cuddyclothes wrote in House/Wilson shipper thread: Yes, now Wilson has to outlast Cuddy. Two men trying to outlast two women...that is actually a brilliant concept. ETA: As House would say, not a metaphor Aside from loving the bawdy imagery, I wonder about the underlying assumption. This analysis seems to suggest that somehow either Cuddy or Wilson or both see each other as rivals for House's affections. I don't get this dynamic at all from either Cuddy or Wilson. On the contrary, I think that these two work very much in tandem to pursue what they think of as House's best interests (they are sometimes wrong, of course). Cuddy and Wilson are not rivals or antagonists at all, as Cuddy so snappily proved with her airy dismissal of Wilson's prank of buying the loft out from under her. Cuddy likes Wilson, Wilson likes Cuddy. And most importantly, Wilson likes Cuddy for House. I don't see why House can't have both a best friend and a romantic lover, since these are not contradictory roles. I don't think he imagines Wilson as his lover, just as he does not see Cuddy as his best pal. Certainly House and Sam are different animals altogether, as they openly acknowledge their rivalry for Wilson. I wonder if House now having his own romance to tend to will lessen the pressure he previously placed on the Wilson/Sam relationship? If so, this could be win/win for both couples.

I think that these two work very much in tandem to pursue what they think of as House's best interests (they are sometimes wrong, of course). Cuddy likes Wilson, Wilson likes Cuddy. And most importantly, Wilson likes Cuddy for House. I don't think he imagines Wilson as his lover, just as he does not see Cuddy as his best pal. My thoughts, exactly, blacktop. But then again, this could come from the fact that most House/Wilson fans (at least those that "ship" them romantically) dislike Cuddy and do see her as a rival/threat, whereas you don't see the same animosity towards Wilson in the House/Cuddy fandom. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Mod Note: Please don't speak for people who ship House/Wilson romantically. I know several people here who don't see Cuddy as a rival in the slightest. It's inappropriate to assume all House/Wilson shippers feel the same. We have a rule here at HHoW: Discuss the show, not the fans. So please keep to that. And also, please take time to read through the rules thoroughly as I know you are new here. Thanks, Fid.

I completely agree, blacktop. Wilson and Cuddy are not in competition for House. House needs them both in his life. He gets something different from the both of them, and they are each important to him. Also as you said, Wilson thinks Cuddy is right for House. On the contrary, I think that these two work very much in tandem to pursue what they think of as House's best interests We just saw an example of how House has this same view of them in ep "Baggage." He mentioned how they are always in collusion to discuss the "House problem." I think they see each other as partners when it comes to House. Even back in "Epic Fail," when House was no longer working at PPTH, Wilson still confided in Cuddy about his fear that House was back on drugs. They both confronted him at the apartment. I wonder if House now having his own romance to tend to will lessen the pressure he previously placed on the Wilson/Sam relationship? Good question. This will be the first time that we have seen them in a relationship at the same time. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Fid, I just want to clarify that I never meant to generalize, it was more of a general observation on the subject, I did not know it wasn't appropriate. I apologize if it sounded that way, it was not my intention. Read and understood the rules now and will keep to that next time. filmlover, interesting that you mention the fact that this will be the first time we'll see both House and Wilson (well, and Cuddy) in a relationship simultaneously. I vaguely remember Katie Jacobs pointing that out in a recent interview. I hope it's significant that we'll see a true exploration of that next season.

I wonder if House will draw the line between Lucas (or any "ordinary" partner for that matter) and himself right from the start and make it clear to Cuddy how much he's able to give her and this relationship (and what he's not willing to do). Or will he be trying to compromise and accommodate Cuddy in the beginning, until at some point he won't be? Because as dysfunctional as their relationship's most likely going to be, I don't think this will keep it from working out. The real problem in the long run will be the same problem Stacy confronted with House. He's essentially a loner so, quoting Stacy, will there be room for Cuddy? I think that sooner or later it'll boil down to that question, not so much "can Cuddy deal with a partner as complicated and erratic as House?" but "can he give her enough?". They might also revisit the "puzzle vs. love/personal life" theme. Although I don't quite see how exactly Cuddy (as a doctor herself) could hold that against him, since in most cases House is obsessing about a case and a patient's life is at stake. But then again, I've never understood why everyone is always nagging House about it. Why does it have to be obsession, I could just as well call it devotion or passion.

The real problem in the long run will be the same problem Stacy confronted with House. He's essentially a loner so, quoting Stacy, will there be room for Cuddy? I think that sooner or later it'll boil down to that question, not so much "can Cuddy deal with a partner as complicated and erratic as House?" but "can he give her enough?". That's a very good point, though one could argue that Cuddy is also a loner herself. Throughout the years we've seen her deluding herself into thinking she wanted the perfect life, perfect family - and she actually almost managed to get a clear picture with Lucas, but she couldn't have her cake and eat it, too. Ultimately, she didn't love him. House is the one she wants and she is fully aware of his flaws. I happen to think she is embracing this relationship with no expectations, hence her "I know" to his "I'm the most screwed up person in the world" confession. It's going to be interesting to see where they are going to take these two. I remember once David Shore said that if House could have a relationship with anyone, that person is Cuddy, so I can not wait to see how this relationship is going to develop and what kind of growth both characters are going to get from it.

