Wilson probably faced pressure from family and professional contacts to marry so he could rise up the social ladder, then along the way met House. Wilson has always struck me as a "good boy" - someone who would want to do the right thing, keep up appearances. A young, talented doctor on his way up the ladder would have a nice young wife. And so he got one. Doesn't mean that he wasn't in love, just that it seemed like a natural progression - part of the overall "life plan." House probably rocked Wilson's worldview - brought things out of Wilson that he never expected and Wilson felt liberated and probably a little dangerous - perhaps for the first time in his life. House is an envelope pusher, a rule breaker. I can see Wilson enjoying this (to an extent) and the fact that House wanted him along for the ride had to be incredibly flattering. But could you now imagine Bonnie with Wilson/House/Stacy at a social gathering? I can't. In fact, I'm not even sure if Wilson allowed House to meet Bonnie. I definitely can't see that foursome hanging out, but I feel confident that House met Bonnie - she loathed him too much (and too specifically) and House obviously recognized her when she showed up at PPTH. I think Julie (and possibly Bonnie) happened because at times, Wilson finds his relationship with House claustrophobic and he deep down knows that House is never going to really change drastically, so Wilson starts looking for someone else who needs him. I don't imagine Julie as a female House at all. More of a bird with a broken wing. Seems to be Wilson's thang. Who knows what she turned into over the course of the marriage. You really can't blame her for cheating - Wilson's belonged to someone else emotionally long before she came into the picture. It's interesting that Julie is often portrayed as brittle, aggressively bitchy and controlling in many fanfics, isn't it? I wonder if this is because she cheated on Wilson. We know and love him. We don't know her, so it seems unforgivable. Think about it though - we seem to only know a few things about her: 1. She gets mad when Wilson doesn't show up for stuff. (Can you blame her?) 2. She doesn't like House. (Again, can you blame her?) 3. She stops speaking to Wilson at some point (I probably would too if he ignored me that much.) 4. She cheated on him. (Yeah, we can blame her for this, but see above statement). She could be as nice as Bonnie for all we know. Bonnie seemed like a sweet woman, but one pushed to the edge by her husband's distance and almost fanatical devotion to House. I think Wilson has to wake up and smell the coffee. He puts his relationship with House above all things in his life. That's why his marriages don't work. If House isn't the person who makes Wilson feel "funny...good" I'll eat my hat. We have no other evidence of some big intense relationship in Wilson's life. Where the hell would he fit that in with House and his marriages. It doesn't have to mean sexual or romantic love, but Wilson's committed to House in ways he doesn't even yet understand. YMMV.

And that IS canon! Can you just imagine Wife #1? Not to spark another timeline debate, but if it's true that Wilson was on his second marriage 17 years ago he must have been barely out of his teens when he married the first time. I see an impulsive marriage by two kids head over heels for each other that crashed and burned very fast.

I agree with just about everything you posted fiddy. I only disagree with teh "broken wing thing" because as I've said before to me that's more House's take on Wilson than Wilson for real but that's a minor quibble. (Oh another reason for Julie to stop speaking to Wilson, a $5,000. loan to House!) The other interesting thing that Wilson says earlier in Spin, before the "feel funny...good" scene, also reflects on your post. It was about the betrayal of the cyclist to his fans but now after having more info on all 3 marriages it works even more as Wilson speaking about himself. Wilson: Who cares if he's what he says he is? Who the hell is? If love's based on lies, does that mean it's not a real feeling? Doesn't bring the same pleasure? More than ever this sounds like an indictment of both Wilson and all 3 of his marriages. Wilson was pretending to be someone he wasn’t, probably without even realizing it at the time, and pretending to want something that he didn’t really want. He felt what he thougt was love for his wives and made them happy at first. But all of their relationships were based on a these lies. That is what ultimately leads to all of them ending. With House, Wilson is more true to who he is than with anyone else. Their relationship is not based on a pretense or a lie, (although I think the full truth has yet to be revealed) certainly not on any social convention. That is why it continues to endured everything they have been through separately and together.

