He Sits Around the House

To be frank, I am not sure what to make of last night's episode of House. As always, I refer you to Polite Dissent for a most excellent analysis of the medicine. The soap opera storyline, in which Cuddy and Wilson attempt to keep news of House's major medical victory from him in order to prevent him from putting on airs, begins from shaky premises. Can anyone seriously think that something like a near-miraculous cure will be kept under wraps for long? And does anyone really think that keeping such news from someone deliberately will produce anything positive? I am all for conflict in my drama, and conflict is the inevitable by-product of such a set up. However, I have a hard time with the idea that two intlligent characters would concoct such a scheme and then carry it out.

On the other hand (and this is where the "I am not sure what to make of last night's episode" part kicks in), we know that Wilson is capable of making some boneheaded personal decisions. We also know that Cuddy is constantly flummoxed by House's behavior. Based upon these characterizations, one could make the argument that these characters, despite their intelligence, are capable of making such a move. I am almost persuaded by it. Except that the idea still sounds stupid to me.

Despite this, the ultimate fate of House's ailment interests me. I enjoyed watching the Young Guns interact with each other (Chase's attempt at a witty comeback was pretty funny) and I especially liked Cameron's reaction when she learns about the Wilson/Cuddy plot and how she dealt with that. Well acted all around.

If you would like to experience cognitive dissonance, then you can't go wrong with an episode of House followed immediately thereafter by an episode of A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Mr. Laurie has range! I REALLY want to see Stephen Fry make an appearance in House!