Spoiler Alert: some details of Monday night's House episode revealed toward the end of this article.
Since Season 2, we have seen Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) flirting with trying radical fixes for his leg. For all his cynicism, rationality and skepticism, House has always been gullible and unbelievably naive when it comes to The Leg. As much as he would mock, deride and ridicule patients who have tried all
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varieties of snake oil, House is just as prone as any of his last-resort patients to false (and not-so-false) hope.
The question is, “Why?” What is it that propels House to take risks with his health and well being? Why self medicate? Why not just visit a pain specialist and trust the process? What does he have in common with the last-resort patients who come to him, willing to be berated and mocked to have a chance at his medical mojo?
“The Fix” revisits this familiar House themes (particularly explored in Season 3), but now after the enormity of the events in House’s life post-Mayfield. At the beginning of Season 6, after his release from Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, House seems a changed man. After months of in-patient therapy at a psych hospital, he is released with a new lease on life—and a new outlook.
On antidepressants, ibuprofen and undergoing therapy, House embarks on trying to live a somewhat normal life. (By the way, I do not believe we are ever meant to understand that House’s pain is completely controlled by the any combination of distractions, therapy, antidepressant drugs, which are also used to treat chronic pain), and Motrin.)
His pain ebbs and flows, exacerbated when he can’t find enough distraction to keep it at bay. Distraction and therapy—and increasing amounts of ibuprofen (and not a little alcohol), along with the terrible fear that going back on Vicodin will unleash the demons in his mind keep House away from narcotics. His main distraction for nearly two seasons has been Cuddy: the pursuit, trying to be a better person (for her) all help to keep House’s mind from the chronic pain.
But by the end of the last season, with Cuddy now engaged to Lucas, and a patient with whom he has connected in a very visceral way, now dead, House returns home at the end of “Help Me.” His leg in agony, his life in tatters, his last (he thinks) chance at happiness has vanished. House is only rescued from despair by Cuddy’s 11th hour declaration of love.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - MusicandHouse
I am so excited for "After Hours". I'll just have to remember to eat dinner at like 4pm so that I won't have to worry about um seeing it again while I am watching House.
2 - Loreen
Thank you for the review! I'm excited for the episode.
One question: each story gets the same amount of screentime?
3 - Sacha
I'm positively excited for this ep! I sorely missed Chase in S7, and even if I'm not too fond of Thirteen, I'm sure Jesse Spencer will rock their scenes together. Just one little question: is the dormant story thread Chase-related, or is it about House?
4 - Laura
Another wonderful article. Monday can't come soon enough.
5 - Leiney
I love your idea of "the pause button" and connecting this "breakdown" to "Help Me." It helps put season 7 in perspective. Thanks so much for sharing!
6 - barbara barnett
Thanks guys for your kind words. I do believe people will enjoy the episode. Having seen it, I'm on pin needles to see the finale.
7 - Jared G
Thanks for the review. Seems like this episode was written well, far better than (ie, out of the shoot, last temptation, fall from grace). Sometimes i wonder whether i knew the producer at some point because House's character seems an exact replica of me, the sarcastic, deragatory and outrageous remarks.
8 - Alejandro
Will the final moments between House and Cuddy at the end of "After Hours" provide some degree of closure - perhaps bittersweet - to the painful emotional fallout from their breakup, or does there still remain enough unfinished business between them that will carry over into the season finale?
9 - Kate
I can't wait for this episode because of all the "Chase time" many reviewers promised it will have. Jesse Spencer is amazing and it's a real shame he got this unrealistic playboy storyline this year. It's not that a man in Chase's position would not go out and look for sexual adventures. Of course many men would do that after a bad or unsuccessfully marriage to distract themself. But to show Chase acting like a brainless teenager while doing it really was a turn off for me, because I just can't imagine that Chase would ever act like that. The writers really could have written this storyline in a different and better way.
I hope this episodes will make up for some of the mistakes the writers made this season with Chase's character :)
10 - Emma
So House used Cuddy as a distraction? Good grief, I thought he had actual intentions toward her.
