Episode post that's really about me

[deelaundry]

bironic came over to watch the season premiere of House with me, and I made her solemnly swear that if I ever get committed to Mayfield, she will come and get me and take me somewhere else for help.

A cocktail party as therapy? Followed by a talent show as therapy? HELL. PURE HELL. Obviously nobody involved with the show is a natural introvert.

There's stepping outside your comfort zone and then there's HELL.

Anyway, aside from my personal issues and the sad lack of Wilson, I liked the episode. I had been spoiled about the "House cries while having sex" thing, and was anticipating badfic horror but instead found that scene sweet and affecting. Go figure.

Was it just me, or was Nolan eating the maraschino cherries so dorkily reminiscent of Wilson? Hee.

I liked that we never figured out what the deal was with Nolan. He was wearing a wedding ring but there was no signifcant other with him when his dad was dying. We've got House's conjecture but no confirmation from Nolan... I like that.

Utterly unsurprised that we never actually heard House discussing his issues. Nolan brought up the death of "two colleagues" (guess they didn't want to have to go into the "best friend's girlfriend" aspect for Amber) and House's father, but we never saw House say anything about them. I think I'm going to start calling the producers Special Teams, they punt so much.

I'm going to miss the next episode due to a business dinner/trip, and I'm very bummed. Oh well, a twenty-four hour wait won't kill me, right? Right?

Love y'all, by the way. Just throwing that out there.

Comments

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

Right! Not in the least. Except Wilson is supposed to have at least a hundred-twenty seconds of screentime.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

: ( I have seen some promo pics and it seems there will be mucho Wilson in the ep. Oh well; I'll be back in front of my TiFaux by 9:30 pm Tuesday so there's really not much for me to fret about.

*hugs*

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

If you'll have personal computer access and a stable connection Monday night, I could...maybe...hook you up with something fairly illicit you could watch the next morning.

[dangomango.livejournal.com]

A cocktail party as therapy? Followed by a talent show as therapy? HELL. PURE HELL. Obviously nobody involved with the show is a natural introvert.

Lol that was my reaction too. I also thought the sex scene was moving, though I hadn't been spoiled for House tearing up. I'm glad it stayed in-character.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

That Mr. Laurie is quite the good actor. Quite the good little actor indeed.

Um, I don't know why this just came to mind but when House said he wouldn't hug his roomie because "people already think we're gay" that was meta, wasn't it? We don't get a House/Wilson hug because they know we're going to Photoshop hearts and tuxedos and wedding veils and possible bondage gear onto any resulting screenshots. Hm.

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

I would need extensive therapy before going to a cocktail party. And a lobotomy before being in a talent show. *shudders*

I assumed there would be not much mention of what set off House's breakdown because we'd seen it all happen. That one tiny scene with Wilson was just fabulous because of the slightly shaky resolve and regret RSL put into turning House down.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

SHUDDERIFFIC

Really, honestly, do the people who enjoy talent shows outnumber those who detest the shows? I don't think so, but then again I'm very firmly in the detest category. I love music recitals; I enjoy open-mic comedy; I enjoy drama readings. I just hate the stupid "OH C'MON; EVERYBODY HAS A HIDDEN TALENT; YOU MUST GET ON THE STAGE AND SHAKE YOUR BOOTY" ridiculousness of talent shows. Bleah.

The tiny scene with Wilson was fabulous. Good for Wilson; I know that was very hard for him.

We have gone over House's issues before... except he really hasn't. We the viewers know what's happened to him but we haven't heard him say, in a plain, honest way, how he feels about those things. Does House harbor a lingering pain because Wilson said, "Death to Monster Trucks," or was House over that in the next second? Does House want a relationship with Lisa Cuddy, the person she is, or does he want a relationship with someone who knows him pretty well and puts up with him? Does House see Chase as a surrogate son (as has been hypothesized in fanfic), or a second-best Wilson-subsitute as implied in the Amber arc, or something else?

