House treats a fitness guru with a weighty secret while 13 enters a clinical trial and Cuddy moves closer into House's personal space.
First — hot off the NBC press release: Hugh Laurie will be hosting Saturday Night Live December 13! Joining Hugh will be hip-hop artist Kanye West. (Now back to our regularly scheduled episode review.)…
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— go to most recent comments26 - lucyvanflick
Hi Barbara. I've been reading your reviews and fics for some time now. Just a recent convert to House but I'm now hooked.
Like another poster has said, all the comments to your review about "Let Them Eat Cake" are equally insightful as your review.
I love the House and Cuddy dynamics and would dearly pay for these two to finally do something other than simmer for five seasons.
From this part of Asia (HK actually),
Lucy
27 - Gemma
Honestly? I didn't read Cuddy's "everyone knows this is going somewhere" comment as a confession, or as a way of trying to figure her feelings out. I think she was using "everyone" as a cover for "we." "We both know this is going somewhere" would have been waaaay too much for her to put on the line, so she uses the excuse that everybody else is telling them they should be together. This is her way of feeling him out and getting his response, just like they had both been doing throughout the scene. She got her response - the boob grab made me so angry - and that was that.
I love your analysis on the conversation with Taub! I have watched it several times and can't seem to sort out the subtext. Now I need to watch it again!
Also - the "actress." I was pretty convinced that she was a hooker and was going to go home with House, but it didn't surprise me at all. House will be House, I guess, as disappointing as that may seem sometimes. But now that I've thought more about his conversation with Taub, I wonder if maybe he was just trying to "see for himself" how philandering would make him feel. He's trying to see if his feelings for Cuddy are as deep as they seem. Maybe he doesn't want them to be. Anyway, I saw it as a sort of test. I don't think he wanted Cuddy to see - that would just be cruelty for cruelty's sake, and I don't think that's House at all.
28 - Gerry
Hi Barbara, lovely review again. I'm so frustrated with House right now, sigh. There's only so many times he hurt Cuddy like that in a way to deflect from committing himself to anything. She's now let him know unequivocally that she would get into a relationship with him. The ball(s) are back in his court. But the end scene didn't bode well for him taking any risks.
"THe woman was clearly not a stranger to House. Their easy camaraderie was too familiar. So either they're friends--maybe even poker buddies. Or maybe he's a client (which I don't think is the case). Her "you even have three hours left" and his "Do I now?" with the sparkle in his eye means that he was going to be up to something."
I really think the only logical place this adds up to is she was a hooker and House was getting his money's worth. He doesn't have a social life outside of Wilson and he doesn't even know his poker buddies' names. That he was familiar with a woman who comes with a price and is willing to flirtatiously remind of him of that and he's willing to flirtatiously take up on, points squarely at a hooker. She wasn't an actress, as we learned. Cuddy knew what she was seeing, and she has to decide whether she can really open up to someone who functions this way in relationships. House sent Stacy away because he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he would inevitably do something crass and make her hurt/angry. Obviously he had in the past and knew he couldn't change that part of himself. He's making the choice to not even try to suppress that part with Cuddy. We know House can be sensitive, but he never leads with that part and his crassness is not covering up his sensitivity, it's co-existing with it. It's not going away.
I do think House was wondering what he would be willing to give up for a relationship when he was talking to Taub. But so far, the answer is: not much. The interesting thing to me is that House looked so devastated when he found out Cuddy was thinking of adopting, as he thought about her moving away from him. Now he's pushing away quite harshly in a way that's going to affect their friendship as well as their relationship prospects. So what is he willing to give up to protect himself from emotional risk? Half of his friendship club? Making Cuddy feel like a piece of meat rather than someone he values is a pretty risky move in and of itself.
29 - bliffle
House is quickly degenerating into Just Another Soap Opera.
It's impossible to understand the medical detective story any more, it just twists and turns without cohesion and the only purpose seems to be to stimulate the interpersonal struggles. Nothing makes any sense.
Very boring.
30 - Flo
Hi Mrs Barnett and everyone. I read your reviews and comments for a little while now but it is the first time I post.
I Think the review is very well done and thoughtful and very interesting as usual so as the comments. As a cinema studient I realy like to analyze. So there is not much I have to add but I think that we may have forgotten two important points:
1- We all speak of House's difficulties with women and his relationships with them. His fears and mixed signals are the center of all the discussions and for good reasons of course but I think we forget too much to talk about Cuddy's problems with men and her relationships (or in her case her lack of relationships) with them. She has big issues too.
We can see that she wasn't in a relationship for a very long time. The show doens't even refer to one (contrary to House -> Stacy). She also has her fears of love and romance and I think that is why some of the scenes were showed in her point of view. I think it was to show us that she isn't so sure about it herself and that she is as scared as House is but deals with it (or tries to anyway) in a different way. It would be interesting to know more about her past when in comes to relationships.
Mrs Barnett I know you write a little about that in your reviews but very little though I'm sure you will say more on this in your analysis of House and Love (I like the fisrt part by the way).
Anyway I think that the future of the relationship depends as much of how he'll deal with his fear and emotions as how she will do the same thing.
2- I think the fear of House (and maybe Cuddy) is a little different this time. We know that one of the reasons (and the main one apparently) why House doesn't want to be involved in a relationship is that he fears that it won't work and he will be hurt again as much as he will hurt his partner. It has been said several times in the show that he's scared of the failure of romance and its consequences.
But What House is also afraid of is happiness and success in a personal kind of way. I think he is afraid of a relationship with Cuddy not because of its potential failure but because of its potential success. He is scared that it might actually work.
Like Wilson said in "The Itch", Cuddy is smart beautiful, and more importantly she can stand him.
He is totally right. Cuddy can understand and appreciate House in a way that no one else can. They know each other for at least twenty years and she is the only one who could cope with him for so long. She knows him very well.
I think the fact that they knew each other when they were very young and before they were doctors is very important. She's not afraid of playing games with him and she doens't want to change him desperatly. She likes the challenge too.
House is very aware of that and that's what scares him. In its own weird, dysfonctional way, this relationship could work.
Anyway I'm sure Barbara (I just realize that everyone calls you by your first name lol) will write something on this ship better than I did.
ps: I'm french so I hope you will all be able to undersdant my post well.
31 - Chrissy
I agree with what someone earlier said about Cuddy; I didn't think that her response to "Depends on your answer" was at all indirect or distant. I definitely heard '"everybody knows this is going somewhere" and we're the only ones hiding from it. We should face reality.' She didn't exactly leave any question about what she was thinking. There was no womanly dropping of hints there. Everything was on the table.
I also have my own take on what House did. I think that he did that because he needed to see how she would react. Again, as someone said before, House needs to test all his relationships because he doesn't believe in unconditional love (but I do think he sort of hopes he's wrong, he wants it from someone). So despite everything Cuddy has done for him, despite how often she's shown her ability to deal with him and understand him he can't quite believe she's really seeing him. So he does something that is very much in character for him (a crass sexual gesture) and then he waits to see how she reacts. When she is disappointed by it, I think he is too. He wanted her to react better than she did. Hence the conversation with Taub. He's disappointed and I think that he's weighing how willing he is to bend to his perceived conditions of her love. Which is more important, the love or some of the more harsh elements of himself?