11 - Jane E
Nice article. I think you did a great job with the summarization. I can't wait until tomorrow night.
12 - 2 lightworker
Thank you for this, particularly for your thoughtful warning about the self-surgery part.
Barbara, I love the way you lift up the metaphor of "the Leg," and it made me think of limping Jacob after his wrestling with the angel.
Although it seems that the conceptualizers of the show prefer the dark angel, and seem not to favor long-lasting romantic relationships or marriages, based on the 7 years of story arcs, I wonder if there is still something coming eventually that will suggest that even the most screwed up among us can find someone who loves us "warts and all."
While I imagine that anyone with whom our Hero fell in love to assuage his inner torment would have appealed so some viewers and not to others, the long yearning he had prior to Season 7 feels that the depiction of the House/Cuddy relationship was not handled with the seriousness anyone would have wished for - pro-"Huddy" or not, and the unfolding was confused, although sometimes fun, which in itself added to the Housian mystery. Sometimes I think that the Arlene comments brought a common sense assessment of reality, counterpoint to what was being played out, but perhaps intentionally so.
Is the only conclusion with integrity for House's journey for him to drive HL's red convertible over a cliff, a la "Thelma and Louise?"
13 - Scotty Boy
Barbara, when you write about a "dormant story thread that makes an unexpected (and very welcome) reappearance in the fabric of this excellent episode," over what period of time are you referring to? Since the beginning of Season 7 or much earlier in the show's history?
14 - BrokenLeg
I'm beginning to think all this season has been some kind of hallutination. So the "cliffhanger" inside a "clifffhanger" as someone said. And "After Hours"/"Moving On" are the continuation of "Help Me". So this season bad writting becomes agood one.
H/C loving relationship really never exists.
¿Toughts?
15 - barbara barnett
Scotty, it goes back farther then the beg. of season 7
16 - ruthinor
Hmmm, the "dormant" story that seems most obvious to me is the Dibala incident with Chase. Of course, this is "House", so "obvious" is not always the case. But it did seem that this was an incident that deserved more of a resolution. Any other guesses?
17 - Ladybelle Fiske
I can't wait either! Looking forward to it. That thread... could it involve Stacy? Or Cameron? Or ??? I wonder, and look forward to seeing what happens... very much. Thank you.
18 - Lauren
I'm guessing the dormant story is Chase's guilt over the Dibala thing. If I'm right, I'm interested to see what kind of heart to heart he and 13 have.
19 - Emma
@17 Emma, I hope you're right about Stacy! Sela ward has tons of chemistry with Hugh Laurie, can't wait for the unfolding of next season.
20 - barbara barnett
Emma-that's not what I said. House being in love: the courtship, the pursuit, the relationship itself distract from his other troubles (his physical and emotional troubles). I didn't say that he used Cuddy as a distraction. Now that that bubble has burst, he has nothing to focus on other than his anguish.
21 - Rinay
one story thread I never thought was resolved for house was from "one day, one room". People don't become like House for no reason... it's not purely innate personality. Bitterness needs a seed in order to take root. In "1day1room" I think we found out a little more of that. I also think House's pain hasn't been taken seriously enough by other characters this season. Antidepressants don't do that much for pain... or at least not the kind of pain that comes from such an injury.
22 - nitemar
Ive read somewhere about the end of After Hours is Houseian..to me it implies hallucinations. For some reason I can see Amber and Kutner popping in this episode, perhaps is one of the surprises Barbara has made referece about?
23 - Harley
Whoa! i have only just seen this article thank you Barbara!
I cannot wait for this episode even though i feel i may have to watch from behind a pillow.
The dormant story thread has got to be House with his mother and Chase with the Dibala incident?
24 - Barbara barnett
That would be telling, harley
25 - Harley
24 - Barbara barnett
True but i will predict that these are the ones that are shown in tomorrows episode, i have now seen others have mentioned Chase and Dibala so scratch that one but i have faith in the House and his mother one ; )