Cuddy seeks the joy of motherhood, as House questions her motives and her methods in episode six of House, MD
My apologies for this review being so late. There was much to digest about this episode, and I do hope that you enjoyed my interview with Lisa Edelstein, which is now being featured on the FOX official House, MD site. Now on to "Joy," episode six of what is turning out to be an excellent season of House, MD.…
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26 - JL
(I've been storing this up, unsure which review to post this to, but as everyone seems to be discussing this anyway...)
I wanted to comment on the set-up to this episode - House's shocked reaction at discovering Cuddy's adoption plans at the end of 'Lucky 13'.
My reaction was that this was an Anvil-Sized Hint.
For those unfamiliar with the term, J.K.Rowling stated, after publishing her 6th Harry Potter novel, that she had given her readers 'anvil-sized' hints as to where the characters' various relationships were headed. Moments that could not be rationalised as 'not really meaningful' or 'ambiguous' by over-eager fans of different relationships.
TPTB behind House made it clear awhile ago that House and Cuddy's relationship would be explored, so no-one required hints that this would be happening. But everyone I read still assumed that this would be brought to a head via their usual flirtatious bickering in Cuddy's ofice.
House's reaction to Cuddy's adoption plans stunned everyone because he so rarely shows his feelings so nakedly. To me, it seemed like a shout-out from the writers saying,
"Please note that House is emotionally involved. We are not allowing you the option of believing that there is no depth of feeling here."
The other recent moment that rang similarly for me was that of Cuddy holding House's hand at the end of Wilson's Heart. Nothing else occurred in the scene - that moment was a deliberate statement (and Cuddy's emotion at seeing House wake up could probably be included as part of that 'moment').
I've been intrigued by the way the writers have... staggered everyone by deliberately choosing a path that people really weren't expecting.
Rather than sticking with what House knows and is comfortable with, they've thrown him in the deep end (just to link this to the comments about staying with what we know being safe and comfortable).
And we're in the same position as House: while we expected this to unfold in Cuddy's office, everyone felt fairly comfortable with what to expect (regardless of the direction anyone hoped it would take). But the emotional path chosen leaves us all gasping a bit and really at a loss to understand where things will go.
As we saw with the shake-up in Season 4, the writers really do try not to keep this show 'comfortable'. It doesn't always keep the viewers happy (whether it's missing the ducklings, shipping Hameron, worrying that House won't be House anymore, or having concern that the show has jumped the shark), but I think it's gutsy and admirable. Good for them.
27 - Barbara Barnett
It's terrific that the series is so complex that we can all interpret it differently (hey like doing a differential diagnosis on the characters' motivations, sort of ;))
Thanks everyone for some insightful and deep comments about the episode. It's what makes this column the success it is. My reviews are my opinion, and it's always a joy (so to speak)to read how others have interpreted the series.
I do want to address the Stacy thing. I think I was misunderstood (or wasn't exactly as clear as I intended). Sassydew, your comments are well-noted, and I think, as you do, that scene in the airport told much about House and Stacy.
I took the "fun" part from what Stacy told Cuddy when trying to remember why she was with him..being so conflicted after Baltimore. "He used to be fun..." I get the impression (from what little we really know about their relationship) that it was "fun." Stacy told House that he was "curry." That curry is something you take in small doses because in bigger quantities it tends to burn the roof of your mouth. She missed "the curry." House can be passionate (as he is about medicine, music...and certainly was about Stacy). But he can also love deeply (although he avoids it like the plague). I absolutely believe that Stacy loved (and still loves) House. It's what drove her decision to do the procedure on him; and what motivated that scene in Honeymoon.
But she also in my (humble) opinion (until that moment in Need to Know when he came to tell her to go back to Mark)didn't understand the depth of House's feelings for her---and the devastating effect her leaving the first time had on him.
