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Rogue9a
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House Recaps
From Zap2it By Jessica Paff
It starts when House finishes detoxing and tries to check himself out, finding out it's not that easy. He tells the stately Dr. Nolan that his hallucinations and delusions were drug induced, but Nolan isn't convinced since House had years of Vicodin use and only suffered psychosis after the death of two friends. He also confronts House on his personality disorders (Narcissistic and Antisocial) and then completely blackmails him into staying by declaring that he will not recommend that his medical license be reinstated otherwise. Is this a new therapeutic technique I haven't heard of yet? Blackmailing your patients is generally...bad.
Also generally bad is a manic depressive (which is actually Bipolar disorder and in this case, most likely Bipolar I. OK, I'll stop that.) roommate in the midst of a manic episode because he's decided he doesn't need his meds. He's got all the pressured (and constant) speech, flight of ideas, motor agitation, grandiosity, goal directed behavior and that's not even getting to the possible psychotic symptoms. Not needing meds are the only thing he and House agree on. House meets the other patients and I am struck by the fact that for someone who has long claimed a clear bias against psychiatry, he can nonetheless immediately diagnose nearly everyone on the unit. And then he immediately starts using their disorders against them, causing them to alternately regress and rebel. Of course, his behavior only reinforces his own diagnosis to the staff.
It earns him a couple stays in a padded solitary room (which I would think is preferable to Alvie's constant chatter) which he quickly realizes is a fruitless exercise. He also meets Lydia, who comes to the ward to visit her sister-in-law and play the piano to her. House strikes up a conversation that falls into his usual patterns. Basically she tells him that Annie bobs her head to the music and she thinks it helps and he tells her she's bobbing her head to her own pulse and assigning any other meaning to it is pretty much idiotic. Well, that last part is more implied.
The group is joined by Freedom Master (AKA Steve) who believes he is a superhero and he decides he can save Annie from her catatonia. House is less interested in the delusions of his cohorts and more concerned with the woman he sees Dr. Nolan kiss and then leave with. He easily gets Alvie to break into Nolan's office to look as his schedule and try to figure out who the woman is, but it yields no results. House picks a fistfight with Alvie to get some Haldol (I think they would have given him an injectable for violence on the unit, not a pill) which he cheeks to pass off to another patient to trade for some phone time. He calls Wilson, asking him to look up the woman's license plate number - but Nolan got to Wilson first and he refuses to help.
We get a montage of what looks like House playing nice and making level gains. We know better. He's cheeking his meds. However, they are on to his tricks and catch him when he demands their trust and offers to take a urine test. Of course, he has the Haldol patient waiting for him in the stall to offer medicated urine in his place. It would be brilliant if Nolan hadn't decided that he was making gains too quickly, with too few complications and had put him on placebo to see if there was any change. When there wasn't and his urine revealed active meds instead of placebo, it was clear they were being had.
House then decides to take up the cause of Freedom Master instead of tackling his own issues. He argues that he sees no reason why the staff won't let Steve believe he is a hero and instead confronts him with the harsh reality that his wife was killed and he was helpless to save her. Just like House doesn't see why he needs to give up his own personality traits, despite how self destructive they've become. In an attempt to break Steve's depression, he steals Lydia's car (with her implied permission) and takes Steve to the carnival, to experience human flight via a simulated sky dive ride. And break the depression it does. It also completely reinforces Steve's delusion to the degree that he is even more convinced he can fly. So he jumps off the parking garage.
House gets a confrontation all his own in the ER, from Nolan himself, who tells him that he acted as if everything in his life had been about finding out the truth but that in reality he doesn't care about truth anymore than he cares about anything or anyone else. He then tells him that he's transferring him to another hospital because he's done dealing with him. Which is when House finally asks for help. And means it.
Of course, this means House has to go through traditional talk therapy and SSRIs. He grumps and drags his feet, but after learning a little about the other patients on the unit, like Alvie's childhood molestation and Annie's past of playing cello with a philharmonic, he's clearly at a loss. Wether it's for how to treat them or himself, is hard to say. And it's a matter that becomes even more convoluted when Steve returns to the unit, as catatonic as Annie. Just with more casts. Either way, House stops cheeking his meds, much to Alvie's heartbreaking disappointment, and starts trying to do the work of treatment because - as he says - he wants to stop being miserable.
It takes some interesting and extremely non-traditional turns. Like when Nolan takes him to what looks like a gala dinner for the contributors to the hospital. It's done under the guise of getting House to open up just a little with strangers, but it feels like a clear ploy to get him and Lydia together on a more even playing field. And it also shows how she reinforces House's negative behaviors, by taking part in his deceptions and manipulations of the other guests. However, in the end, he does connect with her. A fact that is made all the more clear with a goodnight kiss.
