Even as fear grips the business that there'll be another strike that will lead to a work stoppage, there are some who can look back on the Writer's Strike and actually find a silver lining in that dark cloud. At a recent at the ArcLight Cinemas, sponsored by the L.A. Times, the folks who bring us House, including creator David Shore and director Katie Jacobs, revealed that the strike actually was beneficial for them in a strange way.Since Fox had the Super Bowl last season, House had been given the plum spot following the game. That always means a huge audience will be watching, and even a show as successful as House wouldn't mind a boost in the ratings.
Shore and company plotted to use that primetime space for a powerhouse episode, 'Wilson's Heart'. Yes, the same 'Wilson's Heart' that was the season-ending, two-part episode that Jen reviewed last May 20, with the opening line, "The season finale of House packed a wallop." That was putting it mildly.
Well, it turns out that the strike gave the House team an unexpected gift, time. "It worked out very nicely. It gave us more time to establish the Amber-Wilson relationship," said David Shore.
Katie Jacobs, who directed the two episodes, credited Fox for deciding "to slow down production." A different episode aired after the Super Bowl, a very good one with Mira Sorvino as a guest. Remember, she was psychiatrist who was in the South Pole and only House could treat her via webcam?
Anyway, long story short, thanks to the frakking strike, the writers had more time to develop the romance between Wilson and Amber -- especially how it effects House -- making the impact of the finale even greater.
Questions were asked, by the way, about what's going to happen next on House. Wilson has lost his love and House was to blame. Really, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and Amber's blood is on his hands. Will Wilson ever forgive him? Shore's not say, but he did offer, "In some ways it's not a medical show to us. The meat of it is the human relationships."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-20-2008 @ 2:04PM
Keith McDuffee said...
That's strange that they felt they were able to solidify Wilson and Amber's relationship better, because I thought it was rushed. What I mean is, I just couldn't believe the two of them were so quickly an item, acting like a married couple so quickly, and then Wilson's grief. I couldn't get into it.
I would have hated to see how it would have played out if the writers didn't have more time to put that together.
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6-20-2008 @ 2:48PM
Max said...
Yes, and the strike also gave us the Xmas episode way after Xmas. Thanks.
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6-20-2008 @ 3:00PM
Oreo said...
I agree it was hugely rushed and they were acting like they were getting married.
And you know what Fox could have done, should have done? Put Sarah Conner after the Super Bowl, but that would make too much sense for Fox!
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6-20-2008 @ 3:22PM
dt3 said...
airing that episode at the point would have been a HORRIBLE idea... would make absolutely no sense. I wonder about the truthfulness of any and all of the above
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6-20-2008 @ 3:46PM
C C said...
I disagree-I didn't think they fleshed out the Wilson-Amber relationship enough before her tragic demise. I will say though, that they did the best they could under the circumstances. The strike really put a crimp in their planned outline for last season, plus they were under the gun to produce a post-Super Bowl episode for Fox on top of everything. They came through it with their head above water, unlike some other series.
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6-20-2008 @ 6:14PM
mj said...
Wilson has a thing for women. He had more than one marriage, and he moved in with a cancer patient. He is one of those who like relationships, and wants to be in one. However, until Amber, there was never any friction in his relationship with House. Yes, it is House's fault that she was in the accident, but he did try to save her. On the other hand, and this is a HUGE thing with me, listening to Cuddy, bringing Amber back to tell her goodbye was just cruel and wrong. I told my kids never to even think of such a thing. When Amber said, "I'm dead?", that just ripped my heart.
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6-20-2008 @ 10:41PM
Ed said...
The finale was fantastic for me - possibly the best two episodes of the show I've seen, but as someone else said I don't see how this would have been a logical choice after the Superbowl - depressing, less emotional for new people tuning in, and a big spoiler for any new people who did enjoy it and want to watch the whole season through properly.
Their message doesn't make sense. If they had said: "The strike helped as we prepared a really good episode for the Superbowl based partly in the Arctic, and we made a really well-designed/received finale" I'd understand it more.
And tho I loved the finale, the whole Wilson/Amber thing was very rushed up to the last two episodes, so more episodes would have helped.
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6-21-2008 @ 10:36AM
Alicia said...
I thought it was a fine pacing for the Wilson and CTB. Wilson is nothing more than a grown man that is needy like a teenage girl with no self esteem.
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6-23-2008 @ 6:16PM
Paul William Tenny said...
"In some ways it's not a medical show to us. The meat of it is the human relationships."
That's pretty much a lesson in drama 101, from a guy who really knows. All the best shows are a study in humanity, really. West Wing, Heroes, Firefly..name it, that's what drives it.
pwt
http://www.mediapundit.net/
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