"Everybody Dies" in House series finale

As "Everybody Dies," the series finale of FOX's House opens, Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) is lying next to the dead body of his patient of the week (or, POtW) in a burning building. Throughout most of the hour, House converses with hallucinations of some important people in his life, as he tries to decide whether he should live or die.

"Everybody Dies" is dark. There is no denying that. It's obvious when the first image House sees is Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), a fellow who killed himself. Strangely, though, Kutner is trying to talk House out of suicide, while House is the one arguing that life is pointless.

Then Amber (Anne Dudek) appears. Her death is more tragic, but she still argues for life. Stacy (Sela Ward) wants House to try to find happiness again, but he continues to resist. Finally, though, Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) tells him to just lie down, letting the choice be taken from him. This House does, before thinking better of it.

These people are House's subconscious, and as such, he appears to be waging a war within himself. It's thrilling to see these former characters reappear, but besides being a gift to viewers, who they are isn't so important as what they say. House knows that death is the easy way out. He is not going to be able to enjoy the sort of life he has been enjoying much longer, even though his life hasn't been all that fun. Soon, his best friend will be dead, and even sooner, House will be back in jail, wasting Wilson's (Robert Sean Leonard) final moments on earth. So why not end it all?

Even in this darkest of moments, though, House fights on, as he always has. By making the people from his past appear to him, he talks himself out of such a deed. It's telling that he starts with the most tragic figure, and builds to the ones that love him the most. The trajectory is an upswing, and in retrospect, House moves closer to life with each passing moment. But viewers are tricked into missing this by the POW scenes, which are of a more depressing nature.

While House is battling his inner demons in an extremely slowly burning building, he is not left to die alone. The two people he leans on most, who enable all of his crap, are desperately searching from him. Wilson and Foreman (Omar Epps) know that House is missing, and giving the desperateness of the situation, fear the worst. They even interrupt Dr. Nolan's (Andre Braugher) group therapy session to ask for advice. Eventually, they are able to put the pieces together and get to the building where House is.

But they arrive too late. House has decided to live, and is heading towards the front door, visible through the window to Foreman and Wilson, when the ceiling collapses. Gone in a rush of flame, a body identified as House is pulled from the wreckage. It's a tragic ending.

Or is it? House's wife Dominika (Karolina Wydra) and former colleagues, including Thirteen (Olivia Wilde), Taub (Peter Jacobson), Adams (Odette Annable), Masters (Amber Tamblyn), and Park (Charlyne Yi), wax poetic about him at his funeral. But Wilson alone lashes out in anger, instead, calling House a selfish idiot, which, of course, he is. Then Wilson is interrupted by a text message. He doesn't tell the others, but he goes and finds House, who has faked his death so that he can spend Wilson's final five months doing whatever Wilson wants to do. They ride off into the sunset together on motorcycles, great music playing, the ultimate happy ending.

Is this House's plan all along? Or is this something he comes up with at the last minute? It seems a little unrealistic that he is able to escape from the collapsing building, but at the same time, it's hard to complain about the perfect build up of suspense and twist. Not to mention, the metaphors of purgatory and hell are thrown in to make things even more surreal. "Everybody Dies" is a brilliant piece of art, and any inauthenticities can be chalked up to artistic license, not fretted about needlessly.

House has gone to dark places before, but the titular character has always emerged triumphantly. He argues that no one changes, but his growth over the years proves otherwise. Perhaps there have been backslides, as he is self-destructive. But in the end, the goodness within him wins out. This could be because of Wilson. The person House cares about most, the one who sticks by him through it all, needs him, and House wants to be there.

What will happen in five months when Wilson dies? House will not be able to just return to his former life. He gives that up for Wilson. Will he he hide out in a foreign land and practice medicine? Return and take his punishment so that he can honestly go back to his job? Who knows? Who cares? "Everybody Dies" is very satisfying and uplifting.

Before the credits roll, viewers are reminded of the positive impact House has had in the lives of his fellows, too. Cameron is married with a baby. Chase (Jesse Spencer) has taken over House's department, with Adams and Park staying on under him. Taub enjoys spending time with his daughters. These may not all be House's doing, but he has certainly played a role in who they are. Freeing them from himself by his death actually helps them to move on from his crap, and so it is a favor to them, too. Though he deserves credit for teaching them to how to live.

Well, everyone but Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). It makes sense that she doesn't appear, seeing as how House caused her more pain than anyone, and she has the least reason to still care about him. But to bake anything, there will always be a few broken eggs, and she qualifies as this.

The only person besides Wilson who learns of House's survival is Foreman. Foreman is the only one this information would make a positive impact on. Gone from the team, Foreman has already found his happy career. He might blame himself for not controlling House better if he is allowed to continue to believe the lie. By sending him a signal, as House does, Foreman can go on, knowing that he has nothing to feel guilty for. Plus, of all the fellows, Foreman is the one least likely to tell on House.

