“You couldn’t kill her dream.” Dr. Gregory House, well-known curmudgeon couldn’t kill the dream of one lone astronaut? Was willing to keep her secret? Run tests “off the books?” (Well, that, at least sounds like House.) Cameron explains House’s own motivations to him at the end of the hour, showing us (and him) that she knows his heart better than we might suspect.
In the strike-shortened fourth season, House episode two--“The Right Stuff”—still stands as one of my favorite episodes of the season, if not the series. Why? Thanks for asking. “The Right Stuff” reveals something about House that I’d always suspected, but had never been spelled out so clearly (and twice) in one episode. House does have a genuine (albeit quirky) humanity, and despite his crazy-sounding game to hire a team of new fellows, we see it in evidence—with both a fellowship candidate and with the patient.
When I'd heard that House was going to weed out the candidates for his coveted fellowships ala Survivor, I was, to say the least, highly skeptical. I envisioned comedy and silliness (which the show House is certainly capable doing) overshadowing the serious (and occasionally dark) drama coming week after week for several episodes. My husband told me how dubious it all sounded, but after "The Right Stuff," my fears had been much allayed. (Although a couple of the story arc's episodes were somewhat over the top.) But the process of vetting the fellowship candidates more often resembled The Right Stuff (the film about the early days of the astronaut program based on Tom Wolfe’s novel) than Survivor. And thankfully so, as this aptly-named episode sets House’s fellowship selection process into high gear.
The patient, an ambitious pilot named Greta, with “the right stuff” pages House to his office, plopping $50,000 onto his desk to figure out why she “sees” sounds. “You’re the best,” she explains, and, she adds, “you don’t care about anyone but yourself.” (And, hence, open to a $50,000 bribe.)
She needs the diagnosis and treatment to be done “off the books” and behind the hospital’s back. She is adamant that NASA not find out that she may be sick, lest it disqualify her from pursuing her dream of joining the astronaut program. So, intrigued by Greta’s symptoms (and her challenge), House takes the case to a group of forty waiting and eager fellowship candidates.
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Article comments
1 - sue
House had 30 applicants in this episode not 20. He had forty, and he fired 10 at the beginning of the episode.
While the survivor arc had some interesting scenes, we lost the House we love for a while. He turned into an ever-snarky, chauvinist pig in upcoming episodes. We did not see much of the caring and compassionate House you discuss.
Did House ulitmately hire fellows he didn't like? He certainly hired fellows WE don't like. After following this arc for almost a dozen episodes, we ended up with actors who are not good enough for this show. They are boring and not even one-dimensional. All over the message boards, fans are complaining about the new team. Some like Kutner, but they don't "love" him like they did the old team. (I am speaking in generalizations; I know there are people do like the new team and dislike the old team).
It is interesting to follow Cut-throat Amber again, knowing her fate and what an incredible actress she is. I am watching more closely to find hints of the talent we saw in later episodes.
The acting range of Hugh Laurie cannot be measured. I watched on Youtube some of his comedy routines, and he is just amazing. People wondered if Hugh could carry the show without the old team, and he proved that he could. Although I didn't like House's new behavior, Hugh can play everything.
I did not like some of the POTW actors in the beginning of this season. When I don't have empathy for the patients, I don't enjoy the episodes as much. The new team did not have any chemistry with any of the other actors, and they still don't. That takes away some of the enjoyment of the episodes.
2 - Buds
Hey Barbara, was wondering when this article was going to come out. I guess its going to be a long and boring wait here on out till the season starts again.
Very good call on House's humanity. It is something rarely exposed by House. I also liked your reference to "one thing" from "DNR", fits nicely together.
I was wondering what would be some good blog posts to tide us over till the next season. The only thing I could think of was - character reviews of all the main people in House MD. Starting with the new ducklings (Taub, 13, and Kutner), then the old ducklings (Foreman, Chase, and Cameron), and finally ending with the central characters (Cuddy, Wilson, and House). Its probably going to be a great deal of work, but the insights and discussions would be awesome. Just a suggestion to help us get through our between seasons withdrawal.
3 - Emma
Agree with everything you said Sue.