In that episode she responds to House's question about telling Mark. "I suppose telling doesn't matter if you dont' care about hurting anyone." (Ouch). Now, granted, House was living in a fantasy world, thinking that Stacy was on the verge of coming back to him simply because they slept together. But that was Wilson's point in talking with her earlier in the episode about toying with him. I really do believe that Stacy was conflicted between her love for House, her love for Mark, her passion and place in Mark's life. What I don't think she understood during most of it was that House wasn't about the passion and the sex at that point. But about being together again forever. They were not on the same page at all.
Finally she understood when House told her that he couldn't "go there" again--be willing to be hurt in such a fundamental way by someone he loves. He will always be who he is, whether he tries to change or not. He knows that Stacy will leave him again, and he can't handle that. House's decision and his demeanor afterwards tell us how he feels, and Stacy's tears and bewilderment tell us that finally she understands where House had been coming from. It doesn't mean that she didn't love him, or doesn't love him...just that they had been coming from different directions.
Their kiss in "Failure..." was incredible. Sweet, tentative, full of feeling, love, memory and promise. I loved even more how Stacy went and sat with him in the airport hallway while did the differential in the middle of the night--just being there for him. To me that spoke more of her feelings than any words that had passed between them.
So. I do believe there was much love between them. But in NTK, they were not (in my opinion) on the same emotional page--until the end, when, of course, House decided not to "go there."
In my opinion, House will never love anyone like he has loved Stacy. (Heck, my first fanfiction attempts were about House and Stacy)--which, by the way, if you really want to read some amazing fan fiction about House and Stacy, read Magdala's work. She wrote two long and gorgeous explorations of House and Stacy (pre-infarction). Brilliantly written.
Renee--thanks for sharing your recap. I love putting down my thoughts stream of consciousness, and you've done a nice job recapping all of the emotional notes.
The final scene of "Luck 13" is absolutely essential to understanding House's motivations in "Joy."
House was stunned--just as he had gotten things back to "normal" with Wilson. And it was certainly a clue of things to come, JL.
I do love the way that the show's writers seldom leave us comfortable, seldom do what we expect them to do (with the characters). I have always trusted the shows writers, and they've seldom let me down.
28 - BG
(cross post)
I think you depicted House's state of mind -with all its complexity, perfetly. I'd like to read your take on Cuddy, though. In my opinion she has become one of the saddest character on the show.
Let me explain; House needed Wilson back in his life and as you've said, he doesn't believe in unconditional love so, he always test his 'best' friendship in order to not fear his friend would ever leave him, alone. In "Lucky 13", he had Wilson back in his life, he still had to test him with his pranks but they were affectionate. He also wanted to know everything new about his best friend but he was actually happy the whole time. I know this is weird to say about House but it's as simple as that, he had his friend back in his life and he was happy and this is exactly what the line "If you're happy, I'm..." stands for.
Meanwhile, he had to mind Thirteen's business. In his pseudo-happy place, he could see misery and I think he felt the need -the only way he knows how, to look out for Thirteen. Not help her, because he thinks he knows he's incompetent with his straight-forward, most of the time thought processed but sometimes instinctive hurtful nature. But he's wrong because even though she didn't really act on it, Thirteen realized he was lookin out for her and admitted to herself consciously the 'error of her ways', but decided that at this place in time, it's what she needs, even though it's never the right choice. Besides, self-destruction is something anyone can achieve willingly and there doesn't always seem to be destructive consequences. House is the perfect example because so far, he's still around.
As much as House finds happiness with Wilson (he's been there for him with the infarction, with the Stacy crisis -twice), there is one thing he's been craving for all the time: absolution while he's still stuck on earth. His purpose in life is to solve THE unsolvable puzzle which will allow him to solve the puzzle he is, a man people despise.
I think this unsolvable puzzle is Cuddy, which is why I think she can bring him absolution. This absolution I'm talking about is the only key to House's utter happiness. Cuddy's a mess, she's supposed to have everything in life, except she's emptiness personified. 'She knows what she wants but doesn't know what she needs'(s4). She doesn't even have an incurable disease to fall back on. Her life has no meaning to her, this is why she desperately wanted unconditional love with a kid. Maybe she felt it would have given her a purpose. Bottom line is, I think House subconsciously wants to make her happy but he wants to be the reason why she's happy.
Now, the fact that he didn't see the adoption coming made him fear the worse. Either bc he wouldn't have been the reason that would have made her happy or because he wouldn't have been part of it (maybe the baby dady issue would have a signification in here, otherwise I don't think House has ever seen it that way -but what happened in 'Birthmarks' could prove me wrong and I think it resonates with the adoption thing in 'Lucky 13').
We haven't seen House kiss Stacy the way he kissed Cuddy when the former came back into his life(neither in flashbacks). Cuddy is empty. House can make her feel whole and solve his twisted and complex mind in the process. I guess that in this specific case, a conflictual relationship is the way to go for House & Cuddy. As they say in fandom, banter is foreplay. I say House is wrong and that there is one thin line between love and hate when it comes to his feelings about Cuddy (season 1, episode 3).
I know this analysis is quite subjective very centered on my favourite pairing -and I know Cuddy isn't the only key to House's absolution and salvation (if there's any chance he'll reach this before he dies), but in season five so far, it appears she is/will be of a certain importance.
In conclusion, that kiss was the hottest thing I've ever witnessed on tv. It is realistic because it shows intimacy -thx to the camera angles, at its best and encapsulates graphic awkwardness that shows through fierce and raw emotions. What an exchange of saliva! All props go to Hugh Laurie and Lisa Edelstein for their acting skills are actually extant.
I agree with you about Stacy in general though and many of the things people have said in here. It's amazing to read so many interpretations.
29 - Tigerfeet
Barbara!
Thank you so very much for yet another fantastic episode review! That was definately well worth waiting for. (Don't ever feel you have to rush anything, take the time you need to give us such insightful material.) It was pure Joy to read, as were all the very intelligent comments.
I was especially impressed with Renee's very thorough recap highlighting so much sybolism that I missed watching the episode several times... She also described exactly my thoughts on the kiss.
Now I'm of two minds to what I would like to see. On one hand I'd love to see House happily in love with Cuddy and vice versa. On the other hand - will he then be the House WE have come to love??
30 - Sue
What happened between House and Cuddy throughout this episode and what happened with Stacy can be interpreted by a running theme of the show, “people don’t change.”
When House let his frontal cortex overtake his emotional attachment to Stacy, he realized that getting back with her would only lead to disappointment and a big emotional let-down. A renewed relationship would entail dealing with emotional baggage from how the last one ended. Stacy’s decision to leave Mark would have been a recurring issue as her expectations for what was to come would mean House would have to change more. House had not been in a relationship for five years, and he was not used to having to worry about someone else’s happiness. Margo had done something life-altering to keep her marriage together, and House used that as a barometer to compare how much he would be willing to change to make Stacy happy. In the end, he realized that he could not or would not change enough to make it work.
House is living within a fortress where he has walled off his emotions to keep himself from being hurt. Change means a crack in the wall he has to walk through. Like someone said, the soft lava core would spill out, and there is no framework outside the wall to guide him how to do the right thing. If he does change, will he fall apart? Change meant that his fellows would see him in a different way. Could he be as brutal to them and get them to respond to him the same way?
House has expressed interest in Cuddy to her and to Wilson, but in the process he never showed any indication that he would change in any way if a relationship of any kind actually happened. He was just as snarky and sarcastic and misanthropic as ever. If you want me the way I am, come and get me. He was willing to have it not happen at all. He can still live in the bubble he has created if nothing happened between them. Maybe over time, she would come around. When he lost Wilson, he made a small attempt to show Cuddy a different side of himself (becoming a cheerleader for a girl). This only happened because he needed someone to replace Wilson in his life. House cannot handle an adult relationship, something he projected onto Cuddy. But he needed to fill the void Wilson left, so he revealed something that happened in his past as a way for her to see him differently. He didn’t change anything about himself in the present.