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

Maybe the issues will unfold as House deals with them/not deals with them this year. I had the feeling a lot of what we saw was House learning a new template for not being miserable or making others miserable: Wilson turned him down, he made friendships, reached out to others, and even the brief interlude with Lydia was baby steps toward a relationship with a woman that he didn't deliberately sabotage from the start.

Small talk with strangers is my idea of utter hell, and I have no performing arts talent at all. I really think the desire not to be the center of attention (or make an ass of yourself in public) could be genetic: My husband and son are very good musicians with great voices, and they'd both rather be burned at the stake than be in a talent show.

[theninth.livejournal.com]

Hugh Laurie is brilliant. His delivery of the word "blackmail" to Dr. Nolan was just fantastic. It said volumes.

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

I was totally expecting a race joke there--blackmailing the black male? I'm not sure whether I'm pleased or sad that they didn't go there.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

He is indeed brilliant. As is Andre Braugher, and the two of them together... magic.

[elynittria.livejournal.com]

LOL! I totally agree with you about the hellish therapy.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOL gotta laugh because otherwise I'd cry. Ugh, torture.

*hugs*

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

I thought much the same thing about the cocktail party - although I would hope that the psychiatric doctors tailor therapy to the individual patient. But definitely DO NOT WANT, in flashing size 72 font, afaic (see icon for pictorial representation of my feelings on the matter).

The talent show, not quite so bad, but it's the kind of thing I'd do and then obsess endlessly about not being perfect and everyone else being much better than me, and oh dear...

I liked the way they didn't show much of the therapy - for one thing, it leaves it more open, and also there's a huge area for ficcage.

I liked the lovemaking scene, too - I think it really worked well the way it was pitched.

I also loved the opening montage, even if it was a bit close for comfort in places - it looked a bit like it felt coming round after my op (except that I didn't get strapped down, lol).

I may get to see the next ep before you! ;P

ILU too XD

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I like watching other people perform; I like performing (in a play). But the forced-participation element of a talent show is so horrific to me, as is how it presumes that performing talents are the only ones out there.

What would you do in a talent show performance showcase? I would love to see/hear you. ♥

ILU muchly ♥

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

I'd only go in a talent show if it was like on the show, i.e. a small group of people who (mostly) knew each other, and I don't know what I'd do - maybe write a script for other people to act XD

I was in amateur dramatics briefly, and although I was usually backstage being the prompt or dealing with props, I did once play the head teacher in Grease (whose name I can never remember now) and that was good fun, especially as I didn't have to be good at the dancing because she's a bit of an 'old fogey'.

I think they'd have done better if it was called something else rather than 'talent show', because it was more like a gang show (not sure if that translates - it's a mish-mash of acts that scout and/or guide groups put on, and if memory serves it was also used for variety shows put on by entertainers for troops in World War II). An actual, real talent show (as in e.g. Britain's Got Talent), no thank you. I'm happy to watch those, but wouldn't want to be in one.

Being forced to take part in a talent show (or anything similar) would not be my idea of fun. I still bear a grudge against my teacher from when I was ten years old and she made me have a speaking part in our play - she thought I'd be good at it, which I probably was, but I didn't want to do it and she should have taken my opinion on board (I'll stop whining now).

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

Wilson should have picked him up and hugged the crap out of him.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

He should have! But I think TPTB had to show that House can do it all by himself. Did you notice at one point Nolan told House he had no relationships? Because apparently a decades-long close friendship is not actually a relationship. *rolls eyes*

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I get the feeling House did not talk much to Nolan about Wilson.

[genagirl.livejournal.com]

This episode left me kinda depressed. I liked parts of it, House and Freedom Master (until the dive off the parking garage) and the byplay between House and Nolan but I didn't like his whole huggy happy thingie with Albie. I guess as a H/W person I felt rather cheated we never see House hug Wilson but he hugs this guy. I know, it was all part of getting better/connecting and all that, but I didn't like it. Did like the ending, the tshirt amused me. I don't know, I just didn't like House taking meds, the not addressing his issues, the mute woman and her sister-in-law with the magic healing sex. It's amazing that just exactly the kind of woman House needed was there when he needed her - those asylums must be great places to pick up partners. Those parts were too contrived for me. I just hope we get House, suitcase in hand, turning up at Wilson's at the beginning of next episode. Also, I want Chase and Cameron and no 13 or Foreman and I'm on the fence about Taub.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the hug with Alvie, either, and I don't think they really showed much of an interesting side to Alvie. He seemed too bland for House to find intriguing enough to connect with. Eh.

