5.14 - The Greater Good

I don't think the writers feel there was one right message everyone should get. I think the issue of the greater good vs personal freedom is one that has been debated for ages and there's arguments to be made on both sides. E.M. Forster was all for priorising the personal over the greater good: "I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country." - E. M. Forster, Two Cheers for Democracy I wasn't implying that the audience should be uniform in what they took away from this particular plot. I can't really say if the writers were attempting that either. I do think that sometimes Hollywood writers imbue their writing with the post modernist, liberal philosophy from the '60s, and they present this as the norm for society. I think that this particular philosophy can come off as frighteningly selfish. I felt that the characters themselves seemed to be uniform in their reaction, which kind of bothered me. House really didn't seem to engage and Taub seemed like he was going to be cynical about the whole thing but then I think he actually did start examining his own life critically based on some of the POTW's philosophy. I've always disliked Cuddy, ever since SDL. She should have helped Cameron, taken her out for coffee and had a processing session about her issues. When someone screws one of your sisters over, you should really help them any way you can. I wonder what Cuddy felt about the POTW, judging by her previous handling of Women's isssues in the workplace, I can't say where she would stand. Would she be upset about a fellow woman and doctor giving up or would she be happy that there was one less person on her side of the glass ceiling? Points taken. I actually think the PotW was very clumsily drawn. She gave up something that could have made a huge difference in the world to pursue what were basically hobbies. She would have come across as far less shallow if her "follow your bliss" philosophy had taken the form of giving up research to work for the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross. Or becoming a musician or a cook because it can be a very soul-nourishing, life-affirming vocation -- not just because it gave her pleasure. In the end, though, the lesson that the other characters took from her was not doing what feels good, but doing what feels right and is important to them. Wilson: moving on from Amber. Taub: revisiting the idea of having children. Foreman: doing the right thing by his drug trial patients. I guess this is such a hard line to walk. I mean, there are right wing forces out there that do not want women in the work place and they especially don't want women in high ranking positions. I don't really know if modern feminists have the luxury to sit back and smell the roses. If everyone did what the POTW did, we'd see the wage gap get bigger and bigger, we might see Roe v. Wade get overturned, etc. Modern media, especially popular media, sometimes paints this picture where these battles have already been won and they haven't been.

Thought this was a solid episode. Lots of great scenes (loved the appearance of Blue the janitor). Random thoughs: Great scene with Wilson and the POTW ("I don't know how to get unstuck"). He sounded very honest when he said that Amber was the only person he had loved in a long time: she was honest and knew how to be good for him. She hit him like a ton of bricks:, she'd want him to wash the cup and move on too. . I was confused at first by the last scene with Wilson washing Amber's cup, mostly because I was so spoiled, and I knew basically what was coming, although there were the conflicting spoilers about whether Wilson was moving on at the end. After rewatching, I totally agree with those who said that Wilson has not moved on at all. It seems like he is, after all he is finally washing Amber's cup, so at first it seems like he will get unstuck. But watching carefully, I think that the meaning of that scene is that he is not moving on at all. I think he only decided to wash the cup because the POTW said the only mistake is to not to do anything, so that is what he decided to do. But he closed his eyes while he was washing the cup, like he was trying hard not to cry. Then the camera pulls back, and of course the books are on the table, and Amber's coat is on the chair. Then the most interesting part of the scene, to me at least, is the music. The last line of the song, is "you're going to be okay" but then the music stops, and Wilson is finishing washing the cup in silense. Maybe I am thinking and analyzing too much, but I thought it was really interesting and that it signifies something that the music ended before the end of the season, and Wilson was still there in silence, as the camera panned back to the table with Amber's book and coat. Actually, I guess I think that that line of the song was sort of being ironic in a way. Yeah, I know I probably analyze too much, but I guess I just want to see Wilson struggling to get unstuck, like it would happen in RL, and not just be all ready to move on suddenly because of two short conversations with the POTW.

I enjoyed that episode quite a bit. I thought Cuddy was way out of line, but that just made things more interesting. Besides, she's been very cruel to House in the past regarding pain. I just watched Finding Judas last night and didn't find her behavior tonight to be a massive step down from what she did to him then. I actually cared about Thirteen and Foreman tonight, too. OW seems to be improving as an actor, and her story is finally getting interesting. I still don't want to watch The Thirteen Show, but tonight was a big improvement over past episodes in that regard, IMO. If I had a dollar for every time I said "awwwwww, Wilson" tonight, I'd be taking myself out for a very nice dinner. This was a very good episode for him. I like the way House is softening up - not that I don't like him as he is, but for the character, it's a fascinating journey. As I've said before, I think this is fallout from the White Bus. I think he's trying to change, and it happens in spurts. He has good days and bad days, but I see the effort there. His behavior is inconsistent, yes, but it usually is when someone is trying to break long held habits of security (being a jerk to protect himself, etc). I am still finding his actions perfectly believable, and I'm very interested to see where it leads.

Re: oh yeah
Okay, I agree with everyone on the board: Cuddy is ridiculous, acting so frazzled, and messing around with a colleague with pain issues. But (and don't flame me) we could be unhappy because we're entirely invested in House as a character, and we don't want to see him hurt. :) We love House. I love House. On the other hand, if the person who got hurt was the biggest a*****le at work that you know in Real Life, wouldn't feel just a smidge of schadenfreude to see him fall? Again, don't flame me: I heart House. I don't care what kind of a jerk he is; no one should make a cripple climb four flights of stairs. :) I had a boss who was a major ass and, when he came in one morning with a black eye because a crazy homeless lady had walked up to him and punched him in the face, I had to suppress a smile. But he was perfectly healthy and getting punched did not have the potential to cause him serious harm. Other than that, I don't think I've ever taken pleasure in another person's physical pain. And I certainly wouldn't enjoy seeing a cripple forced to walk up 3 flights of stairs or see him tripped. If Cuddy had found a non-violent way to torment him, then I would have felt schadenfreude (despite the fact that he had done nothing to deserve this specific attack.) Now on to the mod stuff -- People might disagree with you and discuss why they think your opinion is wrong, but there is no flaming of anyone at HHoW. (And it certainly isn't necessary to ask people not to do it twice in one post.)

I really, really liked the episode (much more than last week's, which I loathed). It proposed ethical dilemmas and thought-provoking scenarios for contemplation. When is it okay, or even recommended, that people make themselves happy first and foremost? When is it okay to be selfish? And when should one consider the greater good above all else? To what extent are people obligated to share their talents with others? And what do people do for love? And when people do things for love, are they doing it for themselves or for their loved ones? I really like the Foreman and Thirteen storyline, especially since now it involves House. When House talked to Foreman about having sacrificed himself/career for doing what he *thought* would be the right thing to do for Thirteen, House said, “You did it because you love her, but, ironically, you didn't take her feelings into consideration.” This absolutely reminded me of Stacy and the infarction. Stacy knew House's decision, but she made the opposite one for him. In a way, it was selfish, but she knew that she was sacrificing their relationship to save his life. So was she acting in self-interest? Yes, but also perhaps for the greater good since he's a brilliant diagnostician. As Wilson said to Tritter in S3, better he go to jail than House since House saves so many lives. I loved the issues brought up from both Wilson's and Taub's interactions with Dana. On the one hand, I completely understood her desire to be happy and applauded her for leaving a career that didn't satisfy her, but I also understood Wilson's point that she has thrown away a talent that could save lives – and this is, of course, about the ethical issue of the value of one's own happiness vs. the greater good. Also, I am very glad that we saw that Wilson is still dealing with Amber's death. I was hoping it wasn't going to be completely dropped because that would be absolutely unbelievable. I think there are still huge ramifications and a lot of fallout from that that will continue to affect both Wilson and House in both negative and positive ways. I almost cried near the beginning when we saw that there was still a coffee cup with Amber's lipstick on it sitting on the counter. I liked seeing more of Taub at home with his wife. And, again, the question of Taub not knowing if he can be happy without kids, but knowing he can't be happy without his wife points back to what we're willing to sacrifice (or not sacrifice) for love. As for Cuddy stuff, I thought it was funny and understandable for her to trick House into believing the elevators were down for maintenance, but I was really disliking her making him trip over string. I was afraid the episode would make me hate Cuddy – and I've always really liked her up until now. Yes, House always does silly and juvenile things, but for Cuddy to stoop to his level (her words) was, I thought, completely ridiculous and unbelievable. Thank goodness Wilson helped her come around! It seems that we are seeing glimpses of House slowly beginning to understand what sacrifices people will make for love which, eventually, might help him better understand himself, his relationships, and humanity in general. Maybe it's just me, but I think all this will lead to House understanding why Stacy made the decision she made about his leg after the infarction. It was pretty clear to me that he forgave her in S2's “Hunting”, but I'm not sure that he ever really understood what motivated her. I also think the whole “House's Head”/”Wilson's Heart” situation with Wilson asking House to risk his life for Amber and House's complete willingness to do so is playing a role in House's slowly unfolding understanding of what people do for love and the sacrifices that they make. Also, I think House knowing for sure that his dad wasn't his biological father brings up those same issues. Did Blythe conceal his paternity out of love for him and for her husband (i.e. greater good) or for herself? Or both? Nobody acts completely altruistically.

Kudos to Thirteen for berating Foreman for switching the drugs. (I thought they'd been going out a little longer than 2 weeks, but I guess it just seemed longer due to the non-rating-season wait). She's right in saying that his job should come before the small possibility that the drug might work. And heck, this is Foreman- He's always been all about his job. I'm a little surprised he was willing to throw it all out the window so easily. I'm a little weirded out that House seems so invested in Foreman and Thirteen's relationship though. Especially going to Thirteen's house to find out what's wrong with her? Yeah ... that was a bit strange, imo. And I'm very disappointed that Foreman's drug trial arc seems to be over with no consequences, no problems from the drug company, and no sense of "drama" for the audience. Just as the storyline was starting to pick up, it ends with nothing more than a pat on the back and a "that's ok. you can keep your medical license as long as you stay away from any more of our trials". Bah. Loved Wilson though. I'm so glad to see him having more screentime, and some scenes with House too. Ah, I've been missing their banter. And good on him for putting Cuddy in her place. Seriously, why did she not pick Wilson to take over while she was gone? He's one of the saner characters. :lol: The only thing that could have made Wilson's plot a bit better would have been a small lead-up to it. We haven't seen much of Wilson in the last few eps, let alone anything that indicates he's still hung-up over Amber. I guess it just felt a little odd that we're suddenly supposed to feel sympathetic over him being stuck in a rut, since -up until now- we didn't even know he was still in a rut. (that's not to say I didn't feel sympathy for him. My heart was a puddle of goo by the end of the episode). But that's just a minor niggle. I also hope we'll see more of it affecting Wilson and his life/work. I liked the good ol' days when House could spot one of Wilson's problems from a mile off.

Loved Wilson though. I'm so glad to see him having more screentime, and some scenes with House too. Ah, I've been missing their banter. And good on him for putting Cuddy in her place. Seriously, why did she not pick Wilson to take over while she was gone? He's one of the saner characters. :lol: The only thing that could have made Wilson's plot a bit better would have been a small lead-up to it. We haven't seen much of Wilson in the last few eps, let alone anything that indicates he's still hung-up over Amber. I guess it just felt a little odd that we're suddenly supposed to feel sympathetic over him being stuck in a rut, since -up until now- we didn't even know he was still in a rut. (that's not to say I didn't feel sympathy for him. My heart was a puddle of goo by the end of the episode). But that's just a minor niggle. I also hope we'll see more of it affecting Wilson and his life/work. I liked the good ol' days when House could spot one of Wilson's problems from a mile off. I do agree with you, that all this time there wasn't a hint that Wilson wasn''t over Amber, and suddenly we find out that he basically is totally screwed up still over her, after all the coffee cup was a little creepy. Buit I think that is the point of this episode, and hopefully the point of the upcoming episodes, is that not only were we clueless, but so are House and Cuddy. I even think that is the reason for the lack of Wilson in the previous episodes, that is why they just dropped this small bombshell for lack of a better word in this episode. We didn't know, and obviously House and Cuddy don't know either. So it does make sense that he would tell the POTW, and never mention it to his friends because he wouldn't want them to know. But, I do find it odd to imagine that in all this time House hadn't been over to the apartment and noticed Amber's cup and the other stuff. I guess he would have been over more times than just the once in The Itch, and he would have noticed, or maybe the point is that he hasn't been going over to Wilson's. Although now I will have to go back to The Itch and see if the cup is there.

When you put it like that, it does make sense. That's actually a really good explanation. But yeah, I'm a bit surprised that House hasn't noticed anything off about Wilson lately. He and the PI stalked Wilson for weeks and (as you said) he visited Wilson's house in The Itch. Surely he would have noticed Amber's stuff lying around everywhere? And House of all people would make a big deal over it. He's no texactly known for tact.

I loved this episode. Private happiness vs. greater godds, the them was well woved in the drama. I've just watched it, and as everybody has already speculated so profondly, I have nothing else to add, but I really loved the last scene of Wilson washing the mug...I was wondering of his change (yes, his absence told us a lot, and his somewhat detachment from House...even he continued to be his best friend, he seemed to be trying not to be manipulative as before, yet be helpful as best as he can...), and now I'm glad we see him having been struggling inside all along and beginning to seek the way out. I loved House scenes too. As many of you have said, it seems that Forteen is paralled to House and Stacy. I'm glad House mentioned that Forman should have talked with Thirteen. (Only if he had said that in last episode...) Cuddy...well, Cuddy was mean...it's unforgivable what she did, isn't it? She was throwing her frustration, her problems at House...but if it's another "love does some foolish things", I can't blame her much. She somehow seemed like a young mother irritated at baby raising situation, getting angry at a young father without a reason. (no, I didn't do any physical attack against my husband! :roll: ) It's irrational, but it happens. Her apology and his accepting it was nice. ...and I'm so vicious...whenever Hugh falls on the floor...I love it... Overall, it was a very good episode, I think. The only problem for me was that I didn't understand the reasoning of the diagnosis...I think I have to check it in Internet. :(

...and I'm so vicious...whenever Hugh falls on the floor...I love it... It was a fantastic fall, wasn't it? I had to watch it about ten times. :oops:

Would she be upset about a fellow woman and doctor giving up or would she be happy that there was one less person on her side of the glass ceiling? I would think that Cuddy, struggling herself with how to define happiness and feeling guilty that her return to work after finally bonding with Rachel still feels good at a certain level, would not think the researcher had to subsume herself for women as a group. Cuddy's not finding any one size fits all solution to her own balancing act.

Well, it's the episode where they reveal that Cuddy is dangerously psychotic. I have absolutely no love for this episode. I know that TPTB weren't going out of their way to make the 100th episode spectacular in any way, but who knew they were going to vomit up such complete crap and call it good? Thank god for Wilson and a POTW that could act because everything else was so laughably stupid that I hardly know where to begin. The bitterness thread, probably...

Call me crazy, but Wilson seemed to be questioning his career choices, too, here. Perhaps not as loudly, but he was sympathizing pretty damn hard with the PoTW. I had the same thought. One of my problems is that we never, ever get to see the competent, department-head, oncologist Wilson. In this ep, we all know the ONLY reason he got to do the biopsy (the kids have done every other one this season, methinks) was to set him up with the POTW in round 2. And his personal life remains a disaster. Lived with House. Lived in hotel. Lives in dead girlfriend's house. Weird. I liked the fact that House diagnosed 13's peripheral vision problem before Foreman -- reminded us that he is very observant. Can't decide how I feel about his "caring" for 14. He seemed to care about Foreman when he was ill. The Cuddy thing was so . . . wrong. At first I thought it was really Wilson doing it (but couldn't figure out why). It is just so OOC for her. I was reminded of the Wilson/House stunts when they were roomies -- the huge difference is that those stunts were funny and caused no permanent harm. We laughed. These were not funny. We cringed. Am I "misrembering" or didn't the trailer from LAST WEEK have Cuddy finding out about Foreman's misconduct with the clinical trial? I didn't see that scene last night -- or maybe the trailer was one of those juxtaposed things when her response made us think it was related to Foreman's actions but was actually related to something else. I need to go back but I felt cheated when I didn't see it.

Disappointed in this episode, and not just due to the lack of Chase and Cam. Snubbing original characters is one thing. Destroying them is quite another entirely. First off, is Olivia Wilde baking David Shore a cake every day, or what? ;) The only thing I appreciated about the whole Foreteen saga this week was when 13 called Foreman on the fact that they have only been together TWO WEEKS and he's basically ready to toss his medical license into the toilet for her. Who the F are you and what have you done with Foreman?! Cuddy with the physical punishment was, IMNSHO, really OOC. I know, it's canon now, not some fanfic... but it smelled like bad fanfic to me. What were the writers smoking when they wrote this? Seriously. Can you honestly imagine Cuddy setting a trip wire? Or telling someone else on the staff to set one? Gimme a break. Honey, if you don't want your job any more, resign. This whole baby arc is ruining Cuddy for me, I swear. Wilson busting into the patient's room and lecturing her the way he did -- wow. I mean, I know we see him behave that way to House, but how long has he known House? He met this woman once and he's talking to her like that? If anyone should know what a terminal diagnosis can do to someone, it's Wilson. It is not uncommon for people to change direction entirely based on being faced with their own mortality. House taking credit for Foreman's actions... HUH? Who the F are you and what have you done with HOUSE!?! Taub and his wife: wow, I guess she really has forgiven him for all the cheating. Because if he were my husband and he started up with "I might want kids" after everything he's done, I'd be like, "How do you know you don't have any, Casanova?" I just think this is a strange time in their relationship for him to decide it's a good time to "revisit" that conversation from forever ago. And it feels like all Kutner does is bitch and moan. OMG, who are you writers, and what have you done with my show??

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