House Call

I appreciated the contrast between the apparent selflessness of the "missionary doctor" (I cannot remember the character's name) suffering from the ailment-of-the-week and the apparent selfishness of our dear Dr. House. It was an excellent opportunity to peer into our hero's psyche and learn more about what makes him tick. On the one hand, was the "missionary doctor" an extreme narcissist, willing to kill himself slowly in order to attract attention to himself, or was he someone who loved his job so much, and believed in his cause so much, that he was willing to subordinate his self-interest to the interest of poor people in Africa? On the other hand, was Dr. House more concerned about healing the dying man in front of him than the abstract notion of people dying thousands of miles away, or was he simply treating (and hopefully curing) the patient to make a point? We do not get direct answers to any of these questions and, unfortunately, the interaction between them was minimal and other characters had to do most of the compare and contrast. What I did like was the bit at the end of the show, where House demonstrates the ways in which appearances can be more important than the reality (it also nicely tied the main story to an underdeveloped sub-plot). Although I wish the show would spend more time (or, perhaps, better time) with the characters (where was the lawyer, anyway?), this episode is another example of the proposition that House is still one of the best shows on television.

Again, I refer you to Polite Dissent for a look at the medicine in the show.

I also picked up the DVD of Star Wars: Episode III yesterday and began watching the documentary that comes with the film. I like the idea behind it: there is an enormous amount of effort and care that goes into every minute of a film like this one. The documentary visits everyone involved in the scene where Obi-Wan and Anakin fight on the "lava planet", from the carpenters to the actors to the kid who gets the coffee. I am in awe of their skill and their ability to plan around what must be a logistical nightmare. What an extraordinary collection of talent!