5.23 - Under My Skin

A bit late to join so most of my plot-questions have been answered. Won't join the discussion then. Watched the ep a few times now, still amazing. True, it seemed that it was two different episodes, House/Wilson/Amber-centric and House/Cuddy-centric. When packed together I actually believe that the Cuddy part was a hallucination (especially the morning after the detox). Two scenes I could watch over and over again: the insulin injection and the bar scene. And it was (almost) all about The Wilson! And it's one of his scenes that makes me think. Why would he refer to Amber as "my dead girlfriend"? Wait, where's "The Softer Side"-Jimmy? He got over her? (does his brother's nurse count?)

Two scenes I could watch over and over again: the insulin injection and the bar scene. the bar scene is just :thumb up: House asks from Wilson to save him from his own self!!! The look on his face is just epic! Trully amazing scene!

"I always want to kiss you" had me me staring at the screen like an idiot cause I wasn't sure if I was watching House or Grey's Anatomy. It was way too corny. But we forgive him cause he's a human after all... I didn't see it as corny. He was just stating it openly. It's his most prominent character trade, that he says whatever he's thinking. He's been horny for Cuddy for a long time, whether hot for her in a purely physical sense or still having feelings for her and wanting to make it physical (again). He's been ogling her for pretty much five years straight. I have no trouble believing that he always wants to kiss her. And I'm not even a shipper. I didn't see it as corny (or out of character). He wrote a prescription for Stacy in Need to Know for her "heart condition". I think Cuddy admitting that she's been into him for so long made him comfortable to say it. I think he's been waiting for her to sort of make a move. I almost thought it was awkward for her to ask the question, but it worked for me. I can watch that scene over and over again. Actually, I can watch this episode over and over again (and have), it was so full of awesome. I also didn't see it as corny. It was almost childlike in its directness and honesty. It wasn't some romance novel cliche. I think two21b and spicyride made the case very well. And I'm not a shipper at all. I disliked the early stages of this plotline when they were pranking and acting like idiots, but this I can definitely buy.

Agreeing that it was not corny either. I think spicyride, peggy06 and to21be got it exactly right. It was just his real feelings which we've seen before. Even in Top Secret, she was "always here," in his mind, to some degree in his heart as well. He cares about her and trusts her, he just doesn't trust himself righ now. But since she asked, he answered her honestly. But I should probably watch it again just to be sure. ;-)

Interesting. I'm wondering if they are set stills taken by a staff photog during the shoot rather than actual pics from the show.

Interesting. I'm wondering if they are set stills taken by a staff photog during the shoot rather than actual pics from the show. Possibly, but why so many? And is that Cuddy's office set or a different set? It kind of looks like Cuddy's office (the blinds) and yet Cuddy doesn't have that drab gray furniture.

Regarding House's "I always want to kiss you", Boffle wrote: was just his real feelings which we've seen before. Even in Top Secret, she was "always here," in his mind, to some degree in his heart as well. He cares about her and trusts her, he just doesn't trust himself righ now. But since she asked, he answered her honestly. I totally agree, Boffle. It was in response to Cuddy's "You want to kiss me, don't you?", because as they are standing by the door after House says "Thank you", and with Cuddy getting ready to leave, she opens the door, and he just stands there, not moving out of the way, just staring intently into her eyes, like...he wants to kiss her. As spicyride wrote, she had just revealed her level of interest in him, going back 20 years, and he felt comfortable enough to reveal his "level of interest" in her by saying "I always want to kiss you." It's like when House goes into Cuddy's office when he's decided to ask her to help him detox. He just stands there not saying anything for a while, then Cuddy finally says, "It's late and I'm tired. Can we get to the talking part of this conversation?" It's House's way. If he wants to say or do something important that is difficult for him to say or do, he stalls a bit, hoping the other person will say or do something that will make it a little easier for him to launch into whatever it is. Whether the scene at the front door of House's apartment is real or an hallucination, it is HIS real feelings.

There are additional promo photos just released now from Under My Skin. Interesting thing is, the last few appear to be from a scene that wasn't shown. That's not Cuddy's office, is it? So maybe they stopped somewhere before the scene in which he's already at home detoxing? Actually, it's more than the last four. There are other shots from that scene interspersed with familiar shots. I thought stills photographers take their photos mostly during scene run-throughs. It looked to me like HL and LE were just listening to the director or something, while in the middle of shooting that scene and the photographer took pictures of that, too. Also, as far as I know they take lots and lots of pictures and then pick the best ones. It seems that lately with different sources, namely Fox and NBC we get two different sets of photos, because the photographers provide each with a different set (or fox and nbc choose different photos from the photographer) to put on their press sites. There have been equally as many tagged NBC photos for all other season 5 shows around. It kind of looks like Cuddy's office (the blinds) and yet Cuddy doesn't have that drab gray furniture. She does since the office re-dress, doesn't she?

