5.16 - The Softer Side

I actually liked 13 in this episode - I totally saw where she was coming from. So did I, and I had very little sympathy for those parents. And they could not have sued.

This would have been a perfect episode if it wasn't so Thirteen-centric. Even when she doesn't have her own issues, she manages to be the "go to doctor", it just pisses me off. Whatever, the rest was great. It really did feel like a natural House episode. I knew all the anxiousness I felt for this episode was for a reason

I liked that there was no mention of Cuddy's baby and that her interactions with House weren't shippy, up until the last one. I could have done without "what do you care if I'm happy?" Seriously? We're still at that stage? He knows she cares, she knows she cares, we all know she cares. Let's move on. Definately pleased with the amount of Wilson. It was nice seeing him want House to stay on the methadone at the end, acknowledging that House was in pain and this was his chance to be without it and wanting that for him because he's his friend was sweet. And even though Wilson got House out to dinner under false pretenses, at least he got him out. Still, really cannot stand 14. They're so awkward together and the more couply they try to make them, the worse it gets.

I need to watch this one again. Good episode! The only thing I didn't like was the last scene, which should have been Wilson's. Or, you know, Wilson just not disappearing. I I totally agree. I am so disappointed that Wilson just disappeared and there was not even one tiny little scene with him at the end. The last scene should have been a House/Wilson scene, after all the rest that went on between them. It makes absolutely no sense that he was gone after the scene with Cuddy. And also way too much 13 and Foreman. I really hoped they would finally fade into the background. This episode started out so great, I don't want to be disappointed, but I am.

House should stay on the methadone. He made a bad call because he was pain-free. But it was a new sensation. The euphoria about being painless would wear off. And he would know to watch himself re accommodating people. He has a risk of dying from methadone. He has a risk of dying from the Vicodin. Pain-free is better. I always thought the desire to be pain-free was paramount with him. It was the reason for the fake cancer in Half-Wit. He wanted the ketamine even though he risked some loss of cognitive ability. But, given a choice, he'd rather be a great doctor with pain than a good doctor without it. A great episode. I think it's probably a multitude of reasons. Yes, he's pain free, but the methodone is far more risky than the Vicodin. He knows what he can handle with Vicodin, been taking it for years. The methodone scared him enough that he hired someone (a hooker, but still ...) to make sure he didn't stop breathing, so obviously he's fully aware of and high cautious of the risk. But the risk is worth it if he's pain free -- except (to him) that error in judgment with the MRI and going along with the parents' request he feels is another kind of symptom beyond respiratory arrest, and one he feels he has arbitrary proof affects his judgment.

I actually liked 13 in this episode - I totally saw where she was coming from. So did I, and I had very little sympathy for those parents. And they could not have sued. Exactly. 13 didn't do anything wrong. She never told the kid what the "vitamins" really were. And if the parents wanted to keep on telling him that the testosterone was for something, then they could have. Yes, it was exactly like Cameron, except 13 wasn't doing this out of some sense of right vs. wrong. She would have kept it to herself if she wasn't fearful for the child's mental health.

God, 13 back off. I really hope she did feel horrible. She had no right to blab to that kid. And yeah, very Cameron of her to do so. The clinic patient was hilarious. *shallow* I'm sorry, I need the stubble to find him hot. That was weird and I almost couldn't look at him. *prepares to have rotten fruit thrown at her* I loved Kutner "babysitting" House. With you on the stubble. Not so much on the Cameron comparison. I don't think Cam would have done that -- but she might have twisted the parents' arms extra-hard to get *them* to tell the kid the truth. Speaking of Cam, that wasn't her with the long, blond hair and pink scrubs in the "did you give House the moron with the broken finger?" scene, was it? We only got a brief glimpse of that woman's face, and if it was supposed to be Cam, shelooked like hot buttered ass. Maybe it was J.Mo's stand-in? At least the writers had the good sense to have House keep his limp while he was on the methadone. Unlike the ketamine arc when he was running eight miles and skateboarding. Being freed from chronic pain isn't going to turn a guy pushing 50 *with a big frackin' hunk of leg muscle missing* into an extreme athlete. My heart broke for House at the end. I agree that it would have been a much better scene with Wilson instead of Cuddy, but given that Cuddy had appointed herself Keeper of the Methadone, I can see why the writers put her there instead. That plot point kept it from being a gratuitous Huddy moment.

House has finally accepted himself. Can Cuddy and Wilson? I really liked this episode, but was sad that the House/Wilson date turned into what it did. I wish they could have had more time together to talk, but the episode did have enough H/W to make me smile. What I am curious about is that if House found someone to prescribe methadone to him, who is/will be giving him the Vicodin scripts? Is it still Wilson?

There was a lot of 13 but I didn't mind because House's story was the dominant theme. Hers was very secondary. On a practical note, this had the be the last episode filmed before Christmas vacation so HL will have time to grow the beard back. I have wondered in the past how much of my feeling he never breaks character was due to the fact that he looks very different as House than he ever has in anything else. After he shaved he looked a lot like the Captain in Street Kings and a bit like Hugh Laurie on vacation, but it was definitely still House. Nice to have proof that the perfect performance hasn't been only skin (or follicle) deep.

It really did feel like a natural House episode. Yeah I agree so much. I don't know what it is about it that made it seem so 'natural' but it seemed to just flow in a way that most eps since season 3 have not. I think there's been a huge shift in tone and mood and characterization that I couldn't put my finger on, and this was a return to the old 'feeling' of the show.

I think a lot of the "flow" improvements have been the result of them finally adapting to writing for/editing the six act structure. They had to learn how to get the right balance on multiple story lines and make it feel more natural. Also: House giving Kutner crap during babysitting detail. Heee.

There was a lot of 13 but I didn't mind because House's story was the dominant theme. Hers was very secondary. On a practical note, this had the be the last episode filmed before Christmas vacation so HL will have time to grow the beard back. I have wondered in the past how much of my feeling he never breaks character was due to the fact that he looks very different as House than he ever has in anything else. After he shaved he looked a lot like the Captain in Street Kings and a bit like Hugh Laurie on vacation, but it was definitely still House. Nice to have proof that the perfect performance hasn't been only skin (or follicle) deep. I thought the same thing about Hugh looking like he did in Street Kings. Just an amazing episode. Liz Friedman was the writer - she also wrote MLC. The POTW story was really secondary to House's. The final scene and the choice he made as he limped away was heartbreaking.

More Boreteen = depressing. No Cameron & Chase (except when they mysteriously appeared in the rather lacking forms of Thirteen and Kutner...second-rate subs). That said, the House storyline was excellent--reinforcement of exactly what matters to House most. And we got a clinic patient worth his finger in gold. So my feelings about this one are mixed.

There was a lot of 13 but I didn't mind because House's story was the dominant theme. Hers was very secondary. On a practical note, this had the be the last episode filmed before Christmas vacation so HL will have time to grow the beard back. I have wondered in the past how much of my feeling he never breaks character was due to the fact that he looks very different as House than he ever has in anything else. After he shaved he looked a lot like the Captain in Street Kings and a bit like Hugh Laurie on vacation, but it was definitely still House. Nice to have proof that the perfect performance hasn't been only skin (or follicle) deep. Agree 100%!!!! As odd as it was to see House shaven, it was still House, not Hugh just speaking in an American accent. That really shows the life he breaths into this character, not that we didn't already know this, not trying to state the obvious, but in case anyone had any doubts and felt Hugh's skills were diminishing in anyway, the proof is in this episode's pudding. A few weeks back, looking at the screen caps, it did seem like Hugh on vaca, and not House whatsoever, but watching it, never for a second did my mind second guess who was on my screen, it was House. A brilliant actor, indeed, and no one needs me to say that twice :D Also, anyone happy that he threw away the beige cane? I don't know why, but I have held an extreme dislike for that cane. I can't explain it, beige just doesn't suit him, and drew too much attention. But not good attention like the flame cane, but... I don't know, can't explain it, just thought it was an ugly cane, how about that? :P

I have officially conceded the fact that from now on I will have to get my House/Wilson fix from fanfiction, because the show has passed on so many possible scenes this season in favor of Huddy, or 14. ughh. But, even with that being said, I really enjoyed this episode. I liked Thirteen with the patient, and my heart broke as I watched House throughout the episode. An ending scene with House/Wilson would have been very, very nice, but seeing that I have no expectations now, it really didn't bother me that much. Overall, a good episode, probably one of my favorites from all 5 seasons.

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