Restless House, M.D. Fans Wonder What's Next?

Read comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own

Article comments

— go to most recent comments Subscribe to comment RSS

• 1 - Liz

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:18 pm

  I've read that Cuddy is mentioned, in an important scene between House and 13, he exchanges one deep emotional secret to hear 13's secret. Do you think it will be something that will help or hinder the present House/Cuddy relationship? Or is it simply something that will be used to give Huddy fans closure, and to not expect anything different in their relationship come the season finale?
  
  With no Wilson or Cuddy, I am worried about the episode, and whether I would enjoy it. I don't particularly care about 13's reasons for leaving, but I do care about what revelations House unveils to us. In your opinion, does it lead into the season finale territory, or is it something we won't ever hear of again like most House threads that go unexplored in the future.

• 2 - barbara barnett

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:21 pm

  I think it's a significant episode and an important step in House's growth. If you only watch the show for Huddy (not making a judgment here at all), not sure what you will think. This is not a "closure" episode for him or the series.

• 3 - Liz

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:23 pm

  I watch it even if Huddy is not there, it just seems like such an odd episode to me, but I'll probably end up watching it :)
  
  

• 4 - Sarah

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:35 pm

  Barbara, I don't remember ever seeing House in as much outright despair as he's been in the last two eps (zany antics and hookers not withstanding) -- does this episode have the same tone of desperation or does it feel to you like he's beginning to move out of it (or at least through it)?

• 5 - barbara barnett

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:37 pm

  I've always read the last two episodes as House in despair. This episode is a halting step forward from that. Plenty of fun in the episode--but no insanity.

• 6 - yahnis

  Apr 01, 2011 at 4:41 pm

  Barbara!Thank you for this article! I hope authors won't decide him out from hospital.I am very afraid of this. What do you think? Is it possible that in next season we will see him without team, Wilson and Cuddy? I think that will jumping the shark. All others twists of show acceptaple except this!
  And I am wondering about Huddy, as many fans here, if is there even 1 percent of they being together again?
  I know that this question was asked too often, but it's prove that so many people are care about this.
  One more time thank you for your incredible work at analysis of show's characters. Sorry for my bad english.

• 7 - MusicandHouse

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:02 pm

  Great article and I am really looking foward to this episode. In the press release, the episode mentioned a "Taub's Lovelife" storyline as well as the House/13 stuff and the POTW. Is this a really small part of the episode? I like Taub, but I am a little tired of hearing about his marital.divorce problems.
  BTW I'm not buying the whole "This whole season has been a dream/hallucination" thing either. First of all, that would be way to overdone and a cop out for the writers IMO. Second of all, the "clues" that many people have been finding just seem so obscure and irrelevant that they just don't seem to matter (for example, I hadn't even noticed that House hasn't been wearing a watch, and I consider myself a hardcore fan. If thw writers intended for such sublte things to be "clues" the casual viewers, which is the majority of the people who watch, are going to be really confused). Nothing against the people who are comming up with these theories, they are just having fun, but I just can't believe them, and if they do, by some longshot, end up being true, that may be the one thing that would make me stop watching.

• 8 - Lily

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:10 pm

  I've read your reviews occasionally and generally really enjoyed them. But I am quite intrigued for this next episode and I was just wondering. having seen it, how do you think it ranks among others this season or other House classics? In other words, what should I expect?
  
  On a subtler note, could you respond a little bit about how this spud-gun competition fits into the House/Thirteen plotline? It seems a little strange, even for House. Additionally, how were the PotW story and Taub's subplot? I'm a little concerned at how the writers do with time management this episode-- it seems a little full. Does the patient story suffer because of it? And for me, Taub's subplots this season have ranged from totally unnecessary to absolutely heartrending. How does this one rank, in your opinion?
  
  Thanks so much for offering a little preview-- I'm already in House withdrawal and it's great to get a few opinions early on, if not outright spoilers.

• 9 - yahnis

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:12 pm

  About watch: one russian classic writer Griboedov said:"Happiness takes no account of time" That thought can be translate that House was happy with Cuddy all 15 episodes and don't need his watch.And now? It's sad.
  

• 10 - sherlockjr

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:25 pm

  I'm sure I'll have more to say, but first let me give you my take on the watch: I think perhaps House stopped wearing it because he was finally ready to move on from the pain of the past.

• 11 - Mindy Peterman

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:35 pm

  Barbara: Thanks for your astute look at the events leading up to "The Dig".
  
  I just wanted to add a few observations about the show itself and the episode. From the beginning, the show has been about House and his journey. His relationships, whether they've been with Cuddy, Stacy or a green card wife have always been a part of the road he's traveled. To dismiss HOUSE because the main character is no longer with the person you think he belongs with is doing the show a disservice.
  
