And because you are very, very nice readers, I have a few clips for Monday's episode to share courtesy of the also very nice people over at FOX programming! But beware, do not click "play" if you are staying spoiler-free.
Follow Barbara on Twitter. Barbara Barnett grew up on politics and pop culture. Her professional life has been eclectic, because her left brain doesn't know what her right brain really wants. Her real passions are writing, music, reading--and House.
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House Season 5
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Monica
comfort turn to passion
2 - cj_housegirl
MRI machine? hahahaha
I think it's going to happen and it's going to happen in his apartment under the same emotional circumstances that led to the kiss. I'm hoping it's raw, passionate and unexpected just as the kiss was.
3 - Jaim
I think it will happen at his place mainly because the kiss happened at hers. I think that she'll come over to check on him much like she did in last year's "House's Head" but this time the moment will evolve into something much more intimate.
They have confirmed it will happene before the season ends and Shore said they've found a cool way to have it happen. I just hope it is in fact real and not a hallucination or dream.
Someone on a messageboard actually had an interesting theory that the sex is real, but because House has been hallucinating Amber he isn't entirely certain that it actually took place, and he doesn't have confirmation until the finale. It is rumored that he announces to the hospital that he slept with Lisa Cuddy in the season finale episode. But he always embarasses her like that so who knows what this all will add up to.
4 - Katy White
I think Jaim is right, except I think that it may happen out of House trying to work out whether or not Cuddy being in his apartment is a hallucination or not. Maybe he thinks one good way to test if it is (maybe she's being suspiciously nice and he just thinks his brain is showing him what he wants to see) is to just outright kiss her, and push it on to something deeper a little faster than he might have done if he actually believed she was really there. He might think if Cuddy were real, she'd have pushed him away for trying it on. The funny thing could be that she IS real, she IS responding, and he doesn't believe a moment of it the moment she lets him hit second base (remember her reaction the last time he tried that?).
5 - Hilde
If it does happen, I believe it will be awkward, just because House seems so uncomfortable in those moments on screen. I think it will be angsty, raw and probably something he'll manage to ruin afterward, just because this is such a monumental thing that he's wanted for so long. He does not do happy very well. Here's hoping, though :)
6 - Mary
As long as it's not a hallucination, they could have sex on the roof for all I care.
7 - Stacey
I completely agree with Katy & Jaim.
8 - biany
My guess is that if Huddy sex happens, it should be on House's terms and in comfortable environment. Also, since producers said that it's something we wouldn't expect, Also, I think it's neither of places that has been shot as 'place for sex/sexual tension' in previous series. So, unfortunately most probable is MRI machine or House's head.
9 - j.i.m.
Barbara, Thanks for hosting this fun speculation! Your succinct and lucid survey of how the relationship of House and Cuddy has developed was a little gem. And the inventiveness, imagination, insight, and intelligence of your readers is a continual reward for all of us.
Conditions: Wilson is terrified of what House would do if House lost his gift as a diagnostic god ("A Simple Explanation"?). Cuddy also fears this but she feels differently, as well. She has a deep yearning for House to find meaning in his personal life, especially with the new opportunity of Methadone, even if she loses her "star" doctor as a result ("The Softer Side"). If Cuddy sees House losing his medical gift, she'll offer herself to him as an alternative gift so he won't be completely desolate. The actual scene: House is despondent about his failing gift, Cuddy comes over to his home with the purpose of providing comfort temporarily and perhaps meaning and hope more permanently.(Unusual not white picket) :-)
The setting: Barbara, I like that you included the setting as part of our speculation. I especially enjoy how Shore and Co. are always very deliberate about where important events happen, adding to the ripples of meaning in the scene. I would wish that the further intimacy took place in his bedroom because of the scene there in the season 4 finale which also echoed back to the season 3 finale! I am referring to when House had had a heart attack and Cuddy was watching over him through the night at his home. When he demanded that she check his heart to verify that it was strong enough for him to go back to work, he roughly grabbed her wrist and directed her hand towards the strong pulse at his neck. To repeat this intention of proving the strength of his heart but with the purpose of showing his feelings for her would connect the flow of their relationship from season to season. But, as the kiss was in her hallway, I think the intimacy at House's home this season will be in his living room. Perhaps they will save the bedroom for another season's expression of love when House is not confused by hallucinations.