In the baby shop, House got smacked in the face with the news that Cuddy was going to adopt a baby. He couldn’t deal with it, so he walked out without congratulating her. He then tried to convince Cuddy that she couldn’t and shouldn’t change. He tried every angle he could to talk her out of it. He was totally aware of what he was doing. Every time she rebuffed him, his desperation was revealed. He didn’t hide it from her. Every time his expression changed, it was in total view of her. He wanted her to know how much the adoption would devastate him.
Cuddy has chosen Wilson over House several times. When she wanted a friend, she told House Wilson was the safer choice. When she wanted a sperm donor, it was Wilson she asked. House gave her an opening to ask him, but she never did. In Finding Judas, he told her she would be a terrible mother. In Top Secret, she told him to stop thinking about having a relationship with her. Now, when she needed a character witness, she chose Wilson. Every time House confronted her about her decision to adopt, she excluded him from the process. She only turned to him for medical advice, both in the second season and now.
So, the woman he wanted to have a relationship with was excluding him in every important decision she made. His behavior was pushing her away, and it was leading her to replace him in her life with a baby. She never let herself be emotionally vulnerable with him either. The only exception was at the end of Wilson’s Heart when she stayed with him in the hospital. How could he pierce the armor she had built up against him?
Now that Cuddy was making a major change in her life, House would have to change so much to be included, her panicked and pushed her away even more. The realization that Cuddy was going to be fulfilled and happy with the baby made him aware that his actions were not going to change anything.
When House made the diagnosis, it caused him to evaluate his own purposeful attempt to exclude emotion from his life. It made him confront head on how his behavior had denied him something he craved so much.
In order for House to tell Cuddy she would be a great mother, House had to tear down the protective wall and lay bare his feelings for her. Telling her that was akin to telling her he loved her. Cuddy was emotionally devastated, and he could tell her state of mind was unprotected. When she asked him why he had to negate everything, at that moment he could not justify his actions even to himself. He did not care if his kiss was rejected by her. His frontal cortex took a back seat to his emotional mind. This was House’s most vulnerable and naked moment in the show so far. He wasn’t thinking about how much he had to change. When Cuddy kissed him back, his frontal cortex kicked in again and he had to leave to prevent things from going too far. He knew that if he slept with her, there would be regrets afterward. Did Cuddy return his affection because she really cared about him or because she was emotionally devastated by the loss of the baby?
I agree with a lot of what has been written hereabout the relationship between House and Stacy and House and Cuddy. If the “people don’t change” theme is not used as a filter to evaluate what has occurred, you might miss some of the motivations of the characters and how that has guided their behavior.
31 - Orange450
"I do want to address the Stacy thing."
Me too. This is a subject I feel very strongly about. Probably more than any other situation presented to us in the entire series. And Pam and Sassydew have done such a wonderful job of articulating the significant and subtle details that there isn't much left to say. (I agree with both of them!) But there are just a few additional points I want to make on Stacy's behalf. I'm going to wait until tomorrow, though. After I vote.
Or Barbara, would you rather I left my comments until a more in-depth discussion of the Stacy arc?
32 - Barbara Barnett
You guys have convinced me to do a piece on House and love. Lots of great points here, both about House's relationship with Stacy and his relationship with Cuddy. I will try to work on it tomorrow while I'm going crazy over election returns and publish it in lieu of an episode review this week. So look for it Wednesday or more likely Thursday.
So, Orange450--feel free to post your thought here, or wait until the new article.
33 - Orange450
Thanks for responding, Barbara. I'm in awe that you can contemplate putting together an article like that in so few days - and one of them Election Day. It takes me ages to think through my reactions to just a single episode, and then still more time to articulate them.
