Part of House’s problem is that he’s handcuffed by his belief that words in and of themselves are meaningless: cheap and hollow gestures designed to make us feel good without having an impact on the victim. It’s something he’s talked about since the beginning of the series. And even after therapy, I’m not sure House really believes that words can heal (sometimes) as well as actions—and not everything has to be “fixed” to be put to rights. But he’s tried (and continues to try to try).
House has come a long way this season from the world-weary man who could barely force himself to enter a pub to schmooze with his fellows (season three’s “Half-Wit”).
He’s gone speed dating; he’s taken cooking classes and danced with Cuddy. When Cuddy broke his heart in “Known Unknowns,” House acts like a grownup (well, after the aforementioned unsuccessful sabotage effort). Admitting to Wilson that he is far from “OK” with her rejection, House has chosen to move on rather than sink into a funk and numb himself with drugs—or worse.
Where will House end up by season’s end is anyone’s guess (if you haven’t read spoilers…and even then). As we wait for the season to start up again, I look forward to seeing where House’s journey takes him next. A big part of me keeps thinking of something David Shore (and Hugh Laurie) once said about the character: “two steps forward and three back”). And I think therein lies the biggest clue.
So? What do you all think? What fate is in store for our favorite anti-hero? (No spoilers, please.)
The next new House airs April 12 with “Lockdown,” directed by Mr. Laurie himself. He is also scheduled to appear on Jay Leno April 9.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Zay
I always read your blogs, Barbara, but it's never occurred to me that I should comment. And as there aren't any comments yet, I figure I should. I'm definitely a fan.
This article was perceptive, as always, and makes me feel better that I'm not the only one slightly unnerved that this season feels so unsure and "off." I think you're right - the fact that House is still kind of finding his footing means that the show will feel the same way.
All the same, I wish that could be better justified. I almost wish House would fall apart again. It feels like we still haven't been privy to the full impact being institutionalized had on him. We're just coasting right now, with the writing and the plots, focusing on everyone but House. If there was some scene, with or without other character witnesses, where we could see House even vaguely acknowledging his current state - piano, words, anything - I'd feel a bit better. Not sure if that made a lot of coherent sense, but there you have it.
Anyway, I am absolutely DYING to see this new episode - Hugh Laurie directing, Jennifer Morrison returning, the formula-breaking layout - and, as ever, I can't wait to read your take on that.
Cheers!
2 - Val S
Barbara--great food for thought as usual. I've certainly thought about this season during the--all too long--hiatuses.
I touched upon this more in-depth on your fan page discussion so I will try and be brief. This season has felt a bit "off-kilter" to most everyone it sounds like, but for me it seemed off because House himself was a bit off. Seems he was processing Mayfield events all season and taking steps towards humanity all season...baby steps, as they liked to say. If the season could be a character, then season six is it.
I saw 'Paternity' again the other day and House is quite different at this point than he was in the first season. Who knows if the final episodes will see more growth or regression. Really hard to guess at this point. If so, I hope it's only baby steps back. The small steps he made this season are actually quite something when you compare him to a House of five or six years ago.
V excited for the Laurie-helmed episode coming up! And, can't wait for your take on it as well. Enjoying the fan page and can't wait for Chasing Zebra...thanks for the explanation on that one :)
I hope Mr. Laurie will also visit his pal on the Late Late Show very soon. They are always a riot together and HL always seems relaxed.
3 - Josie
Barbara,
I really enjoy your column. I more fully understand each House episode after reading what you have to say. I think what's frustrating about this season is that House, the man, is stagnant. His only relationship is still with Wilson--no other friends, no love interests. He does his job, goes to therapy, and sits at Wilson's home watching porn and the Discovery channel. He hasn't even mended his relationship with his mother. I think Lockdown is going to shake things up. Hopefully we'll see more of what's happening inside House's head. Hopefully, we'll see more of House period--I'm getting a bit bored of the stories of the secondary characters.
4 - Eileen
Barbara, like Josie, I, too, enjoy your comments and explanations after each episode because they help me understand and see things that I didn't quite see while watching the episode. That said, however, I feel this whole season has been relatively flat and unexciting (except for "5 to 9"). I am one of those people who really looked forward to seeing House move forward in a relationship with Cuddy this season. I so miss their back and forth teasing and bantering and feel that she really gets him as a person (at least the parts he's willing to show). The special connection they share was completely underutilized this whole season! What a shame that Shore et al didn't choose to go that route. As a fan, I waited five years to see something happen in that area, only to be sorely disappointed this season. I know that their relationship would be far from perfect (what relationship is for that matter!), but I think we could see a really interesting side of House if he and Cuddy would let each other into each ones' hearts.
5 - Liz
This is again too Huddy focused for my liking. I was hoping (again) for a more neutral POV this time (have been a silent reader for a while) - for example, that also takes into consideration the hallucination in No Reason with Cameron (the sexiest of all hallucinations because it's so subtle and emotional imo), but instead there's only a focus on Cuddy (too much, it's not all about Cuddy). Obviously only a POV a Huddy shipper can share. Sorry, I really like you're style of wrting, but considering your Huddy-only POV I will step back from reading your blog again.
6 - barbara barnett
Thanks all for sharing your comments. Liz--I focused on the Moriarty hallucination for a reason (so to speak). I agree that the scene at the end of "No Reason" was incredibly sexy and obviously part of House's fantastical thinking. But this wasn't an episode review (I don't think I've ever done an episode review on "No Reason" and maybe I will at some point.) I think I had one small section about Cuddy and her relationship with House. I didn't even talk about his season five delusion/fantasy about Cuddy. But I suppose your mileage may vary. If you see me only as a "Huddy" fan (and everyone has their favorite relationship--and I've been called to task by the Huddy-folk this season for saying very little about that relationship lately) in me, I can't really help that. Its the relationship the character is most focused on at this point.
7 - DebbieJ
This season should be a transitional one for Gregory House, but with all the long breaks between episodes it's been difficult to find and feel the impact of his transition. As others has pointed out, I too, am a bit weary of the focus on the secondary characters (save for Wilson) and think that's another reason we can't get into House's head. I hope with the remainder of the season, we get to see some real, dramatic insights to House, the man.
8 - Delia_Beatrice
Barbara & Liz: you both have touched what seems to be a very sensitive spot for many "House" fans, and for no good reason that i can think of... I fully disagree with the accusations that Barbara's reviews are biased in any way - i actually admire her clear head and critical impartiality a lot. As to what she writes about - well, i think it's crystal clear: she writes about what's there.
On the issue of what us fans support and like among the couples within the show, here is my opinion:
The whole idea of "shipping" and having favourite relationships within the show, while absolutely natural, is not a matter of strict personal choice on the part of the viewers. We all watch the show with passion, we get emotionally involved and we (over)-analyze it. We function based on what the writers etc. put on our plate.
During the "Cameron era", i enjoyed the House and Cameron interactions a lot and i looked forward to them hoping to see a romantic development there.
But that storyline was pretty much abandoned ever since Stacy came back into House's life (in the following episodes and seasons, there were several further scenes between House and Cameron based on sexual tension/possibility of romance, but that was a thread never really pursued). House has repeteadly stated his lack of interest in Cameron (most clearly, in "House Divided"). The writers moved away from that storyline in a rather clear manner (apart from the residual romantic or sexual tension that is bound to pop up between people who shared mutual attraction).
While the Cuddy story is quite different. The Huddy elements (the attraction, the banter, the teasing, the history, the intimacy, the loyalty) were there from the very beginning, but later on (since the later episodes of season 2 / beginning of season 3), the romantic side of Huddy has been built by the writers in a most premeditated and deliberate manner. Each brick was laid carefully, in order to build a story of great depth, complexity and intensity, that has not yet been abandoned, after four whole seasons. The construction of Huddy is something that the creative team of "House" often talked about openly (they even made that promotional spot based on it last summer, that was called "Deconstructing Huddy").
Personally, i went where the story took me. I did not see any reason to fight the direction the show was leading us to. I still don't - Huddy it's a beautifully written story, with fascinating characters (just like House-Cameron, just like House-Stacy, and just like House-Lydia). Can you see the common ground of the four beautifully written relationships that i mentioned?... It's House himself.
