House "Small Sacrifices"

***There are spoilers below. If you have not yet viewed the episode, please do so before reading.***

     Most episode of FOX's House are great, but sometimes an episode so superb comes along that I can't not write about it. This week's entry, "Small Sacrifices" was one such episode. There was so much going on, from religious debate, to major character developments, that I will likely miss some important aspect in this review. However, I'll try hit all the highlights. For more information on it, I recommend you check out Barbara Barnett's take. She is also a writer (and editor) on Blogcritics, as she delivers excellent, weekly in depth coverage of the show.

     The main medical case this week involved a patient named Ramon (Kuno Becker) who annually has himself nailed to a cross (through his palms, not his wrists) as part of a deal he believes he has made with God to make his daughter cancer free. House (Hugh Laurie) wants to offer Ramon treatment he believes will heal his patient, but Ramon refuses to accept it, thinking it would break his pact. As House doesn't believe in God, a standoff between the two begins, with House only eventually winning by lying to Ramon, making him believe that his daughter is not cancer-free, calling into question his faith.

     Is it ethical to call into question a belief system to save a life? Of course House thinks so. Ramon isn't upset with House for his deception, thinking it only proves god all the more real. So was anyone really hurt? Well, yes and no. Ultimately, House's goal of saving his patient's life was met, but at what could have catastrophic costs. Ramon could have sued Princeton Plainsboro, got House's medical license revoked, and made all sorts of trouble. Luckily for House, Ramon is a forgiving guy.

     But is it ever ok to lie to a patient, even in a life and death circumstance? After all, Ramon has a right to choose his treatment (or lack thereof), and House went against Ramon's known wishes. For the audience, there is now a character to bring life to that very question, as well as a whole slew or moral and honesty issues, in the newest doctor on the team, Martha Masters (Amber Tamblyn).

     Masters has already appeared in three episodes, and been given an "Also Starring" opening credit line, putting her in the same league as House's second team these past few seasons. Meaning, it looks like she is here to stay for the foreseeable future. I don't like her. I don't know if my distaste is about her, or about how she is getting in House's way and making doing what he does that much harder. I also think my distaste for her is far from universal, so I'll try to break it down.

     House likes Masters. He likes a challenge. Masters has already carved her niche in the team, which admittedly, has gotten more accepting of the way House does things. Complacent, even. For that reason I should welcome Masters, as House has, in his own way. But I can't help but feel the patients would be better off without her, and if she does get kicked off the team this year at some point, that will be the reason for it. Even Masters was the first to admit this week that if House had let her in on the plan, she would have spilled the beans and the patient would have died. Yet, that is not enough to make her rethink her beliefs. She is like Ramon in that even why her way defies what needs to be done to save a life, she will stick to it.

     That certainty should make me admire her, as I would most people with such strong convictions. It makes her a truly unique character on the series, and an interesting addition. Somehow, though, I don't. I think in this case, her inexperience is coloring her work, and it's not helping anyone, least of all her. In order to be the best doctor that she can be, she has to start seeing the world in shades of gray. Honesty is a virtue, but not an infallible one.

     Which kind of brings me around to the House-Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) relationship, which I am enjoying, even as I worry about the blow it recently suffered. For weeks, House has maintained that he did the right thing by lying to Cuddy to save a patient's life. While Cuddy may have accepted that before they became a couple, she cannot separate her personal and professional lives, and so has forced House to resort to self pleasure.

     By this week, it felt like make it or break it time for the pair, as Cuddy seemed tired of fighting with him about it. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) kept telling House to lie and apologize the save the relationship, but instead, House was determined to prove to Cuddy that lying is sometimes necessary and beneficial. It was classic House, and of course he succeeded. But it didn't fix anything. In fact, it made it worse. Because Cuddy wasn't ever debating the positives or negatives of lying. She was upset about a lack of trust and openness that the two of them need to make it work. In the end, House took Wilson's advice. While I would have called this uncharacteristic of him a short time ago, it reflect the new House, who really cares about someone other than himself, and it looking for a new balance.

     Will Cuddy ever find out about this latest deception? Will it change the way she feels about him? Surely, she knew going in that she couldn't change House. Not fundamentally. The audience is quickly learning, though, that if anyone could shift who House is, it's Lisa Cuddy. I like the growth. It looks good on House, and I hope that we've seen the end of this particular fight. It would serve no purpose for her to know he was lying when he apologized. In fact, that he was willing to speaks volumes.

     Sadly, House and Cuddy were the only strong couple on display this week. I was very disappointed to see Sam (Cynthia Watros) leave Wilson shortly after his proposal, even though her reasons were solid. Maybe the patient files were forged, but it doesn't seem to me that Sam did it. She was pretty consistent in her statements. It may even have been a manipulation by House to undermine them, and if so, it worked. Wilson missed the point by thinking if he told her he was proud of her for lying, she would be happy with him. Again, it wasn't about the act or the words, it was about some fundamental communication level in their relationship, and Wilson sailed it. But I was enjoying Watros, having been missing her since her way-too-early departure from Lost, so I hope that a reconciliation is in the cards, even though it felt like her leaving was final.

     Taub (Peter Jacobson) also faced martial woes. His wife, Rachel (Jennifer Crystal), who is seen too infrequently for my taste, as Crystal does such a bang-up job, is having an emotional affair. That it is with a guy who lives across the country and exists only in email is immaterial. Taub is right to ask her to stop it, because as long as she has someone else to open up to, she won't ever do it with him again, a necessary step if their marriage is to survive. Yes, Taub cheated. And unlike Taub, I didn't think that Rachel had moved past it. But to see her so blatantly defy him to speak with another man was sad. They had a lot of work if they're going to make it. My money regrettably is on a divorce by February sweeps.

     Chase (Jesse Spencer) is embracing the single life, having hooked up with three women at one wedding (two were part of a threesome, if that makes it any better). No one could have been sadder than I when he split with wife Cameron (former cast member Jennifer Morrison) last year. I guess I should be glad that he's getting some, and beginning to get over for her. However, the behavior is destructive, and will not lead to anything good.

     Foreman (Omar Epps) is on a long dry spell, and just when Chase was helping him get over it, his co-worked abandoned him. I think Foreman still pines for Thirteen (Olivia Wilde), but as that doctor isn't coming back soon, it will be sometime before a resolution is in sight.

     All of this points to a major erosion of House's core team, with each member (except Masters) on a path that could lead to self-destruction. Could it be that once the titular character finally gets his own life under control, those around him have theirs come crashing down? It makes a twisted kind of sense. And gives us fans plenty to look forward to as the season continues to unfold.

     House airs Monday nights at 8pm on FOX.

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Article first published as TV Review: House - "Small Sacrifices" 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.

It's Monday and that means House, but not this week

     It is Monday and that means House, right?  Unfortunately, not this week.  Or next.  Fox will air episodes of the popular drama, but they are reruns, not new ones.  As a recent House convert (I devoured the entire series this summer and was caught up by October), I am disappointed not to get a new chapter.  After all, this season has been one of the show's best, beginning with Gregory House's (Hugh Laurie) stint in a mental hospital, up through Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) getting relevant again, to the departure of Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and culminating in last week's Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) -centric episode, one of the best hours of drama on any show.
     In fact, I have to take a moment and marvel at the Cuddy episode, entitled "5 to 9".  It was a day in the life of the hospital's administrator, with House and his team moving in and out of her scope only periphery.  Considering the actress playing her is marvelously talented, it was amazing to see her get such a meaty script. I cheered with her in triumph at the end when she got what she wanted from the insurance giant, a story making our national health care debate all the more relevant when seen played out in such a form.  Kudos to everyone involved!  More Cuddy story will be forthcoming, as series creator David Shore has stated that House and Cuddy will be eventually getting together romantically, a development many fans will welcome.
     What has caused this resurgence in a show that has reinvented itself before?  It is important to keep any series fresh, and that was done in a huge way when after season three, all three of House's staff were off the case.  While remaining in the theme song, their plots were mostly small as House spent most of the year having a competition among potential replacements.  Now two are fully reinstated, and the two new one left from the contest are also integrated on the team.  Despite the first two hours of this season focusing on only House, each member of the cast has had much more to do lately than ever, and it's made for a great ensemble drama.  Add to that, rumors are circulating that Dr. Wilson's (Robert Sean Leonard) first wife, who will soon be making her first appearance (April 19th), and played by Lost alum Cynthia Watros, may up for a full time contract by next season, House is certainly setting itself apart from other medical shows.
     What's next for House?  I can't say for sure, but it's likely to be exciting.  Watch for House to return soon Mondays at 8pm on Fox.

