House User Reviews
Tuesday at 08:00 pm FOX (ch 14)
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5 stars
House
December 8, 2006Okay, so we're not supposed to comment on the other posts, but to the guy who rambled on about wanting doctors to be infallable and not addicted to drugs...You can't be serious!
What makes Greg House such a compelling character (besides yummy Hugh Laurie's sexy limp and piercing eyes) is his humanity. He's not perfect, but he could be real. He has this amazing gift that carries with it baggage. This is how real geniuses are, people. They aren't perfect people, with perfect lives up on a pedestal. They are usually very driven people, sometimes to the point of obession. They are sometimes very lopsided people, with mental, emotional or social problems. Sometimes their very brilliance and intellectual sensitivity predisposes them to have more problems than other more balanced people. If House were perfect we'd all yawn and go watch one of the other boring doctor shows around.
I love the addiction because it helps illuminate his softer, vulnerable underbelly. He is so dark and caustic but you know that all that is just a defense because underneith he is hurting and scared. He's like a small, defenseless animal that evolves to have a razor sharp wit and tongue to defend himself from predators. He hurts people because he is hurting. It's almost poetic. Being a drug addict, and knowing that it is a weakness which he usually goes to great lengths to hide, and being unable to and hating himself for it at the same time as he keeps doing it...it's compelling to watch his layers peel back. (and the towel scene wasn't bad either)
That said, I am hating the cop storyline too, since I am so into this show it actually makes me feel anxious when there is *too* much tension, but it sure makes for good drama. How far will House let him torture his only friend? How will House outwit him, or will he defeat him with some extrordinary stroke of luck, as he did his nemesis in season one? Will Wilson keep forgiving him? Will he have a breakdown? Ahhh, the beautiful melodrama!
There was one episode that I didn't like. One episode out of three seasons isn't too bad, though, considering every single other episode immediately became a favorite. It was the one with the coma guy who wakes up and goes on a road trip with House and Wilson to Atlantic City for a hoagie. It just defied belief and I don't know if they were trying out a new writer or director or something but that episode was way too contrived and farfetched. I kept waiting for it to be another gunshot wound-initiated hallucination since it had that same off-balance, not-quite-right feeling to it. I get that they wanted a character to ask House questions to help peel his layers and all that, but they were scraping the imaginational bottom of the barrel with a man who wants to spend his last hours of life eating a sandwich and delving into the psyche of his son's doctor. House writers/producers if you read this, what the heck were you guys thinking??! You are smarter than that, and can do way better.
Viva House! I hope it runs for a thousand years.
~MWas this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
5 stars
The House That Hugh Builds
May 8, 2007Hugh Laurie consistently delivers a brilliant, nuanced performance in this medical thriller as he continues to draw a devastating portrayal of Gregory House, a man trying to save patients' lives and hold his own life together while enduring intense pain every day as his injuries and pain medication cause his body to break down.
House is a flawed, complex and fascinating character based in part on Sherlock Holmes with whom he shares his musical prowess, drug addiction, fascination with unusual puzzles and genius for deduction based on seeing the pattern behind tiny, seemingly trivial clues. The mysteries taht come to the House crew are odd, even bizarre and it's riveting to see House's processes of diagnosis through tests, treatment and highly unorthodox investigation.
House can be both fierce and gentle, audacious and circumspect, soulful and cruel, all the while trying to heal himself and save his patients. But the clock is ticking. Since he is the doctor of last resort, often the patients he sees are facing imminent crisis, so there is an urgency pressing on his ability to solve the case. And there is an urgency in his own case as well: he is now searching for an alternative to the Vicodin that could eventually kill him.
Unlike mostly procedural medical shows (ER) or the romance-heavy Grey's Anatomy, House is about the solving of intricate medical mysteries (and even criminal mysteries) to save lives, but also it's about how to live a life, how to think about what's most worthwhile, and the puzzle of why people lie when telling the truth would save them.
"Everybody lies" is House's watchword and, inevitably, somewhere along the chain of information, the diagnosis is impeded because someone has omitted a critical fact, told an outright lie or tried to protect someone. Whether or not House is lying is at times some of the fun of the show: he may say something as though it's a lie but it turns out to be the truth. He's a teacher after all, and he very much wants those he's in contact to use their brains and come up with some smart ideas. Argue with the man convincingly, come up with something he hasn't already thought of and dismissed, and he's happy as can be.
