What "Changes" are in store for House as we move into the final three episodes of Season 7?
Candice Bergen returned in tonight’s House, M.D. episode “Changes.” I can’t help but get the feeling that we are in some sort of holding pattern, with House (Hugh Laurie) a ticking time bomb waiting to fracture him into a million pieces. I think the finality of the breakup, which I sense that House had believed redeemable until the final scenes of “Changes,” is a fuse finally lit.…
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— go to most recent comments26 - Lily
Jacksam4eva--
Wonderful insights. I absolutely agree about Wilson's ever fluctuating role on the show, which is especially frustrating because so many time when he is on the show, it's only to lecture House and to psychoanalyze him for the less perceptive viewers. Throw in the Huddy shipping and Wilson becomes more of a mouthpiece than a character. Or he just provides comedic relief as he did for much of those Season 6 B-plots. Neither makes Wilson consistent or likable, which is a pity, because in those few moments (like The Social Contract), where we get a hint of something deeper, I've always liked what I saw.
And I think you helped me to clarify in my mind just what is going on with House and Thirteen. It's kind of unbelievable that it took House three or four tries to get to the conclusion that fatalism is her defense mechanism. Was that not already incredibly obvious given Thirteen's loop of self-destructive pessimism and almost incredulous hope? It makes sense that for all his taunting of Thirteen's false hope, he doesn't want her to be like him. He likes that young woman who defends the value of hope to someone who seems to have none (final scene You Don't Want to Know, which as someone upthread mentioned, perfectly mirrors last night's), who can still throw herself into silly stunts like rigging a spud gun even after she endured a year of hell, who can casually talk about her impending death sentence (The Choice). She's unbelievably resilient and House respects that most about her and doesn't want to see her finally break.
It also makes perfect sense that the reason (other than less-than-subtle writing) that House keeps repeating that she's her double is that he wants to not-so-subtly tell her that she doesn't want to end up like him. Thirteen has always the truth in House's maxims, but these days, she's living them-- that determination to prove that the patient's true love wasn't so true after all is just like House in all those times he'd insist that the patient's loved one was lying to/cheating on/otherwise betraying the patient. House knows better than anyone that it's not a good way to live your life and he's warning her that she shouldn't want to BE him.
On the other side of the equation, I also agree with some others upthread that House is kind of taking the easy way out in comparing himself with Thirteen. The difference between his laundry list and hers is that most of hers gave her very little, if any, choice. (I doubt choosing not to euthanize her brother and watching him suffer instead would've made her any happier.) House still has choices-- addiction or not, choosing to work towards quitting vicodin and going back to therapy is an option. Choosing to be mature about how he deals with the fall-out of his relationship with Cuddy is an option. His break up and his relapse were not inevitable in the way that her diagnosis is. They both have every right to be cynical, but he stands to gain more from hope than she does. He doesn't Thirteen to be hopeless because he doesn't want to be hopeless but the two are only linked in his strange worldview. By comparing himself to Thirteen, he's essentially waving away all the choices he still has left and resigning himself to his miserable fate.
There's so much here to explore with House/Thirteen and I just wish that their scenes had been more subtle and gone further to get to the root of these issues. I liked their interaction, but it feels squandered with all this repetition of lines and themes.
27 - nitemar
After this last episode, I ve lost all hopes for the show and Huddy., Of course, I said the same thing last year about this same time, whem heartbroken because of Lucas and Cuddy together, and House losing all hopes and dragging us fans in the process. Arlene, she was great, a Huddy shipper if I may call her that, and DS ironically represented by House. "we will not reconcile"..that's what Shore has been saying all along about House and Cuddy getting together..and my G-D! Cuddy has learned so much from House! She really faced off her mom! even using reversed psycholoy with House..but boy, she is now so cold, repressed maybe bcs not getting any sex? lol! So hoping for a great season finale, whatever BANG means to GY...:( Thanks Barbara!!
28 - Jessica aka JLCH
@#25 Reality Check. I don't want to see anyone killed off but if they are going to go the House hits rock bottom yet again and is all alone routine, they might as well kill him. I'm being facetious of course. I'm hoping that TPTB come to their senses and write these characters in a way that they once did...that wowed us all. I remember those days....the stories were consistently powerful and entertaining!!
29 - The Other Barnett
Lets throw the show on it's ear....13 walks in on House shooting up Heroin in some dive...he looks up at her slightly in a fog and says, "What do you want?"....13 simply sits next to him, grabs the hose and ties it and shoots up with him....the camera pans back as they both sit slouched on the floor against a ratty looking wall as John Mayer is playing "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room".
30 - Jessica aka JLCH
#26 Lily, loved your comments. I keep thinking Thirteen should just look at House and say "ya know I'm pissed off, miserable and alone because I'm DYING" what's YOUR excuse?
LOL seriously...I think living with a death sentence is a good reason to cynical and depressed. At least House can make the choice to live and make the best of it. Thirteen doesn't have that luxury. Maybe they should have House do a little self-evaluation in regards to that.
31 - nitemar
Oh pushed post comment button too soon..missed to comment how miused was Candice Bergen last night..and was hoping for a more heated, and private conversation between House and Cuddy..too rushed if you ask me... Just a thought.
32 - Lily
Jessica-- Ha, that is exactly what I was thinking Thirteen should've said in that last scene. But alas, my reading of her is that she's so screwed up that if she can't help but blame herself for her misery rather than her circumstances, she doesn't actually feel like she has the right (or the luxury) to lash out at House. She still really needs him for what emotional stability his presence provides, especially since no one else knows what really happened in the last year.
As much as I love the House/Thirteen comparisons and their strange bond, I've always thought that it wasn't as apt as House (and some viewers) would like to think. I find it particularly ridiculous that people were surprised by and disapproving of Thirteen's cynicism. The woman has gone through a year of hell just to save her brother a little bit of extra pain when she doesn't have all that many years left. I'd be more concerned if she were emotionally okay after that. That's partially why I'd love it if the season ended on a slightly more optimistic note with regard to their relationship-- maybe in helping her, House can find some hope of his own and see just how much choice he still has left.
33 - MHM
29-"The Other Barnett"
Can I say I LOVE your comment? LOL!
34 - The Other Barnett
34-MHM....Thanks, it may be rock bottom for House, but at least he is not alone - which probably pushes below the rock :)
33-LAURY.........Que?
35 - housemaniac
For the anti-Huddy's out there, can someone please tell me how the show has gotten better since they got rid of Huddy? I just think it's been, quite simply, boring. I know one anti-Huddy argument is that the reason it is boring (if one agrees with this characterization) is because the fall-out from Huddy is boring, but surely showing the fall-out from a relationship is not the same thing as the relationship itself and the writers could come up with something interesting for the aftermath? First we get over-the-top antics, and now a half-hearted conversation? I was expecting a much more interesting exchange between House and Cuddy this episode. It's almost as if TPTB want to bolster our impression that the relationship was not all that much to begin with. But that's ridiculous, given how they developed the characters' feelings for one another, prior to their romance and how much time (however short) they devoted to the relationship i.e. most of this season.
Although there would be other ways to generate this besides Huddy, the show has lost, in my view, almost all of its dramatic tension and I am hard-pressed to care about any of the characters. It's weird and I can't put my finger on it (as someone else said). I see some people have had similiar reactions. I scanned through the comments here and found words such as "lost"; "gaping holes"; "lacking in "spark"; "lackluster"; "frustrating"; "something is just very wrong." I agree and agree and agree.
Lately, I have begun watching on-line another TV drama that has been running about as long as House (also medical) and while some things are inferior, there is A LOT more dramatic tension, character development and interesting POTW's. The best writing on House is better than the best writing on the other show, but, on average, I think the writing is better on the other show. The acting is better on House, but that's about it. It's been really interesting to have a point of comparison. And, yes, yes, it's hard to compare a show's second year to another's seventh, but even so....
One more quick point: the one thing I have been able to put my finger on, which I mentioned on another blog, is that none of the episodes on House seems to require a preview, you know, the standard flashback "Previously on House..." The episodes are largely self-contained, or can be seen without knowing the backstory. That's just weird. I think the best dramatic series require SOME sort of orientation for the viewer, for at least MOST of the episodes. All the other shows I have liked in recent years employ this mechanism at least some of the time, and, if memory serves, House did at one point too, but I may be wrong about this. Either way, what does it say that we do not need any sort of connection to previous episodes? It reminds me of something I often write in the margins of my students' papers: you need a transition!