It's a matter that's on his mind the next day in session with Dr. Nolan, but he deflects the issue by asking Nolan about the woman and the affair he assumes he is having. He moves on from there to bring up the fact that there are no personal items in Nolan's office because Nolan has no personal life, but the other doctor wisely keeps the session focused on House. And his fear of failure and inability to apologize due to not feeling like it's fair if he doesn't suffer as much as the person he wronged. Nolan points out that he's only human and that he needs to learn to forgive himself to start feeling better.
House, instead, turns his attention to trying to save Steve - just as Steve wanted to save Annie - by retrieving a music box from the nurses station. Alas, putting the box in his hands has no effect on anyone but House, who can't understand why "all the parts work" but Steve still can't communicate. Just as House and Lydia have trouble communicating. He asks her what's going on between them and she wants to keep it as something that's fun, while he keep looking down the road at the hurt he knows is coming. So he sort of breaks up with her.
In another non-traditional moment, Dr. Nolan asks House for a consult on his father. House tells him that he wants absolution for pulling the plug, but when Nolan sheds tears and tells him to shut up...he does. And he sits down and just waits with him. When House returns to the unit, Lydia is still there and is also crying. Not because he sorta dumped her but because she misses Annie. House holds her to comfort her. And then holding becomes dancing. And then dancing becomes sneaking off to an office. The sex they have is more a reflection of two desperate people needing to change the routine of their lives, in one sense. House's tears seems to indicate change - he has finally connected to someone.
There is an...interesting talent show, which ends up reigniting House and Alvie's friendship as House helps him through a freestyle rap with increasing enthusiasm. He also tells Nolan that he's feeling...good. And not in a manipulative "I'm cured, can I go now?" way. In fact he even admits that he still needs work. When he leaves their session, he goes to sit by Steve and apologizes. Steve offers little in the way of response until House wheels him past Annie, when he lifts the music box he's been holding each day. House wheels him back to Annie and as everyone else watches awestruck, Annie takes the box from him, opens it to play the same tune Lydia played on the piano to her and then says "Thank you". And he answers "You're welcome". Another connection finally made.
When Lydia comes to the unit, House takes her to see Annie, who is playing the cello to the rapt audience of the entire unit - staff and patients alike. It's a joyous moment that is almost immediately crushed by the revelation that Annie is leaving becasue Lydia and her family are moving. House demands an overnight pass and though Nolan urges him to talk his idea through before taking action - he gives him the pass anyway. House arrives at Lydia's door to find her there with her children and husband and it drives home that there is no chance of keeping the connection they shared.
They say goodbye and he immediately returns to the unit, to talk to Dr. Nolan. Who responds by telling him that he'll write the letter to recommend his license be reinstated. Not as a pat reward, but because House allowed himself to connect to someone enough to be hurt by them and then instead of regressing, he came to Nolan to talk about it -showing he recognized his need and desire for wellness. A happiness that is reflected both in his face first dive into his "re-birthday" cake and his smiley face t-shirt as he leaves the unit. A change of face that has inspired Alvie to return to his own medications because he too wants to get better.
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9/27/2009, 2:11 am
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Rogue9a
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Re: House Recaps
that's good be interesting to see where the show goes from here
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9/29/2009, 10:28 pm
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Rogue9a
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Re: House Recaps
makes sense
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9/30/2009, 11:05 pm
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Rogue9a
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Re: House Recaps
From Zap2it By Jessica Paff
Ep. 2
While "House" only spent one two hour episode in the psych unit, I had hoped to see some longer reaching story arcs branching off from the event. Based on tonight, so far, so good.
But, somethings have to back to the status quo, so we meet our POTW in a first person shooter game. He's a software developer who suddenly drops out of the game when he feels like his hands are on fire. When he gets to the hospital, he's done enough research to know of House and asks to see him while in the ER. Normally, this would get a patient absolutely no where. But this week is special. Because this week, House quit. He says his psychiatrist recommended that he change his environment and behavior and that's what he's doing.
He's not 10 seconds out the door before Foreman is asking to take over the department. At first Cuddy is reluctant, since the department only exists because House is such a genius, but Foreman whines argues until he gets his way. Well. sort of - he gets one case to prove he can handle it. Who thinks this will turn out well? Of course, he gets the gamer nerd. The one with the laptop in his room who is using the internet to diagnose himself and demanding specific tests, which the team keep caving for. And when the team goes through a few incorrect diagnosis, he offers a $25,000 reward to whatever doctor can correctly diagnose him.
This means that one monkey wrench after another is thrown at the remaining team. Which is being doubly complicated by the fact that Foreteen are arguing - she doesn't like that he's ordering her around and he doesn't like that she's not doing whatever he says. I;m sure he'd like even less that she goes to see House and get his opinion on the situation. And the situation I am referencing, is how Foreman has become a jerk. Well, a bigger jerk than usual. House is too busy cooking and doing Wilson's laundry in an attempt to keep his mind off the pain in his leg to be much assistance in the case. But he does tell her to pick her battles a little more carefully. Advice she does take to heart, becoming more outwardly supportive of Foreman.
