House, M.D. Midseason Report

What's happened so far?

Dr. Gregory House continues his weekly forays into healing and harrassment, curing and castigating. As his complicated relationship continues with his ex-lover Stacy, Dr. Cuddy further complicates his life by promoting Dr. Foreman (if temporarily) over him. Meanwhile Dr. Cameron and Dr. Chase deal with the ramifications of a drug-induced one-night stand as well as Dr. Chase’s suspension (indirectly caused by the death of his father).

But who are we kidding? This show isn’t about long-term character arcs. It’s about House and his patients, and it that regard House still rules the… well, house.

What’s great?

Only Veronica Mars rivals Dr. Gregory House when it comes to great one-liners. The dialogue on this show remains some of the best on television, and though I had concerns about House becoming a pardoy of himself (as often happens with distinct characters) Hugh Laurie continues his streak of great work. Sela Ward’s Stacy Warner is a tremendous boon for the show; her scenes with house are some of the best of the season, and House’s actions towards her illuminate this character's complexity. He loves her (for which we empathize), but he expresses that by stealing her file out of her therapist‘s office. Brilliant, but flawed. How many great characters are born out of that description.

What’s not so great?

House is not a perfect show, but I don’t really have any complaints about it. That’s really quite amazing. If I had any complaint it would be the procedural (and often predictable) plotting of the show. But that predictability serves the show tremendously when it decides to go off the rails as it did last season with the Emmy winning “Three Stories” and last week’s “The Mistake.” So, even the show’s flaws pay off. Remarkable.

Mid-Season MVP

Duh. House. Without House there is no House. And the writers have done a magnificent job of revealing the complexity of Gregory House without sacrificing the savage wit that hooked us into the show in the first place.

Sixth Man Award

Robert Sean Leonard’s Dr. Wilson seems to be the unsung hero of this show. The only friend House seems to have, the two share an almost brotherly bond of respect and rivalry. Wilson is the only character who takes House’s shit without batting an eye and who seems to understand the pain of House’s existence. Equal parts admiration and sympathy, their relationship is so blithely comfortable that, just like House’s relationship with Stacy, it humanizes House even as he’s asking Wilson to pay for a pack of gum. Also, this season we’ve gotten brief glimpses into the unfortunate home life of Wilson, whose history with women has had more than it’s share of indiscretions. I hope we see more of Wilson’s life in the future.

Best Episode

Like last season’s “Three Stories,” “The Mistake” broke from the usual formula of the show, skillfully interweaving (and reweaving) a number of flashbacks as Dr. Chase prepares to go before a review board in the case of a deceased patient. The story relies on House and Chase’s culpability in the case, and has more twists and turns than the usual procedural episode. When it’s ultimately revealed that it was Chase’s error, and that error was caused by the death of his father, it’s a fairly dramatic blow. But nothing compared to the blow House gets when he’s put under the charge of his former underling, Dr. Foreman

Final Decision

No show this season has been more consistently entertaining than House. Sure it doesn’t have the complexity of Lost or Veronica Mars, but damn if it doesn’t deliver everything it promises. And occasionally it breaks the mold, and then we really get a treat. Great, great show. A-