Having said all this, I still plan to buy three more lottery tickets. :) My commitment to next season, however, is fading.
36 - sherlockjr
My first impression of this episode was not a good one, I'm afraid, but I'll give it a second pass -- sometimes I find more to like on the second viewing than on the first.
When you asked, Would House likely have been better off in the long run had Cuddy just left him alone and not gotten involved with him â€" not gotten his hopes soaring and tasting a moment (or a few months) of happiness?, I thought, not of Broken but of House's ketamine experience. In both cases -- one physical, one emotional -- he had brief respite from the unhappiness of his life, and a short period of hope that his life would improve. In both cases, those hopes were dashed.
As someone who had a brief respite from pain (in an ill-fated drug trial), I always sympathized with House about the ketamine. For me (and in my view, House), it's worse than not ever having had hope. I've always believed that his rapid downward spiral after the pain came back was because he couldn't adjust to being back where he started from.
Likewise, I can't help but feel that the end of his hope for a reconcilliation with Cuddy can't work out well for him. Perhaps it's easier to discount hope and be totally cynical -- and therefore never disappointed -- than to get your hopes up and be crushed.
37 - RedTulip_Ana
Well, I will introduce a topic of debate. In my first post I said that 13 was a bad influence for House. And I really think it. I just saw the interview with OW and PJ on Fox, and I am a little worried. It is possible that House and 13 being involved into a closer relationship. I do not know why, but do not I like this: "House and 13 like each other...13 thinks House is sexy ...Let's we see" (OW)
@8 - Barbara Barnett
**** Thanks for your response. Anyway, I'm thinking...In my head still do not see reasons for Cuddy to break up with House in the way she did it. Well, after their breakup I can see those reasons: House was given to the madness at the next minute and even got married in front of Cuddy. So I still believe that the moment of the rupture (the final minutes of BS) is artificial. I have understood the story of the lottery and the relationship failed if there had been other negative interactions between them.
It was easy to create an atmosphere of animosity between them, why they did not do that?
Yes, I also think many times we wish something with such force that in our minds we imagine a wonderful movie. Then, when I finally have it, that was not what we expected.
Do you belive I could fix my mind someday? I wish I can have answers in the season finale ... O.o ... Still three more lottery tickets (I love this! @36 - housemaniac)
38 - Kate
I really hope this season doesn't end with something that can make House even more miserable than he already is.
39 - RedTulip_Ana
@24 - Jessica aka JLCH
I really LOVE your comment!
40 - RobF
Very nice review, Barbara! I liked your parallel with "Broken", but I think you might have it backwards. That episode showed how someone can be hurt by unreasonable false hope, i.e. a belief that he can do something which is impossible and dangerous. But there is also danger in false despair, i.e. the belief that you cannot do something which is in fact possible and essential.
House has been telling himself for a very long time that he is hopelessly broken, so now he refuses to accept the possibility of a relationship. He believes it is impossible for him to love and be loved. But we viewers (and our proxy, Wilson) know that this is not the case.
The other interesting development was that (through the contrived sub-plot involving Cuddy's mother) House and Cuddy were made aware that neither of them is exactly a prize pig. They have each put the other on a pedestal for so long that the illusion of perfection has replaced reality. The patient also has tunnel vision for a particular woman, but (as Thirteen points out) he will be happy with reality because he doesn't require her to be perfect.
To directors, a "MacGuffin" is a goal which is unimportant in itself -- its sole purpose is to drive the plot. House and Cuddy have been each other's MacGuffin for so long that they forgot the point of the chase was not the chase but the relationship at the end of it. Now, perhaps, each can see their relationship as a journey, not a trophy.
(Also, I have a feeling Foreman's repressed rage is deliberately being brought to the foreground, so he will actually rage in an outward manner at something. But that's just a guess -- in the past there have been other hints at character development of Foreman which have led to nothing.)
41 - 2 lightworker
24-Jessica aka JLCH - thank you for taking the time to write this in depth reflection. Bravo!
42 - bigHousefan
I love House's journey, Im just emotionally exhausted, but still addicted to the turmoil. House is an E- ticket ride! Â Maybe that's one of the points of this season - it's very hard to be House's friend, and it comes at a personal cost.