Another possibility here (I think it's quite excellent how none of us seem to be able to settle on quite what happened anywhere in this episode!) is that he may have already expected her to have seen the desk when that conversation took place. Her office was probably done by then (no way that anyone was working on it in the evening and her conversation with Wilson was obviously on the heels of what happened). Perhaps the above gesture was supposed to fit within that context. It's possible that he was both testing the boundaries of their relationship and making sure she knows that he will be who he is and part of that is both large yet private romantic gestures and outwardly crude behavior of the sort that she's been subject to since Season 1. If this is the case then it's possible that his conversation with Taub is even more bitter than my earlier interpretation. He's using Taub to confirm his own negative view that there's nothing to be gained from a romantic relationship and feelings to the contrary are only rationalizations---House rationalizing his own disappointment.
Going back to Cuddy for a second. I think whoever it was that said something about Cuddy and the little girl inside her has something there. I've always interpreted House's performance review of Cuddy as him telling her that what she wants, a nice guy and a normal family life, are not something that she is really capable of maintaining and the she needs someone more like him.
I'm not entirely certain what actually went on with the hooker(and I do think she was a hooker myself). I do think it was intentionally ambiguous and it, like many other aspects of this episode, will be cleared up next episode. Honestly, she did seem a little affectionate for a hooker. I mean, that is a business transaction after all and she didn't strike me as expensive enough (sorry, that's probably a bit crass) to be expected to fake such behavior so well with a client. Then again, she obviously charged more than 10 dollars an hour too (it was $62.50 an hour, I actually did the math), so maybe this is just my own ignorance about hookers. Still, she seemed like a friend and it seems like House would want to keep his relations with hookers less personal than that. He did ask that one girl in Season 2 if she had to talk to be a distraction. Still, he is House so it's hard to put this past him. If he did, I imagine that it's because he may feel totally rejected by Cuddy and is thus totally rejecting her. If he didn't then I think that it means that he's decided he's not done with her yet or is too caught up to be very interested in the hooker. We'll see.
32 - genagirl
I always think Wilson's "philandering" is with his wives, his real emotional relationship is with House.
33 - operahouse
Barbara, I'm glad you are enjoying the House/Cuddy interaction. They are certainly promoting that ship full force this season. I am a viewer who thinks it looks very forced and I don't feel it has grown organically over the course of the series. I didn't find their banter at all funny in Let Them Eat Cake and I don't seen any chemistry between them.
I did (finally!) enjoy the Thirteen storyline. I thought that was really well done, including the powerful flashbacks. And the Kutner storyline was very funny.
I think House grabbing Cuddy's breast after her emotional (I know you thought it was unemotional) revelation that she wanted something serious was his way of saying, "That's you. This is me. It's not going to work." And I hope that stop it soon and get back to the medical stories and ethical dilemmas. Although I miss the amount of screentime Wilson used to get and I don't think S4 and S5 hold a candle to the first three seasons, it's Huddy that will make me stop watching. A chess game is smart. This is just silly.
34 - operahouse
I just wanted to add that I agree with genagirl:
"I always think Wilson's "philandering" is with his wives, his real emotional relationship is with House."
35 - Tigerfeet
Thank you Barbara! Fantastic review, as always, both interesting and entertaining. You - and a lot of the commentators - add so much to my House experience!
I agree with those who see the boob-grab as testing Cuddy. He had an amused, curious look on his face while they were talking - as if thinking: how far can I go before she retreats? It might have been his way of testing if she would still be interested in a "proper" relationship after the initial flirting. "The next logical step" he said.
But of course, he regretted it. It was almost heartbreaking to see him deep in thought in his office afterwards, not bouncing or throwing his ball as usual, but caressing it. The very ball Cuddy had played with earlier (so clumsily!! Goes to show how adept HL is at everything he does!). An then how he looked at the ball before reluctantly putting it away while talking to Taub. (Putting away Cuddy? Hope not!!)
Hugh did an impressive Sean Connery impersonation, but also - who did he imitate in Wilsons office as they were looking at the drawing of Cuddy's office?! As he said "I smashed it with a sledgehammer." He sounded almost like Stephen Hawking...
Thanks again, Barbara! Looking forward to your analysis of the Cuddy/House relationship.
36 - val
Wow! is all I can say with this review Barbara. I felt this episode had more to reveal than I was seeing and I appreciate your insights--Kutner and Taub ringing familiarity of House and Wilson--and all the thoughts of others. How I love this smart and fascinating series and blog...
The new team (and Foreman) are certainly coming into their own and this can certainly be seen via the great comments here. Kudos to the new ducklings.
The important line for me with regards to he and Cuddy, and what I think is on House's mind, was when he asked Cuddy "Why are we still together?" Its placement at the beginning of the episode as they're walking off the elevator towards his office, for me, sets the tone of his frame of mind at this point regarding Cuddy. This is the inner puzzle he must solve. She, however (perhaps deflecting in her own way) takes it into the present situation, she knows what he means and, hence, the dance continues and the steps get complicated.
That complexity, I believe, was what the empty office scene illustrated. Laurie and Edelstein were both superb in this scene and the writers know their characters so well that the scene was perfect, if not frustrating. They both appear to know they are feeling something for the other, but as many posts have commented there are road blocks for each. Cuddy knows House. I agree that when she said "everyone knows something is going on" she meant 'we', and maybe Wilson:) In a way, House was more direct in his question to Cuddy than she was with him. Cuddy, like Wilson, gets House to see things differently and knows she can push him when it comes to medicine. Does she know how far she can push when it comes to his feelings? Probably not, and as a result we have her POV in the final scene. She is jealous. Cuddy may know another layer of House that is unknown to us, the viewers (lets hope it will be explored someday) and through the kiss and the desk (which I do agree was a grand gesture from House) she may have started to see it again--dare I say fall in love with it?
It's been mentioned in past comments and quite agree, of the Shakespearean nature of the House/Cuddy romance or courtship or whatever we have going on here. At the discussion of Barbara's last article, it was ann uk (I believe) that mentioned the "Benedict and Beatrice act" between House and Cuddy and I couldn't agree more. How fitting that Leonard played a role in the matchmaking of that famous pair in its unforgettable movie version:)
37 - Sheelagh
It speaks very well of the actors involved that everyone is so offended by House's groping of Cuddy.
I was trying to put my 'outrage' aside and think of the scene itself. Was it significant that the room House & Cuddy were in was completely bare and harshly lite by daylight? Neither actor was shot at a flattering angle. No soft atmosphere; no romantic overtones. House was very angry with Cuddy before this scene for interferring in his Team Differentials...and perhaps in his emotional world too ? His words to her when he grabbed her breast were " It seemed like the LOGICAL next step". Not the next emotional step; the logical step...all head and no heart here. Love doesn't flow in "logical steps". It was also very interesting that he didn't let go of her breast when she was clearly offended and then hit her with what seemed an intentional & cruel insult " can't you leave them (her breasts) here ?"
