it's the revelation five seasons in that they've been pining for each other for decades that bothers me, because it invalidates the first two seasons of the show, especially in terms of House's relationship with Stacy.This, absolutely. I simply can't believe that House has been pining for Cuddy for 20 years because we SAW that he was in love with Stacy and completely committed to her for five years, then mourning her loss for at least another five. Plus I simply didn't see evidence that he wanted her in the first two seasons. House was attracted to her in college, I have no problem believing that. But that he's ALWAYS wanted her, that I just can't accept because it's not what we were shown
( ... )
Exactly - I wanted House to develop as an individual, not a couple. I hate the idea that life can only be meaningful in pairs.
The play we're closing our season with is all about these complex, intertwined relationships. But at the end, the director has the actors stand alone in individual spotlights. It's an absolutely gorgeous moment, as you realize that despite all these connections, the characters are essentially alone. I could watch the play a dozen times just for that single moment.
It will be interesting to see how Wilson adjusts. I expect he'll be the cheerleader, supporting them both, but will he also suffer from losing his first place in House's life?
I think that might have been a stronger possibility if they hadn't put Wilson in a relationship as well - though if Sam breaks his heart first maybe we'll see Wilson extra devastated because he won't have House either. I knew there was reason for hope :)
I think the ending I would have preferred (yes I'm aware it's not about me) is for House to choose for himself not to take the Vicodin, THEN for Cuddy to walk in. I've made a bet with myself that House will tell Wilson "my girlfriend is hotter than yours".
His girlfriend is hotter than Wilson's :) But while I think both relationships are a trainwreck waiting to happen, Wilson's is less likely to result in literal castration...
You've articulated all my inchoate thoughts and feelinsg regarding this episode perfetly. The retconning of the Stacy/House relationship in particular bothers me, because it's so unnecessary. The writers could have written House as moving on after Stacy and realizing that he could still love other people, but no, they've decided to go dramatize the "one true love" fallacy. Ugh!
Like you, I worry about next season. (I'm even contemplating not watching it!) Without Doris Eagan as a writer, and given the new plot developments, I'm very worried that Wilson as a character will disappear or simply be "Wilson the Lecturer" (which I can't stand, because that's lazy writing to use him in that way).
I really, really wanted House to decide on his own not to take the pills. That would have meant a lot. It would have been a huge development-much more so than the deus ex machina appearance of Cuddy to declare her undying love. I still can't believe that last scene.
It did feel very deux ex machina - moreso, I think, than the hallucinated sex last season. Or maybe it's just that the shot of the hands together and then House dramatically dropping the pills moved from dramatic to melodramatic for me.
Nobody likes Wilson the Lecturer - not even Wilson! And while I like happy moments, I'm not particularly fond of Wilson the Comic Relief, either, which is what we've been getting a lot of recently as well. What I worry about most is that both relationships will destruct around the same time and Wilson's pain will be buried under the House/Cuddy fallout. And that just makes me sad, because RSL does heartbroken so brilliantly.
Seriously! While I am eternally grateful that Doris Egan actually cares about Wilson's backstory, I don't blame RSL for freaking out when he finds out she's writing an episode (and not just because he's a lazy bastard :D).
And I don't know, I see the Cuddy-Wilson issue a little differently - yes, when House is focusing on Wilson rather than her she gets to be a strong character, but she's also mostly not much of a factor in most episodes and doesn't interact all that much with House. (Which is another problematic aspect of the House/Cuddy thing, that they so clearly have no idea what to do with her when not focusing on romantic tension with House, but nonetheless.) When Wilson's not in focus, they still need him to be the person House can open up and talk to - which yeah, can be lecture-y and annoying, but I still think it's significant that they felt the need to end the House/Wilson rift away after just five episodes while the H/Cuddy one lasted more like 13-14.
I'm depressed about DE leaving, but I feel reassured that David Foster and Thomas Moran and Lawrence Kaplow seem to be sticking around - the former rivals Doris for best writing of Wilson, and the latter two generally do the H/W friendship very well.
You're right, Wilson won't disappear, but I guess what I mean by him fading into the background is that when he's playing Greek chorus or amateur analyst, we're not actually learning anything about him. Then again, I don't feel like I've learned anything new about him in the last half of this season except the name of his first wife, so perhaps my expectations are too unrealistic for a show that's called House...
