Post-ep for 8x21

[deelaundry]

Amazing. I loved that Wilson, having figured out what he needed, insisted on it with House. I've been waiting the entire series for that to happen.

And then House: "I have to admit you're smarter than me" -- He couldn't have expressed any more clearly that he respected and was going to continue to respect Wilson. ♥

(Yes, I did like "Depends on how much you have to drink." Much better to have one blatantly slashy reference rather than four.)

But can I just say that Taub got to me this episode too? Him chasing after House, telling House he can't give up on Wilson because Wilson is in pain... I really felt that Taub was thinking of Kutner then, wishing he himself had been there when Kutner was in pain, that he could have done something to have more time with his friend. ♥

Comments

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Wasn't that a great line? And hell yes Taub is awesome.

:-D

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Taub was the only one speaking sense to House besides Wilson. Also: Foreman telling Wilson that he should suck it up and go through a draining medical procedure for his friend's sake? WTH? Gross.

I have Complicated Brain-Feelings about this episode and haven't sifted through them all yet. I know I don't like how it is *still* all about House, even though Wilson called him out on that -- although I am not surprised, because that is how this show works. I just really won't understand what the point of the series was and whether the journey was worth it until the finale. That House is finally able to accept that he cares about another person, and will put that person first? Why would it take 7 years of television to reach that point? It had better not be Wilson putting aside his terminal illness to comfort his friend in jail.

OK, but no, I have to go to bed. Thoughts tomorrow.

ETA except p.s. that "tell me you love me" moment in the car was amazing. Callback to my favorite episode, in Atlantic City - er, or maybe to the fic I wrote after that episode :) - and not even the undercutting before and after (the drink quip, the "I'm not saying it"/"Thank God") could take that away.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

I think maybe the thing with Foreman was a callback to the episode where Wilson had tickets to a big prizefight, but House couldn't go because he still had his ankle monitor. So Foreman gave him this big spiel about staying home and being House's friend, and Wilson bought it and gave Foreman the tickets ... and House and Foreman went to the fight instead.

So this time, when Foreman gave him the big speech about being responsible for House, Wilson didn't buy it. And yeah, it was gross.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Foreman telling Wilson that he should suck it up and go through a draining medical procedure for his friend's sake? WTH? Gross.

I have to watch it again, because the takeaway I got was Foreman saying that Wilson shouldn't fight against his own nature, shouldn't steel himself not to care about House.

That "tell me you love me" moment in the car was amazing.

It was amazing. And it was Wilson finally, finally understanding/admitting what he truly wanted: "I need to know my life mattered. I need you to tell me you love me."

(Secret gloaty glee for the "House is not my child" line, because of having called it that they really do act like House is Wilson's child)

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

OK, I read the transcript someone on Tumblr made of the Foreman-Wilson scene, and yes it was utterly gross. Sorry I mis-remembered it.

Wilson: He's not my child. I cannot be responsible for the happiness of Gregory House.
Foreman: You are responsible...The last 20 years, you've had 3 wives, hundreds of colleagues, thousands of patients, but you've kept that one best friend.
Wilson: He wants me to suffer a misery that I don't wanna go through
Foreman: Chemo won't make your life any better. but caring will. Enduring pain to do some good for someone you care about, isn't that what life is?

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

I loved that Wilson, having figured out what he needed, insisted on it with House.
And getting it too! That was great.
I don't know what's going to happen next. House will escape and run away with Wilson? Wilson will undergo treatment so he can wait for House to finish his sentence?

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I don't know what's going to happen next, but I know what outcome I want to root for. That wasn't the case before Monday's episode, so I am much happier now. :)

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

I am really messed up from that episode. The scene in the car...Wilson bawling...I felt so terrible that Wilson couldn't see that House was really trying to get past his own feelings.

The one thing that keeps tripping me up is, so what's so horrible about chemo? I know it can be hideous, but I know many people who have had multiple rounds and have survived and prospered. (And have not had huge reactions.)

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

The one thing that keeps tripping me up is, so what's so horrible about chemo? I know it can be hideous, but I know many people who have had multiple rounds and have survived and prospered. (And have not had huge reactions.)

I agree completely. To give up on life without even trying chemo for a little while and reevaluating...it just doesn't strike me as something Wilson would really do. I also wish Wilson wasn't so completely clueless as to the real reason why House wants him to fight. This guy is supposed to be someone who is able to intellectually keep up with House? I love Wilson, but sheesh!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Wilson isn't clueless as to why House wants him to fight. What he wanted was for House to let it be Wilson's decision.

One of the fears I think Wilson has, which he isn't going to say out loud, is that House would get bored during a long illness and would leave. Then Wilson would be alone and sick (or only with acquaintances, which would compel Wilson to put up a persona). House is amazing in a crisis. An amazing friend. But remember from the pilot? "She has a brain tumor; she's going to die. Boring." A long, boring, cranky, messy, trudging slog as caregiver just is not something that House would be well-suited to. It's natural that Wilson would prefer a shorter time than a longer one with uncertain outcome.

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

A long, boring, cranky, messy, trudging slog as caregiver just is not something that House would be well-suited to. It's natural that Wilson would prefer a shorter time than a longer one with uncertain outcome.

