) Thanks and congratulations to the whole cast and crew; very well done.

Season IV was a bit of a disappointed, the new characters, Thirteen, Taub, Kutner were boring, only Amber added some extra value. Gimme back Cameron and Chase.

House alone won't do it, the success of season 1-3 is the combination of the House character, the medical puzzle and other strong characters such as the episodes with Vogler (season 1), House ex Stacey (season 2) and Tritter (season 3).

Nothing of that in season 4.

more house and cameron please..and please revive the old team..

Hello! I am russian fan of "House md". I am very excited about the show and looking forward 5 season. It's really great show!!! To see new episods i have to download from internet and then download subs to understand some moments, but its worth of that efforts.
I think that first of all the show is about House. And i really dont care about Cameron, Chase and Forman. They were great, but i did welcomed the new team.
House/Caddy and House/Willson are awesome. The others - just a background.
And yes, it would be great to see House and Caddy relationship (but of cuz it will never work and can ruin the atmosphere)....
So i want to see House, and can take every change till he is brilliant jerk and brilliant doctor.

Great interview. Thanks for posting it!

Im a fan of this series..........HOUSE MD is so great, everything about it.the cast, the stories, and of course DR. HOUSE himself. He reminds me of my friend, who's a Doctor also. Im a medical representative, and I would be very happy to meet a Doctor like him.

Hope to see the SEASON 5 very soon.

love ya!!!!!1

What happened to TV? I love watching House, I think it is a very well written witty show, but come on. We waited till April 28th for the 2008 season to begin and it was finished by the end of May. What is that, all of four episodes, maybe five?

As much as the actors, writers, directors get paid you think they could give us viewers a little more.....

@ KS Superstar:
Not true:
the 2008 season started in Februari. Guess you missed some episodes.

After the writerstrike had ended, they began writing new episodes again, and those new ones they had finished then aired from April 28th onwards.

All tv series were affected by that writers strike, not just House.

As David Shore said in a recent interview:
They had to struglle to even get those few last episodes shown, because Fox had actually not planned on getting House back at all this TV eason, and had only wanted them back on air in the fall for season 5.
So if you really want to blame someone: blame Fox.

the season actually began last September. It ran through early december before the impact of the strike hit. They had only three episodes in the can at the strike's start, which ran at the end of January and into the first week of February. then the show was on an extended hiatus until the end of april.

The season in the US did not begin in February. In Europe and elsewhere, the season may have begun at different times.

I have that theory about this stones song, "You can't always get what you want".

First, Rolling Stones lyrics :

I saw her today at a reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
And if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

[...]

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him

[...]

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands

You can't always get what you want
And if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

*****

What is the link with House MD season finale 4 ?

WARNING SPOILERS. WARNING SPOILERS.

Well... "You can't always get what you want", Amber said at the end.
And that's a new enlightment for the episode.

"I saw her today at a reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man"

House meets Amber while he stands in a bar, with a glass in his hand, and she soon drinks one. They actually feel connected by their personalities, as said for a few episodes ("Oh my god, you're dating me" House tells to Wilson), and it seems they had feelings for each other (even if these were weaker than their feelings for Wilson (love/friendship)). And House walks with a cane, he's lost a leg, he's a "footloose man".


"I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled"

They tranported Amber to an other hospital (well it doesn't make full sense but whatever).


"I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red"

James Wilson, Jimmy, did look pretty ill, especially when he worried about his girl. House decides to "have a drink" with him (and verify the diagnosis) at Sharrie's bar. "Why would she drink sherry if it wasn't relevant ?", House asked after having hallucinating about Amber. So, why would they deal with cherry if it wasn't for the song in the episode ?


"I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead""

Later, House gives his final diagnosis, his "song" : there's only one answer, "and that was "dead"". "Am I dead ?" Amber says in the end, in few words... Wilson answers "I love you", but they know what he means. And that was "dead".


"I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands"

The "bleeding man" could be anxious Wilson, or even House, literally bleeding from his ear (and this wound seems useless in the story) when he has a bath to find his memories.
The viewer wonders if Amber cheated on Wilson that night, because she's "practiced at the art of deception" : she's still a cut-throat bitch.
"Blood-stained hands" could refer to her personality (she could have metaphorically blood on her hands because of the things she did to get the job), but seems more likely refer to the bus crash : House has literally "blood stained hands" (but it can be metaphorical too), but Amber can have too, since she's wounded (even if the rest of the wounded seem to still have perfect dentition after the accident).

And finally,
"You can't always get what you want.
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need"

The episode shows in a cruel way that "you can't always get what you want". House can't live in a pain-free world, in his coma, forever. But he needs to live, and wakes up as soon as he tries.

Hum... This chorus can be applied to many situations (and this is what makes its strenght). But series writers seem to like it particularly (it appears many times in Californication, and in House MD season 1). With the strike or not, I wonder if the scenarists get inspiration from that song to write this episode. It deals with medical issues ("prescription", "drugstore", "blood-stained hands"), and Gregory House is rock'n'roll.

Maybe Amber's last words in the serie are only pop-wisedom, and not the meaning, the plan, of the season finale, and the interpretation is just a coincidence. Obviously, it's nothing but a personal interpretation, but if it's just a coincidence, it's an interesting one.

=)

Linmark--Very inventive. I like it! Very interesting theory about the song, which has sort of become an alternate theme for the series.

Hello! I'm another russian fan of "House md"(see 7 - 8 comments above).I hadn't to download new episods from internet and then download subs to understand some moments - I watched the show(c) on-line and dubbed...but,oh,sorry,that looks kinda personal attack..or not?Anyway,nothing like this won't happen again.Honestly.
So,the show.I think it must not go on.Four seasons are enough.Five-that's QUITE enough.Don't soap House,pliiiiiiiiiiiz!
Loveline House/Cuddy sucks.House/Wilson as well.I believe House will die alone,or he wouldn't be House.
People,who knows if they used Stephen Duffy&The Lilac Time's song "Nothing can last" in Wilson's theme in 5th season? Hope they used,because it really suits,especially in the moment "...love is like cancer,it's killing me faster than time..."
Thanks God House exist!
Also thanks to House's creators who magic on serial hardly.Thanks to people who proved to be actors,and not true doctors,as I thought first(I still doubt).
Special gratitude to Barbara Barnett who wasn't lazy about writting such a tremendous article.