Welll, I don't blame you there. I just sort of figure that, comparing Cuddy and Wilson (as they have roughly equivalent statuses on the show, supporting character-wise) - Wilson's s5 vs. Cuddy's s6 or hell, Wilson's s6 vs. Cuddy's s5, and you can bet when H/Cuddy goes wrong the story will be poor woobie House hurt by the mean lady - overall, they've done better by Wilson than the other supporting characters. That's still wayyy below how they treat House's character, of course.
I guess what it boils down to for me is that Cuddy's character doesn't interest me nearly as much as Wilson's does (and that's with her being my third favourite character on the show), which means my perspective is distorted. Which is why it's helpful for me to work through my issues in writing, so that I can recognize that distortion.
The last five minutes of the episode left me stunned. We are to believe that Cuddy got engaged to Lucas the day before and is now no longer with him? Did she take a lunch break, go home and kick him out of her life? And then we have her declaring her long-standing love for House...and House standing there soaking it all up like a needy sponge. This is the same woman who, only hours before got up in House's face and told him he was miserable, without friends and basically could have saved himself some trouble by dying years ago. Yes, House is an emotional mess right now--but I don't think he's an idiot. He and Cuddy have the personality mix of oil and water, and I just can't see them in a close relationship together for any length of time without a massive clash happening
( ... )
As much as the ending strained credibility, I think once I get over my kneejerk reaction to the final, I'll quite look forward to the possibility of explosions at the beginning of next season, as long as I get some equal opportunity Wilson angst...
I don't necessarily agree that the writers have tried to make us hate Wilson, but that's certainly been the result with many fans. But then I've never understood the Wilson hate.
it's the revelation five seasons in that they've been pining for each other for decades that bothers me, because it invalidates the first two seasons of the show, especially in terms of House's relationship with Stacy. I see others have picked out this kernel of truth right here. This really annoys me. As well as the Wilson part - he's too interesting to be shoved into the background too far. But for Cuddy to ignore what she has - a great job, a baby and a good man for what she remembers from college because since then House has been horrible to her (with reason, I know)blows my mind. In the early days of the series you could see the lust they shared but it simmered and sizzled - what made it turn into a flame so quickly? Did I miss a scene?
I think if they'd kept building the House-Cuddy relationship from the original seeds, I would have been happier, or at least believed it more. I just struggle with the idea of it being some timeless love - that's not an organic part of the story for me. And yet I don't remember having this much trouble accepting the hallucination sex, so it could just be that I wasn't ready for it this time (or the payoff was just too rushed).
Comments 25
Reply
The play we're closing our season with is all about these complex, intertwined relationships. But at the end, the director has the actors stand alone in individual spotlights. It's an absolutely gorgeous moment, as you realize that despite all these connections, the characters are essentially alone. I could watch the play a dozen times just for that single moment.
It will be interesting to see how Wilson adjusts. I expect he'll be the cheerleader, supporting them both, but will he also suffer from losing his first place in House's life?
I think that might have been a stronger possibility if they hadn't put Wilson in a relationship as well - though if Sam breaks his heart first maybe we'll see Wilson extra devastated because he won't have House either. I knew there was reason for hope :)
Reply
I've made a bet with myself that House will tell Wilson "my girlfriend is hotter than yours".
Reply
Reply
Like you, I worry about next season. (I'm even contemplating not watching it!) Without Doris Eagan as a writer, and given the new plot developments, I'm very worried that Wilson as a character will disappear or simply be "Wilson the Lecturer" (which I can't stand, because that's lazy writing to use him in that way).
I really, really wanted House to decide on his own not to take the pills. That would have meant a lot. It would have been a huge development-much more so than the deus ex machina appearance of Cuddy to declare her undying love. I still can't believe that last scene.
Reply
Nobody likes Wilson the Lecturer - not even Wilson! And while I like happy moments, I'm not particularly fond of Wilson the Comic Relief, either, which is what we've been getting a lot of recently as well. What I worry about most is that both relationships will destruct around the same time and Wilson's pain will be buried under the House/Cuddy fallout. And that just makes me sad, because RSL does heartbroken so brilliantly.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
Reply
I'm depressed about DE leaving, but I feel reassured that David Foster and Thomas Moran and Lawrence Kaplow seem to be sticking around - the former rivals Doris for best writing of Wilson, and the latter two generally do the H/W friendship very well.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I don't necessarily agree that the writers have tried to make us hate Wilson, but that's certainly been the result with many fans. But then I've never understood the Wilson hate.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment