3.10 Merry Little Christmas
From tv.com: Wilson arranges for House to make a deal with Tritter, but House refuses. Meanwhile, Cuddy cuts House off Vicodin and removes him from the team's case: a 15-year-old little person who entered the hospital with a collapsed lung and anemia.

I'm continuing my little House-ian marathon this week, and rewatching forgot what a painful episode this is. I find it really hard to watch - not only because House truly hits rock bottom but because of the way everyone piles on poor Wilson.

Yes, I watched it for the second time recently too, and I agree. It's horrifying how everyone blames Wilson. Watching House go through withdrawal is awful. And I can't stand Tritter, the nasty little troll. Say what you will about the Tritter arc, but the writers sure gave us a villain who was easy to hate. IMO, anyway.

I liked this episode, one of my favorite tritter-arc episodes. I don't blame Wilson for everything. He did what he thought was right. (Which may or may not have been the right thing to do)

One of my favorite episodes, period. Dwarf mom completely rocked, the little face-off between House and Chase at the beginning was superbly played, and I liked the fact the Wilson finally got fed up enough to walk away from House by the end. The Tritter arc was at times ridiculously unbelievable, but it did serve to show where some of the other characters draw the line when it comes to House and his abuse. Wilson put up with far more than any sane person would have, and it actually took him walking away before House would even consider trying to help himself.

I actually like this episode a lot despite being so painful to watch it. it actually took him (Wilson) walking away before House would even consider trying to help himself. And that's the main reason.

The part that really almost broke my heart was when House threatened to hurt Wilson with his cane and Wilson stepped back because he really believed House would hurt him. Painful :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

It's brutal, but I admire it's brutality. House's addiction has been played for laughs and even pathos before, but I admire the show for portraying it's ugliness. House does act like a debased junkie in this, and it's only fitting that it should be hard to watch.

I seem to remember reading an interview where DS said that they'd played House's addiction for laughs, and they realized they had to show it wasn't funny. Y'know, that it's not cool to pop Vickie, man.

Also, I think the writers wanted to show how dangerous Hosue's drug use really is. It's all very good showing how addicted he is or how many pills he pops, but when you have a character who lives on the edge, every now and then you have to take them a little bit closer to it, a dry run of sorts. There wasn't a lot of funny stuff in this episode, but I liked the stoned little snort that House made over the dwarf joke he made about the patient's mother. So House.

I always saw Tritter as someone who long ago had been a Wilson. And his betrayal didn't come from some suspect he went the extra mile to help, either. Someone close to him out-Housed House, pushed him beyond the endurable, perhaps died, and left him hurt and just as damaged as the junkie partner/friend/wife/child/parent. Most of this ep is heartbreaking, but when House calls home, I always wondered what he might have said to his mom if they hadn't already gone to Aunt Sara's.

You know, I watched this episode again last night because it's getting close to Christmas. Dang, that was painful. I'm going to have to find something more cheerful, like The Christmas Story on DVD or something. Ouch.

Yes, this is an awesome episode but not without humor. The opening music "Zat you Santa Claus" for the awesome montage as House walks in (the Hannukah ornament on the tree, the wildly gigantic lobby creche, House's fierce look); that both the first and last lines of the episode are "Merry Christmas" from Tritter; "And a Happy Go to Hell," one of my favorite lines ever; the scenes with dwarf Mom and the actors' expressions ("spin me"); the sarcasm and undeniable humor of House miming the effects of the growth hormone: all that dark, dark humor sharply underscores the darkest drama and genuine pain that the addiction inflicts on all the characters. HL's unflinching portrayal of House's despair is incredibly affecting and painful and for the most part surprisingly quiet and underplayed. He says very little and what he says is very soft, you have to listen, and the listening so intently draws you in even more. Powerhouse stuff.

Oh, yeah, the sexual innuendos flying back and forth between the mother and House was hilarious. There almost needed to have those moments of over-the-top humor to balance the rather dark tone of the episode. I like how you mention that Laurie chose to make it quiet and underplayed; because his jokes are more over-the-top than usual. It's like what I was discussing on another forum-- that smile you put on your face when you're upset because it makes you feel better.

Dwarf Mom is one of my favorite tertiary characters from the show. And on a purely superficial note, she's also a knockout: if she had played Dr. Terzi, I would've actually believed House's stupidity.