I'm going to be the opposing POV because I can't make the "I always want to kiss you" work for me at all. Look at how House treats Cuddy much of the time, willing to threaten her job to get a bigger TV in LtD, the insults in Joy about her parenting, even the "suckling your bastard child" line. When he found out she wanted to adopt a child, he did everything he could to make her feel bad about it and when she did, he cut into her self-confidence so much she went to Wilson to try to build it up again. Sometimes House is fun with Cuddy, often he treats her with little respect and sometimes he's downright abusive. That doesn't fit with "I always want to kiss you" at all. Jump her bones, yes. But most of the time he doesn't exhibit the kind of tenderness and empathy that goes with wanting to kiss someone. I feel like I fell Through The Looking Glass this season. (I also feel like that about Chameron as the more I see of them, the more dysfunctional it feels but that's for another time.)

I'm going to be the opposing POV because I can't make the "I always want to kiss you" work for me at all. ... Sometimes House is fun with Cuddy, often he treats her with little respect and sometimes he's downright abusive. That doesn't fit with "I always want to kiss you" at all. Yes it does, if you don't go by the assumption that the inner House is what other characters (and viewers, too) get to see on the outside. I'm not saying he's an angle and all good at heart. He has a real bastard side. But that's not all he is. I'm speaking from personal experience that you can truly love someone and still be a complete bastard and downright abusive to them. A part of the outside bastard House is a persona he puts on. For myself I saw this confirmed in exactly the line you quoted: "suckling your bastard child". His heart was so not in it. I thought it was his default answer, which he gave just out of defensive habit, but it came out all quiet and without force because it isn't what he was feeling. He wasn't even looking Cuddy in the eye. Just my view, of course. But I stand firmly by my opinion that loving someone doesn't preclude you from hurting them willingly.

Ariadne wrote: I'm going to be the opposing POV because I can't make the "I always want to kiss you" work for me at all. Look at how House treats Cuddy much of the time, willing to threaten her job to get a bigger TV in LtD, the insults in Joy about her parenting, even the "suckling your bastard child" line. When he found out she wanted to adopt a child, he did everything he could to make her feel bad about it and when she did, he cut into her self-confidence so much she went to Wilson to try to build it up again. Sometimes House is fun with Cuddy, often he treats her with little respect and sometimes he's downright abusive. That doesn't fit with "I always want to kiss you" at all. Jump her bones, yes. But most of the time he doesn't exhibit the kind of tenderness and empathy that goes with wanting to kiss someone. I can certainly see and respect your point here, Ariadne. House will lash out at anyone and anything that gets in the way of him getting what he thinks he needs. Some of it is professional, and relates to Cuddy being his boss. As House himself has admitted, "I have issues with authority." Some of it is personal, too. It IS as if House has two sides to him (I suspect we may find out more about this in the next episode.) You speak of his "harder side." We have also seen some of his "softer side", and the "I always want to kiss you" comes from that side. JMHO.

you can truly love someone and still be a complete bastard and downright abusive to them Yes, but what about the other side of the equation? Should you love some who is a complete bastard and downright abusive to you? Unfortunately, as people have learned over and over, "should you love some who is a complete bastard and downright abusive to you" and "can you love some who is a complete bastard and downright abusive to you" don't always have the same answer.

you can truly love someone and still be a complete bastard and downright abusive to them Yes, but what about the other side of the equation? Should you love some who is a complete bastard and downright abusive to you? "Should you" and "can you" are very different questions. We can certainly control whether or not we have a relationship with someone, but I don't think we are capable of choosing who we fall in love with. That just happens. I think these two love each other and have for years. There's been a sexual attraction, affection, competition and mutual respect between them for a long time. They enjoy each other. She knows he's bad relationship material but he's just extremely compelling to her (as he is to us). House is a difficult propostion because he has extremes of good (saving lives, genius, funny, decent, ferocious in pursuit of doing the right thing, gorgeous) and less good (his genius comes with a cruel streak, he doesn't think he deserves to be treated well so he sabotages good things in his life, his defenses are powerful and come into play directly after he has allowed someone to get close, making it frustrating to get close to him). I think here we saw House forced by the exhaustion from detox to drop his defenses and be vulnerable and honest. No games. Just like the last time he kissed her, when she was in distress he responded to her in a direct, physical way. None of the bravado toward her that he usually has, just his real human side showing. When he's like that, I think she gets lost in the moment, there's nothing else in the world, and they really connect. But since he doesn't get to that emotional space very often, it's likely that something would have to change about him for them to have a real relationship. They will always have what they have always had and they will likely continue to care for and be there for each other as well as to frustrate and aggravate each other. But it may never be a traditional relationship. Anyway, it's complicated and messy. Like life.

View Full Version: 5.23 - Under My Skin