Episode - when the ballerina can't dance anymore
10 - Pikrodafni
House with a wife and a baby?? Over my dead body!
11 - Zing
I think that Huddy sex will be very real and in an intimate setting - either at House or Cuddy's place. Additionally, I believe that it will be very, very real. Look at it this way - we know how David Shore's brilliant yet slightly evil mind works (well, most of the time). He wouldn't have the sex be solely in House's head because that wouldn't affect anything really. And who knows how many times House has already imagined having sex with Cuddy in his head. Take the strip tease for example - that didn't really affect anything - and that took place in his head. I think that David Shore will take much more pleasure in dealing with the repercussions the occur because of House and Cuddy having sex. Lastly, I don't think that the sex is going to happen for only one reason. I think it is going to be a culmination of reasons and emotions. We have seen in this season in particular how both House and Cuddy are keeping their feelings toward each other bottled up. It is inevitable that eventually these emotions are going to come flooding out. I think that is all.
12 - Marianna
Fun fun times! Thanks again Barbara, nice idea :)
Just hope the whole 'huddy arc' is gonna turn out well (aka intense and husky) and not soapy or slushy.
I would go for Cuddy's office. It's the more personal place in its impersonal-ness. I mean, it's not a private place (it's in the Hospital, duh), but they share memories (apparently) and they do have privacy behind closed doors and blinds. House's apartment would mean less pressure, something more simple (which is not very housian). But in the office --it's like a natural denouement of all the foreplay that has taken place all those years in the PPTH.
So, my guess would be: House and co. (and Cuddy of course) partaying like hell in the next episode (5x22), major flirting going on, but nothing more. House suffering from insomnia, Cuddy offering to help by going to his house and looking after him, sparkles all over but they both are reluctant to do the big step (5x23). Enforced by this more intimate forplay, House takes the next argument of his with Cuddy (in her office of course) to the next level, by doing the bold move (5x24). Non?
Well, probably not at all the way things are gonna turn out, but it's so much fun -all this speculation. I'm sure Shore and co. won't disappoint :)
13 - lily
Aww thanks for the clips Barbara! By the way, Barbara Barnett is the cutest journalist name ever, it reminds me of Lois Lane. In my mind you are running around the House set with a beret and scribbling furiously on a notepad LOL.
I think the sex will definitely be real, and I hope that the tone/setting will be similar to the "Joy" kiss, in the sense that it will be an intensely emotional situation where their barriers are down and things get out of control before they have time to think. I can't wait to see how it pans out, the writers have done such a wonderful job with these two, it's such an unconventional and yet intense kind of romance.
I'm not sure the sex will really change anything, though, they'll probably be swirling around each other dysfunctionally in love for the rest of their lives, giving in occassionally and then retreating again, which is actually a kind of fascinating and touching concept.
14 - Alessandra
I really don't mind where it happens. My only fear, and I'm sure it will happen, is that House will find a way to ruin it all. I mean, this relationship has been so cool until now, that I can't imagine it being so brilliant and smart AFTER the "bold move". I know it is complicated, and most of the huddy shippers would prefer them to make love, but I'd like more the tension before it, if this is going to end badly.
Alternatively, the writers should find a VERY cool way not to disappoint me. They usually do it, so I trust them, in the end. But the fear remains.
How screwed up am I? ;)
15 - barbara barnett
Hey, Lily--It does sound like a tailor-made journalist name, doesn't it? Blame my husband :)
j.i.m.--I agree that the setting is so very important to the story. Nothing happens in this show without a reason. Even settings. I have always loved the intimacy of those few little moments throughout the series run: the fertility shots (and his frank admonishment of using genetics alone to find a baby); the embrace in Half-Wit; talking about relationships on the balcony of the hospital; his admiring her legs and the way light hits them in Human Error; Of course, the kiss in Joy (but even more than that, the raw emotion in their expressions before it happened); the "merry christmas, Cuddy" in Joy to the World. Of course House's Head and Wilson's heart--both what happened inside his head -- and Cuddy's care for him in his apartment and as she sat vigil at his bedside.
