What makes me even more bitter is how ordinary this show has become. The writers used to give us something provocative, clever and intelligent. It's none of these things now. What the hell happened to this show? I keep tuning in hoping that things will change. I so agree. Why can't one show last more than a few years before coming ordinary? Between House and the office there's nothing on TV worth watching any more. The Office went from Michael being socially awkward to just a complete idiot - he went from being a guy believable in his position but just inept at interacting as he should to a guy who does not know the meaning of 'surplus.' Likewise, House went from a show where the characters were not very realistic, but you could see meeting people a lot like them in real life, to a sitcom where the characters are just caricatures meant to get cheap laughs and occasionally pushed into sappy scenarios. Can you imagine Cuddy saying "oops...i mixed chemicals on your desk...can you smell it all the way over on your side?" in real life, or even in past seasons of House? It's become so silly and unrealistic. These shows went from being intelligent shows that I watched when I wanted something less silly than, say, Scrubs, to shows that just blend in and are as ridiculous as anything else on TV.

I was thinking today about how totally ludicrous and ridiculous the character of Cuddy has been these last two episodes. I mean how is it possible for the so-called Dean of Medicine at a major teaching hospital to take over another doctor's office, play stupid pranks on him like taking his furniture and releasing noxious chemicals, flirt with him ceaselessly, and then become insanely obsessed with one particular patient, constantly obsess about a bably, continue to flirt, etc, etc. etc. I would think that a Dean of Medicine would have a lot of very important things to do, like budgets, personnel decisions, overall oversight of the staff, and much more, not to have time for all the nonsense and personal obsessions. It is beyond bizarre. One other thing, I do understand some people's problem with the note, and the unopened gift, but for me that was fine. Actually wonderful. Based on everything up to Lucky 13, I really think that some of TPTB wanted us to believe that there was a whole lot more to House/Wilson than they ever show us, and that off camera Wilson does call House "Greg" I can even accept the unopened gift, I would think that House was just to afraid to open it, because he didn't want to deal with how emotional the gift was to him. What is a little harder to believe is that in a whole year Wilson would never have tried to find out what House thought of the gift. But I am extremely bitter that after House was so completely and totally obsessed with Wilson from episodes 11-16 of S4, and ep 1-5 of S5, suddenly, just like that, he no longer seems to care or even think about Wilson and is only obsessed with Cuddy. It is not plausible that even House would switch his overwhelming obsessions just like that, to the extent that ever since Joy (except for maybe Emancipation) he has only been rude to Wilson and has been pushing him away (although carrying the book home in JTTW was nice). I didn't mean to go on for so long, but I am bitter about way too much 13, completely implausible, ridiculous Cuddy, and the recent pathetic lack of H/W and Wilson overall.

I liked the comparison to Scrubs. Made me think about how it managed to keep its desired and proposed level of silliness as opposed to House, that started a lot more serious but has been declining rapidly to the point where it now seems to be less believable than its theoretically more comedic counterpart.

I thought the way Cuddy treated the homeless couple was dreadful... mostly because she wasn't doing it for anyone's benefit other than her own. It wasn't her place to do that. It wasn't her place to be in that abandoned house in the first place. I know her baby search is supposed to be endearing, but I can't help but think it's just creepy and unprofessional. The way she attaches herself to young patients and patients with babies, the way she will do almost anything to get a baby (even enter a possibly dangerous abandoned house at night), trying to manipulate people into giving her a baby (like the woman in "Joy", like the homeless couple), and so on. I just can't feel sorry for Cuddy. The baby search was ok in earlier seasons because it was realistic, but this season it's just bizarre - she's gone into creepy "I NEED A BABY NOW!!!" mode. I hate what Cuddy has become. She used to be such a strong and realistic character... someone who can run a hospital and stand up to House, someone who could be respected. Now she's a selfish person and a terribly unethical doctor... well, when regarding the baby, anyways. Oh, and she acts like a child around House - I find it bizarre that the dean of medicine isn't leading an example by not engaging in inter-office romance. The way she is acting around House can't leave a good impression on the rest of the hospital staff. -