The way it was vague and gender neutral. In the conversation with Cameron, the natural thing to say would be, "I met a woman," DrSpaceman, you know, it's funny, since as far as I remember, in the Italian translation they made Wilson actually say 'I met a woman' (there's a reason I prefer to watch "House" in original language ;)). Still, I was sure he was referring to House. House probably rocked Wilson's worldview With House, Wilson is more true to who his is than with anyone else. I think House was the only one who could see beyond Wilson's good-boy, mr-well-adjusted facade, and find they were somehow similar, up to a certain point, that there was something mischievous, something cunning, childish and playful in him, that fit with House's character. I also believe House realized Wilson is more complicated than it seems at first sight. I'm not saying that Wilson is not actually a good, caring person, or that he's pretending to be someone he's not, but that there are facets in his character, facets other people don't see, that House noticed when they met and that he liked, loved, and this fact drew them to each other. As RSL said in an interview: When I auditioned, Bryan Singer- who directed the pilot- said Fox wasn’t sure if they wanted me, because I was “not warm enough.” I was too sarcastic and prickly, In the waiting room, I said, “I don’t want to be like a teddy bear because House wouldn’t waste his time with that kind of guy.” Bryan agreed but said “Go in there and smile more and get the part.” So I smiled more, miraculously got the part in the end, we were right. The more we worked on it, the more prickly Wilson got and the better the relationship. (Link: http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1921893.html#cutid1) I think he's right: House woudn't waste his time with a teddy bear, he must have seen something more, something more interesting when they met. ...and I think House's attention must be really intoxicating... -------------------------- About the essays: All the essays about House and Wilson I ran into are heavily Wilson-centered. Does anybody know about some H/W House-centered essays? I wonder what other people think about what goes on in the rat maze of Houses's brain. :D

That's what I really want to know too Winter. In interviews RSL is always asked why Wilson is friends with House. I want to know why House is friends with Wilson!

Taiga wrote: if it's true that Wilson was on his second marriage 17 years ago he must have been barely out of his teens when he married the first time. I see an impulsive marriage by two kids head over heels for each other that crashed and burned very fast. Except for the "head over heels" - because I just can't imagine Wilson in that way - I tend to agree with this idea. If he chose to go to McGill - and I'm trusting his diploma - right after finish Hight School I can see his girlfriend all tearful and sad because he was going to leave her behind and his impulsive decision to get married and make her happy. It's so Wilson... About the needy thing - while I think that House has a point about that, I don't see this as a flaw. Wilson likes to help, he is a nice person, people take advantage of this quality a lot, but in reality, are people like him that make things a little better in this world - I think Doris Egan wrote something like that in her LJ, or maybe it was from an essay, I really don't remember :? Also, I doubt that all the wives had the same neediness. Shipper wrote: I also wonder what sort of woman would end up being a third wife to a man in his (say) mid thirties. A woman who also has a savior's complex? Maybe her "need" was to find someone she could fix. I guess it's because the affair, but I can't picture Julie as a "bird with a broken wing". I believe she was a smart woman who had the bad luck to marry an unavailable man.

I also wonder what sort of woman would end up being a third wife to a man in his (say) mid thirties. Oh, believe me, you'd be surprised. Just trust me on that, they're are plenty women out there who would.

Or she was pregnant. I can definitely see Wilson doing the right thing and marrying her then. In which case the marriage ended when she miscarried. I also wonder what sort of woman would end up being a third wife to a man in his (say) mid thirties. "Poor James. Married twice to women who just didn't understand him. He's such a good man. I'll make the perfect home for him to come home to after he's spent the day helping all those dying babies. I can make him happy."

Word Poeia. So many women fall into that trap and end up with a couple of kids and no husband. What I find fascinating about the baby piece is that Wilson has been married 3 times and doesn't have any children - whether on purpose or by accident.

Namaste, good point. But somehow I think it was lack of trying. In Fidelity didn't Wilson say something to the affect "that's what breast look like"