“I am who I am because of my dad, for better or for worse.” Dr. Gregory House’s words at his father’s funeral, uttered with poignancy, bitterness, and resignation in an achingly honest performance by Hugh Laurie is but one of so many memorable lines from last night’s episode of House, MD, “Birthmarks” but one that resonates deeply throughout this beautifully written and performed episode. "Birthmarks” is likely to be remembered as one of the best episodes of the entire series.
We are marked from birth by either nature or nurture to be who we become as adults. House’s patient, indelibly and physically marked from infancy by pins inserted into her brain by her birth parents, making her an addict, nearly killing her as an adult. And House, too, is marked (more emotionally than physically) by not only his father’s brutality but, perhaps less obviously, by his father’s drive and sense of calling. And for better or worse, House is perhaps more like his father than he would care to admit, but the opposite of his father in so many meaningful ways.
The death of House’s father John not only provides a structure for exploring House’s troubled relationship with his father, but also gives rise to House’s very welcome (and highly anticipated) reconciliation with his best friend Wilson. The entire episode — from this week’s patient, an adopted Chinese woman searching China for her birth parents, to the funeral (and the fabulous the road trip getting there), to House’s wonderful reconciliation with Wilson — was absolute perfection.
We know House’s relationship with his dad was troubled, even eliciting extreme avoidance on House’s part when his parents visited in season two. He told Cuddy then that he hated his father. But House’s reluctance to attend the funeral borders on pathological, and only when Cuddy sneakily doses him, knocking him out, can she and Wilson (who has come back, he says, only out of respect for House’s mother) actually get him on the road.
House acts like a petulant child in his avoidance of the funeral once he regains consciousness, and in several calculated moves tries to make his escape, as it is, of course, one’s duty to try to escape one’s captors. (House certainly must be a fan of the film The Great Escape, after all. Vive la France, indeed!) But no matter House’s efforts, Wilson does hold all the cards, coming prepared for the worst — always. He knows how House thinks and has made every effort to keep him en route to the funeral. After all, Wilson is the one guy who can beat House at poker. So he controls House’s meds, his cane, even his phone, knowing that somehow House will try employ them (if he can) to escape the inevitable.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - instluzgh
Barbara,
what a nicely written review! I agree with all you said and that this episode was one that will go down as one of the best of the entire series. We finally got a healthy dose of "House searching," the one and only reason why this series is so compelling. I agree that when House kissed John on the forehead, it was the real deal as he didn't have to actually do so in order to get the sample. All he needed to do was pretend, but as they showed clearly how his lips touched Johns forehead, I would think that it was meant to be a real, spontaneous and frankly very rare burst of unveiled emotion. The magnitude of this gesture is huge, of course, as House supposedly "hates" his father for so many reasons.
The reconciliation with Wilson was perfect and brilliantly played. It was touching, heartbreaking, funny, witty all at the same time and I felt we were finally back to the original formula that worked so well.
The use of the old team this time was also very good. I liked how Foreman finally was able to step up, and also how he ended up going back to the old team to figure things out. Basically, it showed that the old team still knows best when it comes to deciphering House.
As you mentioned, the last scene was incredibly poignant and we got to see House in yet another rare, unguarded moment. The way House stated the obvious (my dad is dead) and Wilson's knowing look was played perfectly by both actors and it showed just how much real chemistry there is between the characters as well as the actors who portray them.
2 - Barbara Barnett
What I loved was the conflict that played out within House regarding his father. Hugh did a fabulous job of showing House's fear, anxiety, ambivalence and feigned indifference to the whole thing. But that moment at the casket was real. He could have been pretending to just take one more look at his dad, to silent with his dad...anything. But that kiss was spontaneous (maybe even a spontaneous acting gesture on the part of Hugh Laurie, for all we know).
I agree that the old team was used really well in the episode without taking away from the character story or the patient.