It's a given that House's 'three month pity party' is going to be dramatic, reckless and self- destructive and likely longer than three months given the fact that with Cuddy this relationship was a huge emotional risk.
It's reasonable to expect that 7 weeks in Mayfield and a year in therapy isn't going to be enough to ward off future relapses which it looks as though House is going to make the most of, especially given this heartbreak.
  Cuddy will never find perfect in House or anyone else and House will always be emotionally handicapped.  These two imperfect souls are perfect for each other, that was part of last night's message.
House cannot fix himself (he could find less debilitating outlets) and Cuddy must accept the 'gaping chasm in-between' that House spoke of in Season 2 Humpty Dumpty. And I still think that in the end they will be together.
Â
43 - raiza
42-bigHousefan-I think so too, H/C will eventually end up together--Arlene made it so evident.
44 - BeeJ
Hello Barb and Everyone! Been awhile since I posted. I read every article/analysis, just too lazy sometimes to comment lol. However, today I'm motivated...must be all the nice and warm weather here in SoCal!
I must say I enjoyed the episode. Thought POTW was a strong storyline (Loved Donal Logue on Grounded For Life!) I really liked the House/Cuddy/Wilson/Arlene interactions. I thought LE was particularly great in this epi...looked great too. I completely agree with Barbara this episode seems to be the tipping point for House. I felt so sad for both House and Cuddy in that last scene with Arlene. I feel so sorry for their situation that I actually regret the fact Cuddy came to his apartment at the end of "Help Me" and started all this. I really loved them together...but this doesn't seem worth it now. Closure is yet to be had indeed!
However, If I have one gripe it would be about this feeling of hopelessness. I mean I'm no dummy...I'm completely aware of the history of this show and DS's "People don't change" motto. But where can they possibly go from here lol? I usually have kept myself from having expectations for characters for this show. But I must admit I really don't think I can take another season finale with so much hurt and despair for this man. The show seems so heavy right now almost weighed down with sadness since "Bombshells." And it doesn't seem like the finale is going to suddenly bring on the happiness. I just hope the endgame involves some sort of peace-of-mind for House.
45 - Sneaky Microbe
I see that "Bones" has been picked up for another season on FOX. No word on "House" yet?
46 - Dmckoy
Great review Barbara, and I agree with several of your points. I also agree with many of the comments made here.
I thought this was a pretty good ep, albeit depressing at times. I'm a bit torn with Cuddy's current state. I was all for her standing up to House and not being his punching bag, but I'm not sure I wanted her to stoop to his antics, that's his MO not hers. In fact over the years when she resorted to House-like behavior I always felt that it just didnt suit her. After all, she is supposed to be the "adult" in this relationship. however, someone mentioned here (it may have been Barbara) that the two of them are coping in different ways but both are equally as miserable. House gets all, well we all know how he's coping. Cuddy, she's becoming cold and callous as a coping method. Does she think being cruel and distant is the cure to broken heart? Maybe disguise the pain? Some may argue that she bought on the heartbreak with her decision in the first place, but I stand by my opinion that the heartbreaker can be in just as much pain as the heartbreakee depending on the circumstances.
Elsewhere on the ep, I don't think 13 is nearly as bitter as she thinks she is. Ever heard the expression 'thou protesteth to much'? She takes every opportunity to let everyone know her cynical views. I think she's doing more to convince herself then anyone else. She secretly has hope, and while I think her and House are good for each other (platonically speaking of course), they are also toxic for one another. Misery is breeding misery with these two. For crying out loud you two, smile sometimes! Lol
So, like I said, pretty good, and like others I'm still rooting for Huddy, and I'll settle for them linked as just friends. This relationship is to beautiful and rare to just fizzle. There has to be something brilliant in store for us...I guess you can call me a hopeless romantic as well..
47 - DebbieJ
Haven't read all of the comments yet, but I wanted to give my 2 cents, for all that it's worth.
Everyone seemed to have phoned in their performance last night. What is going on in Houseland?
There they (the writers) go again, spoon feeding us the parallels between House and the POTW instead of the subtlety they were so good at once upon a time.