Of course, that doesn't meant she's inwardly supportive - which might actually be worse.Taub is even less supportive, seeing as how he also resigns, since he only came to the department to work with House. And when Foreman opts for a treatment that has the potential to kill the patient, she goes back online to see what sorts of responses the POTWs web posting has created. Of course, Foreman gets a House-like epiphany, realizes that the treatment will kill him, gets the correct diagnosis and bursts in to stop the treatment. Only to find it already stopped, based on what 13 found out online. Sure, he got the right answer on his own, but the one employee he had doubted his ability and didn't tell him because she didn't want to fight with him anymore. So, he fires her right after the decision comes down that Cuddy is letting him keep the department. The department that is now made up of him.
Where is House during all this? Laying low at Wilson's house and going to sessions with Dr. Nolan (yay!). The over the counter approach to his pain is having no effect and the hobbies only make a dent until he reaches an obsessive pinnacle and gets bored with them. A pattern he recognizes, driving him back to his own apartment and his Vicodin stash. When Wilson comes home to find House chipper, not using his cane and not cooking something complicated, he immediately suspects he's using and takes apart his toilet to get a urine sample. Alas, House outsmarted them and it's dog urine. However, he confesses to Dr. Nolan that how he got past the pain was by going to the POTW's website and solving the case himself. Dr Nolan suggests that maybe the only thing worse than going back to work is not going back to work and House has something to think about.
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10/4/2009, 2:54 am
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Rogue9a
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Re: House Recaps
yeah
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10/5/2009, 10:54 pm
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Rogue9a
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Re: House Recaps
From Zap2it By Jessica Paff
The POTW is President Dibala, an African dictator accused of crimes against humanity. Interestingly enough, it is not his illness that draws most of the focus of the show. He is less a mystery illness as much as a personal and moral dilemma for the cast. The first to react is Cameron, who acts so nonchalant about his care (and cure) that Chase very nearly implies that she's showing the signs of sociopath. She even argues that he can't expect her to feel regret about a death that would be justified. Chase argues that it is not her call to make. Foreman is completely undisturbed about healing a killer to go back out and...well, order the deaths of hundreds of thousands and Cuddy just wants them to do their jobs. House just wants in on the case, getting great job out of torturing Foreman in the process (which is also a great joy to watch).
When the POTW stops making sense, his second in command - a general - asks Cameron if he is likely to get better. Cameron responds that once neurons are dead, they don't grow back and it would be nearly impossible to determine if his words were sensible or a product of dementia ever again. It's a scene that I think was designed to make you question is putting the power in the general's hands is any better, perfectly illustrating the dangerous path Cameron is treading on. It's a danger that leaps into sharp focus when the POTW grabs her, accuses her of trying to kill him, aggressively confronting her until she finally backs down.
Chase, on the other hand, steps up, telling the dictator that if he ever touches his wife again, he'll kick his a$$ out on his own. When Jones was first announced as a guest star, I figured there would be some amazing fireworks between his character and House. But it is Chase who delivers in an emotionally charged scene that ends up with Chase demanding to know what the POTW is going to do once his life is potentially saved. In a chilling portrayal, Dibala vehemently responds that he will do whatever it takes to preserve his country. Clearly implying even if it means the genocide of an entire people.
Chase finds Cameron running another test to support House's diagnosis or scleroderma - which Foreman has been totally resistant to and which Cameron had previously ignored due to not caring about the POTW's well-being. He asks why she suddenly cares and she responds that she realized she couldn't actually kill him. Chase offers to help her by getting the POTW's blood himself and we all see where this is going, don't we? That doesn't make it any less mesmerizing when the POTW crashes and dies. Foreman wants to know which treatment killed him (much like House would want) but can't get past the guard in the morgue. He does get the morgue sign in and notes that Chase was there that morning. And that there is another patient there who had died of scleroderma. Thus, uncovering the fact that Chase faked the results that led to the treatment that killed the patient. Foreman tells him he cannot be an accomplice to what he's done and Chase asks for warning if the cops are coming, so he can tell Cameron. The end scene is Foreman burning the paper he confronted Chase with (The morgue sign in? The faked test results? It's unclear).
The subplots are the incredibly boring Foreteen romance falling apart since he fired her instead of stepping down himself. Which I really can't bring myself to care about. And Wilson's cranky downstairs neighbor - a Vietnam vet who lost his arm and is more of a jerk than House ever was due to his constant pain. And maybe it's that very fact that draws House to him - first in attempts to battle him (such as inaccurately accusing him of faking his vet status) and then, in his own twisted way, to help him. Which eventually leads to him drugging, restraining and forcing the man to undergo mirror therapy - which finally relaxes the eternally clenched phantom limb, allowing his pain to subside and making him a much happier person.
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10/12/2009, 3:46 am
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