16 - lily
Actually I don't really care where it happens as long as they fix Cuddy's hair first, those bangs are so distracting!
I like Marianna's idea about Cuddy's office, but I'm not sure if they could get to the point where they were that vulnerable if they were in the hospital. But Cuddy's office does have The Desk *giggle* that House gave her, so...
17 - blacktop
Love this survey! The intelligent speculation on how these two will hook up is almost as delicious as the actual event will be. I am sure that it will be for real, as David Shore will want to continue to play with our hearts and minds, but letting the relationship between House and Cuddy unravel in awkward ways next season.
I think that they will get together in her home, because that is where House goes for solace, companionship, and to release his pent up intellectual energies. Over the past seasons, several signature scenes between this pair have taken place in Cuddy's home, each one highlighting the warmth, comfort, and plain old excitement of their unusual relationship.
The scene at Cuddy's bedroom window in "Meaning" was not so much about the sexiness of a beautiful woman in a scant nightgown (though that was there in spades), but about the unbridled urgency of House's drive toward finding the solution to the medical mystery. She reined him in with her stern practicality of course, but for me the key impact of that scene was the intimacy and openness of House seeking out Cuddy in the middle of the night.
Again in "Half-Wit" we have House going to Cuddy's home late at night, burning not with sexual passion but with the urgency of his intellectual drive. He has already solved the medical mystery, but now he wants to go further with a radical proposal that could improve the quality of his patient's life. I love the sparkly exchange between House and Cuddy in this scene because of the whimsical energy and conviction he brought and the amused encouragement she contributed. I thought this warmly domestic scene summed up their relationship perfectly: she is the stalwart anchor which stabilizes his careening imagination. And of course the ass-grope sealed the image of this as a deeply domestic arrangement between two unusual souls.
I am hoping that the love scene, when and wherever it comes, will be as moody, dark, passionate, raw, unsettling, and emotionally open as their kiss was.
18 - Julia
"this is such a monumental thing that he's wanted for so long"
LOLWUT? Don't confuse what the Huddies want for what House wants. I mean, it's cool to ship people and to wish they'd get together. Don't get me wrong. It's just that we've seen no canon evidence that House "wants" Cuddy in any way that isn't superficial. Yes, he thinks she's hot. But he's also make similar comments about Cameron, Chase, and twenty or so other random people who have found their way onto the show. Does he want them all?
The only thing I could think of that I would be able to seriously say House has "wanted for so long" is to be off pain meds and to not be handicapped. That would at least fit canon.
The sex will either be a hallucination, or awkward and very temporary. Why? Because this is House and he's not going to change into someone else for one episode, no matter what the plot device is. Apparently only Kutner can do that.
Bear in mind this is the same show that uses out of context dialogue like Wilson telling Cuddy "I've always had feelings for you" and Cuddy asking Cameron "are you in love with House?" to create intentionally misleading promos. They want you to think things are going to happen that aren't going to happen. They hire people to do just that.
People like Ausiello leak misleading crap to the fans, and before you know it, there are people fully believing that House is going to not only have sex with Cuddy, but marry her and be her baby's daddy.
If House really did want that, don't you think he'd have made some attempt before now? Cuddy's been conveniently located in the office downstairs for ten years, give or take. And she's not exactly playing hard to get. She's playing...what's the opposite of hard to get?
TPTB want you to get all excited about something that might happen, because it gets them ratings. Who cares if the spoilers are accurate or not?
Based on the last 4 seasons, I don't predict the sex with Cuddy -if it even happens in real life and isn't a hallucination- to be anything more special than her gratuitous strip tease in House's Head or Cameron's pointless robot molestation scene in No Reason. It's fanservice, intended to get ratings. Nothing more.
