WELL, DUH

[deelaundry]

In which I figure out the thing that had been confusing me about last night's episode.

I went into the episode gung-ho for the House/Cuddy kiss. For ficly reasons, admittedly, rather than true shipping, but still, I was looking forward to it. Then when it happened I thought, "That was totally random! It didn't really match the emotions of the scene at all."

Confused, I was, and befuddled. Then this morning it hit me:

HOUSE IS SOCIALLY STUNTED

He had no clue what he was doing or feeling, or how to deal with Cuddy, then Cuddy said, "Why do you have to negate everything?" as in "be contrary," and his rat-maze brain shoots out the signals to do the most contrary, out-of-place thing in that situation.

Voila, kiss.

Then his logical brain thought, "WTF? Why did I do that now?" and his emotional heart felt, "SCARY! FLEE!" and he took off. And Cuddy didn't want to deal with his issues on top of her own, so she let him go.

In other news, I REALLY want stephbass to analyze this episode. PLEASE!

Comments

[warmdarkwoman.livejournal.com]

Hm. Maybe House really does have Asperger's, and just hasn't been diagnosed. It would explain a lot about him.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

The reason I don't think he's on the autism spectrum (because there are a lot of ways he's Asperger-y) is that I think he understands other people. He just doesn't understand himself emotionally.

OK, please forgive the unforgivable ego of quoting my own fic, but I wrote it up this way in "Around the World":

Greg House has never trusted his torso. His head, his arms, his legs: they all work right for him. (Well, the one leg doesn’t any more, but he’s not going to let it screw up his metaphor the way it tries to screw up his life.) They’re all reliably strong and sturdy and responsive.

His heart, his guts, and his dick, on the other hand, are traitorous bitches. Can never turn his back on them because they’ll sell him out on less than a moment’s notice.

He trusts what he thinks and what he does. What he feels… is going to kill him some day.

That's how I think he pictures himself.

[lostwiginity.livejournal.com]

Did anybody ever write a story where House has Asperger's? People keep asking this, but I never see their questions being answered.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

Yes exactly! I was confused the whole time trying to figure out why he did it and that makes so much sense. I just love how the scary/flee response matches his "if you're happy..." response last episode.

And I was looking forward to it for vidly reasons (mostly) so I know how you feel there.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It does match the "if you're happy..."! That hadn't occurred to me; great observation. House is so very smart about rational things, and so very lost when it comes to himself.

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

Cuddy's character bugs the crap out of me, for completely un-ship-related reasons. gaaaaah.

/vent

edit: sorry to anyone I offended :(

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

IAWTC I WANT to like her. I USED to like her. I could easily like her again, but they've been writing her like such a fuckin' flake!

Totally over emotional and indecisive, to the point of annyoing. How she became the head of the hospital, I have no idea.

In earlier seasons, she was a strong, independant character with some personality flaws = real. Now, she's just a basket case.

I WANT MY OLD CUDDY BACK!

[bammel.livejournal.com]

Don't apologize. ♥

BUT SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN, LID.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

*hugs* - "She bugs me" is not bashing. You're using the "I" language there, expressing your own opinion while leaving it open for others to have their own opinions. *hugs*

What about her bugs you?

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

And of course there was House's answer to Cuddy's question: "I don't know," which may have been one of the few times -- outside his hallucination/dream worlds -- in which he says something truly honest.

Same reason why he doesn't know why he kissed her and is kind of shocked that he did.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[bammel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's hopeless. I felt so bad for both of them.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

He has such poor emotional coping skills. I mean, really. And he still doesn't believe in unconditional love. That's so sad. D:

[debbiel66.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is it exactly. He has no idea what he's doing. I thought he had a similar expression on his face as when he first saw Wilson and Cuddy at the end of Lucky Thirteen. "I don't know" is every bit as stunning as "I'm sorry."

I don't really get an attraction between House and Cuddy. She seems almost more like a weird maternal figure and he's a brilliant screwed up teenage boy. Relationship - definitely. Attraction - not so sure.

I missed Wilson. I think I just want him in every scene... selfish that way.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Heh. I've made the argument before that House is like Wilson's teenaged son. Any woman who wants a relationship with Wilson is getting a cranky, rebellious, intensely needy stepson in the bargain.

(I adore Wilson too. *shakes fist at lazy RSL*)

[hi-falootin.livejournal.com]

That House is socially stunted goes along pretty well with the things Wilson was saying, like that Cuddy had gone onto high school and House was stuck in the 8th grade. I just don't think it's very consistent with, say, the way he acted around Stacy. Although I guess she's an exception? IDK.

I kind of wanted Cuddy to punch him at the end of the kiss scene :/

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

I kind of wanted Cuddy to punch him at the end of the kiss scene :/

ME TOO! "Thanks, that was nice, but you've been a bigger jerk than usual all episode and you BROKE MY LAMP!"

sigh

you and I are on the same page, foot.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

That comment by Wilson was very, very interesting, because it wasn't shippy. It doesn't imply House has a crush-type-deal on her (the way the inkwells/pigtails comment did); it implies House is jealous of her achievement.

[calamitysxchild.livejournal.com]

everybody seemed to think the kiss was really hot, but me and two friends that watched it all thought it was kinda...uncomfortable. Not in the moment at all.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Secret: Hugh Laurie really doesn't do sex scenes all that well. ): Have you seen Maybe Baby? Awkward.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Have you done Myers-Briggs? Some people have chalked House up as an INTJ, but to me he is "P" all the way. Everything is an immediate action or reaction, no planning ahead at all.

No introspective abilities, that boy, yet stuck with a brain that demands going from puzzle to solution in 1/10 of a second.

Excellent point!

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU

That makes perfect sense to me.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! It bugged me to no end, until I finally came to the conclusion!

[njelruch.livejournal.com]

House is SO socially stunted. Maybe it was all the moving around -- he never really needed to hone his interpersonal skills, because he didn't have to interact with anyone other than his family (and that turned out so well) for much more than a school year.

I don't think he actually expects to change his friends' minds about whatever they're doing that freaks him out (baby, Amber, whatever) when he goes into jackass overdrive. I think he's subconsciously trying to drive them off before they ditch him for the better option. (The House in my head has major control/trust issues when it comes to love and friendship).

And I love the image of House's rat-maze brain.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was all the moving around

I don't think that helped at all, but I also think his homelife was just horribly, horribly wrong for him. There's a theory in child development called "goodness of fit." An active child can often do best with an active family; a studious child with a quieter family. For a creative, bright boy like Greg, a disciplined taskmaster of a father was no doubt a very poor fit, and it doesn't seem as though his mom was able to improve the situation.

For an adult not to believe in unconditional love... his childhood was simply not what it should have been.

Your analysis of what House is trying to get when he goes into "jackass overdrive" (great phrase!) is very interesting, and no doubt true. He definitely has control and trust issues out the ying-yang.

I'm pretty sure Wilson called House's brain "rat-maze" before I did, just to give credit where it's due. : )

[ignazwisdom.livejournal.com]

He's completely socially retarded. I LOVE IT.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It's amazing, isn't it? And then you get Hugh Laurie in interviews being so polite and polished... amazing.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I've thought House has Asperger's for fucking ages, and no, it's not just because I have it and identify with him!

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

well, that makes perfect sense. I can see House's logical brain and emotional heart (love that description!) being at odds with each other and conflicting.

One of the reasons I love House so much, but I could totally see things I only want to see, is that he has no idea of how to deal with his own feelings, I don't think he even understands them half of the time, so he tries to shut them out/up. Sad though that is for him, I love to see that because I can relate so much it's scary.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

House doesn't get his own emotions at all, I don't think. He wants to keep things on the rational plane, because that's where he's comfortable. Poor guy.