  I've seen"The Dig" and it is exceptional. In it we are shown a side of House we haven't seen before (at least not to this degree). And if you're not a fan of 13, you may see her in a different light after this episode. As in the very best episodes of HOUSE, we are given an ample mix of pathos, poignancy and humor.
  
  Go in with an open mind. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

• 12 - NLF

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:51 pm

  I think many are tuning out not just because of the H/C breakup but because the writing and plotting has been god awful, and I don't have high hopes for this one - maybe it's photos of Olivia Wilde looking like she's stepped out of the salon as she emerges From! Jail! that make me gloomy about more ridiculous efforts to revive the show (and all of these speculations about comas and hallucinations are evidence of how desperate people are to make this badness somehow better). I watched mostly for Hugh Laurie, who has saved a lot of piss poor writing, but there's only so far the actors can carry this thing.

• 13 - Lily

  Apr 01, 2011 at 5:51 pm

  I commented earlier, but I just had a thought about the watch: Unless I'm very much mistaken, House started wearing that watch right after Kutner died, and at the time, I remember thinking of it as a kind of symbol of his guilt. Kutner was the fellow he paid the least attention to that season and unlike the other, he really didn't fixate on what was going on in his personal life. He turned a blind eye and the one fellow he thought was okay ended up killing himself and to top it all off, he couldn't even solve the puzzle posthumously. That guilt, to me, is the single biggest catalyst for his subsequent breakdown in the hallucination arc. I did wonder, if House kept wearing the watch to remind himself of the price of not knowing, not understanding, not dealing.
  
  Perhaps then he took it off during his relationship with Cuddy because he was finally able to put aside that guilt and that huge responsibility he has set up for himself-- and not just to his fellows, but to his patients, and to anyone he feels relies on his intuition. Correspondingly, he has been surprisingly uninvolved in the fellows' lives this season-- I would think that in a different season, House would have analyzed Chase's promiscuity to no end and been the direct facilitator of Taub's divorce. Maybe he was only able to put aside the guilt represented by the watch by putting aside the responsibility and putting his own happiness first-- doing exactly what he said he would in that drunken scene in Recession Proof.
  
  Since House is wearing the watch again in the promo for The Dig, it makes me think that it's not so much the break up that is the trigger but the return of this sense of responsibility and subsequent guilt. I've read from multiple sources that House is surprisingly nurturing (for lack of a better word) towards Thirteen this episode, opening up about himself to get to her secret rather than blackmailing/coercing/forcing her as he might have circa Season 4. That makes me think-- and this is pure speculation since I have no idea what Thirteen's secret is-- that House somehow holds himself responsible for the situation she was in or at least for not knowing what was going on with her. Especially if Thirteen's story is really as heartrending as I've heard it was, perhaps this is the Season 7 equivalent of Kutner's suicide, and marks a return of House's guilt-- the sort of attitude that might propel the rest of the season.

• 14 - RedTulip_Ana

  Apr 01, 2011 at 6:01 pm

  Well, first of all, thank you Barbara for your article.
  Some time ago I decided not to talk about speculation in your blog, because I know you prefer to talk about what actually we see in the episodes.
  But I appreciate this opportunity to talk about all these theories.
  First, I do not think that this whole season is a dream or hallucination. But I do believe that much of what we have seen in reality is only the head of House. I do believe that things have actually happened, but I also think we have seen through the head (or heart) of the House.
  Right now I'm not sure how to link this with the development of the show. But I sincerely believe that those "clues" there. I think the "journey" of House is in his head: a kind of imaginary journey where House fight against his fears.
  His fears throughout the season have been lost Cuddy. We have seen a House distracted at work, lack of concentration. But not (as he put it) to be happy and love Cuddy, but because for all the episodes where House and Cuddy have been together as a couple, he has always been afraid of losing her. All all all the episodes have been "blotted" by fears of House. Actually, this is one of my main points to believe that everything we see happening but not as we see it happening. House has been afraid of ruining his love relationship with Cuddy ... until finally happened just what he thought from the beginning, that Cuddy would leave him alone.
  Perhaps the break up was inevitable (I do not agree with this idea), but the way in which the break occurred is not credible (in my opinion). I think the Cuddy we've seen in these episodes is not the Cuddy we've seen over the remaining years of the show. I therefore believe that neither the relationship nor the break are consistent with reality, and are part of the fictional journey of House.
  