34 - Barbara Barnett
Orange450--I have a weirdly photographic memory--very vivid, but not universal (I can't remember how to do calculus, but I can remember details, voices, faces (but not names). It's useful for writing articles about insanely complex television shows....however...
35 - Orange450
Who on earth needs calculus, anyway ;-) But it's not just remembering the details, it's the way you weave the ideas, insights and complexities together - making an elegant tapestry out of a knotty tangle of yarn.
Very much looking forward to your article, and feel free to drop the 450. Remember to breathe tomorrow!
36 - Barbara Barnett
Orange-- Good advice for everyone. Everyone take a deep breath and vote!
37 - sf
As we all wait on tinterhooks for our nation's choice for president to be revealed...
I live in Switzerland, as my husband is Swiss, but I've been sweating it out here since the weekend. I voted more than 3 weeks ago per post office.
This blog and the comments, with the back and forth of conflicting interpretations has been a welcome and interesting distraction.
What does motivate House's actions? Is the character worthy of our attention? For me, the answer is yes and no. It's our job as viewers to decide. Our interpretations are as revealing of ourselves as they are of the series.
Does the often inhumane character of House deserve our loyalty? Yes, but only because he always lets his humanity come forth when the stakes are high. Tolerance, yes. Absolution, no.
In "Joy", the writer's took us on a wild ride through the desert of 'House's Selfishness' on to 'Bad Behavior' until arriving at 'Acts of Insanity'. (self-confessed)
Then they returned us and House back to humanity with the safe arrival of a baby.(new president?)
Finally, at Cuddy's home, House unexpectedly and gratefully found a garden where he could let his humanity bloom. His decision to exit her home without picking any flowers was the height of human friendship, honor, and perhaps love.
We travel from the depths to the heights in "Joy" and so does House.
38 - Sera G
Hello, Barbara!
I am a first time blogger. I just discovered your insightful and beautifully written House reviews. I spent the weekend savoring your prior articles.
My friends and family enjoy the show, but no one really analyses it to the (obsessive, pathological) extent that I do. Forgive me if I ramble a bit...
I am so intellectually and emotionally drawn to the show. Perhaps it is b/c the viewer can never really predict where events are headed. (Like life.)
The Joy episode was an emotional roller coaster involving my two favorite characters. Everyone has already said so much of what I was thinking and feeling. Loved the 'doorways' symbolism and agree with what has been said about House's motives concerning the adoption. Wilson's lines were priceless. Lisa E. was magnificent. She, too, says so much with her eyes. I felt her joy, grief and passion in House's arms.
I've probably watched "the kiss" 20 times. Some critiques have called it awkward, not romantic, etc. I think that is what clutches my heart. This man, who revels in his life of the mind, was moved/drawn/compelled to reach out to this woman. He took the risk, made contact with her. House's feelings for Cuddy are so complex; she is his friend, his 'mother', confidant. She understands, repects and admires him as no one else does. Cuddy "knew him when"; the glory days of college as well as his devastating losses; infarction/Stacy. She provides the authority against which he rebels, fitting for any 'adolescent'. He unabashedly ogles her and like any 12 year old, is more comfortable teasing and being rude. And yet...
As they kiss, touch, gaze deeply into each other's eyes, they are both so raw, so needy and there is such longing.
No one knows where the writers are taking this event, but I am so delighted that they opened the door. (Here we go with doors again.) Personally, I hope TPTB give it a fair chance. Rationally, I know the relationship won't last,but my heart wants to relish every moment of the "dance." Thanks for the chance to share.
39 - Fernanda Allendes
Hi, Barbara. I've read your review some time ago, & I like them a lot, & also readers' comments.
Well, I just wanna mention, today I realized that House didn't take any vicodin in the whole episode.
Actually, we can see clearly the full bottle of vicodin twice.
(Sorry, if I have grammar problems or you can't understand me, I'm not native speaker. It's my best try)
Best wishes from South America.