Along with his observations on her revealing attire House was clearly saying 'this is all about sex on my side; a transaction; my emotions aren't engaged'. Is he protecting himself by pushing her away ? He wonders out loud to Taub " you gave up something to save a relationship and you RATIONALIZED that you were getting something in return" (paraphrasing here). I don't know if he's denying his feelings and trying to cling to the status quo or he really afraid of loosing the flirtatious friendship and support of Cuddy in his day-to-day world . His easy camaraderie with the 'bought & paid for' gal showed how much more comfortable he is when he knows the clear boundaries of a relationship.
I'm still not convinced the desk was from House. I'm thinking Wilson, that master manipulator is in there somewhere. Cuddy jumped to the conclusion that the desk was from House. I think both she & the viewers need to think again.
I do really miss the meaty discussions between House & Wilson on ethical issues & behavior. Robert Sean Leonard is a Tony Award winning actor and Hugh Laurie does his best work opposite from him. I've had enough with the frat boy dialogue and pranks for this Season. I want the writers to look back at episodes like 'House verus God' and dig down deep once again.
38 - Cinnamon
I know the writers might be afraid to actually "consummate" the Huddy relationship, but I personally feel like it could be a very exciting non-traditional union that ADDS to the dynamic. Hugh Laurie, and House of course, has clearly became a sex symbol (very deservingly so). While the show should maintain its focus on the medical mysteries, our lovable grumpy doc needs some female interaction beyond sporadic hooker encounters! Cuddy and House have undeniable chemistry and there's no reason their sparks can't turn in to flames and still maintain the spontanaity and complexity of their relationship. It's not like as soon as they seal the deal they'll turn into the Cleavers. Sexual tension can exist AFTER sex.
On a more juvenile note...if I were Cuddy I would skip the semantics and just jump House. I doubt he would resist :-)
39 - jim
Gerry, Your interpretation that Cuddy knew what she was seeing (a prostitute with House) had not occurred to me, but like almost every other point you made, I agree. That was a knockout blow for Cuddy! She had just offered herself to House and been rejected and then to find him with a girl for hire. Yikes! I don't think she'll overreact this time, but rather go cold.
The part that I'm not sure is as important to Cuddy as it seems to have been to Stacy is House's crassness. Cuddy has always withstood that. House does not need to temper that part of himself for Cuddy's sake. In that rejection scene, House wasn't asking, "Can I be crass if we're together?" He was simply rejecting her by refusing to kiss her, and then pushing her away with the crass hand gesture for good measure.
It was not the crassness that hurt Cuddy, but rather his refusal of her. In the same way, if the boob grab had somehow signaled a yes and not a no it would have been a strangely welcome gesture for Cuddy, although crass.
But even after this blow, when she saw the desk, she hopped downstairs again to be with him, the rejection forgotten. This second implied rejection of placing another woman in her place is the knockout blow. Poor Cuddy.
House is confusing.
Cuddy will be a bad/great mother.
House races to Cuddy's home without cane to offer himself to her/House refuses to kiss Cuddy and places his hand on her chest to block her from continuing to offer herself to him.
House wants Cuddy out of his office/He delays her renovations.
House retrieves Cuddy's desk from her mother and arranges for its secret delivery with the contractor/House perfers a prostitute to Cuddy
I'd like to see Cuddy receive something good over the holidays.
40 - jesse
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your blog they are always fun to read. I am looking for your thoughts on an old interview I saw on you tube that Hugh Laurie gave where he says that if House was to fall in love or get healthy emotionally that would be the end of the show. So based on that do you think the writers will always dangle potential love interests for House in front of us but never actually have one work out. I'm curious on your take.
Thanks
41 - Luisa Borges
Hi Barbara, I´m back to commenting. I have been reading, and loving, your reviews and insights for quite sometime, but only now in this supercharged Season 5 I have decided to start commenting more. Too bad I don´t now what Huddy Online is, anyway, I also comment on the house fox comunity. And, I´m from Brazil.
Without further ado, let´s get down to comenting. Some of this I said on the fox site also.
Well, I really liked this episode. It was not a "closing of the issues brought forth" but I think it moved things along really nicely.
From the preview I expected something more on the slapstick comedy type of thing, but in the end the managed to merge fun with deep Housian games. I was a huge fan of "Moonlighting" back in the day, so I was kind of thinking something along the lines of that, only much more sofisticated.
After the charged "Last Resort" epi, with its tension, this was a nice shift of pace. Count on House to surprise you everytime.
So, on the House-Cuddy front, I liked Cuddy getting in charge. And I also liked the fact that in doing so she choose an approach that resembles(not to say mimics) House´s own courtship m.o.
The "in your face, let´s annoy you into admiting you love me" scheme whats great to watch. Lisa Edelstein did an amazing, really amazing job, and Cuddy is so controled and sure of herself all the time, that it was nice to see her being more loose, and more unsure of herself as she went along the way. These two are going to be a "mating of porcupines", they´re both full of spikes and have to figure out how to get by the other´s defenses.
And I don´t think any of this is negative. The mismatches and the fighting. It´s like "The tamming of the shrew", only in this case, House is the shrew, the one that can´t commit and is afraid of lowering down the guard.
And yet he does so in the little gestures, such as getting her desk back. Part of him wants to test her to see how much she can take, to make sure she won´t run away and leave him hanging, and on the other part he knows that this relationship will change his current life, hence the talk with Taub about "leaving his old habits of cheating". Still on the desk subject, I was kind of surprised that House would actually get in touch with Cuddy´s Mom, that was a bold move and very commiting on his part. I agree with you that he is a romantic, even if he tries to mask it, but the getting the desk, is just huge gesture.
While he surely wants something from Cuddy he also feels the need to pull back a little, is afraid of surrendering, and mourns the life he will have to leave behind if he chooses her.
Hugh Laurie was superb, once more, he can do comedy like no other. And also place such depth and emotion into every stare, every breath, every gesture that House makes. It´s a real gift to see him act.
Cuddy stepped up the plate quite nicely, she´s more sure of what she wants even if she´s not sure House will be up for it.
It´s been a Joy (pun intended) to watch this journey, and I´m sure much more great stuff is to come.
Loved the hooker (I´m still going with the hooker option over actress), so House to do this, and so Kutner to actually believe he could get anything past House. The rescue by House at the morgue had me in fits of laughter.
Taub was really great too. By the way, loved all the other characters as well. I´m really liking Thirteen more and more as we go along and I think "Forteen" will be fun to watch too. Foreman had great story lines in the past and Omar has more than proved he´s able to make them great to watch.
Wilson is still in a very funny "Yenta" mode, he´s advice and "back and forth" between the "lovers" is great.
Cameron and Chase also had a fun story as House´s accomplices, Chase can do fun like no one.
About the last scene, I can´t really think that he staged that for Cuddy. He hired the girl to do the prank way before the desk thing and the boob thing, so I don´t think he planned how this would play on Cuddy. I´m guessing his talk with Taub, about giving things up and if doing so was worth it, did get him thinking about his relationships, and his use of hookers and casual sexual arrangments. I agree that this current exchange with Cuddy obviously left him excited, and that he could be "scratching his itch" in the only way he allows himself how.