Even though the medical mysteries make up the bulk of the show, make no mistake, Laurie's performance is the real highlight. It's no accident that he's won back-to-back Golden Globes and, most recently, a SAG award. His portrayal ranges from the blackest depths of a man's despair to his gentlest amusements, often using to great effect his superb musical skills. It is such a treat when House's hilarious barbed insights and witticisms are delivered perfectly, with subtle physicality, emotional intensity and immaculate timing. Nice.
Love him or lambast him, House never fails to surprise, exacerbate, annoy, exhilarate, honestly reach out , speak with incisive directness, voice killer sarcasm, observe with wise insight or just plain rise to the occasion: Laurie, not for the first time in his career, is truly a "major star."Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
5 stars
House Doctors Rock!
August 23, 2007I don't think I have ever seen an interesting array of characters play so well together in one TV show.
Dr. House is crazy, miserable, egoistic, obsessive-maniacal, funny (misantrophe, plus a host of other adjectives and big words) can evoke a very powerful reaction from viewers whether it be one of shock, outrage, curiosity, puzzlement, a ton of laughs, or others. Enough had been said bout him so I'll talk a bit about the other characters. I can't give him all the credit tho.
Dr. Wilson's "not-just-the-average-nice-guy" character sheds a very interesting contrast to that of House. Their friendship despite their differences and exchanges provide a good insight on the characters personalities.
Dr. Cutty provides a very interesting (power/sexual) tension and grounds House's character and shows there are just limits to what outrageous things you can get away with (stretchable of course if you're as good as House).
Dr. Cameron gives us a perspective on ethics, morality, and compassion ( at the same time, she is a sort of atheist).
Dr. Foreman is very brilliant and has an ego that's heading in the direction of House's (he's like House in the making trying to resist it.)
Dr. Chase is well, an interesting character in his own right, providing a good backdrop to the other characters - kiss-ass, jaded, and opportunistic at times, but reminds everyone once in a while that House didn't hire him for his looks has also bouts of loyalty - (plus that Aussie accent).
All the characters are as unique, diverse, and interesting as "real' people.The show is complete with drama, suspense, science, reason, ethics/morality, humanity, shock value, and humor.
All in all they make for a good show. Kudos to the actors and writers. I look forward to Season 4. I hope the changes and the new setup will be as exciting.Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
5 stars
Simply the best show on television
May 23, 2007Or to be more accurate (in my case):
Simply the ONLY show on television .
I have no love for television in general, so I am surprised to find myself sitting here writing my thoughts on just that: a television show. My free time is already stuffed to the brim with hobbies and projects and reading materials ... BUT I do set aside an hour every week to catch the latest episode of House.
Thoughtful plots and credible writing push this show beyond the normal junk that is served to us through television. Add in the unique character that is Gregory House MD portrayed by the actor Hugh Laurie and television finally has something to offer me.
If you haven't bought the season 1 or 2 DVD sets, I encourage you to do so. Obviously the DVD's contain the entire episodes for that season (with no commercials, hooray!), but the DVD's also contain behind the scenes content that any House fan will find compelling. For example, hearing Hugh Laurie speak with his normal English accent was a real eye opener.
It is strange to read any sort of negativity regarding the entire Tritter story arc, since I personally found the tension of the vengeful detective versus the drug fiend doctor pretty entertaining. Yeah, make no mistake ... House is a drug fiend. I'm not one to decide whether or not that is moral, but I can certainly understand seeking relief from chronic pain.
Here is my single sentence review of House MD:
A brilliant but very messed up diagnostic doctor who commands three impressionable underlings and how he saves a person who has some unusual medical condition every week.
Well, House MD is a more complex show than that, but boil it down and I am fairly accurate.
My only fear is that since I actually watch the show, does that mean it will be cancelled? If so, I may as well sell my television and buy some more books instead.Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
3 stars
Addicted
October 18, 2007House is such an a$$, that is what makes him believable. Love to meet him. Keeps you on your toes, love to come up with own diagnosis. Love Cutty, Hot! Cameron, sweety pie....Chase, passionate individual that feels for others while he is kissing up. Does not want to stir up controversy. Foreman, does not like to be challenged, always wanting to prove his worth and will toot his own horn. Wilson comes across as Houses balance, even though he is a punching bag for House. Great Show!! I would love to be one of the actors that they have to treat, a positive ending though, don't kill me off. Also would like to see Cutty and House breakdown and have a moment of weakness with a steamy love scene! No House did not put me up to this....Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate
