(S03E15) Well, at least FOX was smart enough with yet another "delay" in this season of House to spark it up a little by getting Dave Matthews to play Patrick Obyedkov, a musical savant who plays the piano like a master. They also jacked us up for awhile with a bit of a threat to the the future of the show, which the day-of previews were talking about as far as a "secret" that Cameron wasn't supposed to share with her team members. Unfortunately for us, we'll be waiting - yet again (March 27, thankyouverymuch) - for another new episode, something that FOX and the other networks are going to need to learn to work on, if they're hoping for any sort of continuity.
If there was an effort to get emotion out of viewers this season on FOX, then this might have been the moment. I think, when Matthews' character had the seizing in his hands while on stage, that I actually made some sort of audible gasp, probably much like the people in the audience (which looked real, by the way). That, followed by the hospital rumor that House was dying of cancer probably had a lot of people worried that their show might not go on. Hell, it got Cameron to think about resigning and getting a new job at Penn.
One of the things that this episode had that made me really happy were the one-liners. From House, who apparently knows every doctor in the country by his or her first name hanging up on one (Goodbye, Pete!), to his efforts to get some grabass with Cuddy, who could only smile. I'm sure she's not so pleased now that she knows that House isn't dying (well, everyone's dying, I guess) in the near future. It's also plain as day, amusingly, that Cameron and Chase are sleeping with each other, and I can't wait until Foreman decides to have his way with that little situation.
For House, this was surely a three steps back, one step forward kind of week, and Wilson told him so. He just shuns, shuns, shuns, and doesn't really care about the implications of doing so. Irrelevant of him being social at the episode's close, I can't say if House will ever really move forward enough in his little world that it makes a difference, and based on the reactions of his team when he came clean about the drug he wanted implanted in his brain, he might just piss them all off to the point where they want no part of working for him. Heck, they could all get a really good recommendation from him right now, signed, sealed and delivered. He wouldn't even have to write it!
I can't say this is a good opportunity to comment on Dave Matthews' overall acting abilities, but I was definitely into him in this role. Except for shows like Las Vegas and Law & Order (and offshoots), I think that House might be one of the more successful users of one of the favorite things in the 70's and 80's - the guest actor character - and this week, we had two, with Kurtwood Smith playing Matthews' father.
While the Tritter plotline was what frustrated most people earlier this year, I think American Idol hangover and the constant shuffling of House to one week or another is a much bigger concern. While House isn't alone in being moved around when it comes to network TV, that doesnt' mean it's a good thing for a show of this caliber. Presumably, the net knows what's good for it, but with a powerhouse like AI seemingly calling the shots, I can't say there is much we, the fans of House, can do about it. What I do know is that, when it's all been put together, that Season 3 has been just as effective as 1 and 2 in making fans happy, even if it has been frustrating at times.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-07-2007 @ 1:37PM
BigTed said...
The "House is dying" subplot in this episode was just plain weird. Of course, we knew it wasn't be true -- not just because the show couldn't continue, but because they've already put the guy through so much physical trauma that it would have seemed like overkill.
But the reason for him faking it -- that he intended to be treated for an mortal illness he didn't have so they would stimulate the pleasure center of his brain -- was just plain crazy. It's easy enough to imagine an addict wanting that, but if a practicing doctor actually falsified records and went through with this kind of charade, he would be fired immediately (yes, even House), then either be charged with a crime or sent to the psych ward.
I understand that the writers are always trying to deepen our understanding of House's character and his relationship with the other doctors, but they really went overboard this time. (Don't get me wrong, though -- it's still a great show.)
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3-07-2007 @ 2:05PM
misizzy said...
I was waiting to see if Robert Sean Leonard and Kurtwood Smith would have any interaction, as Smith played Leonard's father in Dead Poets' Society, but the reunion never happened. Oh well.
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3-07-2007 @ 2:10PM
David said...
Yeah the brain cancer thing was odd. It goes from drugs to brain cancer, then of course it was all for the high. In for House this was a low.
And is Fox trying to destroy their best show? One episode, three week break, one episode, three week break, now we have another one episode and three week break. It's bullshit.
Ad I'm really getting sick of these lying ads... "The most important episode of House ever! really! It's super duper importasnt, ground breaking episode of the most daring show on TV!" Give me a break....
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3-07-2007 @ 2:22PM
Editz said...
Was it me, or did they deliberately cut to House looking sideways as Kurtwood's character said "I was in with Doctor Foreman."
