Is it worthwhile to let go of a little bit of what makes you special to grab a little happiness? That is the question on this week's House, M.D. episode.
Self-exile is a state of being all too familiar to Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). But this week’s House, M.D. episode “You Must Remember This” it is not House who finds himself on the outside looking in.…
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26 - Michele1L
This episode did seem to be out of sequence when considering all of the drama of the previous one involving Cuddy's mother. I fully expected that episode to leave a trail, when one considers how infuriated Arlene's doctor was with House and Cuddy.
Someone had commented on the ratings being up for that one and then dropping back down this week. Not suprising for two reasons; 1., That happens around SuperBowl time, 2. To fully appreciate that entensely dark and dramatic episode, one would have to have been watching this entire season. People were curious to check out the show based on the snarky humor of the "Mean Joe Green" spoof, but that episode was far from humorous. Wouldn't have been my choice to air that one post-Superbowl. -- Something a bit lighter probably would've sustained more newbie viewers for this week's episode, which I loved!
I especially loved, as many of you have said, the scenes between House and Cuddy. I enjoyed how Cuddy stopped House from bouncing the ball by leaning over him and allowing her wet hair to drip over his face. So playful. I truly believe that the only plausible reason the writers could come up with for this relationship not sustaining would be the couple's conflicts at work. She, as Dean of Medicine having to enforce a code of ethics and his literal/physical 'never-say-die' attitude towards medicine; saving patients at any and all costs, ethics or not, are clearly in direct opposition, but on a personal basis, they, in my view, are perfect for one another.
Taub and Foreman are a pleasant, developing surprise. They can be very annoying separately but are amusing together. I can almost hear House getting his licks in over this developing bromance.
I'm going to say it again -- please bring back House playing music! I so miss that!
27 - pawpaw
Barbara - can you elaborate a bit more on this; I don't understand:
"I think perhaps he was considering whether this new situation in which he’s found himself has come at some cost in the aftermath of Nadia’s case."
Thanks! Great review as always:)
28 - House_stalking
Loved this episode - nice to see Wilson back (and for that matter the awesome Robert Sean Leonard - how can someone be this gorgeous!).
Just a pity that the writers turned House into a doormat in most of the episodes!
29 - dvbfan
Hello Barbara, I am from Iran and one the house biggest fans.
To be honest,I did not like the first 5-6 episodes of season 7 - as much as previous seasons - but it becomes more interesting as the series goes on.
I like this episode . It is an ethical episode about forgiveness and dealing with the truth I think .About the last scene of the episode,House is not sure about his happiness and he does not know is it going to continue or it would an end to feel a little bit happy and back to his misery .
And I should say that it is very enjoyable to read your review about House and can not wait for the next episode and reading your review.
30 - yahnis
Barbata thank you for this review and for others. Sorry for my bad english. I am russian jew from Israel.Do you know any more things about this tweet from GY and things that KJ told to Ausiello?Can you put any oil on our wound?It's just such sad thing if they are going to break these amazing couple. Please do something about this, becouse you communicate with some of creators.I really understand that you can't change their mind but maybe they will obey to zillions fans votes.And you are the best fan that they ever had.You are simbol of House fans.Please help us not to end Huddy.
31 - Nikki
I really enjoyed Chase in the ep. Kudos for the new writer. She seemed to have based his character on his early background which was superbly interwoven (secretive, failed priesthood, the ability to forgive and take the good out of the bad things, a deep empathy that reminds of House's own), until he became barely recognisable during the playboy arc so I really, really felt happy with this weeks ep. It brought back the Chase that I fell in love with. There was a melancholy and sadness about him that is very poignant and I missed this a lot.
I may be in the minority here but the reduction of Huddy was a welcome relief. I also found myself puzzled by the ending when House said to Nadia that she can either be special or not but she'll always die alone (something to that extent), and I liked how Chase gave Nadia the chance to make her own desicion when he offered her the SSRIs. You won't be so special anymore, but you might learn to be happy. Is House happy? Is he a happy genius instead of a miserable genius now? Does he need to be driven by misery or will he find his fulfillment in family life with Cuddy? To be honest, I find it hard to imagine that this will last. As it is in Houseland (and in real life often, too), you can't have both. It will be interesting how 'Huddy' plays out.
On a side note, I enjoyed Taub and Foreman. It's weird but I enjoy the buddy parts so much more than the relationship drama. Now with Huddy on the show, I just hope they'll spare us a Chase/Thirteen hookup or a reconsiliation of Taub and Rachel.
32 - mychakk
Hi All :)
First of all I REALLY loved this episode. I've read some comments on lj about Hilson fans getting their hopes for a Huddy break-up and got a bit worried but thankfully, unnecessarily. :) I really loved the House/Wilson plotline. I've missed their bromance and felt it was a good thing they have filmed this episode. :) It was sweet of House to care for Wilson so much he felt he needed to help him in getting back onto the dating scene. I’ve always felt that House was the better friend of the duo (don’t get me wrong, I DO think Wilson his House’s great friend, but I cannot forget how he disregarded House’s health in Wilson’s Heart and how he treated House in Dying Changes Everything. Or how he assumed he understand House in the premiere of Season Three and forced Cuddy to lie to House about the diagnosis - which ultimately led to his downfall in the first part of the season. Sorry for my ramblings!). Anyway I kinda missed House/Wilson bromance and enjoyed it immensely in this episode :)
Also Taub and Foreman! There have been a lot of focus on Taub this season, and I don’t mind it that much personally, although I can see why people get frustrated with the character’s screentime. Foreman is not a fav Ducklings either. Yet I find their friendship heartwarming and an interesting thing. I hope we’ll see more in the future.
Chase. My favorite Chase that has done a lot of character growth in the series. (Personally I think he is the one Duckling that has grew the most and changed the most). He is a VERY dynamic character and I love him. I was happy to see his warm and empathic side show this episode. I loved the little scenes/hints about House/Chase relationship. I’ve always felt it’s kinda fatherly/sonly like. I remember the punk who went running to Vogler in season one and the wonderful man that has gone with House bowling in season five. I always felt House was the most fond of Chase. And it’s a fact that Chase knows him longest right after Cuddy and Wilson. I REALLY liked how House told Chase that the PotW should apologize to her sister and he simply nodded. And then how Chase said that he thought even House didn’t believe in dying alone for everyone. It shows how those two characters know and understand each other.
About the last scene... I think House was pondering the point of his life he found himself at right now. He is happy. And he sees that others (who might - in his twisted mind - deserve this happiness more) are not. He is still the best doctor he was; he diagnoses and save his patients regularly. Everything is ok. Good. Great even! And it's worries him. I think that the line 'Everyone dies alone' House told the PotW has actually thrown him off. It was something he would/should say. A Housian view of the world, one he expressed a lot, one he always believed. I think he felt he should say it once more. And when he did it shocked him how untrue and insincere it sounded even to his own ears. He pauses then leaves the PotW, and you can say he's unsettled. He doesn't express his grim satisfaction at delivering the 'pessimistic/realistic view of the world' of his. I think this interaction with the patient as well as the Wilson storyline has made him realize he has actually changed. He's happy and everything seems to be working out. He’s happy and he’s ok with it. I think he might have worried about an unavoidable fall-out but then Cuddy turned to him in her sleep and he recalled her words: 'You don't have to feel guilty for feeling happiness'. I think he realized there is no point in worrying; what will come, will come and then he'll face it. Thus he closed his eyes contently and with a slight smile fall asleep beside the woman he loves.
I think this scene (which to me was a peaceful, content one) might be actually a calm before the storm. We might see some great drama and maybe even angst in upcoming episodes. I love how this episode feels like a filler but actually moves forward the storyline and set up more possibilities in the upcoming episodes :)
This said I must admit it was strange there has not been the aftermath of last week episode. I was not surprised by this (I knew about the switching of episode 11 and 13) but it still felt strange.
33 - kent
I am always amazed at the way the writers of house manage to maintain the standards series after series. The acors must love working on it as they won't often have many scripts as good as house.
I can't wait for it to get over to the UK.
34 - mychakk
Nikki #31 I may be in the minority here but the reduction of Huddy was a welcome relief.
Don't worry, you're not the only one :) I AM a die-hard Huddy shipper, but it's [H]ouse MD not [H]uddy MD. :) And if I wanted solely a romance drama I would either switch on soap opera or read fanfiction. ;) I DO enjoy the Huddy storyline but it WAS the focus of the series a bit too much lately. That's why I loved this episode. Because the Huddy was still there, yet in the background. House was himself messing with Wilson's life, we had a story oh Taub/Foreman friendship and a focus on Chase/the PotW, but we still knew that Cuddy and House are together and happy and content and understand each other. That's the way I always wanted for Huddy to be done in the series. A background aspect of the show, not the focus of it. I know that some stuff needs to be addressed but in a way it turned to taking the whole screen time.
***SPOILER ALERT!***
That's why I'm not happy with the upcoming episode that will be focused on Cuddy once more (I love her, she's my second fav character right after House, but seriously? again about her?)
35 - Boeke
This episode was very interesting, and it's brought me back to watching House after a period of benign neglect. Perhaps because I can identify with house more than in the past. Like House, I wonder if I can ever be happy, and then I worry about counterfeit happiness, and then I worry if happiness is good enough.
36 - barbara barnett
dvbfan--thank you for writing (and all the way across the globe). This was definitely one of this season's strongest episodes, and I believe it is because there was something in it for everyone: interesting story touching on fundamental House series values, character development for pretty much every character in the series.
I agree with those who've said that Chase's redemption is really interesting to watch. He's come far from the brat of season one (I talk alot about that in Chasing Zebras, actually ;)) I'm very curious to see what's next for him.