What I find most disturbing since Bombshells is that no one is batting an eyelash that House is back on Vicodin. Cuddy breaks up with him when she learns he relapsed, but there are no consequences for him as an employee. Wilson doesn't say anything about it. Not a thing, until he threatens to stop writing Rx's for him. Like as if House never rehabbed, like there wasn't a full season (last year) of House working on his sobriety! Has every character gone back to square one? I feel like they're in a bubble or a time warp or something. How come NO ONE is upset that House relapsed? And then previews for next week we see House cooking something elicit/free basing. What kind of sadists are TPTB? I saw that last night and it made me sick to my stomach.
As tight and as cohesive the narrative was in seasons 5 and 6, I am finding season 7 completely choppy, the narrative is all over the place; they could jumble up the sequence of the episodes and I don't think it would make it any more fractured than it already is.
And how in the world is a cripple able to box? (Referring to screencaps of next week's episode.) Really? What in the world is going on at the writers' desk?
I'm a diehard and will stick with this show until the (bitter?) end, but I'm finding it to be more of a chore to do so and I hate that feeling. As if I'm afraid of what's coming next instead of feeling excited for it.
48 - Lily
"Elsewhere on the ep, I don't think 13 is nearly as bitter as she thinks she is. Ever heard the expression 'thou protesteth to much'? She takes every opportunity to let everyone know her cynical views. I think she's doing more to convince herself then anyone else."
Exactly, Dmckoy. This is exactly what House does all the time-- these two are always trying to convince themselves of fatalism because they think it'd less painful to never have hope than to have their hopes crushed over and over again. But they can't help it-- cynicism is their defense mechanism, but it's not in their nature. They're both disillusioned idealists at heart and even as they spout cynical catchphrases, they want so badly to be proven wrong. Thirteen was exactly right about the fake Jennifer, but at that DDX, there's not a hint of smugness, just shame and sadness. She just wants for the world to beat her lowest expectations, but she can't even have that.
That being said, I think they're still good for each other. House seemed to be genuinely trying to make her happy this episode, because this time around, she's hardly a puzzle. Just someone he cares about. And even if they are miserable and nearly done with hope, they're not totally alone. That's something.
49 - house love
Dear Barbara: I love to read your reviews. Keep them coming! :-)
50 - TVTherapy
#47 It's highly curious that the Vicodin has garnered nary a mention. Was this not the same drug that House hallucinated Amber, Kutner, a detox, and a night with Cuddy?
What's the difference this time? Does he have to build his tolerance back up to hallucination level? Vicodin back up to 11 before anyone decides to intervene with the drugs?
With season 7 comes a lag in continuity. Pay attention, TPTB. Your fans notice EVERYTHING!
-LP
51 - Maka
@RedTulip_Ana
Olivia Wilde also said that it wasn't likely, and that their relationship wasn't like that, and they didn't exactly flirt that way. As for the "we'll see", keep in mind that Jesse Spencer said that there might be a Chase/Masters romance back when he was doing those Q&As.
Don't think we have to worry about that.
52 - Alisha
As soon as the lawsuit came up, I wondered if Arlene was scheming to get them back together. I wish it had worked!
53 - Jacksam4eva
I can imagine TPTB missing a lot of details on the show but I believe there's no way they're going to let Wilson and cuddy enable the vicodin without saying anything. I think it's just a matter of time before they force House into facing the consequences of his actions. I can only guess that their lack of complains means that something big is about to happen.
54 - DebbieJ
@53 - Jacksam4eva - It seems they already have let W&C enable his vicodin use by being indifferent to it.
Yeah, something big is about to happen. Next week we see him shooting up (or about to).
55 - Barbara barnett
I have posted episode shots from 7x22 on my personal site. Beware of spoilers, however.
56 - Eileen
Barbara, thanks for posting those. I finally have hope!
57 - laury
With all due respect, I rewrite my earlier comment because I received no answer.
I apologize for having to force it to use a translator but did not speak English and I use one to read your articles but it is easier to write what I think in Spanish in a rough translation as a translator. In order for me to really show has lost much luster still see it because it's my favorite and I could see many but there is only one real love lol, but beyond what happens in the series as I am concerned that the hearing and the possibility that there is no end to the series for a possible cancellation leaving us with a fitting end that i deserve so we are still watching House MD as a product, as a project, you think?