From the scene alone is hard to say if he was indeed going to sleep with her, although from the morgue scene I could see that they had a familiarity with each other that suggests they have done so in the past (the smiles, the inuendos and all that). But if he did sleep with her do scratch his "Cuddy itch" I sure it will not help and only make him want her even more. Fantasy is a powerful thing, and unfulfilled fantasy is doubly so.
And that is what I have to say about the episode. Also I´m looking forward to next week, can´t wait for it to come, and I want to see what else it would bring.
42 - Jen C
Am I the only one who loves being strung along with this storyline? I don't care if Cuddy jumps House or if House jumps Cuddy or if they wait four more seasons to do the deed - I like to watch them work it out. I don't think it's a soap opera - it's just human interaction. I can definitely relate to Cuddy's "juvenile" actions in the episode - I've certainly dressed up to impress someone and made excuses to be near them. Why shouldn't she? The woman needs to have a relationship! It's been years!
As a woman, I was offended by House grabbing Cuddy's chest, but after watching him harass her for four+ seasons, it doesn't shock me at all. It just made me sad to see how hurt Cuddy was when she realized that House was shutting down again after seemingly inviting her real feeling with his "depends on your answer" comment. Poor Cuddy.
I love the Beatrice/Benedick parallel! My favorite Shakespeare couple! They're definitely House and Cuddy!
43 - Flavia
HI BARBARA,
I LOVED YOUR COMMENT BUT I HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT VIEW ON THE LAST SCENE. I BELIEVE THE GIRL IS A HOOKER THAT HE ALREADY KNEW. I THINK THAT CUDDY GOING TO HIS OFFICE AND SEEING HIM FLIRTING WITH A WOMAN IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF BAD TIMING - SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS A LOT IN LIFE. WE CAN'T FORGET THAT HOUSE IS A MAN AND HAVING SEX WITH A HOOKER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS FEELINGS FOR CUDDY. MOST WOMEN CAN'T GET THAT BUT FOR A GUY IT'S THE NORMAL THING TO DO. AFTER ALL HOUSE IS 49 YEARS OLD SO HE DOESN'T HAVE TO KEEP HIMSELF PURE FOR CUDDY SINCE HE KNOWS THAT HE HAS A LONG ROAD IN FRONT OF HIM WITH LOTS OF OBSTACLES THAT HE MAY BE OR NOT ABLE TO OVERCOME.
44 - Eve K
I totally disagree that House can continue with his lifestyle AND Cuddy. Yes, House does use prostitutes, but he must get rid of them if he is pursuing Cuddy. He cant have his cake and eat it too. (To use a cake-metaphor)
House said to Stacy - either be with Mark or me. If he doesn't have the same standards for himself then he is a total jerk. (Ok, I know he is, but anyway) And he was totally occupied with whether Stacy had sex with Mark or not when he was trying to get her back, so Its only fair that Cuddy wants to know that too.
But - and there is a but. A prostitute is not a girlfriend. A prostitute is not an emotional threat, its more like a bad habit? A really bad habit? But then again - sex is sex, with all the health risks and other stuff that follows.
So it all comes back to when this Cuddy thing started or starts. She knows he has been seeing prostitutes, but when is the line crossed, when is she "entitled" to be jealous? Her look at the end of the episode tells me that its already to late. Most people will draw the line when they have had sex. Then they are entitled to set an ultimatum. As House did with Stacy. But the kiss obviously meant more to Cuddy than she realized.
45 - Cinnamon
Responding to Jen C...
I've enjoyed the "being strung along" too...to a certain extent. I think there should be some payoff though...and it's much more realistic (in my opinion) that they would actually hook up... at some point in the near future. This has been building for over 4 years and we don't get to see nearly enough of THAT side of House. I wouldn't expect them to have a "normal" relationship...but I do expect it would be great fun to watch them try :-)
I adore House but I have been disappointed with some of his actions lately. And I felt so bad for Cuddy when he wouldn't kiss her and when she saw him with "Coconuts".
I agree that the "dance" between House and Cuddy is tantalizing but sometimes I want to yell at the tv "Just do it already!"
46 - Mel D
My take on the end was that the woman was a hooker and perhaps House had decided to take her up on on those free 3 hours but changed his mind.
He doesn't touch her at all. She pats his lapels. I'm hoping (sad romantic that I am) that what Cuddy would have heard is something along the lines of the hooker saying "Whoever she is, she's some lucky woman" as House turns down the option.
Let's face it, how sexual are you really going to get in a glass-fronted office? If he was going to use those 3 hours, I'm sure they'd have gone somewhere more private. Although, I'm guessing the hooker had to wash all that makeup off somewhere - how private are PPTH's showers?
47 - NLP
Interesting analysis as always. I know the storyline is going the way you want it to go, but, whatever anybody says, it's still 180 degrees away from Seasons 1 & 2. There will always be many of us who continue to be disappointed in the lack of internal consistency.
48 - barbara barnett
One thing I must say, and that is that this episode has certainly spurred a lot of lively discussion! Not just here but across the fandom. I have to agree that the conversation with Taub is very, very important to understanding House and his emotional state.
"You weren't miserable. You gave away something to help a relationship. You thought you were getting something back." Taub was able to rationalize his affairs. He gave away part of himself, part of his soul, but what did he get back. "You thought you were getting something back." From whom? From his wife? The mistress?
These are crucial questions that House is pondering. I think House is big on fidelity. He nags Wilson when he has been unfaithful--and unethical sexually with a patient. Even though he had sex with Stacy when she was married, he wouldn't allow himself to become embroiled in an affair while she was still tied to mark. His mother had an affair, of which he is the product and was brutalized by a man who probably suspected it. I think House hates the idea of being unfaithful (and I doubt he was with Stacy. Ever.)
But he's trying to figure something out before making the huge step of commitment to a woman (CUddy).
Hooker or not hooker? Hookup or not hookup? That is the question, isn't it? FWIW, I don't think they did the deed, and I can't imagine House having sex with someone with whom he clearly has a friendly relationship and have it be with no strings attached. that's part of House's intimacy issues, and he and hooker/actress were very chummy, and I just don't think House would go there. Not with her, anyway.
49 - Luna
Hi Barbara.
this is quick note from a first time poster. That was a very nice review!
I will add yet another view point to that boob scene.
I also think (like somebody already said) that House wanted more a confrontation at that moment, and somehow it didn't go as planned. I thought, however, that was there had been a "game" motif all the way up to that scene, escalating rapidly.. that the touching House did was yet another (and, yes, incredibly juvenile and crass) "move". There was something in House's face, when he realises Cuddy is not responding at all well to the action, that to me screamed "Oh, oh. So you didn't think THAT was funny?"
Basically, I think he was in "game mood" still, panicked when Cuddy requested the kiss, and basically made a really crappy decision. Once he saw he had messed up, he went with it. But as you mentioned it, from his body posture you can see he was disappointed, too.
so that's my take.
Thanks for letting me share!
Luna (from Argentina)
50 - Luisa Borges
Hi to all,
Just watching the epi again and thought of a few more things.