I have mixed feelings about how Cuddy treated the homeless couple. On one hand, that baby really did need to be checked out and given regular immunization and medical care and enough to eat. On the other, they did save the baby and they loved her. It would have been more just to let them continue to take care of the baby and have someone (social services?) monitor that they were doing okay. ITA on how Cuddy's almost desperate need for a baby is not doing her character any favors. Right - Scrubs isn't striving for realism in most of its scenes - I'm ok with cleverly silly stuff when the intention is for it to be bizarre and when the characters have always been that way. But House was not what I would call a silly show - clever and often funny, but mostly an intelligent drama. I looked to it for realistic characters and situations, if exaggerated. Unlike with Scrubs, where drama and silliness mix well, the over-the-top ridiculousness on House detracts from the more serious and realistic dramatic scenes. Watching House and Cuddy behave so ridiculously really took away from any sadness I felt for Cuddy seeing House with that woman. I don't watch Scrubs but the comparison is a good one. I know that I should lighten up and just enjoy the sniping that House and Cuddy do for its own sake. But it occurred to me today that the reason I'm having so much trouble with how House/Cuddy is being written is that I saw how House was with Cameron and Stacy in the first seasons and I can't go back to thinking House is such a shallow mixed-up character that he would treat Cuddy like that when he really does care for her. With Cameron, he saw himself as damaged and even though he was attracted to her, he couldn't believe that she would want because she found him attractive rather than she was attracted to the damage (plus there was the baggage from Stacy). There was complexity there that I didn't have to fanwank into it. With Stacy, sometimes he was a jerk but there was also a strain of deep feelings for her, messed up as they sometimes were. Also with Stacy, when he wanted her, he went after her, no holds barred. He doesn't do that with Cuddy. The House who is presumably too scared to go after Cuddy because he has such deep feelings for her and is afraid of rejection/hurting her isn't the same House who pursued Stacy first ten years previously and then again in season 2 after the debridement. He insulted Stacy but not with such crudity or hurtfulness and not in public. Huddy is being played for fun and wackiness but it doesn't feel true that he can have real loving feelings for Cuddy because we've seen him when he's really cared for someone and this isn't the same.

I don't think I've ever posted here before, but I'm pretty bitter about TPTB's seeming inability to both make Cuddy a prominent character and write her believably and consistently. Lisa E. is fantastic and the Cuddy of the first two seasons or so is one of my favorite characters on this show. I shipped her with House a little, then. But since they've decided to explore that relationship and make it more "romantic," Cuddy's been consistently softened and diminished in her professional capacity to the point of ridiculousness. And every new development or change has been brought about only by unbelievable contrivance (seriously, if your romantic plot requires *two* surprise babies and a hostage taking to move forward, you may have a bit of a problem). Given the similar problems with the character of Cameron for the first two and a half seasons or so and her remarkable turnaround more recently, I really have to think that it's less inherent problems with either character and more about an inability to write any romantic plot between House and a regular character without the integrity of one of them suffering dramatically, and since House is the lead it obviously isn't going to be him. ...sorry for the rant, the last three episodes or so have just felt like such punishing insults to my intelligence on that front that I kind of burst. *g*

Hey, I'm in the bitterness thread! :? Up until now, the only episode I skipped on DVDs was "Fetal Position," but the current House/Cuddy storyline is wrecking multiple episodes for me outside a few scenes. I hope they bury this storyline soon, because I hate the thought of the rest of the season dragging this badly. That would be enough to make me give up on the show, which is making my head spin considering I loved S4 and was greatly enjoying S5 up until Cuddy kissed House instead of slapping him. I generally try to ignore how badly this show handles female characters, but this crap week after week is making it hard to forget: That Cuddy started off strong and believable, but they never really developed her character, and then around S3 she rapidly became an idiot whose life is all about babies and House, and only theoretically about her actual job. That Cameron was an undeveloped nutcase by the end of S1. They're trying now, but "I love Dr. House" and trying to send flowers in his name is doin it rong. I love Chase/Cam, but that doesn't change the fact that her two big storylines revolved around men. Um, yay? That Amber should have been on the team with 13 (Gasp! Two women and one man? Oh, wait, Foreman came crawling back, so it would have been 2:2), but instead she's dead. That 13 being bisexual started off promising, but has, in fact, turned out to be nothing but an appeal to straight male viewers and, intentionally or not, is making out a hetero relationship to be superior to a homosexual one. Oh yeah, and she's dying, too.

I love the way you express your bitterness which reflects my bitterness. I too was wondering if the Huddy was going to run through the rest of S5 because that would make me run for cover. Since House went to hell in a Huddy handbasket, Chuck (I love me some Chuck) has turned into one of my must TiVo and watch and rewatch shows. I've only rewatched one of the last three episodes once and that was to ogle some Wilson. I am bitter they've turned my baby Wilson into the Huddy whisperer - Oh I am extremely bitter about that. I am bitter that we're not getting real H/W which would about - - - wait for it - - House and Wilson's relationship.

I agree about the John House thing...overkill. Especially because that actor looked so much like him. I actually thought the whole abuse thing was way overkill - could it be anymore cliche to have House as an abused child? I mean, I think it's fine to say he and his dad had different outlooks and clashed - that's how House is with everyone, and that would be understandable. That's how he appeared when he was on the show - hurting House by not approving and looking at things differently in a way that showed House struggled with his parental relationships. Then out of nowhere, House says John was fairly physically abusive - that was not at all how he came across to me, and I thought it was too much and cliche.