I think I may be suffering from broken heart syndrome. My symptoms? A pain in my chest every time I think about the latest episode of House, a reluctance to write about the show I normally can't wait to dissect, and a sore throat. Though that last one might be more related to the cold I'm fighting off, come to think of it.
It breaks my heart to say this, but "Words and Deeds" takes away my ability to say that even a bad episode of House is better than most of the good stuff on television. To look on the bright side, the three weeks until another new episode should allow my heart to heal, since in an extremely unsatisfying plot twist, the reset button was hit on the series as much as on the patient of the week's brain.
Derek, a young and hot firefighter who is very much not an older woman, is disoriented and experiencing extreme body temperatures. Cameron, who's had enough of House's self-created problems, forces him to focus on the case, eventually leading to a diagnosis of menopause. When she tries to administer the hormone treatment, Cameron finds herself throttled by a man who's arm is about as big as her entire body. Last episode I kind of wanted to strangle the sanctimonious woman myself, but it definitely wasn't pretty to watch it literally happen.
When Derek starts having heart attacks, the team discovers his beautiful partner Amy is the trigger, and broken heart syndrome is the new diagnosis. And damn, Scrubs beat them to the punch with that one in last week's tribute episode, "My House," making that particular disease appearing in the very next episode of House more comical than dramatic.
Through all this, the team has to get House's input on location in rehab, where he's checked himself in after an apology to Vogler Jr. - I mean, Detective Tritter - didn't get him to drop the charges of stealing a dead patient's Oxycodone.
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
You musn't take ill and be three days after the show ever again. I have been looking forward to my fix, my ritual. It was bad enough to have to wait (and to have to wait again!) for the show, but to have to wait for my ritual of your post-show writeup? That's just mean! I hope you're feeling better.
You know, it's funny. I actually liked the episode. The "Voldemort" references had me cracking up. Maybe I am just easily amused. I thought it was funny to find out House was scamming the rehab and getting is pills. I laughed out loud.
That said, the Cuddy thing was pretty implausible. That part was weak. I guess because as you say we all knew House wasn't going to jail, the mechanism for how they were going to get him off the hook mattered a lot less to me. Especially once, as Cuddy says on the stand, it got this far gone.
I really agree with you on the Tritter front. TheWifeToWhomI'mMarried and I were discussing the episode and I was telling her how disappointed I was that Tritter did not seem to get exposed for the phony he was. Tritter's "ends justify the means" routine went mostly uncommented upon. He didn't care who he had to step on to get what he wanted. Tritter exposed the way those around House enable his addiction- leading Cuddy to send House to apologize and to nag Tritter to visit House in rehab.
Tritter comes dangerously close to abuse of power to bring down House. His motivation, as you say, was weak! Weaker still is that no one really lets Tritter have it for his duplicity.
The only balance, as I can see it, is that both House and Tritter walk away from the experienec unrepentant and mostly unscathed. I guess there is some satisfaction in that.
Great writeup. We'll talk again in three weeks.
2 - Kate
Maybe I understand it wrong, but it seems to me there was an indication that Tritter's past mirrors House's in terms of addictive abusive behavior. Tritter said something at the end like "no more cards, I learned," and that made me think that he meant he stopped sending cards to people who no longer trusted him because he was an addict - addicted to being a cop or addicted to a substance, either way treating people badly. Tritter wants House to suffer loss as he has suffered, not get away with his behaviour by receiving praise from those he abuses. Tritter was left a lonely abusive addict and wants House to be treated the same. It's revenge, but not for House's thermometer stunt or even for House's disrespect towards Tritter.
Does this make sense, or am I just wishing the plot and character development were a bit more spelled out? :)
3 - Diane Kristine
Thanks DJ! I think some of the things you liked about it, I didn't - like that Tritter and House come out unscathed. It felt like the last several episodes have been a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, then.
Kate ... that's not how I interpreted it (which of course doesn't mean you're wrong!). House said something about Tritter getting burned by an addict in his own life, but they still get Christmas cards, so why no forgiveness for House (I'm mangling that paraphrase, but I hope you get what I mean). So in other words, Tritter saying "no more cards" means he hasn't forgiven them either. To me it's a pretty weak motivation for his malicious prosecution of House. I'd have loved it if Tritter were a more complex character we could almost root for, except that we are rooting more for House.