Thank you to the cast and crew of House for eight mostly amazing years. It is a series that will not soon be forgotten, and one that has, at times, touched viewers just as much as House himself touches the other characters. House reminds us that a procedural doesn't have to just be a procedural, and there is plenty of mystery still to be found when examining the human spirit. We appreciate the lesson!

I highly recommend you read Barbara Barnett's review of "Everybody Dies" when it posts, and also pick up a copy of her book about House, Chasing Zebras. She has been a brilliant House expert over the years, and who has spoken with wonderful insight and wisdom. Going by her past work, and her thoughts during her live online chat party last night, her article will definitely be something worth reading for every House fan.

One last bit of trivia. The POW in "Everybody Dies" is played by James LeGros. LeGros starred in the short lived medical drama Mercy, and, besides guest starring in the House finale, he also appears in this year's season finale of Grey's Anatomy, which aired last week. Talk about success in the fictional medical community!

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To purchase House DVDs and streaming episodes, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: House - "Everybody Dies" on Blogcritics.

The House is heating up

FOX's House presented "We Need the Eggs" last night. Romance and soul mates were the focus, as a patient named Henry (Kevin Christy), who keeps an expensive, customized sex doll for a girlfriend, checks in. As the docs treat him, House (Hugh Laurie) calls out each of his fellows on the obstacles standing in the way to their true loves. They turn this back on him, as House tries his best to sabotage the relationship of his long-time regular hooker, Emily (Noelle Bellinghausen), after she quits on him. 

House is nearing the end of the series, and many shows finish with happy romantic pairings for their central characters. Romance has always been a part of House, but rarely the central theme. Still, it's hard not to want to see the people viewers have grown so invested in over the years, and even the newer docs, find fulfillment in their lives. And despite trends away from marriage, most Americans still view finding a stable, long-term relationship as one of the necessary steps towards total satisfaction.

Does anyone on House have a chance at achieving that goal in the last few episodes? "We Need the Eggs" reminds us that none of them are close. They are all drawn towards House, and he to them, because of damage in their lives. This little group is messed up, and because it's their version of normal, surrounded by peers who are the same, they've been content to let it stay that way. "We Need the Eggs" introduces understanding of this arrangement, and just about everyone seeks to break the old patterns, with varying degress of success. Which is essential to move on and find serenity.

House might just be the one closest to real romance. Not with Emily, who lies about the relationship, but is quitting House anyway. No, House has grown close Dominika (Karolina Wydra). She helps him with his scheme against Emily this week, and Emily is the one that points out to our titular doctor that there seems to be something real between them. A couple of scenes between House and Dominika, one on one, really paint the picture of this possibility, and it looks beautiful.

While discussing House with House expert and co-executive editor of BlogCritics.org Barbara Barnett on The Good, The Bad, and the Geeky podcast a couple of weeks ago, Barbara mused how interesting it would be if House found love with Dominika, a marriage of convenience. She has a point. After fighting with Stacy, flirting with Cameron, and crash and burning with Cuddy, wouldn't it be fun if House's real gal just sort of falls into his lap? They have great chemistry, and she seems like a nice girl who genuinely enjoys his personality. Why not?

The roadblock to their happy ending could lie in a mistake House makes in "We Need the Eggs." He sees that Dominika has been approved for permanent citizenship, and tosses the letter in the trash. Admittedly, they are not at the point yet where she would likely stay with him if he doesn't do this. But by lying and deceiving her, House leaves himself open to a backlash that could ruin what they have together. Unless she just knows him well enough to not be surprised and hurt by this action, or is later grateful to him for giving them the time they need to find out if they are right for each other. If anyone could see past this, she could. This is certainly a "wait and see" situation.

The other character that is in a good place is Chase (Jesse Spencer). He has stopped his series of meaningless one night stands, and even passes up a chance to sleep with Adams (Odette Annable), knowing it is not a healthy situation to get into. He does a similar thing when Park (Charlyne Yi) comes to stay with him in the previous episode. Chase is learning from his past mistakes, and the growth that he exhibits in "We Need the Eggs" sets him up to be ready for something meaningful. If he doesn't already secretly have a dating partner going on. Which, given the tropes of television, is a distinct possibility.

Adams is not at all ready for romance. She is still deeply hurt by her husband's cheating, and her charity work is just an escape. She has not accepted herself, nor found out who she wants to be. Until she does these things, she has no chance at landing a great guy, her good lucks aside. While people can find other people in the process of fixing themselves, and life remains a fluid process, it seems unlikely that Adams will be in that sort of place by the end of the series.

Park is a possibility. Her character has a knack for analyzing a situation, and taking risks to remove herself from her status quo. She is willing to go outside of the box. This week, she engages in a little duet with a guitar player, which may have been a bit too intimate for casual friends. Is there something between them? Who knows? What's important is that Park is proactive in changing her life, and that is a good first step.

