More from the House Essay of Doom:

[hobsonphile]

(Posted publicly to allow outside response.)

Previously discussed: the Stacy arc.

In this segment, I tackle Vogler (under the working sub-head: “The Problematic Quest for Moriarty - House and His (Imperfectly Written) Antagonists”):

“Gregory House is a symbol of everything wrong with the health care industry: waste, insubordination, doctors

Comments

Nothing useful to add but applause:

[carbonelle]

I'm afraid the only way I can really enjoy House is to turn the Analysis volume in my brain to "low" (because the science is so... wonky)

But your essays improve my appreciation of the show's characters and their story arcs: And they's so think-y--!

Yay, you!

[selenak]

Having just finished 3.13, when can we expect the Tritter essay, hmmm? Because I want to read that. I take it everybody hated this arc, but to me it was better written than the Vogler one, actually.

[hobsonphile]

I think I agree with you there, although the U.S. writers' ignoring our own civil rights law was patently ridiculous, and when Tritter actually deployed the Evil Laugh in Finding Judas, I was outright alarmed. And don't even get me started on the whole "If he's smarter than us, he can actually break the law and we won't care" attitude of much of fandom, which - okay, you know how you're squicked by House's stalking Stacy? My aging mother is a chronic pain patient, and I'm a chronic pain patient (to a lesser extent), so we have quite a bit of knowledge in this arena. And believe me when I say that neither one of us wants House as her representative, thank you very much. I sympathize, but the level of irresponsibility and entitlement is - yeah.

As for when the Tritter essay will be posted - er, soonish? I'm now experiencing a burst of inspiration thanks to you. ;)

[selenak]

Oh, I suspend my disbelief when it comes to legal issues anyway.*g* But while Tritter was given two things that made him not-the-good-guy - going after Wilson, and declining House's too late apology - he also never, unlike Vogler, lost the benefit of the doubt; i.e. his point, that he's going after House not just because House pissed him off but because he genuinenly believes House is a ticking time bomb was never discredited, and his final scene was a graceful moment. Instead of getting a "curses, foiled again!", we got him wishing House good luck and also wishing that he was wrong about House. Which rather argues for the validity of Tritter's other motive. Meanwhile, Vogler at the end of his arc was presented as solely control and money motivated (other than pissed off by House), not concerned about other people.