Bottom line, i (and probably many of us) watch this show for House. Of course, it's the amazing quality and creative brilliance that gets us all so passionate, but inside the "House" universe, it's House himself that we all adore. I am interested in everything about him, i wish the best for him, i am fascinated by him and i try hard to understand him the best that i can - is this love? Yes, it is. I love House, i love his way of thinking and his way of feeling, and for as long as the writers make House want Cuddy, i'm gonna want Huddy too. I very much doubt that this is something i (or anyone) should be ashamed of, since all i'm doing is play along with the writers.
9 - Delia_Beatrice
PS @ DebbieJ, i fully agree. We had a long "talk" about House and his development a few weeks back, but as to what the future holds for him...
My (very vague) guess is that the proverbial "two steps forward, three steps back" will be very visible. The remaining of the season will probably be very dramatic and intense, facing House with difficult situations and... well, win some, lose some should sum it up well.
We know for a fact (this is not a spoiler, since it's very official info) that he will face the problem of Wilson's first wife, Sam, coming back into Wilson's life. The question of the battle for Wilson's custody is a particularly delicate one - i wonder whether House will engage in the kind of fights he had with Amber.
Whether he will or not, the issue of him losing his exclusivity over Wilson will be very, very hard to stand - after all, since the loss of his only other friend, Cuddy, and the living together with Wilson arrangement, House's emotional dependence on Wilson is even deeper than ever before.
My personal bet is that neither House, nor Wilson will react well to the reenactment of the Amber situation, and probably House will have to move out. This is the kind of thing that can set his recovery back dramatically, since the loss of Wilson and the loneliness are a killer combo for House.
However, there are only 6 episodes left. We can count on the dramatic element to grow fast, and the season finale (last ep or last two eps) will be fast-paced, very dramatic and shocking, and within all the drama, things will probably fall back in some sort of "rightful" place - masks will fall off, weaknesses will claim their territory, feelings will be revealed, both positive and negative. A possible combination: House back on Vicodin, with Cuddy and Wilson struggling to divide his loyalties between House and Sam.
10 - Anne D.
It is a pleasure reading these comments and thinking over what people feel about House as I too love the character of House and am concerned for his welfare and well being.
For each of the painful experiences he has had to endure this season, I am hopeful that he begins to recognize and value his resiliency and ability to give and receive love, albeit painfully and poignantly. Sadly, there is little doubt in my mind that he will slip back into Vicodin as a result of the accumulation of pain and heartache he has endured and possibly as a result of the tumultuous experiences of the upcoming episodes.
In the meantime, I also hope that those who know him well and love him will also recognize how far he has come and help him by offering him their faith in him if he hits bottom again at the end of this season.
11 - andree
Barbara, I enjoy your postings and rely on you to decode whats going on in House's head after each and every episode. I am a fan of Huddy and am saddened at the thought of a possible cliffhanger season finale where Cuddy ends up engaged to Lucas which will only torment House ( and all Huddy fans over the long summer.) I count on you to give us the latest spoiler updates or possible insider scoop to prepare for where the storylines are going. If House and Cuddy don't end up together, how exactly will House ever be happy? What else does he want but her? Barbara, please get us the news and we trust you to influence the writers sufficiently to make it happen sooner than later. Thanks for writing such a great column/blog/article week after week.
12 - Norma
Well Barbara it is obvious that the huddys agree with you and that the non-huddys don't agree with you. What does this tell you?. By the way I don't think that the relationship they are focusing on the most right now is the one with Cuddy, but the one with Wilson, but I'm sure you won't agree with me. ;)
13 - barbara barmett
I'm willing to go with the flow (most of the time). Norma--I totally agree with you about Wilson.
Andree--I've got no influence on the writers at all (I'm flattered that you think I do). But I have no clue. I've heard rumors and speculations all over the place, but I'm trying very hard to not pay much attention to it, because I found last year that it ruined my experience. There are times I get to preview an episode before it airs, but I can't post any spoilers (and won't). But I totally know nothing. Seriously.
Anne D--hopefully that will be the case. I fear that House is in for a real fall.
14 - Delia_Beatrice
@Barbara: Another real fall?... Jesus. Taking part in House's journey with all our hearts, like we have, makes it very painful for us to witness that - again... So i'm kinda hoping it's going to be only a half-fall, at worst. I know that is not the essence of the show (or life, for that matter), but i really feel like this superb man could use a little break from disaster, tragedy and misery...
Anne D. - i agree with you, but i fear the creative team of "House" doesn't - at least, not fully:(
@Norma: the discussion was not about relationships in general, it was about romantic relationships - this is a necessary distinction to be made. Unless anyone still hopes that House and Wilson are secretly gay, i think that we can start our discussions from the premise that House's profound and beautiful friendship with his male best friend is one thing and his love for a woman is quite another...
I apologize if this is an exaggerated reaction, but the over-simplified "huddies" and "non-huddies" classification is starting to be annoying and insulting to the show itself, let alone to its pasionate viewers.
Yes, there are "House" viewers who think that the story would be better served if House pursued a romantic interest other than Cuddy, or none at all. That is fine, but these viewers should also accept that all of us are here to discuss and comment what the creative team of "House" actually puts in the show. This season, the show has focused on the development of House's friendship with Wilson (with a great amount of time dedicated to it), and on a different level - on the romantic level - it has focused on House's love for Cuddy (with a far less amount of time dedicated to it, but on a very deep emotional level on House's part, with an unprecedented level of maturity in his feelings and attitude). It is absurd to make the declarations of disagreement to this storyline the center of our discussions here, while the show itself presents the develpoment of this very thread.
15 - janine
@Delia-Beatrice
I agree totally about going where the story takes me and that the generalization of the shippers insults the show. But at least here, the fans are polite and civil about their opinions. I read an Ausiello couumn and the shippers there were downright vicious and were even using personal attacks.
For everyone talking about less Huddy this season, I heard a rumor that the Network told the writers to keep them apart longer? does anyone know if there is any actual truth to this?
As for the rest of the season, i've read some spoilers and I think the last six episodes will be great especially since they will run in a row. I also read the leaked spoiler of the finale (still not sure how true it was) and for those of you who read it i will only say that it seems as though House will take a fall but I have a feeling there;s more to it. In other words I think he will redeem himself before the end of that episode.
16 - Jeanne
A side note here: MaryKir's site has mentioned that Hugh will NOT be on Leno this Friday (4/9) night. A disappointment.
17 - andree
Barbara, thank you for the comments to my earlier posting. Having read up on some spoilers and the interviews of the show's top brass, the whole "two steps forward, three steps back" theme seems to be the red flag for the finale. House is a tormented and broken guy. We know his youth was ugly given the twisted and abusive relationship he had with his non-biological yet married-to- mom "father." I found it fascinating when House tried Wilson's technique of talking to the deceased before falling asleep in bed. House telling his father he focused on the bad things rather than see there were some good times too completely dumbfounded me. I think it was a sign of House trying to recognize the gray areas of life instead of the binary logic he's always operated under of things are either black or white.
Additionally, my guess for the rest of the season will be the unexpected but significant devastation to befall House of Cuddy's likely engagement to Lucas a la David Shoresque's particular brand of fan-torture and angst provocation. House is reputed to have a one-night stand before the season's end. My take is it will be with Cuddy and could be the set-up for keeping House and Cuddy apart given their work relationship and her enagement. Shore did promise House and Cuddy would eventually be together (I'm presuming sexually given the hallucination sex-trip of season 5's finale) but it would likely not last (something David Shore has conveniently sidestepped in interviews). Again two steps forward, 3 steps back.
Having House and Cuddy apart after a brief momentary affair adds angst and drama if a Luddy engagement is still on after the Huddy coitus. The only question remains is will Cuddy get pregnant from that affair? We'll not know until the baby is born or miscarried. That's my take on the 2-forward,3-back. But I could be wrong.
18 - ttandto
Most people would identify with House's protective attitude towards his peace of mind - free of angst and stress.
His stay in Mayfield did, in his own words, offer him all kinds of coping skills (other than getting high from pills/drugs) and he seems to have tried them out during this Season.
I wonder, though, whether his rational mind is completely safe even when off the pills? Couldn't he just have another delusion and neither he nor Wilson nor the audience would know?
I, like his coworkers and friends, have grown wary of HOUSE the show as well as the character. This show uses subtext like a weapon or an untrustworthy narrator. You watch House pour a glass of anything for anyone and you think...here we go; he's dosed them.
I’m reminded of the wonderful scene at the end of A Beautiful Mind when Russell Crowe, upon meeting a new person, asks his student to confirm the apparent truth of his own mind. A person with mental illness, under these albeit fictionalized examples, never completely trusts his own mind " especially new ones.
19 - simona
House's Journey .....what may I say? I wish it were a never ending story :-)
Taking a showdown, about this season I really really really missed the Christmas' episode!
I don't know what is going to happen in season finale but my legs are already shaking
20 - Delia_Beatrice
Thank you, Janine. It's good to know i'm not alone. And yes, this place is heaven (thanks to Barbara, she attracts civilised, educated readers:) - i have absolutely no problem with the expression of on-point opinions, but the way this juvenile topic of "ships" is dealt with on other "fan" sites is repulsive.
Well, about the rest of House's journey this season, i think we can safely expect a few topics to be addressed in the remaining six episodes:
1. one of them, sadly, is the pain. They moved on too abruptly on this one and, as much as i wish House would stay like this, we all know he won't. Whether or not he'll be back on Vicodin this season or not, remains to be seen, but the struggle with the pain will get tougher.
2. A fallout or at least trouble in the House-Wilson relationship - there were signs about this (Wilson's tendency to get angry with House, his disbelief in House's change etc) and we know that Sam will come back in his life, so that is gonna be complicated.
Whether House will choose an approach similar to his custody battle with Amber or not, this is a very intersting question.
Also, if this will be the case, whether or not House can keep this sane and healthy if he goes back to living alone.
However, official promotional pics for "The Choice" were released, showing House at a karaoke party of sorts, with Mayfield pal, Alvie, and also Chase and Foreman. That looked like a lot of fun, and i am happy to assume that House would not shut down in misery and loneliness after Sam is back in Wilson's life.
3. Chase/Cameron - some closure necessary there, we'll probably get it in "Lockdown".
4. Mayfield - the connection and the passage from Mayfield to PPTH was never made. House has never made a single real reference to the essential elements of Mayfield to anyone, nor has he made any reference about his real life and the people in it to Dr. Nolan, Lydia or Alvie. It would be very interesting to see those two worlds collide, in the form of House seeing Nolan again or meeting with Alvie. The fact that he goes out on a boys' night with his co-workers and Alvie is an amazing step forward for House - i love him for it.
5. House and Cuddy - the lack of Huddy scenes in season six was obviously intentional and unprecedented. We assume, and for just cause, that Cuddy still harbours feelings for House. We know for sure, like never before, that House loves her in the most meaningful and more mature way we have ever seen him. The restraint of interactions that they have both been practicing this season is bound to come to an end at some point.
However, i respectfully disagree with Andree. The one night stand, followed by her engagement to another man, does not sound very Housian to me, nor is the potential pregnancy with unknown father/after a one night stand. These are too easy a creative choice.
@ttandto: you have a point. House's overall positive journey this season was quite different from previous seasons and it often made me wonder whether this was all (or parts of it were) a big fat hallucination, House actually living a double life. I have one major reason for doubting this: i never, ever think that we'd get to see a "Pamela's dream" type of story on "House". A punctual hallucination (half an episode long), like in "Under My Skin", was meaningful and well-played. But a delusion that lasts longer than that would be a bit of a long stretch, and even if i believe that these brilliant writers could pull it off beautifully, i somehow feel they wouldn't go there.
21 - Flo
Everything Delia just wrote! and yeah...that.
Slightly OT: I thought about something lately. It's about House's inner child.
We know that House can act like a child sometimes, with all his pranks and all, and he connects very well with kids in general. His own "Peter Pan syndrome" his part of his strength. It helps him not to take himself too seriously thus becoming arrogant and to connect with people, interact with them in a fun,interesting and meaningful way at the same time.
The other side of the coin is that his child part can take over sometimes. He uses it to protect himself but it also prevents him to being a grown up man in his personal life. House's journey is an emotional complicated one. For House, to be able to reach his personal goals, to open up emotionally, he is going to have to fully become a man. That doesn't mean necessarily to abandon his inner child. Like I said it's also a strength but he will have to find the right balance between all the aspects of his personality and it's quite difficult.
This season his inner child was back on the front row and coincidentally (really? - personally I think not) this is the season where he disconnected himself the most from the differentials (his best talent) and wasn't able to interact with Cuddy (one of his goal) the way he used to.