19 - ItalianHuddy
I'm just so excited over the big thing finally happening that details do not quite make a difference to me, as long as we get the nookie! At any rate, I'd rule out they get carried away by a kiss, since it'd be way too obvious and too similar to the "Joy" kiss. And that'd be naive of Shore, which he's not.
I think they'll happen to be at his place in the living room and they'll just give themselves up to each other. It will be sizzling, raw and passionate, as they both have been pining for each other for a long time. So I'd go for the comfort turning to passion option, even though it won't be chance alone to throw them into each other's arms.
I'd go for the second last episode, so that in the last one there'll be room for the aftermath of the sex and the usual cliffhanger (the loony bin?). Maybe House will make up his mind to seek medical care and Cuddy will offer to stand by him throughout the process, which we'll see in the next season of course. But I think we'll find out about it in the last ep, there is AFTER the love scene.
Anyway I don't think it will happen as a hallucination, it'd be kind of corny for such a longed-for event. I totally agree with Zing!
Aaaaaw I can't wait for it, I'm sure it will not let us down!
20 - xxx
Does it count if I say that I don't really want it to happen? Oh, I forgot... I already quit watching the show when the Huddy kiss was showed...
21 - David
I honestly don't care where it happens, though I agree that House's apartment seems more likely given the circumstances. David Shore said that they would be moving forward, which leads me to believe the act will, indeed, be real.
"It's just that we've seen no canon evidence that House "wants" Cuddy in any way that isn't superficial."
Do you even watch the show or pay attention to anything that does not suit your interests? A more accurate sentence would be "It's just that I've seen no canon evidence..." because I certainly have.
22 - sandra
Like a lot of people out there I think Huddy is a huge mistake, so I hope it will be an hallucination if anything happens at all. Well, I think it will actually be a hallucination or some sort of flashback (college, they've implied that). If I could wish for one I'd say: NOT AT ALL.
In general I could simply quote Julia (#18) because ITA. 100%.
Seriously, are there actually people out there delusional enough to think House and Cuddy will end up happily together?! LMAO, it's not going to happen, so please forget about it. I have to question Huddy fans' IQ everytime I read comments suggesting House and Cuddy might get married and have kids. Why do these people even watch the show?!
BTW I think this Huddy sex fiasco WILL change the dynamics between House and Cuddy forever from funny, casual and simply awesome to weird and awkward. I'll miss their banters, that's for sure.
Bear in mind, DS doesn't care for Huddy fans, he cares for ratings, he knows there are more than enough people out there who don't like Huddy at all, he'll give you a bit of your Huddy craziness but that's it. They will play with shippers (every ship!) till the end of the show but never give one ship fully what the shippers want, they'd be stupid to do so.
23 - Cinnamon
I think him having hallucinations has got to play a role...and since him only hallucinating the sex would be both predictable and disappointing (to the Huddys especially), my guess is that Cuddy goes to his place, comfort turns to passion, but House thinks he is just hallucinating. She is gone before he wakes up, only further making him think it didn't happen. When he finally finds out that it did, he shouts it out to the whole world, as we have heard he does.
But to echo Mary's comment, they could do it anywhere as long as they do it!!! :-)
24 - ItalianHuddy
To Julia and Sandra
I think very few ppl out there either believe or want a "Huddy lived happily ever after" thing. We just root for the couple the way they are, that is flirtatious and complicated at the same time! I don't think sex will change it overall, as both Shore and the actors pointed out many times.
We're not naive and certainly we know better than to believe Shore's interests in fans is nothing but ratings based. That's how show-business goes all over the world...
We're just having fun racking our minds on Huddy and to put it bluntly you guys are the ones acting all worked-up and raining on other's parade. Just a piece of advice: chill out!! :-))
25 - Fernanda
God! How I hate this kind of thing...these stupid nicks "Huddy" ...Grow up.
House is an amazing character, imagine him as a normal guy, living in american way of life? He will change his motorcycle to a van to transport the big happy family?
Really???
No way!!!
Remember what Dr Cuddy said to Cameron, when she found about their relationship?
I hope the writers won't do this with the fans of the SHOW!