House Episode 5.14 The Greater Good
After last week's dreadful episode, I was worried; thank goodness the House I know in love is back...and I am positive that there are intentional shades of House/Stacy being referenced!
I was so nervous about tonight's episode because I really, really DID NOT like last week's episode AT ALL, and I was afraid of more of the same. Thankfully, there wasn't more of that. Either this episode was really, really good or I was so glad that it wasn't really, really bad that it seemed really, really good. Honestly, I think the episode actually WAS really good. Sara Hess rocks!
For one thing, it proposed ethical dilemmas and thought-provoking scenarios for contemplation. When is it okay, or even recommended, that people make themselves happy first and foremost? Many psychologists maintain that one must love oneself and make oneself happy before one can contribute to others' happiness, but there are times when that doesn't apply, and doing so is simply selfish. But when is it okay to be a little selfish? And when should one consider the greater good above all else? To what extent are people obligated to share their talents with others? And what do people do for love? And when people do things for love, are they doing it for themselves or for their loved ones? (Big infarction flashback for me...) Wow. I need to watch this episode again right away - and again and again. But here are my first thoughts...er...more like ramblings, I guess. I'm thinking about individual happiness vs. greater good and the things people do and sacrifices they make for love, and the academic writer in me is saying that I really need to make an outline and clearly articulate the two issues, but my tired brain just wants to dump it out and hope it makes at least a bit of sense. ;-)
I really like Foreman and Thirteen, especially since their predicament now involves House. His separate talks about love with both Foreman and Thirteen were high points of the episode for me, of course. Foreman loves Thirteen so he breaks the rules so she'll get the real drug, but then things go wrong. He sacrificed himself/career for doing what he *thought* would be the right thing to do for Thirteen, but, ultimately, it wasn't. He didn't consult her and House implied that it might not have been something she even wanted. He said something like, “You did it because you love her, but, ironically, you didn't take her feelings into consideration.” I completely understand what House was saying, but I don't know that Thirteen *wouldn't* have wanted Foreman to get her on the real drug since others in the study were improving from it...
And this reminds me of Stacy and the infarction. She knew House's decision, but she made the opposite one for him. In a way, it was selfish, but she knew that she was sacrificing their relationship to save his life. So was she acting in self-interest or for the greater good since he's a brilliant diagnostician? And what about Wilson, when he told Tritter it'd be better for *him* to go to jail than for House because of the lives House saves?
I loved the issues brought up from both Wilson's and Taub's interactions with Dana. On the one hand, I completely understood her desire to be happy and applauded her for leaving a career that didn't satisfy her, but I also understood Wilson's point that she has thrown away a talent that could save lives - and this is, of course, about the ethical issue of the value of one's own happiness vs. the greater good. And this question isn't neatly answered in the episode (thank goodness - this is the House I've been missing). Wilson apologizes to Dana at the end, but she tells him he still believes what he said - and then she tells him, basically, to live each day and not do everything based on whether it will be a good deathbed soundbite. Also, I am very glad that we saw that Wilson is still dealing with Amber's death. I was hoping it wasn't going to be completely dropped because that would be absolutely unbelievable. I think there are still huge ramifications and a lot of fallout from that that will continue to affect both Wilson and House in both negative and positive ways. I almost cried near the beginning when we saw that there was still a coffee cup with Amber's lipstick on it sitting on the counter - and I knew in the end Wilson would wash it. For me, that's good; I almost never know in advance what will happen!
It was interesting to hear Taub talk about missing plastic surgery and liking his job less now and getting paid less now, but feeling like he was doing something more worthwhile - sacrifice for the greater good (but, of course, we know the change in his practice was also motivated by selfish reasons - so his wife wouldn't learn of his affair). I liked seeing more of Taub at home with his wife. And, again, the question of Taub not knowing if he can be happy without kids, but knowing he can't be happy without his wife points back to what we're willing to sacrifice (or not sacrifice) for love.
As for the House/Cuddy stuff, I thought it was funny and understandable for Cuddy to trick House into believing the elevators were down for maintenance, but I was really disliking her making him trip over string, having his electricity turned off, etc. I was afraid the episode would make me hate Cuddy - and I've always really liked her up until now. Yes, House always does silly and juvenile things, but for Cuddy to stoop to his level (her words) was, I thought, completely ridiculous and unbelievable. I kept telling Cuddy that House has always been that way and she has no right to be angry at him because he didn't magically turn into who she wanted him to be. Thank goodness Wilson told her this, too (and had the benefit of her actually hearing him), making her realize it herself! I finally feel like things are going to be okay with the two of them and that this silly arc of childish behavior is over. I missed the seriousness.