Bironic was highly annoyed by House's easy acceptance of anti-depressants as well. She thought (and I agreed) that there should have been more discussion about that.

It's amazing that just exactly the kind of woman House needed was there when he needed her

I've seen more than one comparison of Lydia to Wilson. :) It's interesting, when you think about it.

Less interesting, I was annoyed that House and Lydia didn't use a condom. It was a spur of the moment thing, but c'mon. House may not have had access to condoms, but Lydia did. She had wanted to pursue a physical relationship with a guy she barely knew who was institutionalized; she didn't think protection was important enough to carry around?

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Love you too! ♥!

No opinion on the episode, haven't seen it & won't for quite a while. I read lots of different opinions on it, which usually is a good sign!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

♥ ♥ ♥

You have some wonderful acting to look forward to!

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

I loved the ep. As for House crying during the lovemaking, I thought it was because they didn't FINISH it. They started to do it and she stopped.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the implication was that they finished. But I could be wrong.

It was a good episode, especially the acting.

[(Anonymous)]

Did you notice that house was drawn to a cheater who's married but really is obsessed with the (broken) same sex best friend?

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I didn't notice at the time (although something about her hair or face reminded me of Wilson -- expression?) but others have pointed out some interesting parallels.

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

I thought the parallel was that she and her husband got together because of their shared grief; it made me think of Wilson and Cuddy, how they probably wouldn't be friends if it weren't for House.
Does House see Chase as a surrogate son (as has been hypothesized in fanfic)
I've seen so many people claim that House loves Chase like a son and I've never understood where they're getting that from. He's never shown any more affection for Chase than for any of the other ducklings, less in fact.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

There's also the Wilson-Lydia parallel mentioned by Anon above, and the parallel of Lydia (Wilson) spending more time than anyone else might think was reasonable/wise trying to coax best friend into getting involved with the world. Plus a few other parallels.

Re Chase, what I've seen in canon is that Chase has approval issues and in that sense sets up House as a father figure (as does Foreman, with the whole rebel, defeat and supplant thing he's had going on since Day One).

[romeo46.livejournal.com]

I will be missing both next week's episode and the week after because I will be on the road both days so I feel your pain.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It's especially annoying for next week, because that will be the first time to see everyone reacting to the "new" House. Oh well.

Are you on the road for more than a week? O_O Or are those two different trips (I hope)?

[romeo46.livejournal.com]

The first one is back from Washington DC. The second one is the long moving trip from Virginia to Texas.

[roga.livejournal.com]

I'm going to miss the next episode due to a business dinner/trip, and I'm very bummed. Oh well, a twenty-four hour wait won't kill me, right? Right?

Hee, you can pretend you live abroad and watch it later with the rest of us!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

bironic and I have been talking about male privilege lately (and I've been thinking about white privilege) -- I need to acknowledge and work on my US Eastern Time Zone privilege! Sigh.

Hee! *hugs*

[poeia.livejournal.com]

For talent show, I'd volunteer to pull the curtain or something. You could sit in front of a computer and write fiction -- you have a real talent for that.

I've decided restraining a patient going through opioid withdrawal on his back was like a fire drill for the staff. If he pukes, can they unlock the door and remove cuffs before he chokes to death on his vomit?

But I LOVED the episode. HL gave a truly perfect performance.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I must have particularly bad memories of talent shows; I seem to be more aversive to them than most people. : )

For a show centered around a character whose opiod use was established in early episodes as an important part of his life, they sure don't treat detox very accurately, do they?

Hugh's performance was amazing. I'm hoping the ep was self-contained enough for it to be Emmy bait. For Pete's sake, dude deserves an Emmy.