Part One of this two-part piece examines House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy’s (Lisa Edelstein) relationship (known in the House fandom as “Huddy”) during the first three season of House, M.D. If the first three seasons of House laid the groundwork for a House-Cuddy relationship, it did so slowly (sometimes invisibly).
Whatever might have begun to flower at the end of the third season, was placed backburner as House embarked on an overlong multi-episode arc to replace the two fellows who quit (Foreman and Cameron), and the fired Chase. Dominated by this eight episode story arc and shortened by a writers strike, season four had little time for fanning the nascent sparks between House and his boss. However, several episodes, including “Ugly,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Living the Dream” feature moments of flirtation and charged banter between them.
For example. In “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” when Cuddy asks House to prepare performance review for his team, he eschews the responsibility in typical Housian fashion; instead he delivers a pointed performance review of his boss. “[Y]ou're desperate to have someone jump on you and tell you they love you one grunted syllable at a time. What you want, you run away from. What you need, you don't have a clue. What you've accomplished makes you proud, but you're still miserable.” House’s review hits the mark, and it’s not until the end of season six that Cuddy actually realizes just how accurately. Obviously, House’s answer to what she wants and needs is “House.”
In “Living the Dream,” House articulates what he desires from Cuddy (professionally), but does it on the phone in such an intimate way, it’s practically a seduction. He wants Cuddy to stop him from the most reckless part of himself, admonishing her that she should be fired for allowing him to go too far out on a limb with his patient, even though in the end his diagnosis is correct. But with Cuddy taking the phone call late at night in bed, and punctuated with his “what are you wearing?” and soft-spoken “Goodnight, Cuddy,” it’s absolutely courtship—House-style.
In “House’s Head” we are once inside House’s subconscious—glimpsing Cuddy through that prism. As in season three’s “Top Secret,” Cuddy's role in House’s mind is to help solve a case. But this time it’s an erotic fantasy conjured when House drugs himself to recover short term memory lost after sustaining a serious brain trauma. In a too-small school-girl uniform, Cuddy performs an seductive strip tease for House while engaging in the sexiest differential diagnosis I’ve seen on the show. She is House’s ultimate woman, at once brainy and sexual—and all in his head. And in the final scene, when House has pushed himself past all reason to recover his lost memories, he goes into cardiac arrest. Wilson and Cuddy team to administer CPR, but it’s Cuddy who gives House “the kiss of life.”
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Buddha's Delight
Hi Barbara! Although I've been a regular [H]ouse enthusiast ever since my roommate introduced me to the series back during the middle of Season 5, I've only started reading and catching up on your articles over this past summer hiatus.
Even though I've never been a so-called "shipper" when it comes to TV shows, the Hepburn-Tracy vibe between House and Cuddy makes it (very) difficult not to be pulled into the emotional vortex that is their long mutually entangled history. Despite (or because of?) his vast and well-documented flaws, House remains the underdog that you just can't help rooting for. And Cuddy is the only woman that has ever been able to furiously push House's buttons with equal parts passion, frustration, admiration, and glee. The relationship between these two will never be anywhere near happily-ever-after, but that hardly means that it will be grand tragedy either, just life lived to it's fullest measure, for good and for ill.
By the way, congratulations on the release of your book, Barbara! Here's to much success in your new venture.
2 - LizzieE
A heartfelt vote for the "complex weave". After all, its been a long and winding road to this point. I must admit that I have become increasingly protective of Cuddy as the seasons have progressed and, even though I root for Huddy, I recognize that any long term relationship will require nuturing and protection. Can House nuture and protect? Issues in relationships have no right or wrong answers, unlike the puzzles so integral to House's world. I worry that, once the goal (Cuddy) has been achieved, the relationship driver for House is gone. It is unclear to me if he can truely be the one with Cuddy and not the one with the answers over the long term. From the other side of the aisle, Cuddy has given up a stable relationship with Lucas, albeit mundane, for one with an "interesting lunatic". She is, for once in her life, not doing the right thing (you go girl).