  On the other hand, I recognize that the episodes from Bombshells have affected me too much, I suffered a lot with them, I've gone wrong. But now in the distance, I see it differently. Everything hurt me because I did not expect the breakup of House and Cuddy. House subsequent reactions were horrible, and the wedding scene extremely painful, even for House. But I think this had to happen for House reached the end of despair and pain, realizing that everything he was doing was not going to erase the pain he felt at having lost the love of his life.
  Now, is when House starts to be House again, to react. I think it will continue in his imaginary journey (against their fears), but in a positive way.
  
  Barbara:
  - Why 13? Do you think that House and 13 share fears?
  - I do not know, maybe you've seen the episode that you can clarify me this: Is it credible that 13 has been in jail for every 1 year? Why 1 year? Has been a year already? I think there is a time warp. The writers want us to show that the relationship between House and Cuddy is not over "yesterday" but much longer? This point worries me. For spectators the break up of House and Cuddy is very recent, but if they show that have been "months" ... it is long time, does this really show the love relationship is irreconcilable? ...
  
  Note: When I say "imaginary" journey, it doesn´t mean that it not real for House.

• 15 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...

  Apr 01, 2011 at 6:12 pm

  I'm looking forward to see him opening up.
  Too bad he coudn't do it to Cuddy...I guess their story is not over yet...if tptb won't kill her in the finale^^
  I'm a fan of HOUSE&CUDDY relationship...I wanted to see real, hard,complicated relationship after all those seasons, this storyline deserved/deserves this!...and all I got was Huddy- just too sweet- house lied to her/done sth wrong-she is pissed-he is confused-she said he's an idiot -he admited he is an idiot -he apologized - "House, comeover for dinner tonight" moment and here we go again...ehhhh...
  No I'm not the one who thinks that they've to get married and drown in their own happines,NO!
  I don't want it, I wanted character exploration, complications, uncommonness!
  There're a few good moments but overall it was handled terrible imo...After all years of H&C dance, tptb just crashed it...I wonder if they handled the realationship this way just to make viewers hate it.
  House was growing thru the 6th season and 7th season but in ep 16,17 all was back to sqare one...Have you heard about character development?
  
  House who didn't try to win her back? Maybe it's too soon after break up, but he is not kind of quitter.
  I'm missing the banter, back and forth playing and intimate, meaning moments and convos about important stuff between them...I'm missing strong, witty Cuddy, funny and interesting convos with Wilson...
  
  Another thing: Where the clinic scenes disappeared?
  Are Taub&Forman personal lifes and relationships really so interesting? Taub cooking skills? REALLY?
  Where is House talking to his patients (this season Masters took it from him mostly) about ethics etc? Where is House sitting in his office, thinking, meditating?
  
  Misery is based on problems,so since Cuddy is House's problem, and he'll always be miserable...what do you think?
  
  Recently House was more in funny style than drama...

• 16 - RedTulip_Ana

  Apr 01, 2011 at 6:34 pm

  @15 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...
  I agree with you greatly. I believe that most House fans don´t agree on how developed the relationship (and subsequent breakup) of the two doctors who from the beginning had a chemistry and confidence (one in the other, and the other in one) . I have not seen (from Unwritten) or the House or the Cuddy I've known for seven years. I hope this has an explanation.
  
  I also agree with you on this other point: One of my questions (still unanswered) for DS was "Taub's character has much protagonism this season. However, Foreman is missing. And Chase is too superficial. Why?"

• 17 - Committed

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:04 pm

  #11 Mindy -
  My mind has pretty much always been open in regards to this show, it's just about a prerequisite for long time fans and I have always liked 13 so I am really looking forward to this upcoming episode.
  
  That said, I don't think you can fault those of us who really wanted to see the relationship work for being concerned and somewhat anxious about how it will all end up. We have been a patient group and we waited and watched many seasons leading up to this one enjoying every minute of the journey but that journey, like it or not, involved Cuddy and their story was a bit more significant than many of the others. This was not just about them as a couple but more importantly it was somewhat of a measure of how far House had come on that journey - had he come so far that he could finally get what it seemed he really wanted? Well at least for now, apparently not. That's tough for fans to take on both fronts and it leaves many angry and at a loss.
  
  I'm curious to hear what is said in the exchanges between House and 13. I trust based on the reviews that we will learn a little more and that's great.
  
  All I ask is that if the end result of this season is that the journey returns to House as he goes through it without Cuddy, end it already. The sooner there is a definitive and plausible ending to the romantic relationship with Cuddy, the sooner people will get back to viewing it as a simply part of the journey. Anything less than that would be a disservice to the viewer.

• 18 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:12 pm

  @16 - RedTulip_Ana
  Thanks for reply!
  