House is about to get Lost

     Good news, everyone!  Lost alum Cynthia Watros, who played the ill fated Libby, will be joining the cast of Fox's House for at least several episodes starting this coming April.  For those who loves the blond on the island, romancing everyman Hurley (Jorge Garcia), you'll love her taking a turn as Wilson's (Robert Sean Leonard) girlfriend.  You'll love even more the back story between the two.

     As fans of House know, Wilson has had real relationship issues, where he immediately falls deeply in love with the woman he is dating.  And he's always trying to save her from something.  Cynthia's character will actually be the first of Wilson's three ex-wives, and she has come back into her life.  This should provide some interesting and unexpected back story on House's (Hugh Laurie) best friend, who hasn't had a significant love interest since Amber, (Anne Dudek, Big Love, Mad Men) a.k.a. Cutthroat B*tch, died.

     The burning questions will be: How has Wilson changed since Amber?  Has he gotten any better at dating without saving?  And will House feel threatened, as he often does, when someone else comes into his bromance?

     Watros has also starred in The Drew Carey Show and Titus, and won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for her work in the soap opera Guiding Light.

     House airs every Monday at eight pm on Fox.

Lost: it's time to be found

    ABC took a chance five years ago on a series called Lost.  Steeped in mystery, it was the ultimate serial.  The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 find themselves on an island, where all sorts of unexplained things occur, from a paralyzed man who can walk, to a polar bear, to a smoke monster.  Not only that, each of these castaways had a story, and each week we got a piece of the puzzle.  It was extremely popular at first, then fans tapered.  Yet, except for arguably season two, the show has only continued to get better with age, as the flashbacks became flash forwards, the Oceanic Six got off the island and returned, many of the characters did a stint in the 70's, and time became completely unhinged.  Tonight, the final season of the show begins.


     When we last left Jack, (Matthew Fox, Party of Five) Kate, (Evangeline Lilly, The Hurt Locker) and Sawyer, (Josh Holloway) the love triangle had fought, but decided to detonate a nuclear device that could possibly stop the entire series from happening.  It appears that may have worked, as the show began on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, the characters kept talking about how they would awake on their plane on course if it worked, and the two part premiere tonight is called "LA X".  This is great news for Sayid (Naveen Andrews), who was bleeding to death, and to Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, 24, Angel), a couple trapped more than three decades apart in time.  But what about the woman who actually set off the bomb and laid next to it as it went off, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell, V)?  Is she dead?  She is not among the principal cast for this final season.

     Of course with Lost, nothing is certain.  Many dead characters are signed on to appear this year.  This has happened plenty of time before on the show, most notably with Jack's father, Christian (John Terry, Trauma), who despite having been dead when the flight left, appeared several times on the island.  But was it him, or the mysterious Man In Black (Titus Welliver, Deadwood), who possibly can appear as dead people, such as John Locke (Terry O'Quinn, Alias), who remains a main character despite his demise?  Other deceased characters slated to appear at least once this year, although in what form is unknown, include Charlie (Dominic Monaghan, FlashForward, Lord of the Rings), Michael (Harold Perrineau, Oz), Boone (Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries), Shannon (Maggie Grace, The Fog), Libby (Cynthia Watros, The Drew Carey Show), Charlotte (Rebecca Mader, Justice), Daniel (Jeremy Davies), Alex (Tania Raymonde, Cold Case), and even Arzt (Daniel Roebuck).  Also, rejoining the cast full time is Emilie de Ravin (Roswell), whose character, Claire, disappeared without explanation at the end of season four.

     I can't end this article without mentioning the other huge plot point left hanging from last season.  Locke, or perhaps the ghost of Locke, persuaded Ben (Michael Emerson) to kill Jacob (Mark Pellegrino, Dexter).  We also found out that Jacob visited many of the main characters in the past, although as to what purpose is unknown.

    The series also stars the wonderfully talented Jorge Garcia (Becker) as Hurley, my personal favorite character.  My other favorite character, Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) no longer stars, but will play an important role in the final season.  The show stars Ken Leung as Miles.  Joining the principal cast this season are longtime guest star Nestor Carbonell (Suddenly Susan, The Dark Knight), Jeff Fahey, and Zuleikha Robinson (The Lone Gunman).  Lost's sixth season will begin with a two hour premiere tonight at 9pm, and will air Tuesday nights through the spring.