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3-07-2007 @ 2:46PM
ac said...
I wanted Kurtwood to say dumbass just as a nod to That 70s Show.
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3-07-2007 @ 2:38PM
Liz Newcomb said...
I thought Dave Matthews did a fantastic job as the idiot-savant. I especially loved the piano duet that he and House/Hugh Laurie played.
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3-07-2007 @ 2:43PM
scott said...
what about the 'cliffhanger'?
did he go in or not?!?!
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3-07-2007 @ 2:50PM
Bill said...
I thought Kurtwood Smith was the best performance of the episode, and I for one thought the fake cancer thing was hilarious. I mean come on, the guy faked cancer to get high, that's great!
The one question I had is more of a medical one, I guess. I remember in Rain Man (and I realize this is not the same thing, but I feel like they ought to be similar in this respect), Raymond could add and count like a machine, but applying that knowledge was basically impossible. So while seeing Dave Matthews' character replicate everything House played seemed appropriate, but when he added new parts to House's composition, I felt like that was more than a guy with his condition should be able to do. Was that just dramatic license, or do people with that kind of condition end up as a more... creative savant?
http://popculturejunk.blogspot.com
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3-07-2007 @ 3:10PM
Natrino said...
And what about this episodes most important question?
Where the hell was the full intro?!?!
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3-07-2007 @ 3:14PM
straylightrise said...
I believe this episode was great in that if you notice, House had no malevolence towards the patient, he felt kinship of sorts. It was an incredible episode and one of my favorites.
What Fox needs to do is settle in with House and AI. Both are incredible at bringing in ratings. Why AI needs 2hr shows is annoying seeing as they could expand over the course of the week instead of 1 night in some cases. They can take out Bones and what not
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3-07-2007 @ 3:36PM
David said...
Bones is one of Fox's best shows and is already on break until the end of the month I think.
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3-07-2007 @ 4:01PM
malren said...
While I agree with BigTed in that House's actions would of course result in his suspension and possibly charges - I do NOT disagree with the statement that David made that this was a new low.
I don't think people - fans or the characters on the show - appreciate how much pain House is actually in every day. Examples come in little things. Notice that in an evening shot, where he;s been up all day popping Vicodin, House has a certain severity of limp, with or without the cane. Last night when the Eager Triplets woke him up - which means he didn't get to take a regular, evenly spaced dose of Vicodin - he was limping very, very badly. I think the writers are trying to tell us that for all the "House is a junky" talk - he actually truly does need this amount of painkillers just to function.
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3-07-2007 @ 6:01PM
tcc3 said...
"Presumably, the net knows what's good for it"
This is Fox were talkin about here. They have some of the most risk taking and interesting programming. They also make some of the most boneheaded descisions regarding that same programming.
Witness Futurama and Firefly for example.
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3-07-2007 @ 5:53PM
Steven Rubio said...
Don't know if anyone here knows the answer, but I'll ask: it sure looked like they tried very hard to keep from actually showing Dave Matthews playing the piano, but I don't know much about his music other than that he plays guitar. Can he play piano, or were they being sneaky? Maybe he plays OK, but not as well as Hugh Laurie? I know it doesn't matter, but it drove me to distraction.
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3-07-2007 @ 5:57PM
Brian said...
Dave Matthews was surprisingly good, even though I am not a fan of his.
But it seemed to me that he was awfully "with it" for having a dead hemisphere of his brain. His speech and body movements seemed pretty good and he readily answered questions in a typical speech pattern. Seemed like he didn't have to act very handicapped (blame the filmmakers & writers for this, not Matthews).
Also, as big a deal as it would be to remove half a brain at the end of the episode when Kurtwood Smith was given the option (even after his son's case was diagnosed and remedied), it seemed as if the decision was pretty hasty. I mean, he could have waited a few weeks or months to research the pros and cons???
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3-07-2007 @ 7:22PM
malren said...
"I do NOT disagree with the statement that David made"
Damn. That should have read "I do NOT agree."
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3-07-2007 @ 8:35PM
BobbyBuz said...
Best TV line I've heard in a long time:
"One small feel for man..... One giant ass for mankind"
IMO one of the best episodes I've seen to date. Hugh Laurie and the supporting cast were just great.
Kudos to Dave Matthews and "The 70's Show" guy.
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3-07-2007 @ 10:09PM
shana said...
until this episode, i had no idea that Foreman's full name was "Eric Foreman". that one had me in stitches!
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