1)The line Cuddy gave to her cell caller, but really to House as she was looking straight at him as she said it “I just had to tell him I have his balls and his not getting them back”. That was something besides playful batter on her part, it was a show of power but not on the professional side, it meant something on the emotional play. She really believed that she “has him by the balls” so to speak. She was confident he was powerfully attracted to her and that with that she could make him come forward and admit to wanting something more with her. This is also evident by the way she exited the room, brushing against him, albeit to get around the desk, but she did it in a sexual manner, maybe to prove to him the point of the true meaning of her words.
2)Throughout the epi up until de boob grab, she was always overtly seductive towards him. The way she walked, the near touches, as the first one when she puts her arm on the door frame to his office. And all the time she walks when she is in his office is not the “normal Cuddy walk”, it’s a parade to get him to break point so that he´ll flip and stop resisting. Great job on Lisa Edelstein´s part by that way in doing all that.
3)So the boob grab scene is really the showdown of her strategy (by the way I agree 100% with Barbara´s take on the exchange). When she gets up and walks into his personal space, for the first time in this epi, she is not up to physically seducing him, she shows her emotional side. She gets sweet and romantic. And as she does so, he turns into a teenager. I think he really wanted to kiss her, you can see the work in his face (great Hugh Laurie) as he considers the options and goes back into banter mode. It´s like he is torturing her by not giving her what she wants, and what he wants also. He deflects the tension and need to open up by starting a game. But the minute he sees she is hurt, he changes. When she leaves I think he is really afraid that she would give up on him, his talk with Taub also happens right after that, and we can see he´s still deeply troubled by what happened. And also he says to Taub as they leave “Cuddy doen´t always get want she wants”. This is the return of the secular dialogue line between them. So he the desk move is his signal to her, to not give up on him. Maybe he sees that if she doesn´t get what she wants and/or needs he also won´t get want he wants and/ or needs (endless play of words on this line). To me this confirms that he wouldn´t sleep with his hooker/friend, and that Cuddy seeing that was an accident.
So this is it for now. Great reading all the comments and insights.
51 - JL
Barbara, I agree that House and Taub's conversation is vital to understanding House's current thinking. Your take on it seems very different from mine:
"You weren't miserable. You gave away something to help a relationship. You thought you were getting something back." Taub was able to rationalize his affairs. He gave away part of himself, part of his soul, but what did he get back. "You thought you were getting something back." From whom? From his wife? The mistress?
I think you've taken this as House saying, "You gave something up to help the relationship (and so you had an affair)".
Whereas, I understood it as,
"You weren't miserable having the affair, yet you gave up something that made you happy (the affair) in order to help your relationship (with your wife) - because you believed you would get something back."
If House means that, then it would read as him pondering whether he should give up parts of his current life that make him happy (like hookers, for example) in the hope of finding something better in return. Better the devil you know?
You can see why that interpretation could make a significant difference...
52 - barbara barnett
JL--significant difference, indeed. See why I called this a differential in the review? Taub hasn't given up cheating, however. Cheating is his way of (how did he put it in Ugly? His way of dealing with life: some people take pills (House) I cheat (Taub).) What does House feel he has to give up for Cuddy? Maybe the part of his lifestyle that is private and no one's business (whether it's drugs, beyond the painkillers; drinking or hard living, or just not having to account for anyone but himself....) It's a huge step for him, if he decides to take it.
53 - Orange450
JL and Barbara, I have a germ of an idea about this that's struggling to get out. It isn't fully thought through, but I'm letting it fly anyway. I hope it's somewhat coherent.
From Need to Know:
Wilson: This was no great sacrifice! You sent her away because you've got to be miserable.
....
Wilson: You don't like yourself. But you do admire yourself. It's all you've got, so you cling to it. **You're so afraid if you change, you'll lose what makes you special.** Being miserable doesn't make you better than anybody else, House. It just makes you miserable.
And remember Adverse Events, and the comment House made to Lucas, when Lucas asked House why he was trying to make Taub miserable (in an episode which featured Taub and the impact that his philandering had on him):
"Miserable people save more lives. If your life has meaning, your job doesn't have to have meaning."
I know that I'm one of the very few people who thought that Wilson had a point when he made that observation about House's personality way back in Need to Know. And adding into the equation what House said to Lucas - could House be harking back to that conversation in this episode? Could he be afraid that if his own life takes on a new kind of meaning outside his work - he'll have to give up his unique edge - the drive, the focus that makes him who he is? And enables him to save more lives than anybody else? Could he think *that's* what he'd have to give up for Cuddy?
54 - Quin
Three questions-who was Cuddy talking to on the phone when she said what she did about House's balls? It must have been someone she knew very well, and someone who knew House very well, and on a personal level, not a business caller, to say something so outrageous. And who wasn't in that scene with the rest of them? Or am I making too much of this?
55 - Packrat
Hi Barbara!
I've been a faithful reader of yours for a long time, but this is my first post.
I'd like to agree with Flo's observation on Cuddy's issues with men/relationships. I have long suspected that she is every bit as emotionally guarded and stunted as House, perhaps even more so. Remember her date with Lube Guy? She set it up for failure from the beginning. She didn't want him to know anything about who she really was and was trying way too hard to be what she assumed he would like. When he caught a glimpse of the real Cuddy and wanted more, she was resigned to the fact that she would not be able to give herself to him. I would not be at all surprised to learn that she has never maintained a relationship longer than six months to a year, tops. Her career has always been her priority. I think she would totally relate to Amber's view of having to choose between love and respect. Now she finds herself in completely uncharted territory, and is just as clueless as House is on how to proceed. It's both fun and frustrating to watch.
I also think she may have Daddy issues, as well. She said that the desk was in storage at her mother's house, not her parents' house. Dad could be estranged, dead, or both. I am reminded of the injection scene in "Who's Your Daddy?". House makes the comment about her father choosing her mother for childbearing purposes. He intends this as one of his jabs at the size of her backside, but she responds with a rather touchy "Shut up!". I do hope we learn a little more about Cuddy's past through all this. It is a testament to Lisa Edelstein's portrayal that despite the fact that we know relatively so little about the character, she is still so complex and fascinating.
I also agree with JL's take on the House/Taub exchange. I believe that Taub has come to the conclusion that the fun, but ultimately cheap thrills he got by cheating were not worth losing the woman I believe he truly loves. It remains to be seen if he will continue to be faithful or relapse into his old habits, but I think he is at least trying to invest himself fully in his marriage at this point.
Lastly, the more I think about it, the more I think that House did not sleep with the hooker. She was handing him the helmet, indicating that perhaps they had been on the bike. But, if they were returning from a tryst, why go back to the office? Why not just drop her at her car, and part ways? Just doesn't fit, to me. Perhaps he used his three hours to enlist her help in another scheme, yet to be revealed? Or, perhaps I am a naive, romantic sap. That is another strong possibility!
Thanks so much for your wonderful work on this blog. I don't always agree with your take, but it is always insightful, (as are the comments that follow) and gives me so much to chew on.
56 - Orange450
Barbara, thanks for the great review. I just saw the episode, and really liked it on many levels. I’d read your article and all the comments beforehand, so I was dreading the “House/Cuddy in the office” scene. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I think that House’s behavior can be interpreted as something quite different than crass and juvenile, while still very much in keeping with his personality, and the journey of self-discovery that he’s currently embarked on.
I had to go back to The Itch, and their morning-after conversation about the kiss.
Cuddy: I just want to say 'Thank you' for not taking advantage."
House nods curtly, "You're welcome. Any time you want to stop kissing, I'm there for you."
When someone says “thank you for not taking advantage”, they can be sending the message that they don’t *want* to go further with you. I thought at the time that House was hurt when she said that, and his reaction was a very Housian way of expressing that hurt.
Now fast forward to the office scene in this episode. When Cuddy asked House “are you screwing with me?” and he said “depends on your answer” " great play on words - he was talking about the real thing. When she says “this is where we kiss”, and he says “we did that already” " I was amazed at the emotion in his voice and facial expression. Like he was back in that moment in her apartment, under the spell. To me, what he did wasn’t a “boob grab” " he touched her breast. There’s a big difference. I thought he looked at her seriously, and when he said “this seems like the logical next step” " I thought he meant it, and was waiting for her response. Was she going to pull away from him again? Sure it’s inappropriate for the office, but he’s House. And the way the camera pulled back and we saw them standing close together in the middle of a large empty space " gave the impression that they were totally alone.
So then she does misunderstand him, and he says the line about her leaving them there, and she leaves - upset, and he’s visibly upset, and all the rest happens, and she finds the desk and goes to thank House. I agree with Packrat - whether or not the thespian was a hooker, I don’t think there was a hook-up. I think Cuddy misunderstood. And with the scene entirely from her POV, I think that she might very well walk away saying “Let them eat cake”. Bread is the staff of life, but no one can live on cake. (And if you try, you get sick of it pretty quickly.) She might be thinking something like “you could have me, and something substantial " but no, of course you can’t do it that way. So go make yourself sick on gooey cake. See if I care.” But she does care, and the stage is nicely set for the next installment.
57 - jim
Luisa Borges, Two porcupines trying to figure out how to mate, I simply love it!
Barbara, You wrote, "House is big on fidelity." I am so glad you said that. I somehow have an implicit belief in that too. Although he told the nutritionist girlfriend(Honey?) that he was sometimes unfaithful. I think, as in everything, House makes up his own ethical rules. For a Stacy or Cuddy, House would be strictly faithful, as much for himself as for her. But for a woman that he knows will probably be short-term (nutritionist, Honey?), he informs her immediately of his changeable position.
58 - Sue
Barbara, again a great review. I agree with what you said, but I also took a different look at the situation.
Starting at the beginning of the episode, Cuddy was asserting her superiority over House. He knew it, and he couldn't get her to stop. He even said she had his balls. How much clearer could he make it to her?
She interfered with his diagnosis sessions. (He didn't use a whiteboard). She challenged his ideas, and overrode his choices. She told him which tests he could run. She took all the furniture out of his office. His way of taking something back was to destroy her toilet and take over the renovations of her office. But that was not enough to get his pride and his ego back. She emasculated him. House likes power (Son of a Coma Guy).
House made the first move when both he and Cuddy were emotionally vulnerable in Joy. He regretted it the moment it happened, not because he didn't want it to happen, but because he knew what the ramifications would be, and he was not ready for it. He did not know if he was capable. At first, he could only deal with the emotional aspect of it. Then, he dealt with it rationally. At that time, the ball was in his court. He could either "do something" or not, his choice. He chose not to do anything, to deal with it at his own pace.
Now, Cuddy moves in to his office and takes over. He is no longer in charge of the case or his team. He knows why she is doing it, and he gets scared. He confronts her about her motives, expecting her to back off like she did at the end of Last Resort. But, she doesn't. She stands nose to nose with him, and forces him to make a move. He stopped at the kiss in her house because he was not emotionally ready to commit to a relationship. If he kissed her again, could he stop at that? If he responded to Cuddy's advance, would that encourage her that he was ready for something more? He did the only thing he could do to discourage her.
House, by groping her, turned something emotional into something sexual. They have been down that road before, and that was likely just sexual. He knew that would turn Cuddy away. He was upset with himself for chickening out on something that could have given him what he really wants but he doesn't know how to have.
Stacy was not in his world at the hospital. When House made himself vulnerable to her, it was not as much in front of everyone as it would be with Cuddy. They are like two friends who don't know if they want to have a relationship because it would ruin the friendship if it ended badly. House talks about it with Wilson, because he needs encouragement that his world will not fall apart if he makes himself emotionally vulnerable to someone. That it is okay to take the chance.
But, who would have the balls in a relationship with Cuddy? She is his boss, so at any time, she could assert her superiority over him, like she did in this episode. He could handle that if it was kept at a distance. But, how would he deal with that on a day to day basis. His relationship with her at work is confrontational. That complicates a relationship where someone has difficulty being open and vulnerable.
Underneath the bravado, House is a romantic. Because he is aware of how deeply emotional he can be and how attached he can become, he has to hold back as a protective measure. He did it with Stacy, when he turned her away in Need to Know. With Cuddy, the unknown is scary. It would be 24 hours a day. House was standing on the diving board, and he chose to step off rather than dive in. Would he drown in a relationship with Cuddy?
House will always take the route of self-protection, even if he has regrets.
The whole 13 arc felt like someone tried to meld two different shows together. It was distracting and unnecessary. Olivia Wilde does nothing for me, and her plight did not endear me to her character. Foreman is as boring as ever. He has made the dour expression an art form. I also find Taub unappealing. Kutner is just goofy.
Did anybody notice that Greg Grunberg's brother was in this episode (Sex Kills, Band from TV). He was the guy who sat next to the POTW and told her they knew about her gastric bypass.
59 - jim
Orange, In your germ of an idea about House's conversation with Taub, I can see your interpretation fitting very naturally. To be with Cuddy in a relationship would require compromise in his vocation of saving lives. I was at first confused by House's words of infidelity and give and take in what I assumed could only refer to Cuddy as the infidelity.
The two things that House has been faithful to are Stacy and his vocation. So, I also was forced to conclude that a relationship with Cuddy, in House's mind, is not the "right, good path" which he is simply avoiding from fear of failure, but rather, she is a temptation, an infidelity to his work that would compromise the purer life that he has lived, devoted to his vocation.
I even posted to that effect somewhere, here or at HHOW, but later assumed I must have been mistaken until your post! Though almost from an alien perspective, it fits perfectly with the dialogue with Taub and House's mind that often works at 180 degrees to our expectations. If this interpretation is correct, the prostitute would be the pure path in House's mind.
Yikes! I'm confused. But it fits.
On another subject, I had never considered the possibility of Stacy returning. I still have not reconciled myself to her leaving House when he needed her. If she didn't know he needed her, she should have. But I'm sure House could take her back if the conditions were right.
60 - Eve K
I also think the conversation with Taub is of utmost importance. I do believe its about Taub giving up the girlfriends. For what? What will House get in return for giving up his current lifestyle? As Barbara so truly put it - not just his sex-life but all of his private life.