3 - Robin
My worse fears about this reunion trip has happened; it is a reset just like the Tritter arc. But if I just wipe it from my mind that Amber ever existed I can roll with it and get back to enjoying the road trip. I don't buy it that Wilson left because he couldn't deal with possibly losing House who is more important to him than Amber, but was willing to put him thru the DBS. I will be happy if new episodes can at least show just a subtle shift in the H/W dynamic, then all that suffering will not be in vain. But I think even that will be a long shot. If House can learn that he can survive without having Wilson available 24/7, and Wilson can appreciate House for who he is and not try to change him, I would be pleased with just that much, but I won’t hold my breath. I won’t rant about it here anymore cause I can do that on other forums. And there was a lot I loved about it. So if I pretend this was a pre-Amber trip, I loved seeing typical House digging his heals in to not get there on time. Loved the flashlight and Wilson should have known better. Loved the key incident and Wilson’s expression in trying the gage House’s intent with the cane and failing. At the funeral House definitely showed himself as his mother’s son. She wanted him there so he could say what she could not. Wilson was wrong about her wanting to maintain the happy delusion. Which is typical of him in his belief that presenting the best, no matter what, is the only course of action. That’s why he likes being with House who derails that notion. But getting back to Blythe. She did not look shocked or embarrassed about his words. She hated him too, according to House at the end. She held her head high during the eulogy. It would have been nice if she and House had a few words to confirm it. It would have been better if there was some muttering from the audience of supposedly his father’s friends, or at least some reaction for or against his words. At least I would know they were really listening. Back at the hospital I liked seeing the old team doing a DDX, then Kutner coming in with the same conclusion. The new team can decipher Housespeak just as well as CCF. And this happened after Forman wrote them off as not up to snuff and left. House doesn’t hire dunces but selects who will most benefit his own thinking process. Which tells me Forman does not belong with the new team because he does not know how to get the best from them and is only a hinderance to them without House being there. Loved Chase’s comment about the cookie coffin. House would have loved the humor of it. I think Chase does have the most understanding and acceptance of House. It would be fun to see more of them together. Caring Cameron is back and hopefully bitchy Cameron is put to rest. I do enjoy the playful flirting between them. Even if nothing comes of it that is OK too. I still love the show and look forward to new explorations, but I need to reduce my emotional involvement if there can not be a more satisfying outcome. There is enough pain in real life without taking on the sufferings of fictional characters.
4 - pacemaker
One of the best episodes. Ever.
5 - Matteo
Beautifully written review, but too womany.
I don't want to appear misogynous in any way, shape or form - it is just not my intention here, nor anywhere else -, but women and men view things in a very, very different, and sometimes antithetic way. Unfortunately, here in Italy, I can't experience the joy of watching "La Prima" of any episode, and the only way I'm left with to suck our beloved american television's tit is via torrent, on a small screened computer. So don't hold me accountable for possible misinterpretations of facial expressions. But... Watching this episode, I had a completely different feeling. Hugh's intentions are quite obvious and well corroborated by Wilson's comments afterwards: the speech was an extremely fun exhibition of House's cold and cunning wit. No one in her/his (see? I'm no misogynous, I postponed "his") mind would say that a good actor like Hugh Laurie wanted to convey pain with such a pathetic sob at the end. I was bewildered at first, but it all made sense when House cut a piece of his dad's ear.
Women are different, they can't get men's intentions. Unlike us, men, we hardly understand anything.
6 - Kizmet
I loved that Wilson didn't come back because House needed him, but because the trip made him FINALLY remember that he has fun with House. Who else could Wilson play that sort of game with and not end up with a restraining order? House isn't lying about having been kidnapped (and drugged), it's just that he appreciates the length Wilson will go to in order to out-smart him. I loved the used floor mat and House's disposal of it.
One thing I find myself wondering is if John House was aware that House wasn't his biological child. Given what House said about his father being out of the country at the time of his conception he probably was. In the end the lack of biology might not have changed that John is still House's dad, the person who raised and shaped him, but it might be the root of the problems between them.
If John knew and for the sake of his pride or his marriage decided to pretend otherwise it would have colored his interactions with House. House being the incredibly preceptive person that he is, would have picked up on it, even if John didn't mean for him to. A parent is supposed to disclipline a child out of love, if John's primary feeling toward House was simply duty to raise him properly because he'd decided to act as a father to him, it might have made House resentful of even normal punishments, and made him determined to resist. John probably lacked the creativity to realize that simply increasing the severity of punishments isn't an effective stragey.