Ah well, I expect the next episode will unbreak my heart.
4 - Edward Piercy
I thought the section with House in rehab was a real treat -- unfortunatley it was all a sham and he still has to deal with his addiction, unfortunately. But I suppose that will be more for future episodes. The medical plot with the firefighter I found beyond belief even for this show, which often stretches it.
5 - DJRadiohead
I would have preferred they didn't both come out unscathed. I would have preferred there were some consequences to the battle between the two of them. What I meant by that was, at least they both did rather than just one. It would have, to me, felt even more cheeky if House comes out same as always and Tritter gets fired, killed, or some such. That would have been going too far. I wasn't crazy about this story arc, to be honest, so I would have rather seen it mean something when all was said and done.
That said, I still think it's funny that he called the guard Voldemort and Voldy was slipping him "V."
6 - Angi
Yipee! Your review is here! I LOVE,LOVE House, but WOW! I felt like Wilson at the end of it. House totally played everyone. I felt really bad for Cameron. Poor girl needs a vacation BAD! Well, they all need vacations.
7 - Mat Brewster
Through this whole Tritter side story I've felt like the writers were really giving us the shaft in terms of the patients stories. I like a good balance between the patients and the staff.
Tonight, every time the patient was on I kept screaming to get back to the House adventure. Which is partly because the patient story was so unbelievable, and partially because I really wanted to see what would happen to House.
They really blew it on both sides. When House apologized to Wilson I thought - wow, House is really making some changes. Then I though - ooh, do I really want a kindler, gentler House?
The answer to that is no, but with all of this ado, we needed a lot more than just the reset, as you say.
8 - Morgenstern
For 2 seasons, House has been my Vicodine. In season 3 it has turned into my valium. So Wilson has lost his practice and House made Cuddy cry and all this for -- nothing? We're back to normal? When did Tritter first show up? In October? This would mean that for the last 3 months I've been speculating about the story's outcome and getting what in return? Status quo? I feel cheated. It wouldn't be so bad if the series hadn't focused on the House-Tritter theme so much and had given us compelling patient stories but it hasn't.
I want my old House back. The one who was passionate about diseases, about anomalies who wanted to solve puzzles. The one who didn't care what it took to show his rival's migraine medication didn't work. The one who would spent the night on an airport floor, sketching out mindmaps on on the wall with lipstick! For the whole of season 3 I had the feeling that House didn't care. Not about his patient's diseases, not about Wilson, not about Cuddy, not about his own fate. Where is the House anyone would actually care enough about to shoot him? Where is the witty dialogue, where are the funny lines? If it hadn't been for the midget mother who gave me a glimpse of what I liked about the show, IMO the whole of season 3 would've been a total bore! I really hope the rebooting will work!
9 - SH79
Barring House and Wilson,the whole epi was a load of crap.
I can't stand the way writers are doing all this crap and the producers/directors are not stopping it from happening.No consistency,no continuity.
Cameron was more hormonal than the patient!
Insufferable...........
If it did not have HL or LE or even Wilson,grrrrrrrr.
They get their act together,or the lose me,for sure!
10 - achtungbaby
OH! Come on! This episode rocked! It brought back the true essence of the show: House owns everyone!
Although the medical problem was a bit farfetched, it was still original.
And as far as I'm concern, the way the Tritter Arc ended wasn’t awkward. Come on, what's so strange about Cuddy lying to get House of the hook.
Had the staff been remotely as concerned with the legal accuracy of half the stunts Tritter pulled, as they are with the medical aspect of the show, there would never have been a hearing. Furthermore, Tritter would have been charged with harassment long ago.
Instead of going for the predictable approach (Tritter getting sick and House curing him, while in the process loosing is oh so cool addiction on opiates), they went for one that better fitted House's manipulative personality.
Again, this show isn't suppose to be about House's personal problems or relationships, it's suppose to be about his genius and how he solves cases no one else could. Oh! And his sense of humor.
I say, no matter how well David Morse played the character, I'm glad he (Tritter) is out of the picture.