And then there's Taub (Peter Jacobson). In "We Need the Eggs" he meets a cute girl named Wendy (Alexis Raben) in the grocery store. But he can't stop himself from lying to her. And just when he brings himself to confess one lie, he tells another. Now, viewers are not shown how things turn out between them, but it seems like she should run as fast as she can. Hopefully, her character's credited last name on imdb of Jacobson, the same one that actor playing Taub has, is not a signal she is staying. Because Taub is not at all ready for a real relationship.

Foreman (Omar Epps) has been absent these past couple of weeks, and it's hard to know what's going on in his life. Though he seems to be doing well in his new position, his romantic side has not been addressed recently. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) gets to tackle family intimacy last week, albeit as part of one of House's manipulations, and it doesn't go well, so he's probably done in this arena as well.

So, short answer, no, not everyone will end up with the romantic partner they desire. But some might. And, since love is not the main theme of House, this issue is likely to not be the sole focus of the characters' endings. Better to get a huge chunk of it out of the way in "We Need the Eggs" and move on from there.


Watch the final episodes of House Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To purchase House DVDs and streaming episodes, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: House - "We Need the Eggs" on Blogcritics.

House is back in the house (excuse the pun)

    Last Monday, audiences were treated to the seventh season premiere of Fox's House M.D. (usually just referred to as House).  Tonight, we get another new episode.  But before we do, I'd like to take a look at last week's story, and reflect on how awesome it was.

     Season six ended with Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his boss, Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) in his bathroom, her coming in before he could take the drugs he had been avoiding taking, and some definite romantic context to the situation.  Season seven picked up right where that left off with "Now What?".  House and Cuddy spend the day in his apartment, finally consumating a love that has been simmering between them for many years.  Every moment of the episode with the two of them is pitch perfect for these characters, and played absolutely flawlessly by two very talented actors.  I'll admit, I wasn't taken with Cuddy, and have often found her a bit annoying.  She was probably the last member of the cast to grow on me, but even I had had to bow down to her this week.  I am fully on board this train.

     The ultimate question between House and Cuddy is, can they make a relationship work?  She gave up a much more stable fiance to be with him.  He has a history of screwing up relationships, despite being a secret romantic.  While he has softened, he isn't likely to fundamentally change.  Plus, the who employer-employee dynamic will shift.  Yet, I think they have a good shot.  Cuddy is willing to accept him for who he is.  When House tells her that it won't last, she confronts him, makes him air his issues, and they come to a resolution.  The only doubt planted in me at present comes from the uneasy looks on both of their faces at the end of the episode, after she exits the apartment to go home.  But is that foreshadowing of doom?  Or just an acknowledgement that there will be some serious things to work through before happy ever after?

     I found Wilson's (Robert Sean Leonard) efforts to invade the apartment and confront House humorous, and among his best scenes in the series.  Wilson had every reason to believe that House was undergoing an emotional crisis.  But when he finally did get in, and House seemed to lie to him about Cuddy, who hid in the closet, he left.  Is he going to feel left out of the new dynamic?  Probably not too much, considering his first ex-wife, Sam (Cynthia Watros, Lost) will be taking up much of his time.

     The subplot of "Now What?" involved a bit of an emergency at the hospital, where the only current neurosurgeon around got sick and had to be go home, which threatened to remove the hospital's Level One Trauma Center status and shut down key areas of the building.  House was aware of the going ons, but kept Cuddy in the dark, tasking his team to figure it out.  Which they went at great lenghts to do, typically showed their brilliant diagnosis skills, and proved that they can handle some things without their anti-social boss presiding over them.

     An unanswered question, though, is where did Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) go?  She turned in a leave of absence form on House's desk, but knowing that her colleagues would open it, lied about exactly why she wanted time off.  They were under the impression she would be undergoing experimental therapy to treat a medical condition.  Their reactions were interesting, and telling.  Taub (Peter Jacobson) supported her.  Foreman (Omar Epps) finally got over his malice over their breakup, and actually offered to go with her for support.  Chase (Jesse Spencer) tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep with her.  But none, including us in the audience, learned the truth.  Wilde will be filming two movies before her return, so the question is likely to stay unanswered for awhile.  However, the theme song was finally changed to include her and Taub, so her come back is pretty much guaranteed.

     If you're a House fan, I must admit that my review very much pales in comparison to a much longer, in depth look at the episode written by BlogCritic editor and author Barbara Barnett, which can be found here.  She writes with much depth and insight, and I highly recommend checking her's out if you're more than a casual viewer.  Her credentials are solid, and I am currently in the middle of her House companion book, Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D., now on sale.  It is truly excellent.

     House airs Monday nights, including tonight, at 8pm on Fox.