It seems that we are supposed to be seeing glimpses of House slowly beginning to understand the awesome power of love (to the extent that anyone can, that is) which, eventually, will help him better understand himself, his relationships, and humanity in general. Maybe it's just me, but I think all this will ultimately lead to House understanding why Stacy made the decision she made about his leg after the infarction. It was pretty clear to me that he forgave her in S2's “Hunting”, but I'm not sure that he ever really understood what motivated her. I also think the whole “House's Head”/”Wilson's Heart” situation with Wilson asking House to risk his life for Amber and House's complete willingness to do so is playing a role in House's slowly unfolding understanding of what people do for love and the sacrifices that they make. Also, I think House knowing for sure that his dad wasn't his biological father brings up those same issues. Did Blythe conceal his paternity out of love for him and for her husband (i.e. greater good) or for herself? Or both? Nobody acts completely altruistically.
I know some people aren't going to like my saying this, but I really, really think it's time for Cameron and Chase (though I like him) to leave the show. If last week's episode did anything at all, it showed that there's really no place for Cameron in House's orbit, and, frankly, there just isn't room for Chase, either. I am interested in Taub and Thirteen and Kutner, and I don't really want to know any more about the first set of ducklings. I'm interested in House, and House already knows how they will act/react and I just don't think they have the potential to reveal anything new about House at this point. The writers made a decision to move forward with new ducklings, and I really think it's a hindrance when they can't let go of the old. Was it a little overdramatic for Thirteen to have a brain tumor and go blind? Sure...but I'll take this any day over Cameron still trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings for House and Cuddy playing silly pranks. If anyone actually made it through my ramblings to this point...wow! I also see that I wobbled around changing tenses like a drunk. Gah.
Please share your thoughts on the episode! Oh, one more thing: I knew the patient's problem was going to be endometrial. It's only, like, the third time ever that I figured out anything about the diagnosis. Hee. ;-)
I was so nervous about tonight's episode because I really, really DID NOT like last week's episode AT ALL, and I was afraid of more of the same. Thankfully, there wasn't more of that. Either this episode was really, really good or I was so glad that it wasn't really, really bad that it seemed really, really good. Honestly, I think the episode actually WAS really good. Sara Hess rocks!
For one thing, it proposed ethical dilemmas and thought-provoking scenarios for contemplation. When is it okay, or even recommended, that people make themselves happy first and foremost? Many psychologists maintain that one must love oneself and make oneself happy before one can contribute to others' happiness, but there are times when that doesn't apply, and doing so is simply selfish. But when is it okay to be a little selfish? And when should one consider the greater good above all else? To what extent are people obligated to share their talents with others? And what do people do for love? And when people do things for love, are they doing it for themselves or for their loved ones? (Big infarction flashback for me...) Wow. I need to watch this episode again right away - and again and again. But here are my first thoughts...er...more like ramblings, I guess. I'm thinking about individual happiness vs. greater good and the things people do and sacrifices they make for love, and the academic writer in me is saying that I really need to make an outline and clearly articulate the two issues, but my tired brain just wants to dump it out and hope it makes at least a bit of sense. ;-)
I really like Foreman and Thirteen, especially since their predicament now involves House. His separate talks about love with both Foreman and Thirteen were high points of the episode for me, of course. Foreman loves Thirteen so he breaks the rules so she'll get the real drug, but then things go wrong. He sacrificed himself/career for doing what he *thought* would be the right thing to do for Thirteen, but, ultimately, it wasn't. He didn't consult her and House implied that it might not have been something she even wanted. He said something like, “You did it because you love her, but, ironically, you didn't take her feelings into consideration.” I completely understand what House was saying, but I don't know that Thirteen *wouldn't* have wanted Foreman to get her on the real drug since others in the study were improving from it...
And this reminds me of Stacy and the infarction. She knew House's decision, but she made the opposite one for him. In a way, it was selfish, but she knew that she was sacrificing their relationship to save his life. So was she acting in self-interest or for the greater good since he's a brilliant diagnostician? And what about Wilson, when he told Tritter it'd be better for *him* to go to jail than for House because of the lives House saves?