I trust that the writers are committed to the relationship and will explore its many facets within the story arcs in an organic rather than a forced way. Bring on season 7.
3 - Zay
For me, I'm torn on how the relationship will end up next season. I loved it in S3 the most - flirtatious, so close to being somewhere, but so charming and hilarious and warm, if tense.
Reading Barbara's (always amazing) analysis, Season 6 made sense - but watching it the first time as a casual TV enthusiast, it felt tired and forced to me, somehow. So I have absolutely no idea how Season 7 is going to turn out for me. I'm terrified that they're going to hammer it in to the point where it's like what Cuddy said: "It's not fun anymore." I'm all for an emotionally tumultuous journey, but House is truly a playful man and to rob him of that just because he's in love would be awful.
That being said, I am thoroughly intrigued as to how this is all going to play out. Thanks for yet another awesome food-for-thought piece, Barbara, and I can't WAIT for the premiere (and, of course, your thoughts on said premiere, because House is never complete for me without you).
4 - Janine
In regards to the desk, I always had the notion that House had planned the med school desk gift all along, even before the hostage situatino took place and Cuddy's office was destroyed. If you remember, the episode started with House demolishing Cuddy's desk one drawer at a time. I think that the office remodel just provided a more opputune way to present her with the gift. I understand what Zay means about season six. Watching it a first time, some of the Cuddy/Lucas episodes seemed a little irksome. But looking back (keeping in mind the way the season ended) the whole arc made perfect sense and was actually quite well written. House became an adult about Cuddys relationship, proving that he really did love her, so much so that he wanted her to be happy even if it was with someone other than himself. Also, in second viewing, there are so many hints that Cuddy was not truely happy and that dating someone new, LIke Lucas was what she needed to realize that what she needed and wanted to be happy was House. One episode that comes to mind was "Moving the Chains" which I rewatched for the first time the other day. At then end of the episode, when Lucas asks Cuddy why she is not upset about House and Wilson buying her "dream house" she states "its just a house" as if she really was not ready to move in with Lucas. Then when Lucas asks if she is being so casual about the situation because she cares about House and doesn't want to hurt him, Cuddy gives Lucas a big kiss. I remember origionally, many in the fandom were unhappy with that scene, but looking back at it with the season ender in mind, I think that Cuddy gave him that kiss not to show her affection but to shut him up in a way of hiding the fact that her heart still in some way belonged to House.
I am literally counting down the days until the season seven premier and I can not wait to see how this relationship plays out, and based on the previews of the first two episodes alone, it appears as thought it is going to be a fun and interesting ride!
5 - Jay
I agree with what everyone is saying in that Season 6, in retrospect, makes perfect sense, although it still has some of its flaws. I think in an interview, Lisa Edelstein said that the show will be focusing on what viewers fear will happen to the show if the two leads get together (The show will become boring, The show will become predictable, House will loss his sense of fun, etc...) by addressing those same issues in their relationship (they will become boring, they will become predictable, they will become less fun individually, etc...). So, hopefully, none of those things will happen. I really hope that we get the charming and funny banter between the two of them back!
6 - Janine
@Jay
based on the previews so far, it seems like we do (if you've seen the preview with "have you seen wild kingdom" you will know what I mean)
7 - Delia_Beatrice
Barbara, thank you for the second part of your article - it helped my own journey down the memory lane, trying to fill my mind with all that i adore about Huddy, so that my experience of the "nuclear" premiere is as full as possible.
I congratulate you on the use of the "kiss of life” expression " it bears volumes of true significance, since in "House's Head" we witnessed their first real lips-touching sort of “kiss of life”, but at least the second one in terms of salvation (since House in jail and without a medical license would have equaled death for him, so Cuddy’s salvation in “Words and Deeds” is at least one other time in which she practically saves his life), and definitely not the last " she culminates her long, long battle of saving him from the world and himself with the ultimate kiss of life, in “Help Me”.
In regard to our previous discussion, about Wilson’s and Cuddy’s roles as archetypal father and mother in House’s life, what happens in “Wilson’s Heart” is yet another brick in this construction. Wilson, faced with the desperation of losing his girlfriend, openly asks House to risk his life to save Amber’s " openly choosing her over him. After House does so, but Amber dies anyway (without it having anything to do with an actual fault of House’s, who has put enormous personal sacrifice into trying to save her), Wilson abandons his best friend, not being able to hold both his grief and his ambivalence about House’s role in the life-changing events that preceded the accident. Throughout this whole insanely dramatic situation, through the tragedy, misery, fault and damnation, it is Cuddy who is constantly there for House, trying, as always, to understand, support and breathe life into him.
In regard to the kiss in “Joy”, the way it is performed is phenomenal. It is House who stops the kiss, his eyes closed, catching his breath, while Cuddy is still standing on her tiptoes, trying not to break away from the kiss and the embrace. However, it is still she who opens her eyes first " he needs more time to recollect himself enough for that shattered “good night”, which she replies to in a similarly lost and broken voice.
Sensational little detail that needs mentioning: the morning after, in “The Itch”, as he spots Cuddy outside his office, certain about what she wanted to talk about, House presses his lips together, as if to take in a flavor or better taste something, in an involuntary gesture that points towards him literally feeling the kiss on his lips during all his awake hours that passed since the previous night.
In regard to House’s reaction in “Let Them Eat Cake”, I believe that the correct interpretation to his gesture of rude rejection can be deciphered based on his conversation with Taub, immediately after. Obviously sad and upset, House says “you gave something away to make a relationship work” and, a few seconds later, “Cuddy doesn’t always get what she wants”. Given the grand romantic gesture of offering her the desk, I think that House had been having the deep, romantic nature of their relationship on his mind " while Cuddy’s flirtatious behavior, as well as her words in the final “grabbing” scene, point towards a more superficial approach. Cuddy wanted to flirt, have sex and have fun. House was already aware that he wanted much more than that, so he panicked and pushed her away, giving up on the flirtatious fun they were having, in order to try for something deeper after she got the desk and understood the true nature of his interest in her and his intentions. A plan that backfired on them, in their proverbial race against time and the bad luck of always being on different pages " until now, of course.
In regard to your poll, like most respondents, i agree with the "It will quickly become simply part of the show's complex weave and played out in small moments" version. Of course, for a number of episodes in the beginning of this season, Huddy will be the essential focus of the show " justly so, if for no other reason than it being a situation in which we have never seen House before. The premiere promises a format-breaking episode, in which we are going to be rewarded with an intimate, continuous and intense peak into the beginning and formation of this sensational couple. Later on, we will witness their struggle to adapt this new situation and the old strings of their lives " trying to find their footing at work, in regard to the House-Wilson friendship and in regard to Cuddy’s daughter. Also, they need to reveal to us House’s inner struggle with his own demons, his effort to attempt for real happiness and his difficulties in doing so. But these can only be the central focus of the show for a short while (not even a full half a season, I guess) , in which time the issues they are facing will be far from reaching final solutions " but they will gradually fade into becoming a part of the layers and weave of the show, while the continual processes of building their relationship and finding solutions to their problems will be addressed in small moments " exactly the type of moments that are loaded with significance, the tiny peaks into House’s depths and true nature, the emotion-loaded, authentic and spectacular subtle little moments that the writers of “House” manage to handle like no others. Oh, what a ride we’re in for! I am literally thanking them in advance for it!
8 - Delia_Beatrice
I apologize for the weird punctuation of my comment - for fear my internet connection might play a nasty trick on me, i wrote my comment in Word on my computer, and apparently, my "-" sign gets misinterpreted into those weird little things when copied here.
9 - simona
First I want to thank Barbara and Delia_Beatrice for the kind answers in the first Huddy thread (about CZ) :-)
And now, after reading this second part of Huddy story, I can only add that the expression "kiss of life" is very touching and true and completely fitting with the twenty-year history between the two.
About the poll I choose the "It will quickly become simply part of the show's complex weave and played out in small moments" because I would not like the excessive focus on Huddy. Well...really...to be completely honest I would like it very much :-)) but I realize that maybe we would lose the totality and complexity of the House's journey. But I take comfort in knowing that finally Huddy is an integral part of this trip and I'm sure will be a source of enrichment and that certainly will not impoverish either will make it less intriguing. On the contrary, I see Huddy as a scalpel in the writers' hands and I think we'll gradually see more clearly the shape of this magnificent sculpture that is House.
I am happy to be able to continue to observe and discuss with you all the House's journey on next season 7 because without your comments I couldn't fully appreciate it.
10 - Delia_Beatrice
Simona, you are most welcome.
Indeed, indeed. It will be an amazing journey of revelation and emotion and i cannot wait to witness, and comment (!), it.
I think both your wishes, which are mine too, will be granted. As i said, apparently Huddy is the focus of the beginning of this season, and justly so, given the complexity of this spectacular relationship and the difficulties of starting it up and adjusting to it. But later on, it will probably become a part of the regular structure of the show - truth be told, it will probably be the most rewarding part of the show in terms of House's emotional nakedness, the intensity and depth of the emotions and feelings involved, and the magic of their interactions.
And if i may - i absolutely cannot believe this is the Monday before THE Monday... I wish the creative team of "House", as well as Hugh and Lisa, the best of luck in terms of ratings and just and well-deserved appreciation of their work.
11 - Zay
You commenters always baffle me with your complex, well-thought-out responses to every one of Barbara's posts - particularly Delia_Beatrice. Sometimes I come back just to read the thread of comments. It's good stuff.
That being said...
I wish the creative team of "House", as well as Hugh and Lisa, the best of luck in terms of ratings and just and well-deserved appreciation of their work.
-- Amen to that!
S6 was a mixed bag for me, but here's to hoping S7 will be awesome all the way. I love Huddy - dunno why haters get their panties in a twist ranting about it - and I'm going to trust everyone on Team House to blow my mind. This show is such a huge part of my life - I spent a sad amount of my summer waiting for next Monday - and I really cannot wait to see what comes next in House-land.
12 - Janine
This clip was just released and I thought it went nicely with this article. Its a retrospect of "Huddy" released by the House people. There is a clip from the new season at the end. It is not a big deal but for those hard core spoilerphobes, stop the video after the words "that was then this is now" come up on the screen.
13 - Janine
P.S. @Zay
I too also come back just to read the comment thread.
14 - Delia_Beatrice
@Zay: thank you so much. That was a lovely-phrased compliment, if i may, and it gave me great pleasure to read it:)
Well, our summers don't have to be sad. The wait is a killer, indeed, but i numb the pain by making my summers all about "House"-marathons. I watch all the previous seasons in a row. Did it last summer, did it this summer - still doing it, i have a few episodes of season 6 left and I planned it so that i watch "Baggage" and "Help Me" on Sunday, September 19th.
It is an extraordinary experience - the continuity and coherence of the show are phenomenal. It is an exquisite character study, impeccable building of characters since the very beginning - the inner psychological structure of each character is flawlessly unraveled before us. Flawlessly - not one single slip, not one single inconsistency. Everything can be explained by their core psych structures.
Same goes about the relationships " one can watch all seasons of “House” and focus exclusively on the House-Wilson and House-Cuddy relationships, and the inner structure, the development and the psychological and even ontological subtleties of these two relationships are enough to fill one’s mind. It is truly fascinating.
@Janine: funny you should mention that, i was just thinking about it:)
I have seen all Huddy retrospects that were released this summer, but i was disappointed. I felt that the essence of Huddy, the true magic that got so many of us hooked, failed to be captured in any of them. I haven't seen any "Huddy history", made by the FOX people, that highlights the essential moments of Huddy and the sensational mix of the deep layer (the loyalty, the support, the deep understanding and knowledge of each other, the love, the longing, the pain, the salvation) and the fun layer (bickering, banter and sexual tension).
A, well. Enough complaining.
15 - Janine
@Delia-B
I'm guessing the choice for the clips in the retrospects, at least in this case, are to reassure the fans that the banter between House and CUddy, which so many feared would dissappear and "ruin the show" will still be there. No preview could capture all of Huddy, after all it took Barbar 14 pages as well as hundreds of comments from us to bring forth all the significant moments. to turn that into a video, it would be an hour long!
BTW just rewatched "Help Me' and still get all happy at that final scene. Can't wait till next week. :)
16 - ruthinor
Happy New Year to Barbara. Amazon is finally shipping your book out. I'm eager to read it. For anyone who is interested, some reviews have come out for episodes 1 and 2 this season and they seem to be uniformly good, and mention some sort of twist at the end of # 1.
17 - ruthinor
This is the longest review. If you don't want to read any spoilers at all, don't read it. But it's actually very vague and gives nothing away. It just whets the appetite.
18 - barbara barnett
Thanks everyone for all of your kind words (and holiday wishes).
Delighted that CZ is finally shipping quickly from Amazon. all orders should be fulfilled pretty quickly at this point. and it's in stock.
19 - Rebecca (Aggelie)
Thank you Barbara for your superb analysis of this complex relationship. And as always I have to express my appreciation for all the insightful comments that follow both your articles.
Congratulations on the release of your book. I'm delighted to learn that Amazon orders are filled quickly now. I can't wait to get my hands on the copy I ordered!
As for your pole, I have voted for “become simply part of the show's complex weave and played out in small moments”. Delia Beatrice saved me the trouble of justifying my choice with her eloquent argumentation!
20 - Janine
@Ruthinor
can you post links for some of the other review? ALso were any of them more specific than this one? I am so excited for the 20th, and theres less than a week to go!
21 - barbara barnett
I should have a chance to pre-screen the episode and will post my previewish thoughts (no real spoilers, sorry) towards the end of the week, depending when--and if I get access. Be patient. We've waited allllll summer. Less than a week to go!
22 - Flo
good analysis Barbara.
I like the scene in Ugly at the end. It shows the intimacy, the banter and show how well they know each other.
They really are both screwed up, and for all these years we were able to see how similar they are in a lot of ways. They really pushed the dance as far they could and now, it's definitely time to explore the relationship fully. What are we gonna learn from those complex characters? Wait and see.
What I also like about this relationship is, it's about two fortysomething people who try to have a life outside their jobs even while being bad at it. I can understand the reluctant dance because, it's less easy to take a risk and go to, what you know is gonna be, a complicated relationship. It's not as if you were twenty and in love and you have your life ahead of you and you just go with it with gutso. They didn't do that, and now, they're not so young anymore and are more reluctant to "jump of a cliff". The fact that they decided to take that step anyway is really huge, especially after the laundry number of failures in that department for them.
The hiatus wasn't so hard on me. Like Delia, I re-watched all the previous seasons and wrote a lot of analysis to keep me busy. I still have few season six episodes to watch and a second part of an article to write. Monday is gonna come sooner than we think!!
Can't wait to read your book.
23 - ruthinor
*** (spoilers below) Janine, The reviews were extremely short. Matt Roush of TV Guide said that he thought that Hugh Laurie was terrific in the opening episodes and below are some questions answered by the second reviewer. Sorry, but copy and paste works for me everywhere but here! I don't know why. Barbara seems able to correct it. I look forward to what she has to say about the episodes.
24 - Janine
@Ruthinor
THanks
@Barbara
can't wait for your reveview and hopefully pre screening thoughts. T- 6 days and counting
25 - ann uk
Will House be happy? Can he be happy ? Do we even want him to be happy ? Don't we all love his dark, romantic soul ? And yet and yet...........I don't want their love to end in failure. House was able to sustain a long term relationship with Stacy which was only ended by the catastrophe of his being crippled and, as she says, he was much the same House then - though he has struggled through hard times since then.
But the brilliant House team must have considered all this and so far their invention has never failed us.