  I know that show is about HOUSE(that's why I started watching it) and the company is in the background...if it's true why we even haven't seen him talking about his relationship to Cuddy(besides end of NW and his declaration of love in Recession Proof) about HIS worries, about his ADDICTION, about serious stuff...
  It was great to see House in all those awkward and torturing situations(Rachel,beeing with Cuddy,her mother etc) and how he was dealing with it - it was something NEW we're learning about him.
  Handling their relationship in uncommon way would be interesting! And knowing what writers were able to in past seasons I know that they could've done it!
  Other thing is that tptb are always repeating that Huddy was dommed from the start...
  They say Huddy is dead, ok.
  I'm lookin forward to see proper, real HOUSE and CUDDY relationship.And I don't want it to be now, we need to see proper build up to this. "Maybe a year from now". MAYBE it's just another point of journey, cause I don't belive that this story is over just like that, it's not credible at all (Cuddy is too big part of his life).
  If tptb decide to give up at this storyline, then I just want to congratulate them wasting 6 years of great material...but I still hope they won't.
  
  If show is about House then make it the way that even if he's in relationship it'd be STILL ABOUT HIM!
  
  Also bring back the characters I fell in love with!
  Especially Cuddy(Thanks God Lisa E. is there, working hard trying to win over this mess her character became) not this whiny, - i-don't-know-what-I-want or I'm-changing-my-decisions-with-the-speed-of-light sth.
  
  I'm really missing Chase this season...Boreman(Taub and Foreman) bores me to sleep. Replace them with clinic patients and it'd be ok :>
  

• 19 - barbara barnett

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:16 pm

  Red Tulip:
  - Why 13? Do you think that House and 13 share fears?
  I think they are both extremely guarded individuals, never wanting to appear weak, and believing their vulnerabilities make them appear weak. I think they are both sensitive--far more than they want anyone else to know, and in that way they are kindred spirits. House has always been nurturing to 13 ever since she's been on the team.
  - I do not know, maybe you've seen the episode that you can clarify me this: Is it credible that 13 has been in jail for every 1 year? Why 1 year?
  
  The episode takes place a couple of weeks after the break up, but the timeline seems to have skipped ahead about a month :)
  

• 20 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:20 pm

  @17 - Committed
  "That said, I don't think you can fault those of us who really wanted to see the relationship work for being concerned and somewhat anxious about how it will all end up. We have been a patient group and we waited and watched many seasons leading up to this one enjoying every minute of the journey but that journey, like it or not, involved Cuddy and their story was a bit more significant than many of the others. This was not just about them as a couple but more importantly it was somewhat of a measure of how far House had come on that journey - had he come so far that he could finally get what it seemed he really wanted? "
  THIS!!!

• 21 - Annie

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:27 pm

  First off, thank you so much Barbara for the new article! Your words have always been my rock through the ups and downs of the show.
  
  However, question: this is related to @14 - RedTulip's post, about Thirteen's stay in jail. If she has actually been in jail for a year, and yet 'The Dig' only skipped ahead about a month, the timeline doesn't make any sense. In 'Bombshells', Cuddy tells her sister that she and House have only been together "a few months". TBH I was expecting some huge time jump, but now the timeline's just confusing me...

• 22 - barbara barnett

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:32 pm

  Annie--They got together last May at the end of "Help Me." 13 also disappeared at the end of that episode. The timeline works within that if you add a month.
  
  And as we all know: time is not a fixed construct (especially on House)

• 23 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:38 pm

  @21 - Annie
  in BS Cuddy said "few moths"
  in Out of chute House said to Carnell"Why I haven't met you 6 months ago" in reference to his relationship.
  There is also a mention that she broke up with him a week ago.
  So "the Dig" should be 6 months later(after Fall from grace)?
  GregYaitanes said about it on twitter that we should stop paying so much attention to the details - yeah, after all those years where DETAILS were the important part...;-/

• 24 - I thought you loved those 8 seconds...

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:41 pm

  @22 - barbara barnett
  13 disappeared at the end of Now What :)

• 25 - barbara barnett

  Apr 01, 2011 at 7:42 pm

  ITYLT8S:
  
  Details like that have always been a bit lackadaisical. The timeline itself has been a cause for vigorous debate and many a forum thread (in various places). Yes, there are important details, there are little details that turn out to be clues and then there are lapses.
  
  Fanwanking has been a popular sport in the House fan community for nearly 7 years.

Add your comment, speak your mind

Personal attacks are NOT allowed.
Please read our comment policy.

Name:

URL:

Remember name and url?

Comment:

Please preview your comment.