4 - stephen fan
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for your detailed reviews of the wonderful show of House. It sets the stage for an in-depth discussion that would be impossible without your framework and perspective. And I so enjoy reading everyone's wide-ranging views. As I live in Europe, I sometimes first experience House online in transcript form, rather than as a TV show. This may have made me put too much emphasis on the words and skew my perceptions. I usually latch onto a few statements that sum up an episode for me. This time it was the exchange between House and Cuddy just outside the surgical theater, "My reasons make sense to you".
Season 4 House, to me, is largely about not being "Alone". How do we find the 'right' people with "The Right Stuff" to be together with in 'meaningful' relationships? This theme would make the whimsical reality show interview process that started in "The Right Stuff" more serious than I thought. But that is no surprise given Shore and company.
In "The Right Stuff" House starts out with a room full of 40 candidates. How could this possibly relate to real life or any kind of "truth" which Shore says the show is about? If we condensed a cross-section of all the people we have met in our lifetime who were candidates as friends and intimates, it might seem like the crowded room that House faces at the beginning of Episode 2. It seems like a room full of random, arbitrarily chosen people.
Cuddy accuses House of being arbitrary. We may know the candidates names, statistics, what they look like, how they dress, but how do we find the people with the stuff who fit our stuff? The "Right Stuff". In "Don't Ever Change", Episode 412, the POTW was accused of choosing her husband arbitrarily, based solely on shared values.
What should our criteria be? What do we need in a friend/lover/mate to afford us the greatest level of intimacy? (the opposite of being "Alone") I think Shore raises some of these questions in his 'whimsical reality show' and even gives us some of his specific personal answers as possible examples. I think he prefers intimates who have very strong dreams.
When I read that Shore said his show is about truth and searching for it, it seemed at once too simple and too complex. That would also describe his show. I guess that's the beauty of it.
5 - Barbara Barnett
I will apologize in advance for not responding extensively to all of your great comments. I'm at a conference with minimal signal (it's in the upstate New York Mountains!). And I have no blackberry service to keep up with comments. So....
Good points, all. I think, SF (If I may call you that :)) the idea of season four being about not being alone is nicely bookended in the season finale when House describes himself as being "lonely".
Buds--Good ideas for summertime columns, and I have some of those planned already. All for when I get back next week. Carry on the discussion, please.
6 - SF
Dear Barbara,
Yes, SF is fine. Your idea of bookends in Season 4 is intriguing. Shore seems a fan of symmetry. I think House is not able to sustain intimacy so he will continue to be alone. I just wonder why Shore built him that way.
7 - sue
House pushes people away because he does not want to feel vulnerable to anyone. When the performance reviews were being done, he said to Foreman that he had to lower his status to the new fellows so they would respect him. House thinks he has to keep people at a distance so they will respect him. He can feel vulnerable with Wilson because Wilson has seen the vulnerable side, and he accepts House as he is. That kind of trust has to be earned over time. With the old team, House felt the safety of acceptance. He did not confide in them like he did with Wilson.
In this episode, we start the journey of finding new fellows for House to work with. I do not see any of the chemistry with the new fellows that he had with the old ones. Foreman was new in the pilot episode, yet there was a chemistry between house and the old team I have described as an orchestra, with all the instruments melding together to make a beautiful sound. With the new team, it sounds like the music the drug addict with the seizures made in Games. The notes fly out into the air, but there is no blending that would make the sound resonate.
What exactly constitutes "The Right Stuff?" It seems like now it is medical knowledge. Before, it was medical knowledge and personality traits. Did House pick people he didn't like? Judging by the new team, I think he did just that.
8 - tigerfeet
Thanks Barbara for an excellent review, as always. Looking forward to whatever you will bestow upon us coming up to and into next season.
I agree to a certain extent with you sue, but I have grown to appreciate what they did in season four and am willing to let them "get on with it". I TOTALLY agree with you that the chemistry between House and the old team, and within the old team, was by far superiour to the new one. This could be something to do with the actors, or it might have been on purpose. The whole point in fact. House had bonded (as much as he is capable of) with the old fellows and was hurt by them leaving, even if that was partly his own doing. Therefore he didn't want to pick people he liked, as you say, and was only interested in those he believed would fill his medical/diagnostic needs. As a result there is little or no chemistry, bonding, love with the new team - and he is as lonely as we've ever seen him.