Anyway, I think there is definitely something to go into there.
Thoughts?
22 - janine
@Delia-Beatirce
WOW i'm so excited for the karaoke with alvie (especially after the rapping scene in "broken") and Ausiello said that andre braugher would return for an episode in may so we will see Dr. Nolan again, but i'm curious as to why? Will we just simply see a basic follow up appointment or will House be seeking out his psycitrist for a reason (ie worse pain, relapse, etc.)
23 - janine
sorry i just had to ad an OMG. i just saw the karaoke picture and it looks hysterical!! were House and Foreman doing harmony?????
24 - Delia_Beatrice
@Flo: so, so nice to “see” you again? Always a pleasure.
You are soooo on to a very important point, with the “inner child” approach. This is a great idea!
I have one thing to add to your analysis: the “inner child” theories are an important approach in adult psychology. They are based on the concept that childhood traumas and pain, that lie within the adult and make him more or less disfunctional, can be healed in retrospect. The therapeutic techniques that are based on the “healing of the inner child” concept focus on the adult trying to satisfy the needs of their inner child, in a way that was not possible in the actual childhood.
Well, this is exactly what House does. We all know he has had a very traumatic childhood and that he admits that it harmed him irremediably. Many, many aspects of his behavior can be explained as being a subconscious attempt to heal his wounded inner child.
There are two essential parts of this: first, not only he hangs on to his inner child, but he lets this child fly free in a very overemphasized way: he is creative and he thinks out of the box, he is free and holds on to his freedom desperately, rejecting any type of restraint, he can be irresponsible and trouble-making, he is playful, funny and spontaneous. He lives his childhood passionately, he deliberately gives his inner child everything he was denied by his father.
The second essential thing is that he does all this as openly as possible. He presents the world his child-persona, not his adult-persona. His professional self and his social self are based upon his inner child’s needs and manifestations, which he usually does not try to censor. He deliberately shows people his childish, sometimes less capable or less likable side, definitely a harder to deal with side. This brings us to the number one universal need of all children: unconditional love. This is what House is in search of, something he has never had: unconditional love for his inner child, unconditional love for who he really is. Unconditional love that would heal him and save him " his hallucination in “Under My Skin” is a beautiful metaphor for this. He came close to it in his relationships with Wilson and Cuddy, whose loyalty to him did go beyond usual human limits. Both of them have come to love his inner child, but not completely unconditionally " they went far, though. Also, it is significant that, unlike Wilson and Cuddy, Stacy did not love House’s inner child enough to stick around. Wilson and Cuddy have their limits, but they know and enjoy House’s child-persona, and they have learnt to deal with it skillfully.
@Janine: I am so sorry for spreading around false info, but I did not notice yesterday that the promotional photos for “The Choice” include the two photos with Alvie, which are from “Broken”. The photos with Chase and Foreman are new (and fabulous!), but the pics with Alvie are from Mayfield. I do wonder what this means " whether Alvie is in that episode or not. However, to see House having fun with Foreman and Chase, in an episode that will follow Wilson’s reunion with his ex wife and possible trouble in his relationship with House, is priceless. He has come a long way from not being able to enter the bar where his team was, and a long way from the time when all he could do whenever he was emotionally hurt was drink, get high and hire hookers.
25 - Flo
Thanks for your thoughts on this Delia! really nice to discuss things with you.
I agree with you on your psychological approach on this. Very interesting indeed. I knew there was something here to give deeper thought to.
However, I'm not sure about the unconditional love thing. House doesn't believe in it and quite rightly so: I don't really believe in it either. Don't get me wrong, your argument is good but I think his needs and goals are more about finding who he is and be respected and love for who he is and how he is in its entirety than searching for unconditional love. He believes that every love is conditional and the condition to love him is to understand and accept him for who he is. The thing is, for someone else to do so, he is gonna do it himself first. After all, you can't be loved if you don't like yourself in the first place.
Anyway, completely agree with you on your thoughts about House's use of his own inner child.
Great comment about the hallucination in UMS and Wilson/Cuddy vs Stacy. Interesting.
I guess we're on to something very big! There is definitely material to write something about that.
Really a lot to think about!