We've heard about some of John's over the top methods of punishment: Ice baths, sleeping outside, withholding food, not speaking to House for a period of month. House has never mentioned the frequency of any of these things.
Denying a child dinner is a good punishment, but if it only happened on rare occasions it wouldn't actually be harmful. We don't know if John House considered weather conditions on nights when he decided to lock House outside. The ice baths are worse, ice melting against your skin HURTS, but it's still a sort of strange punishment. House has never said that his father hit him, and House is old enough that he would have grown up in a time when it was still not unheard of, not unacceptible, for a teacher to hit a kid as a form of dicpline. But House never mentions that sort of punishment, which would have been a lot more typical and a lot less trouble to set up than dumping a kid in a bath of ice water. But maybe harder for the person admistering the punishment to control themselves?
My mother stopped using spanking as a form of punishment for me because my response to being spanked was basically to insist that it didn't hurt, I wasn't sorry and she couldn't hit me hard enough to make me sorry. Mom decided that there was too much temptation for her to take me up on my dare and hit me harder in an attempt to 'make me sorry' and switched over to using boredom (sitting in a corner) as a method of punishment.
Ice baths would have the advantage over hitting a child in that it would keep the person admistering the punishment one step removed. The damage done would be the same regardless of how angry the person doing the punishing was.
When House confronted John with the idea that he wasn't actually John's child, John reacted by not speaking to House for months. Was that punishment or did John simply not trust himself to deal with House at this point?
Basically I'm wondering if John House was actually, if ineffectily, trying to not abuse House.
7 - Barbara Barnett
Good points, Kizmet.
I, too, loved the fact that Wilson didn't come back because House "needed" him. That he came back because of the fun that House brings into his life. House's defense against sinking into despair is to try to push them to the recesses of his overly-active mind. He substitues game playing and puzzle solving and medicine. He is the supreme compartmentalizer (if that's even a word!).
Wilson taps into that and tags along with it, giving him a way out of his own worries--and less dangerous than serial affairs (and marriages).
8 - Alice Jester
I don't know what compelled me to watch, considering I wrote off this show early last season, but the promo caught my attention and found my Tuesday at 8:00 remarkably free. I have to say, after watching, I shouted out in relief, "There's my show! Why were you gone so long?" It reminded me again why I fell in love with this show to begin with, and I hadn't felt that since the end of season three. It was perfect, and I knew just by watching Doris Egan was the writer.
As much as I love your analysis of House (dead on BTW), I was also watching the supporting characters and felt they were strong too. It's a wonder what happens with great material. Kunter did well with the POTW, even though the others still are wooden to me, and its was SO great to see Chase, Cameron, and Foreman all back together in two whole scenes. Those three always had fantastic chemistry, and it's great to see that still happen despite the changes. Cuddy played the concerned friend very well, and the medical mystery of the week actually ended with a payoff.
For me though, I think this was just as an emotional time for Wilson as House. There were several parallels between the two about loss, and the road trip was pure gold. What a better way to start the path toward healing.
Sadly, I went back on my TiVO and watched the other episodes from this season that I ignored. They were weak and boring. At least I got one gem out of the evening, but I'm still not sure if its enough to woo me back. They all need to be like this from now on.
9 - genagirl
Even your review left me in tears. I thought that scene when House almost breaks down was so very moving. And I can't begin to express how happy his reconciliation with Wilson made me. I think without Wilson and his ability to see House, understand and push him in directions House would normally not take, we would find House a very unlikable person.
10 - Orange450
Great review as always, Barbara, for a great episode. I hadn’t been that excited about the first three " they were OK, but didn’t blow me away. This one did.
I though that House’s eulogy actually highlighted more similarities than differences between House and his father " the contrast being in how differently the similarities manifest themselves in House " if that makes any sense at all! House is profoundly and very positively human, while his father was a harsh and petty taskmaster " and it’s House’s conscious and self-aware “words and deeds” that make the difference. But outside the professional realm, I think that the characteristics that House used to describe his father can apply to him as well.
