Spoilers after the jump.
The way you end a season of television is often the most important aspect of your show. When viewers looks back and ponder, the end of the season is what they will remmeber first and for more causual fans it will often factor into their decision to continue watching. We've seen some shows recently go off the air after really weak finales, but House looks like it's kicking back into high gear just at the right time. I'm not sure that anything that happened in this episode will redefine the way we see these characters but it was so well done.
Thirteen is often highly secretive and likely calls Chase for help because his attitude is generally pretty flip and she thinks he won't care or really take notice. Clearly she has underestimated him; unfamiliar about his bizarre encounter with the African dictator, she is presumably clued in by the end of the episode by which time it seems they have developed a firmer bond than ever before. Before then there is a lot of disagreement between Thirteen's desire to keep her wounded friend in he apartment and Chase's desperation to keep the patient alive.
I tend to think that a large chunk of Thirteen's motivation comes from wanting to keep herself out of trouble rather than her friend. It'c clear that the feeling is mutual between the two. If Thirteen was truly concerned there would have eben a sterner resistance to the little fact that her ex-cellmate is shooting up and clearly needs help. While Thirteen's selfish fervor initially leads her to into both physical and philosophical conflict with Chase, she is at length able to come to terms with what she has done and is doing, and take the correct path to rehabilitating her fractured state of mind. Considering Chase's lift also began to fall apart following an act of euthanasia, perhaps they can provide one another with the support required to heal.
As expected, a whole bunch of tumors have begun sprouting in House's leg and petrified of the extrapolated consequences, he takes the unconventional step of self surgery in his own bathtub. It probably made sense at the time, so desperate is he to retain muscle in his leg but of course it doesn't go well and he's forced to call out for help. By this time the rest of his team is so used to his antics with the booze and hookers they don't even bother picking up. Rather than call Wilson or Cuddy, he applies the same principle Thirteen used when she called Chase; choosing someone he thinks does not care and will not judge. That he eventually breaks down and calls Cuddy is an acceptance of how badly he has screwed up.
I wonder what she is thinking about as she take him to the hospital for emergency surgery. With her daughter in tow who House has apparently introduced to a bawdy pirate cartoon with questionable catchphrases, she has a vivid reminder of what a bad influence he is on her life yet at the same time it's his stubbornness and unusual way of thinking that casts him as so interesting. I don't think she would consider for a moment taking him back at this stage but this latest self-destruction could motivate her to pay closer attention to the way he has unravelled lately.
Taub meanwhile has to deal with the hot nurse he has been dating revealing she is pregnant. This is a pretty thorny issue considering he is also hooking up with his ex-wife but after a terrifying experience at a strip club, he starts getting really philosophical about his palce in life. I have a feeling it won't last. For Taub, there's something of a lazy nature in him, or perhaps, inertia. Possibly even by the next episode, he will have forgotten how he nearly got shot in a parking lot and after he gets confronted by ex-wife Rachel, he will have to choose and if it comes to that I think he will pick Rachel.
The mood was really excellent in this episode and I think I liked it even more than "Family Practice". The most important thing is that my interest in this season has been revived and I am really looking forward to the finale next week.
"House" airs Mondays on FOX at 8:00 pm EST.
No comments:
Post a Comment