So, I wanted to take a closer peek at that pivotal and devastating final scene of “Dying Changes Everything.” What was said and what it means.
Internalizing what Cuddy has told him, House has realized that his scheme of guilting Wilson into staying hasn’t worked and the only way remaining to him is to strip his emotions bare and tell Wilson what he’s really feeling. House walks in, hesitant. “I’m sorry,” he begins, voice low and gravely. He pours out all he feels: the rationalization ("I know I didn’t try to kill her; I know I didn’t want her hurt; I know it was a freak accident.") But with the rationalization comes confession and the feeling of some measure of responsibility: "I feel like crap. And I know she’s dead because of me.”
“I don’t blame you…” Watch House’s eyes here. He is bewildered. They are asking Wilson to explain--If Wilson doesn’t blame him, why is leaving? Why is he acting like this towards him? But mostly, I think, House is relieved to have this out in the open, and to hope that things can go back to normal after Wilson’s processed what he needs to process.
“I tried to,” Wilson continues. “I must’ve reviewed Amber’s case file a thousand times to find a way…But it wasn’t your fault.” It almost seems as if Wilson can’t blame House for Amber anymore than one can blame a wild animal for biting. House is who he is, which is why Wilson (in his own mind) has to make the choice he makes.
“Then, we’re OK.” House's syllogism is hopeful. "Amber is dead; you don't blame me. Therefore, we're fine. We can put this back to rights." This is all that House wants to hear--that he and Wilson can go back to the way it was, even if it takes Wilson some additonal time to grieve, as long as "we're OK," House's world can go back to normal. House’s voice is tentative as he tests the waters with Wilson. But you can see the hope in his eyes as he continues to take another small step. “I know you’re not,” he offers,” but maybe I can help…” House is trying to find his footing while Wilson realizes that House has grabbed onto this small admission from Wilson, but has misunderstood the big picture. House's syllogism is wrong, and his logic is faulty. So Wilson, reluctantly, explains it to him.
Article comments
1 - L.Lilly
I have very mixed feelings about the last scene. It's not the first time House has been told he's toxic. In the last scene from "Words and Deeds," Cuddy tells House, "You make everyone around you worse for being there." For all the misery he caused during the Tritter arc and his narrow escape from prison, House didn't change at all.
As awful and harsh as Wilson's "We're not friends..." statement was, perhaps it HAD to be said in order to shock House into taking another look at their relationship. I'm not going to hold out much hope, though, as David Shore seems to be standing firm in his determination that House will never change.
2 - Barbara Barnett
Hi L.Lilly--
I think that after Words and Deeds, House did try to change. It was after that he did research on other pain management techniques (Insensitive, Half-Wit) in an effort to try an alternative. But people often revert to type after they get frustrated, so it has been with House. For him, it seems a step forward, two back--or two forward and one back.
3 - Veresna Ussep
Hi Barbara,
I was also struck by how Wilson's "You should have been alone on the bus" also echoed House's (paraphrasing from memory here) "Young do-gooders in love should be spared while lonely, misanthropic drug addicts die" and how painful hearing him confirm that thought must have been. I couldn't help but think also that Wilson is also suffering from additional guilt over the fact that one of the last games he had enabled was House's and Amber's 'custody battle'. The shot of Wilson smiling in the last shot of 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', as they dealt with their 'punishment' confirmed to me that, despite his protestations and passivity, a part of him was absolutely thrilled to have the two of them battling over him. I think he might feel especially guilty that it might have been another part of the reason why Amber was so determined to take care of House that she followed him onto the bus.
4 - NLP
Barb, as always, your insights on House himself are brilliant. I, too, have always felt as you on this one insight:
"It's always been my contention that House feels too much."
He wouldn't have to try so hard to protect himself and distance himself from people if it were otherwise.
5 - Orange450
Hi Barbara, I haven’t seen 5.02 yet, but I wanted to add some thoughts on House and Wilson’s current predicament as they left it from last episode.
It struck me that House’s offer to Wilson - “maybe I can help” " was HUGE, coming from someone like him. I can’t remember the last time he extended himself to someone else like that in so many words (IMO, that’s a pretty sad statement, actually). Maybe not even since his “I’d like to hear”, to Eve at the end of ODOR. It’s yet another testament to the centrality of Wilson in his life.
And I thought that it’s possible that the fuel of Wilson’s intense reaction to House is being fed by the knowledge that rather than be happy for him when he got together with Amber " House did everything he could to get in their way. It was an understandable reaction from someone like House, but still, a very selfish one. And I think one can understand how Wilson would make the logical continuation from this idea to the things he told House.
After all " it’s not House’s usual way to be transparently happy for anyone, or proactively supportive. (Of course, many of his seemingly harsh actions turn out well, e.g., Chase had to be thrown out of the nest in order to learn to fly (and he’s growing wings of his own now, isn’t he? ;-)) On your “Ethics of Dr. Gregory House II” thread, I asked whether he couldn’t be just as heroic if he showed a little more kindness on the surface. It was a rhetorical question. I know perfectly well that he wouldn’t be the same House " and there’d be no reason to feature him as the endlessly fascinating central character of a TV show. But since he is the way he is, (and a glorious bundle of contradictions he is, too) I do think that he has a certain amount of flack coming to him.
I *really* don’t mean to sound harsh, and as much as House hates pity " I do feel for him deeply, very often. But that being said " he likes to dish it out a lot, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask that sometimes he should have to take it, too. And continuing on with the clichés " I don’t think that a dose of his own medicine will do him any harm. If this leads to some productive self-assessment on his part, I think it will have been angst well-spent.
6 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks NLP, and thanks all for your comments. Orange, I do get where you're coming from, and I believe that so much of what makes House so tough (and so seemingly hard on people) is probably partially his own upbringing and partially fear. He believes that apriori, people will hate him. If he hates first, then he can't be rejected and it's mutual--and on his terms. In episode two (my review should post later this evening, hopefully. It's done, just waiting in the queue), House's exterior crumbles in some interesting ways.
7 - NancyGail
Too many shows and too many actors for far too few slots. The award season is not over yet. Next year might do it, though.
8 - Mary
In this show we had yet another example of the reason why this show has to be watched, and watched intently, unlike other shows which can be followed just by listening to the dialogue.
The final scene shows Wilson walking down the hallway away from his office, and House, still in Wilson's office, standing there, not even turning to watch his best friend walk away. His face is not seen in the shot, but we can assume he still has the shocked look on his face that we saw as Wilson walked out the door. Despite his leg pain, House is usually an active and mobile person, but here he stands stock still, the only movement his hand trembling slightly on the head of his cane.
9 - bonfire
The way House behaves towards his best and only friend is by choice; its not an ontological compulsion. Wilson might "interfere" at times but I'm sure no one in his place could have done more or less. House is like a big baby crying out inaudibly for help all the time and then giving it to you in the face after you have actually helped him, without his asking of course. He never asks. He just stands there and wilts in his boots (when he cannot manipulate or order). So the friend has to stick his neck out and do it, only to be blamed afterwards for interfering.
Being brilliant is no excuse at all for downplaying every human being around you. Being in pain is no excuse either. And feeling so much that you'd rather run away from your feelings isn't as well.
10 - Brogie
if house and wilson are one and the same person, are there anymore personalities we have seen that display his psychosis?