Professionally " as you say - he's the epitome of someone who not only accepts, but encourages views other than his own, but personally, he really isn't. Professionally, he's a great teacher and mentor, and never punishes failure of his team, but he punished Stacy very hard (emotionally) for what he perceived as her “failure” when she dealt with his leg. And he definitely punished Wilson for becoming involved with Amber, i.e., failing his primary relationship with House. House is a perfectionist in many ways - he doesn't demand perfection from his team, but in other important aspects of his life (friendship, love, music, scholarship) his standards are so high that the bar is hard to pass. He loves doing what he does. He definitely sees his work as a sacred calling - more important than ALMOST all personal relationships. Except Wilson. Because with Wilson (unlike as with Stacy), he *is* willing to do whatever it takes.
If the sob and/or the kiss weren’t sincere " and I honestly don’t know, and that’s OK " then House is every bit as good an actor as Hugh :-) But his mother said “the war is over”, and all of his actions and words after that testified that he'd laid down his arms.
I saw some interesting parallels between the PoTW’s relationship with her parents (as they described it), and House’s relationship with Wilson. The parents said that they tried everything " coming to pick her up in bars, letting her spend the night in jail. That sounded familiar! But in the end they were told “you don’t know who she is” " and the same can often be said to Wilson about House.
I was also struck by the contrast between Wilson’s “loud”, flashy grief over Amber (not that he shouldn’t grieve) " as he exclaimed “my girlfriend is dead!” in DCE, compared to House’s quiet, restrained, but no less heartfelt “my dad is dead” at the end of Birthmarks. Really highlighted some of the fundamental differences between the two personalities.
The one thing I could have done without is the revelation that John wasn’t House’s biological father. To me, that felt just a little too smoothly contrived to fit with the PoTW’s story, and I think the “nature vs. nurture” ideas, as well as all of House’s conflict would have worked just as well without that detail.
Doris Egan may have said the road trip was set up like “It Happened One Night” " but that arrest and trooper scene was straight out of “My Cousin Vinny”! I almost expect Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei to appear :-)
11 - Chris
I can't bear to read your reviews. They are seriously just lists of adjectives. I tried to read this one, I did, but it's painfully didactic.
12 - lauriefan
My goodness, Chris. I don't mean to incite an argument here, but if you can't bear to read the reviews, then why did you feel compelled to comment so harshly on it? I hate my local newspaper. I've never been moved to write to them, though, just so they know that I'm out there, not bearing to read their paper anymore but judging it all the same! To each his own, though. I guess everyone is entitled to handle their disapproval differently.
My apologies to you too, Barbara, as it's not really my place to respond "in your defense" to another commenter, but wow, I found that rude.
I plan on using adjectives here (maybe a few) -- hope that's okay! ;-) I love your insightful reviews. I think they're well-written, generally positive (which is rare in the fandom these days, I find), and they give me something to look forward to between episodes. Thank you. I'm sure you take constructive criticism like the pro you are, but even more than that, I hope you don't take baseless, seemingly mean-spirited criticism too much to heart.
Now, as for the episode, I loved it. I thought it was true to Housian form -- every bit of it, in fact -- from the set up of the plot, to the dialog, to the integration of the entire case, and most especially, to House's behavior throughout. He can go from petulant child to sensitive, world weary man in a millisecond, I swear. I know the writing on this show is key because the writers themselves have created and managed to sustain a character that is strangely contradictory and consistent all at once. But I have to be boring here and say that I attribute House's complexity even more to Hugh Laurie. Still phenomenal after 90 episodes of playing the same guy. He's not the first to accomplish that feat and won't be the last, but there's something so different about him. His performance comforts me, and I have no clue how to explain that so that it makes sense, but that's how I feel about him. The quiet way (thank you for describing it as such, Orange450 -- that was perfect!) that this otherwise in-your-face guy deals with his grief in this episode killed me. Faking a tender moment at his father's casket (which is how I saw it, YMMV) was such a House thing to do, but I just can't bring myself to judge the guy harshly. And the "Wilson, my dad's dead" line is why. More than the line and line-reading (both of which were fabulously in character) was the face. It was devastating and I felt like both House and I had been punched in the gut. Beautiful.