Im watching season 2 again and it suddenly hit me - the only time we have actually seen House use a hooker (call girl) was the episode distractions when he was totally depressed because of Stacy. Maybe it was a one time thing?
I have always found the whole hooker thing a little out of character, but willing to accept it as a part of Houses estranged personality. But him using hookers on a regular basis doensnt seem right. I know he symphatise with hookers, but thats just nice. What would be in character is him hiding the fact that he is alone, creating a hooker-using image, as happened when Wilson lived with him. That would have been kind of cute, huh? But I guess that's just wishful thinking...
But in that light he certainly would not go home with the little thespian, being a big old softie.
Anyway, I think that last scene was a test for Cuddy and her trust issues.
61 - barbara barnett
Again I awake to so many detailed and thoughtful posts! But I want to pick up on Orange's and Sue's comments.
Now fast forward to the office scene in this episode. When Cuddy asked House "are you screwing with me?" and he said "depends on your answer" - great play on words - he was talking about the real thing.
I hadn't considered what (I think) you're saying. Was he telling her he was waiting for an answer to which he hadn't yet asked the question. What would be her response to his touching her breast. He didn't grab it; he touched it. It was mechanical, and the look on his face was searching. What would she think? what would she do? Actually, come to think of it, I'm wondering if he was hoping for the response he got...let me explain.
Up to that point, CUddy's language (body and verbal) was agressive and suggestive. Even the way she walked (as someone astutely pointed out above). "You have the hots for me." "I suppose we should kiss now." The way of walking--and he wonders if she's screwing with him (because he screws with everyone--is she getting payback?) He's simply not sure. Of himself or of her.
If she plays along with the grab, I think he would believe that she was playing a game. But because she was offended by it and looked so disappointed, he knew she wasn't playing a game, but was actually serious. So now House still doesn't know what to do. Games he knows, courtship, not so much. He stands in his office confused and realizing that this is "real." And not a "game."
This is something he has to brood over. Yes, she's offended, but she serious about him. As he is about her (House doesn't fall in love easily, but once he is...it sticks. He's probably been in love with her --without knowing it--since she hired him back and saved his career--maybe his life)
So, he talks to Taub about whether giving something up to gain something. Would he be philandering on his career? On saving lives? On teaching fellows? On his monastic genius bit? He would gain being loved (and sex of course). But the games with Cuddy would be different. I guess we'll know more on Tuesday. And then the long break!
62 - Luisa Borges
Great stuff to think about.
Thanks Jim, for reminding me about House´s dialogue with Honey, quite interesting indeed.
I´m guessing he said that to her not because he tends to me unfaithful but because he knew he was not in love with her. House is one to lust after women (case in point the CIA Doc from last season) and I guess when he is just "in lust" he doen´t consider that to warrant exclusivity status.
And thanks also to Orange, Sue and Barbara for the new insights.
This last take on House´s boob grab was very good. I´m still going over the possibility that he was assessing the possibility that Cuddy was toying with him.
Another thing, when he asks Cuddy "Why to you dress like that, why do you try so hard to get my attention" he takes a step toward her and then says "Are you screwing with me?". She then repeats his question back and steps up to him.
When he takes the step, and moves closer, was that his way of maybe saying that "yes I´m into you, its working" or more and intimidative way of asking "say what you mean by this behavior, do you love me".
I have to say, this break after the 12th is going to be one hard withdrawal syndrome moment for me.
63 - Johannah
I think during the discussion with Taub, House was talking about the emotional distance, which he prefers to have with most people, he will have to give up if he wants a real relationship with Cuddy, which I think he does.
64 - Cinnamon
Do you all think we will be left with a Huddy cliffhanger at the end of the next episode...or some clue of resolution?
And I agree...it's gonna be a long break :-(
65 - Sheelagh
Really interesting reading all the different takes on the 'Breast Grab' scene. It dawned on me that House was initially very discreet about his kiss with Cuddy. His banter with her over the years has been quite sexual but he didn't bring up the kiss publicly until she approached him and then only as a joke that no one but Wilson believed.
It wasn't until Cuddy invaded his space and 'took his balls' ...literally & figuratively...that he started pushing back. It was Cuddy who sexualized the tone of the exchanges between them, yet she seemed to think the socially awkward House would somehow understand what she wanted was love. He does in away, but he responded in kind to her sexual aggressiveness & constant innuendo. He even called her on her wardrobe.
I noticed he had all his balls back on his desk before he & Taub discussed giving up their right to 'roam' for some harder to define connection with a woman.
I think Cuddy & House were fighting for control of their agendas in that scene. I think he realized he 'won the battle' by pushing her out of the office, but might have lost the war at the same time by pushing her further away emotionally.
Why Cuddy & House take relationship advice from Wilson is a whole other story, given Wilson's failed track record. Men like to chase...why Cuddy would think she could push the recalculate House into anything says more about her flaws. He matched her tone-for-tone and ended up hurting both of them. If Cuddy backs off and lets House come to her...but that would mean a compromise & change for both of them.
66 - Frenchy
I've been enjoying these reviews for two months now, when I stumbled on this website.
I must say, Barbara, I look forward to reading them. Deciphering a House episode is not always simple and you do a great job.
And this one was tough.
For the first time, I didn't agree with everything you said in your review and I couldn't make out the Taub-House conversation.
Thanks for everyone who participated in the differential! I finally managed to make something out of this episode.
My point of view:
Like Eve K said in post #60, we've only seen House with a hooker once (2x12). And he didn't really seem comfortable with it. All the other times he mentionned hookers was because he was making a sarcastic remark. I never understood why everyone thinks he's a regular client...
Even if he is "House" and does unorthodox things, I truly believe the hooker in season 2 was a one-time thing. I think that deep down he is the romantic type (not wanting to get hurt again by a failed relationship, buying a corsage for cameron, the med-school desk thing...) and wouldn't go for hookers.
For me, the coconut girl is just someone met maybe at a bar, who he payed to do a prank.
I don't think that last scene was planned by him. I think it just served the purpose for Cuddy to stop being giddy and mushy like a teenager and get back in the game (of chess)... Cause she had lost, she gave in when she asked him to kiss her and was going to again by showing him the desk gesture worked on her. He was going to win the game of power over her.
And they were just having a good last laugh at their prank while she was handing him his helmet.
I don't believe anything happened after that (except maybe a drink).
Concerning the Taub-House conversation, I like to think that he is pondering the fact that he has to sacrifice something to make his relationship with cuddy work. Would that mean that he is ready to sacrifice something (his miserablity? which he likes) for a relationship?
Concerning the boob grab, Barbara's last interpretation (#61) fits perfectly. When Cuddy said "everyone thinks this is going somewhere. I think we're supposed to kiss now.", she stopped playing and opened up but House didn't know how to react and kept playing the game...
Can't wait to see the next step in their game of power!
And looking forward on the 2nd part of your article about House and Love...
67 - jim
After watching the episode again, armed with this review and all the comments, I was less confused on the broad strokes.