But I think that in Wilson's case House would stick around. Wilson is the exception to almost every rule House has, or so it seems. Besides, a nurse could be hired to come in part-time to help House out with the more mundane and messy stuff or as respite when he needed it. As long as Wilson's mind stayed intact, I doubt House would find him all that boring. I understand not wanting to waste away for no reason when all avenues of hope have been explored and exhausted. What I don't understand is giving up when you haven't even begun to exhaust your options. That's what it appears, at least to me, to be what Wilson is doing and I totally relate with House's frustration with that. Wilson has abandoned House (temporarily) in the past when things got rough but House hasn't abandoned Wilson (I don't consider his flight from justice to Fiji abandoning Wilson so much as avoiding the legal consequences of what he'd done. If he had tried to stay in contact with Wilson, he would have put Wilson in a bad position legally and ethically. Otherwise I think he probably would have--that, and he felt incredibly guilty for what he'd done to Wilson. We know that's the case because of his choice to face prison to punish himself rather than trying to fight the charges in court.).

[barefootpuddles.livejournal.com]

One of the fears I think Wilson has, which he isn't going to say out loud, is that House would get bored during a long illness and would leave.

That is a really good point. I could see that happening. And the fear might also at some point drive House away, seeing what happened with Cuddy. Wilson might think a few good months with House and then disappear into a hospice with a simple goodbye note. (Lord I am making myself sad).

I wonder with the chemo thing if Wilson is so scared of it because of his crazy chemo dose? That experience was so horrible that he can't imagine doing even a normal amount. Sort of like getting in a car accident and then refusing to even get behind the wheel again. The fear take over and it become less than rational.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Wilson could see House's efforts but at that moment, the efforts weren't enough. Wilson needed House to be there for Wilson, not for House's own gratification. He needed to feel that House loved him because of him, not because of what he provides to House.

what's so horrible about chemo?

Wilson is not acting rationally on this at all; something deep inside him that is broken is pushing him to this decision. We're not supposed to think Wilson's decision is right. The journey House was on was one to determine if he could give up being right in favor of being there for Wilson. WHICH HE COULD \o/

Suspension of Disbelief.....

[(Anonymous)]

I have loved this program from the first episode, and I think the writing is beyond great.

But....Tonight required a cosmic suspension of disbelief which makes me wonder why these outstanding writers took absurdly improbable liberties.

In America there must be over 100,000 toilet cloggings a day !

Tons of people toss crazy stuff down toilets every single day. This is not uncommon, and find me even One instance of this where it results in ceiling completely giving way, from one toilet !

No can do. It was ridiculous, as was the hospital lawyer’s claim that House’s fingerprints were retrieved from stuff thrown into a toilet 3 or 4 days prior to the deluge, and washed through a flood. Any forensic professional will tell you this is idiotic.

ADD to all this, the fact that 3 or so days prior to the flood (which could only be caused by a huge pipe exploding, and even then, it would not cause a floor to give way -There are massive pipes bursting all the time in apartment buildings and office buildings without floors breaking up !), so days before the ridiculous cave-in there was already water coming in under the door that we saw Taub notice.

Every hospital in America has huge maintenance budgets and staff who are present 24 hours a day !

So if one bathroom is flooded and water is coming under an adjoining door, then why didn’t the Administrator simply call maintenance and fix it, and failing that, why didn’t they take that bathroom out of service pending the arrival of the maintenance staff.....DAYS BEFORE THE CAVE-IN !?

This was atypical horrible writing from consistently the best written program I have seen in my life.

The whole thing was ridiculous.

Re: Suspension of Disbelief.....

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I gave up on "House-land" matching the real world in Season Three when PPTH let Tritter set up an office inside the hospital with no warrant and not even officially on duty. HE IS TRESPASSING; THROW HIM OUT.

So yes, I absolutely agree with you that the pipe thing was ridiculous in the real world. Just try to remember that "House-land" has different laws, protocols, job titles (Stacy used to work for PPTH, but she's a constitutional lawyer, which a hospital doesn't need), time-space continuum (1990-1991, when Wilson was married to his first wife, was ten years before Season Six, while Hector the dog Wilson & his second wife bought as a puppy on their honeymoon was 17 years old in Season Three), and hospital staffing models than the real world.

Re: Suspension of Disbelief.....

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

Agreed. All they would have had to do was find the toilet that the tickets were flushed down, isolate that plumbing line and shut it down. In a building the size of a hospital they have to do that sort of thing frequently. Case in point--when my grandma was in hospital her roommate decided to spite the nurse by flushing her adult diaper down the toilet. That toilet overflowed and they had to shut down that bathroom--but the entire hospital was not affected and no floors/ceilings gave way.

However, this is [H]ouse, and unfortunately these writers have jumped the shark so many times over the past couple of years that you can't expect realism, consistency or logic from the lot of them. [H]ouse used to be the best written show on TV, but it hasn't been that for at least two full seasons and arguably longer than that. Don't get me wrong--I love the show, but the writing is far from outstanding anymore. It's the acting that carries this show now.