Thank you very much in advance there are chapters that no analysis just never understand.
Greetings
58 - RedTulip_Ana
And if the Vicodin, which takes House, is not really Vicodin? We know that he buy it with the name of Wilson. Wilson may have given orders not to give him real Vicodin. And if it is a placebo? Not the first time (remember Cuddy with morphine). Respect to the possible heroine of next week, I think it only has to do with the boxer, I do not see House, even more drug addict (or yes?).
59 - Koji Attwood
Another excellent review; loved the Dante reference (from I believe, "Damned if you do"--"..melancholy without hope, which circle is that?")
60 - Action Kate
Two minor mistakes: The POTW's love is Jennifer, not Janet, and the best friend is his cousin. :)
Re your Dante reference: All the circles of hell are without hope. The inscription reads "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
The last (ninth) circle of hell is called Cocytus. Dante and Virgil first see four concentric rings of sinners frozen into a sea of ice, with each ring worsening as it goes in: those who were guilty of Treachery Against Blood Ties (like Cain), those who were guilty of Treachery Against Country, those who were Treacherous to Guests and Hosts (which is worse than killing your brother), and those Treacherous to their Masters. In the center of the ice is Satan, who has three heads. Each head is chewing on a different sinner: Brutus and Cassius (who slew Caesar) and Judas Iscariot. [/Dante geek]
Is House guilty of treachery against Cuddy? I wouldn't say so. Cowardice to some extent, sure, but he didn't betray her. Not fundamentally. He didn't cheat on her. The lies he told were for the patient's sake, which is part of his MO. Even Wilson would be more deserving of this label if you hearken back to, ahem, "Finding Judas" in S3.
He may be miserable, but he's been miserable before. He lost Stacy, the other love of his life, and managed to pull himself together, more or less. Yes, the Vicodin got out of control, but he showed that with effort, help, and antidepressants, he can conquer that. So this is a deeply unhappy time for him, but deep unhappiness is very familiar to House.
I don't see him as without hope ever again, just unhappy and burned out in the sense of weariness: the fire of his grief has gone out.
Now, why TPTB felt the need to reset the characters this way is something I don't get, but that's another discussion.
An aside: Barbara, were you on alt.tv.x-files/.creative back in the day? That was my entry point into the Internet, fanfic, and truly obsessive fandom, all at once. Helluva start. :)
61 - barbara barnett
Kojii--what I was thinking.
Action kate--thanks for the corrections. The "other Jennifer" was actually Janet. I'm easily confused, sometimes.
We know House was for a time without hope post Stacy. According to Wilson, he fell apart. And I wonder how much is exacerbated by the sense that he has now given it his truly best shot (in his opinion), he really tried, and this was (also in his mindset) perhaps his last chance at "being happier" and he failed.
62 - hegdeu
Helloooo - what ever happened to the wife? It seems to me that the writers are leaving a lot of loose ends. First Luke disappears - did he strike anyone as the kind of man who would go quietly and not lash out at House for his getting dumped - that too after getting engaged? Then they show the wife-cum-maid-immigration scam and just as you wonder what that would do to the dynamics, they make her disappear. Even if House wasn't having a relationship with her, she's there in his life, isn't she? And no one refers to the marriage after it happens.
63 - morphine, a violin, a friend, and a mystery
So House has lost Cuddy, someone he has wanted since college. Maybe he will realize how many possibilities there are for him in life. All of his connections have been either with someone from the past (Stacy and Cuddy), someone whom he met as a patient in a psychiatric hospital and who was married (Lydia), and his various prostitutes etc. So imo he hasn't had a real relationship. Until he makes that leap, he won't realize that getting hurt is a good thing once you start to take risks in the real world, not just in your mind. All of his relationships were doomed to fail. House lives in his own mind. Until he reconnects with the real world, he will not be happy.
64 - Anna S
@Barbara
I don't agree that House had held up a hope for a reconciliation with Cuddy at all in that scene, i think House had already accepted that he and Cuddy couldn't be together and this episode was just to showcase the fact that they excel in their jobs but they are immature on a personal level and the common ground they usually worked within has been destroyed because of the end of their personal relationship.