I think Cuddy had a "wrong idea" to challenge House to a game of wills in order to precipitate another kiss and the start of a relationship.
The actual result of Cuddy's actions was rather to convince House that he shouldn't have a relationship with his boss. (his "good idea")
But the way House held on tightly to the ball when he was talking with Taub says two things at once. He wants Cuddy badly and is anguished at how thier encounter ended but he's going to keep the ball in his court and take no action.
The situation is still volatile and could turn on a dime. Anything could happen next episode and that's one of the things that keeps us coming back. Not to mention Hugh Laurie who we kidnapped from the Brits!
68 - NancyGail
Taub is talked to about 'philandering' because House knows Wilson was destroyed by it. Get the impression Amber was willing to cheat on Wilson with House.
Cuddy LET House touch her breast. With Wilson, no chance in Hades.
69 - Sera G
Hello, Barbara
Thank you for the welcome to your blog. I have posted once before, after "Joy" and was so eager to get your imput on "Let Them Eat Cake" that I jumped in without a greeting. Sorry about that.
I think you write beautifully and insightfully about our favorite show/character.
I was really troubled by this episode. I have enjoyed reading everyone's 'differentials' because they have helped put things more in context. I was anticipating a few steps forward in the relationship. I should have known better. That is not the way with this show!
A few of my thoughts, for what they are worth:
1. When I heard the line, "Everybody knows this is going somewhere", I took it as wink at the audience i.e. "You have been waiting a LONG time for this, let's see where it goes." I didn't take it as her challenging him. In my mind, Cuddy thinks that House is moving toward something. He almost acknowledged that at the end of "Last Resort." Taking Wilson's advise, that "sitting next to him hoping wasn't going to make anything happen," she took the first step.
2. Although totally in keeping with House's ability to be crass, he had to know that after the wonderful kiss, her only response to something so emotionally empty (groping her breast) was to be hurt. He knows her pretty well. That scene still upsets me. Although House is often disparaging of Cuddy to others and even to her face in front of others, when they are alone, he is quite different; more serious, quieter, more reflective and he takes what she says to heart. They were completely private in that office. He was a jerk! I agree that he was remorseful after, but Cuddy has done nothing to deserve that disrespect.
3. My amateur analysis (I can't wait to read Barbara's. I know it will be amazing.) is this:
I think Cuddy has been in love with House since college. He was older, had a reputation, they were in different places in their education; so she never thought there could be anything but a fling. Still; she loves him.
Depending on how you read the timeline, she met him again when he was involved with Stacy and therefore, unavailable again.
Cuddy hires him after the infarction; he was emotionally devastated and once again, there is no opportunity for anything between them.
It is now 5 years later, House has been through so much and it is Cuddy who supports, encourages and taunts him to be his best. She sees what he could be.
I think the writers dropped big clues that he was thinking about getting ready to consider wondering if he might have a relationship with her. The fantasy on the bus (who does he discuss the problem with? Cuddy, brilliant and yet sexy as h***.) Cuddy at his bedside, holding his hand. The discussions with the PI. Those scenes were very telling.
There is a great deal of trust between them. She is his doctor, he goes to her when he needs to work things through, knowing she is smart enough, clear headed enough to keep him balanced.
Respectfully, I don't agree that House is not sure of where Cuddy stands in regards to him. I think he knows how deeply she cares about/for him. I think he doesn't know if she will be able to accept all parts of him if their relationship becomes that of lovers and not just friends. Friends tolerate a lot, but you go home at the end of the day. Your significant other deals with the real you all the time.
Anyway, I love reading all of the thoughtful posts. I am glad to know that I am not alone out here obsessively analyzing a TV show. (Granted, a fabulously written, marvelously acted, deeply plotted one!)
This went REALLY long. Thanks for letting me ramble.
70 - Orange450
And on a lighter note - since no one has mentioned it - I can't be the only one who thought that HL's delivery of "open up, here comes the airplane into the hangar" was beyond doubt the most adorable offering of a bite of chocolate cake ever to be shown on TV. Can I?
71 - barbara barnett
Orange--I think you are the first to mention that very delightful moment ;)
In an episode filled with multiple meaning and a lot of intensity (besides the fun of the prank, that it)that moment was adorable, as you say.
I guess we will all know more about who is right about House's feelings re: Cuddy and how the relationship might play out.
I also guess, being from the XFiles school of unresolved sexual tension, I waited through many seasons, hoping for Mulder and Scully to acknowledge their unrequited love for each other (that went beyond Deep Abiding love and friendship). they came close, pulled back, sniped at each other (Scully was terrible to Mulder during most of season five) pushed back against their mutual attraction. It was frustrating as hell, but I loved every minute.
I'm looking at this House arc as something not yet resolved. I think we'll get some resolution this week, but some of it will wait until january or (even) February (wonder what the 100th episode will be like?). so I'm sitting tight right now, fascinated and intrigued. Waiting.
72 - Orange450
Barbara, it almost doesn't matter who is right, or how it plays out - so much of the fun lies in the analysis itself, and exchanging opinions with so many viewers, all with such a wide variety of perspectives.
I have to admit that as much as I love the entire show, and as taken as I was with the Stacy arc, my very favorite part of the series dates back to the first two-thirds of S1, before the ships started muddying the waters. I was truly blown away by those earlier episodes - they grabbed me, and I was sucked in like I'd seldom been sucked in by any TV show before.
That being said - I'd like to see this arc resolve in a way that feels realistic and believable. And I'd like to be sure that both House and Cuddy escape intact. Whatever happens, I want them to retain the mutual friendship, affection and respect that I've always enjoyed watching between them.
73 - Tigerfeet
Fabulous comments everyone! I tend to agree with Frency (post 66) on House and hookers.
In the beginning of "Last Resort" House was at Cuddy's desk, doing something. At the end of the episode we saw what - he had destroyed the desk drawer. In "Let Them Eat Cake" he arranged to have it replaced by the one from med-school. I wonder if the "prank" with the drawer was actually his first step in that plan? (The desk itself wasn't destroyd during the siege, but I understand if she still would want a new one.)
Even it this theory is right, I don't know if it puts what happened in this episode in a different light. If nothing else, it supports the fact that it was all House's doing and not Wilson. (I sooo hope it wasn't Wilson!)
74 - Chrissy
So, apparently, whatever he meant to have happen, House did not want that boob grab scene to end as it did. A number of people, including myself, have, upon repeat viewing, heard him say "f*ck" at the end of that scene. I think that's a very interesting thing for Hugh to have done. Very telling. Tuesday should be interesting.
75 - barbara barnett
Not sure what he mouthed (but he did mouth something). But whatever he did, I agree that the encounter didn't end the way he wanted it to end. Maybe he wanted Cuddy to push back (they would be on more familiar territory). Maybe he wanted her to tell him off and wait for his response. Maybe he wanted her to tell him "no that's not the next step." Maybe he wanted her to understand what he was doing (if he was telling her to slow down) and say: "you're right. we need to slow this down."
I don't think he was asking for sex; I do think he was speaking (or acting) in metaphors and symbols (as is his most articulate language). Tuesday cannot come soon enough for me.