I loved the issues brought up from both Wilson's and Taub's interactions with Dana. On the one hand, I completely understood her desire to be happy and applauded her for leaving a career that didn't satisfy her, but I also understood Wilson's point that she has thrown away a talent that could save lives - and this is, of course, about the ethical issue of the value of one's own happiness vs. the greater good. And this question isn't neatly answered in the episode (thank goodness - this is the House I've been missing). Wilson apologizes to Dana at the end, but she tells him he still believes what he said - and then she tells him, basically, to live each day and not do everything based on whether it will be a good deathbed soundbite. Also, I am very glad that we saw that Wilson is still dealing with Amber's death. I was hoping it wasn't going to be completely dropped because that would be absolutely unbelievable. I think there are still huge ramifications and a lot of fallout from that that will continue to affect both Wilson and House in both negative and positive ways. I almost cried near the beginning when we saw that there was still a coffee cup with Amber's lipstick on it sitting on the counter - and I knew in the end Wilson would wash it. For me, that's good; I almost never know in advance what will happen!
It was interesting to hear Taub talk about missing plastic surgery and liking his job less now and getting paid less now, but feeling like he was doing something more worthwhile - sacrifice for the greater good (but, of course, we know the change in his practice was also motivated by selfish reasons - so his wife wouldn't learn of his affair). I liked seeing more of Taub at home with his wife. And, again, the question of Taub not knowing if he can be happy without kids, but knowing he can't be happy without his wife points back to what we're willing to sacrifice (or not sacrifice) for love.
As for the House/Cuddy stuff, I thought it was funny and understandable for Cuddy to trick House into believing the elevators were down for maintenance, but I was really disliking her making him trip over string, having his electricity turned off, etc. I was afraid the episode would make me hate Cuddy - and I've always really liked her up until now. Yes, House always does silly and juvenile things, but for Cuddy to stoop to his level (her words) was, I thought, completely ridiculous and unbelievable. I kept telling Cuddy that House has always been that way and she has no right to be angry at him because he didn't magically turn into who she wanted him to be. Thank goodness Wilson told her this, too (and had the benefit of her actually hearing him), making her realize it herself! I finally feel like things are going to be okay with the two of them and that this silly arc of childish behavior is over. I missed the seriousness.
It seems that we are supposed to be seeing glimpses of House slowly beginning to understand the awesome power of love (to the extent that anyone can, that is) which, eventually, will help him better understand himself, his relationships, and humanity in general. Maybe it's just me, but I think all this will ultimately lead to House understanding why Stacy made the decision she made about his leg after the infarction. It was pretty clear to me that he forgave her in S2's “Hunting”, but I'm not sure that he ever really understood what motivated her. I also think the whole “House's Head”/”Wilson's Heart” situation with Wilson asking House to risk his life for Amber and House's complete willingness to do so is playing a role in House's slowly unfolding understanding of what people do for love and the sacrifices that they make. Also, I think House knowing for sure that his dad wasn't his biological father brings up those same issues. Did Blythe conceal his paternity out of love for him and for her husband (i.e. greater good) or for herself? Or both? Nobody acts completely altruistically.
I know some people aren't going to like my saying this, but I really, really think it's time for Cameron and Chase (though I like him) to leave the show. If last week's episode did anything at all, it showed that there's really no place for Cameron in House's orbit, and, frankly, there just isn't room for Chase, either. I am interested in Taub and Thirteen and Kutner, and I don't really want to know any more about the first set of ducklings. I'm interested in House, and House already knows how they will act/react and I just don't think they have the potential to reveal anything new about House at this point. The writers made a decision to move forward with new ducklings, and I really think it's a hindrance when they can't let go of the old. Was it a little overdramatic for Thirteen to have a brain tumor and go blind? Sure...but I'll take this any day over Cameron still trying to figure out how to deal with her feelings for House and Cuddy playing silly pranks. If anyone actually made it through my ramblings to this point...wow! I also see that I wobbled around changing tenses like a drunk. Gah.
Please share your thoughts on the episode! Oh, one more thing: I knew the patient's problem was going to be endometrial. It's only, like, the third time ever that I figured out anything about the diagnosis. Hee. ;-)