House wasn't devastated in any way about her declaring the fact that they are over to her mother he just got his epiphany from the conversation and so left to go and diagnose his patient.
65 - Amie
Yup. I agree with Anna S.
I didn't see this episode as House losing all hope. He already has as we can beautifully see when House says "we're not getting back together".
That been said, I don't think he thinks he tried his best. Why else would he have said "I can do better" when C broke up with him? And he's not trying very hard to win her back.
Had TPTB not hammered us with "Huddy is over", I would have had hope for the futur when someone finally tells Cuddy she has impossible standards. I wish this would have gone through to her.
And I wish we could have seen Cuddy's and House's state of mind during the "music part" (with Chase in bed and Foreman trying not to stress). We really have no clue what's on Cuddy's mind and it is bothering me.
66 - Sneaky Microbe
#65 Amie: You raise an important point that's been bugging me. House has never been a quitter. Until now. He let Cuddy's decision stand and then let that decision nearly destroy him. That's why things just don't seem right. House seems to have given up, and Cuddy is distant and cold. The only thing that got me through much of Season 6 was seeing how much House loved Cuddy and that he kept trying to figure out how to get Lukas out of the picture. When he "conceded" by giving her the old book in "Help Me," that act touched her deeply (along with the rest of the episode) and brought them together
The portrayal of the relationship wasn't "quite right," the breakup was harsh, and the aftermath doesn't ring true to the characters. That's why this whole post-"Bombshells" series of episodes doesn't feel "right" to me.
67 - Frustrated
In answer to your question, Cuddy should have married Lucas. When she went to House, she should have thought of the repercussions of what starting a relationship with him would cause. Even if she didn't go to him in Help Me, I think he would not have taken the vicodin. Even if he did take it that night, I think he would still have had hope of being better and not being miserable at the time. When Cuddy broke up with him, she said he couldn't do better. That was a death sentence she gave him with those cold, harsh words. She basically crushed all his hopes of being a better man and doing better. I still can't believe how she's acted. This is not how a woman acts towards someone she loves. Never once did she try to help him. The problem is the writers changed her and this is not the same woman that cause fans to believe in the Huddy pairing. This new woman is selfish and it's all about what she wants and needs.
68 - bigHousefan
SneakyMicrobe and Frustrated-
With regard to Cuddy's apparent selfish behavior, I think that what she discovered is 'the giant gaping chasm in between'. In season two's Humpty Dumpty, House said something to the extent of, "Cuddy, you see things as they are and as they could be. What you don't see is the giant gaping chasm in between, otherwise you never would have hired me."
Cuddy wants perfect, and that's not possible in anyone, especially House. During her relationship with House, she had to deal with the giant gaping chasm as a part of the package and in the end she opted out.
Her subsequent harsh words and actions toward House lead me to suspect she is trying to communicate her truth to him in terms he can understand - 'in the starkest, darkest way'. I think part of it is her fear that to love House requires HER to change, or at least acknowledge her shortcomings. Cuddy must be deeply worried for his well-being and I think the writers either think the viewers know that, or something else is going on.
Another thing has been bothering me. Bombshells and The Dig show us (and House told Wilson) that House cannot provide support and comfort ('two things that I famously suck at'). But House was clearly comfortable with offering support to Stacy in Honeymoon in the scene on the hospital roof. And when House discovered Cameron euthanized Ezra Powell in Informed Consent he found her crying in the hospital chapel and put his hand on her shoulder and told her he was proud of her.
I can uderstand there being a difference in Cuddy's situation because he believed at the time she was dying, but when he woke to find 13 crying, or when she finally told him her secret, he was not capable of offering any comfort. I just feel like I'm missing something.
69 - Frustrated
bigHousefan,
I don't think you are missing anything. I find House actions very contradictory at times. For me, the writers bend him which way they want so that they could push through a story. Same with the other characters. The writers, for the past few years, have been changing the characters to fit a storyline instead of letting the characters just organically grow or write storylines which fit within the context of what we know of these characters. And I think that's where my frustration is this season. Not only is there a gross lack of continuity this season, but there's a very evident issue with the writers changing these characters to suit their storylines. I'm sorry but there's a reason why out of all the female characters, Cuddy had the most following or support to be the better half for House. Huddy became popular based on Cuddy that was portrayed or seen mostly in the earlier seasons. She was portrayed as someone that could take on House. Slowly, the writers have turned her into a laughing joke. Back in S1/S2, the ducklings even showed their fear for her. Now, there's no respect for her character at all. No wonder the Huddy storyline didn't work. You have one partner that's clearly inferior in character.