I'm glad Wilson came back to the friendship. For all the misery House may spread around, he's worth all of the fun and friendship he offers Wilson, and I'm glad that came to light. My thoughts on Wilson are that he's important to House, and I love him for that, but he's often no prize himself. But I'll stop there. I'm already way too wordy. Sorry about that!
Thanks again for the review -- it was a worthwhile read, as always.
13 - Barbara Barnett
genagirl--it was a pretty emotional (if very House-ian) moment. And can be interpreted in so many ways. Some believe the breakdown was real; some thought not. I'm still not sure. But one thing I do believe, and that is that the kiss was real, as was that eulogy. Just fabulous.
Chris--guess I can't please everyone. Sorry you don't like the reviews. But I do think I string a few adverbs, nouns, verbs and a little bit of punctuation in there as well.
Orange--I loved House's dawning moment in the eulogy. When he realized that there was much about his dad that resonated within himself. And even finding out that he wasn't biologically his father, he was much his father's son.
14 - Orange450
"And even finding out that he wasn't biologically his father, he was much his father's son."
Barbara, thank you! You just enlightened me about a point I hadn't seen before! So that's why House was depressed that the DNA results made no difference to him, isn't it? Because in any case, "he's much his father's son", right? Thank you again! :-)
15 - Barbara Barnett
lauriefan--thanks for watching my back ;)
I think you're quite right. House (the character) is only possible through the complexity, nuance and flawless timing (there I go again with all those descriptors--this time mostly nouns) that Hugh brings to every performance. He can be a class clown, a petulant child sulking away, a tragic hero brooding, or suffering in silence. He misses not one freakin' note. This is why he is so deserving of the executive producer status.
Orange--glad to be of service :)
16 - Phillip Winn
Barbara -- fantastic review on what might be my new favorite episode.
I'm anxious to see the new dynamic between Wilson and House. Will Wilson have a bit more of the upper hand this time around, since he returned to House on his own terms? Or will Wilson fall back into many of the same old patterns, just satisfying himself that he's there on his own terms?
Either way (and maybe it'll be both, one after the other), it's going to be [insert adjective here, inappropriately]!
17 - hl_lover
Agree thoroughly with lauriefan's defense of Barbara's review. She writes beautifully, and I agree fully with "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"...something that commenter #11's mother must not have taught him/her. ;)
But, it is a free country, and some feel they must fling about their opinion. Really #11's comment says more about him/herself than it does about sasmom's writing style! (Or is that 'her/himself', Matteo? :-) )
Speaking of commenter #5, that's fascinating to get a male POV. Thanks for sharing it!
I suppose the fact that Greg shares so many of John's personality traits shows how strongly environment shapes us as individuals, as opposed to heredity.
Fabulous review, as always!
18 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks Phillip and HL_Lover. "Birthmarks" is has become one of my favorites of the series (not quite THE favorite, but close to the top, I'd think). I love those episodes with character reveals. Those are the diamonds we seek in this complex series. I think, Phillip, that you've hit it. Wilson is now back on his own terms, and I think House has deeply acknowledged to him how much beloved he is and how important he is in House's life.
I loved the fact that Wilson has come back, not because of his emotional vampirism, but because he enjoys House; enjoys living House's life vicariously (in a sense). He gets to live the best parts of House's life with him--the playfulness, the fun, the mischievousness that House can bring...but also is (Usually) there for House when he is at his lowest and most despairing points. It's a great (and now reestablished) synergy between the two men.
HL_L--thanks for "getting my back." I get so few negative comments (I don't mean disagreeing with me--which I get all the time :)) from people (for which I am so grateful), that is can get jarring when someone is rudely negative. But such is life. Wonder why he/she keeps coming back (please keep coming back!).
That was an interesting pov expressed by my Italian reader on my "womanly" POV. "Nature vs. Nurture." I loved that this episode (as a really fabulous subtextual story) addressed the question for the ages.
19 - Phillip Winn
I must say, I appreciated your analysis of what was going on in Greg's head during the eulogy, and you may be quite right. (BTW, I'm a male, and agree with you over Matteo.)
On the other hand, what I was thinking during the eulogy ran something like this: Greg was undecided as he got up there, but decided to go with what he had already noticed, the issue with rank. Then, as he continued to describe his father's negative points, he realized just how close to the mark those same comments were to describing himself. I mean, sure, he sticks up for the little people in many ways, as you point out, but my thought was that he looked at Wilson and saw the same pattern working itself out, and in that moment, in that environment, right then and there, he questioned whatever he tells himself ("They know I'm kidding" or "I abuse them because I care") and wondered just how much like his father he truly was.
That, I think, more than anything, drove him to decide to finally do that DNA analysis. He wanted to resolve the question that had been in his mind for decades, but it was now important, both because it was his last chance and because it was a way he could be different from his "father."
Of course, even this victory was hollow, as Greg's victories usually turn out to be.
In the end, nature had no real hold, but nurture helped shape Greg, "for better or worse."
20 - Barbara Barnett
Phillip,
I really like your analysis of House's thoughts during the eulogy. You may well be right. Of course, we'll never know for sure :)
I do think he was driven to do the DNA testing because it was his last chance. House's insatiable curiosity and opportunity would have made it out of character not to try to get a sample. But maybe he wanted the ability to say (at least to himself): "see, he's really not my father. It wasn't my father that did all of that stuff to me. It was some stranger who I happened to share geography with a long time ago." but in the end he couldn't do that. because John WAS his father, in too many important ways. That final part of the last scene, House looks like he's been punched in the gut.
21 - KMC
So much of this season, and HH/WH hit home for me. My father passed away in February...and unlike Amber, he slipped into a coma before we could say goodby, and due to mis-communication, we weren't with him at the end...something we will never forgive ourselves for. And yet, like John House...my father..though I always knew he loved us...could be cruel. He once stopped speaking to my brother for THREE YEARS..though they lived in the same house. So watching the episode I felt with House all the terrible mixed emotions he was feeling...including at the end when the knowledge that his father...maybe not his biological one...but the man who raised him and made him what he was for good or bad..was dead. And it was a realization that so obviously hit him like a two-by-four. It still sneaks up on me that way. If they've ever deserved an Emmy, they should get it for this episode.
22 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks KMC for sharing your personal experience. It's so much the subtle moments the emotions just below the surface that make this show so outstanding. Emmy seldom recognizes that sort of nuance and complexity in series television, and certainly not in the acting awards.
And as the show is so much viewed as a "procedural" it's often dismissed. But it's less a serial than a detailed character study of an incredibly complex man and his relationships--and his work.
That is so sad about your brother, and the lack of closure. I agree that House's realization hit him like a two-by-four. Watching that last scene frame-by-frame (yeah, I know...), House's eyes are glistening and tear filled. It hurt. Alot. Glad Wilson was there for him.
23 - instluzgh
While I do think that the scene during the eulogy was largely improvised and spontaneous on House's part, he did intend to get the DNA sample before he went up to the podium. When he stands up and walks up after his mother calls him, you can see a bit of white tissue in House's hand. Clearly he had the nail clipper already in his hand, meaning that he already planned to get the sample somehow. I think that halting his own speech, seemingly too upset to go on, was an act to get to the body. Once there, the kiss on the forehead was spontaneous. At least that's my view of things.
24 - Barbara Barnett
I agree, instluzgh, that the dna sample was pre-meditated, but the kiss was not planned. The anger and bitterness of the euology was very real, as was the dawning realization that he needed to get control of his emotions and what he was saying. I think he was hoping for an opportunity to grab the sample, although he really didn't want to give the speech at all. I believe he would have found another way to get the sample, had he not given the speech.
In a sense, since he didn't want to be there at all his decision to get a sample was, in itself, spontaneous. Opportunity and proximity. And a nail clipper :)
He could have gotten to the body once he finished to spend a few seconds with his dad, and no one would have thought anything of it. He needn't have lost his composure to get to the body. On the other hand, House is such a drama queen.
25 - Grace
Ok, here's my favorite part of the episode:
House tells Wilson that his ringtone for him is 'Dancing Queen'! Ha! Toooooo funny!!