Yahnis--thank you for writing all the way from Israel (lots of family there!). I wish I had that sort of power, but I don't. (Actually I don't wish to have that sort of power on the other hand :))
David Shore loves to yank fans' chains. That I know, so I have no idea what's planned. I am trying to arrange a couple of writer interviews over the next few weeks--one with Ms. Lingenfelter and the other with Friend and Lerner (who've been very absent this season so far on the scriptwriting front).
37 - Jacksam4eva
@Mychakk: I cannot agree more with everything you said.
I'm glad that everyone here seemed to enjoy the episode, as just like Crazy4House (at the very beginning) said, a lot said it was a filler. To me it was the best episode of this season so far. I really liked the fact that the writers didn't try to psychoanalyze everything as much as they did earlier this season. The sudden drop in the Huddy screentime was a very clever thing to do right now because first and most importantly, it allowed us to focuse again on the other characters (just like a lot here said, the show is called House M.D after all, not Huddy M.D) like Chase and Taub (and even Wilson) who had been a little negleted earlier. For example, I enjoyed digging deeper into Taub's character, and see some of his insecurities we had seen in Lockdown resurface, yet in a very different way.
Moreover, I think the few Huddy scenes we got were terrific because they actually made us use our brains for once this season, trying to understand what House is thinking instead of just saying it out loud. Ever since Now What, the writers keep telling us what's going on, pointing out when there's a problem here or there (i.e he lied, he feels insecure with her Mom) which, I think, is good most of the time, but sometimes I also enjoy watching shows that make me think about the characters psychology myself instead of being told almost everything. This scene at the end can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, and I love the oppurtunity this new writer gave us.
38 - Nikki
Dear Barbara, I have ordered your book and read especially the Chase parts with much interest and delight. As much as you seem to observe House and have fundamental knowledge about how the character is working, I have my own little obsession about Chase from the beginning of the series on. It's lovely to see how he's turned into one of the viewer's favourite, however, I somehow disagree on the 'Brat' term. It may be a little off topic but, to me, he has always been one of the most tragic and underestimated characters on the show. If you look at his childhood, all of the 'bratty' behaviour is so much easier to explain. In my understanding, he's used of being abandoned, and has learned from a very early age to look out for himself because there was no-one who would do it for him. The Vogler incident was a short circut because he felt like House would fire him first. He clung to the job because for the first time in his life, he had found a place and he wanted to keep it with all means. He can act in his own interest (which often can be interpreted as being selfish), but it's highly understandable, given his background, and I think even House acknowledges that. I think there was a huge lack of confidence which he overcame while working for House.
You also mentioned, in your book, that he has an issue with obese people, whereas I would like to think that he has an issue with addictive behaviour per se. It makes him uncomfortable so he lashes out. Same thing happened with the allegedly alcoholic mother in Socratic Method. As far as I recall, he never made personal attacks on the patients, it was their life style that appalled him. Having to grow up with an alcoholic, I think that indulgence (if not 'justified' like House's pain killers) frightens him. But that's another page. Just wanted to say that really most of his actions (and reactions) could best be explained by traumatic childhood experiences. I think he was given that sort of background for a reason, and I would have loved to see it further explored, on the show. He is a rich and potential character, plus portrayed by an extremely talented actor. Wish they'd give him more to do.
I'll step off my soap box now. ;)
39 - mychakk
Jacksam4eva #37
Thanks :) I agree with your post wholeheartedly as well :D Especially about the part of the 'mystery' or things left unsaid for the viewers to interpret. I think this was one of the appealing things about the series from the beginning. We've been shown one thing (not exactly ethically correct one) and then we were show characters' reactions or facial expressions that made us wonder what are their true thoughts about it. :)
Nikki 38#
I agree with what you said about Chase especially about his background and the impact it had on him. While it explains him, it doesn't justify. The truth he WAS a selfish brat. And the fact that he has overgrown this vice makes him so lovable and fan favorite. :)
40 - barbara barnett
Nikki--Glad you got the book :)
I've always seen Chase's first season "brat-ness" as a defense. There's reason he wanted to be a priest and we see parts of that in flashes during the first season (from Damned if You Do). I've always found Chase to be one of the most well-written characters on the show, and Jesse Spencer really gives him a lot of depth. He has grown tremendously as a character over the seasons, and his breakup with Cameron really set him back. It's nice to see the real Chase re-emerge.
Chase has a very difficult background--a dad who abandoned him and a mother who he had to care for from a pretty young age--and who was an alcoholic besides. He's overcome a lot!
41 - Lucy
I'm also a Huddy fan but I agree with #34-mychakk: I don't necessarily need huddy to be the focus of all episodes.
Also, while I love Cuddy, I also think that too many episodes have been (or will be) centered on her, especially since her relationship with House already gives her an important role this season.
However, I liked this episode a lot, definetely one of the best of the season for me. It was not too dramatic but not superficial either, and all the storylines were really well balanced.