70 - housemaniac
Frustrated @69: I agree with you that the writers lately have seemed to change the traits of the main characters (less so the minor ones) to fit a particular storyline. What I don't get is why they would do that? I think it might be unintential, but I'm interested in others' theories.
71 - Anna S
65 - Amie
He said “I can do better” to her in several episodes prior to BS also and i think he really did try his best and this is why he cannot get his head around failing anyway. Add to this him emotionally exposing himself to her (which she didn’t seem to reciprocate to his level), feeling he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did, thinking she has won in some way and we have a very angry, lost, hurt and confused House.
A House who doesn’t know how to deal with what has happened so is distracting himself from the pain in every which way he can and Wilson is supporting him instead of making him deal because House is refusing to do let him in so he is trying to turn a blind eye by pretending everything is normal (when he knows it isn’t) because he is clearly scared of what House may do (I’m with him).
What have we learnt about Cuddy through the seasons? She is a control freak, she’s good at her job, she is naive, an idealist, has a guilt complex, is lousy at life, screwed up very relationship she ever had etc.
I don’t understand or agree when people say her character has changed! the above mentioned character traits were revealed in all their glory during her relationship with House but they were always there.
I think the show told the story of the difficulties they would face logically (compartmentalizing their work and personal life etc) in that they are brilliant in their chosen careers but they are both too immature and emotionally stunted at present. The majority of their love and respect for each other comes from how they apply themselves in their jobs so him saying he would prefer to be a crappy doctor and in love with her was the straw that broke the camel’s back in her opinion because that is the last thing she would ever want, of course she couldn’t have ended it on that note because he would have talked her out of it but she got her good enough reason in BS, one that he couldn’t argue with. The words she used were harsh and upsetting to hear but then again so were her words to him about starting a relationship.
Cuddy is hurting you can see it in her body language and hear it in her tone of voice. Her guilt complex had been eating away at her in OOTC and FFG and she turned a blind eye because she knew it was her fault why he went on his self-destructive rampage but after they kept them apart in TD and LT, it is now exposed in this episode that she doesn’t want to have to deal with him because she is hurt and angry with him after he has gone and gotten married.
There has got to be some kind of conclusion to this before the finale.
A happy House is the end of the show but equally so IMO a House without hope is also.
72 - Sneaky Microbe
"A happy House is the end of the show but equally so IMO a House without hope is also."
Amen to ^THIS.^ House wanted Cuddy so bad, then he got her, and now he's just accepting the breakup?!? Does not compute. Yes, he's very hurt, but I can't fathom House not TRYING to communicate with her, TRYING in a dozen silly ways to reconnect with her. It is like he simply has no hope anymore. While I don't want the show to be a sappy romance, I only want to see the characters being true to what we've come to expect. Not only has Cuddy known House for 20 years, she claims to love him AND she's a doctor. Just STILL not accepting the cold, abrupt breakup over 1 Vicodin. Someday, perhaps, I'll be able to move on...
73 - Anna S
72 - Sneaky Microbe
"I can't fathom House not TRYING to communicate with her". House's preset default is defining everything into a mathematical equation of meaning but there is no logical numbers game here, this is all out emotional and he doesn't know how to deal with it since he cannot add it up.
Cuddy "has" known him for 20+ years and he has worked for her for maybe 12 but where have we ever seen them socializing out of PPTH? Their jobs define who they are and what establishes their love for each other.
74 - lobentti
Hey!
there´s something I´d like to understand: why those writers took so many years building this relationship to blow it up in 15 episodes ?!?!?!? Can you help me with this, Barbara?
75 - Sneaky Microbe
#73-Anna S.
Excellent point about the emotional aspect. Effective communication is not House's forte. On the other hand, it's the DEPTH of his emotional investment that makes me question why he's not TRYING, even through silly, childish means, to get her attention (his form of communication . . . and flirting). Yes, perhaps he has lost all hope. Going off to be sad, now.