On the contrary, I think that these two work very much in tandem to pursue what they think of as House's best interests (they are sometimes wrong, of course). Cuddy and Wilson are not rivals or antagonists at all, as Cuddy so snappily proved with her airy dismissal of Wilson's prank of buying the loft out from under her. Cuddy likes Wilson, Wilson likes Cuddy. And most importantly, Wilson likes Cuddy for House. Exactly. Each plays a role in the life of House and one without the other doesn't work IMO. That's a very good point, though one could argue that Cuddy is also a loner herself At least House has a friend. Does Cuddy? I don't see Cuddy feeling the same lonliness that Stacy did because she at least has Rachel to fill the void in her life. I don't ever see them moving in together. They would probably kill each other but I see them being perfectly content living in separate quarters and still being committed to each other as only House and Cuddy could.

I think it would be easy to assume that all the characters are loners/have no friends because we don't see them interacting with friends. But I think it would be wrong to assume that because the other characters simply aren't the focus of the show. For instance, we had no indication at all that Chase had any friends, but then his best man flew in just to be part of his wedding. If the storyline calls for it, we'll learn about their friends.

We do know that Cuddy has a crew of friends and family she can round up for special ocassions such as the baby's naming ceremony or a Thanksgiving dinner. However, I think we are meant to see her as essentially a loner, isolated from conventional society by both her unusual professional position and her innate characteristics. Her drive to get a child was an extreme effort to break out of a life-long pattern. She realized through the Lucas affair that the white-picket fence was an illusion, not a workable solution to her loneliness. How Cuddy's prickly and solitary character will mesh with House's lone wolf instincts will be one of the key themes of their relationship, I think. Elizabeth and Essex, anyone? I agree with sdemar that these two will never choose to live together or form a conventional family. Ward and June Cleaver they will never be. I believe that their commitment to each other will be expressed through private gestures of solidarity and passion and through public maintenance of a certain necessary distance and reserve. I see the formula as quirky tenderness in private and snarky banter in public. It seems to me that House and Cuddy have always communicated through an idiosyncratic code of words and deeds that generally befuddled or outraged the outside world. I imagine that this secret shared language will only intensify and elaborate as they explore a romantic relationship. Oh, this summer hiatus feels interminable!

Knowing that 1/ He always want to kiss her, 2/ Now, he can, makes the whole watching past seasons a lot funnier. Lots of looks from him are really sweeter.

Looking back, House was deeply in love with Stacy and had been for more than five years (they'd broken up five years before the show began). The real sexual chemistry between House and Cuddy started around Season 3 (your mileage may vary) and for me, peaked at Season 5. This past season, maybe because she wasn't on screen much, or because the whole season seemed off-kilter, House's pining after Cuddy didn't quite seem authentic. I guess partly he was more willing to fight underhandedly at times for Stacy, and far more passive where Cuddy is concerned. YMMV

There were hint from the start, from Wilson's "what 's with you and Cuddy" to his "Why do everybody thinks you and I had sex", and her fiddling with her pearls with a (somewhat) tender look. But it was mainly light, he was not over Stacy, and I think he was really interested again in her after the Tritter story, when she lied for him. To me, probably he was self loathing, and thought he was not worth her interest until she proved she was interested in him enough to lie. And then there was ODOR and his asking for kisses, wich I always thought was only half joking. And then the mutualm attraction grew back slowly, at least that is how I felt it.

Stacy was an open wound, a person who left in the aftermath of the infarction -- and a person who left him. While I think what we saw in the second season was House chasing after ghosts from his past that had to be resolved, and finally were, when he was finally able to say goodbye to her. I'm not a shipper of anyone with anyone (merely an intrigued observer whenever it comes to seeing House's inner life through his relationships), but I think there was good chemistry from the start between House and Cuddy. The fact that in the third episode of the entire series Wilson remarked that the only people who can "get to House" in that way or ones that he's attracted to -- leading to the "Great Wall of China between love and hate" comment -- TPTB have obviously been laying seeds for this relationship for quite some time. (And of course that same season, we've got Vogler asking Cuddy nearly the same thing that Wilson did, though in other terms). Looking back at the entire arc of House and Cuddy's dealings throughout the series, there have been times that it waxed and waned, according to either person's interest and availability. In the sixth season, we had House finally ready to commit, but of course Cuddy thought she'd found someone stable in Lucas. She had to have her own epiphany that stability wasn't what she was interested in (just as was hinted at in the third season with Lube Guy). While they didn't lay out the specifics of House and Cuddy from the pilot, I'm glad they didn't. Who wants to be told in advance what's going to happen? It's much more interesting to see the missed opportunities, miscommunication and just plain screwed up lives as they played out.

I think the chemistry between House and Cuddy was present from the opening episodes of the show. I remember wondering and being thrilled by that early exchange in which he said he would run home for paperclips and she rather bluntly teased and said no, he couldn't. This was a pairing that defied conventional standards and expectations from the start. They brought the comedy and the drama in equal parts and it was exhilarating. What shifted for me over the years was the deepening of the understanding of what the elements of that chemistry included. The sexual fire and intellectual connection were evident from the first. What wasn't so certain was how much they might actually care for each other as people. I became more aware of that deeper level of caring as the seasons continued. Several landmarks in this progression stand out for me: House's description of Cuddy as a disappointed realist in "Humpty Dumpty," who failed to see the gaping chasm between her hopes and reality; House asking Cuddy to deliver the experimental ketamine treatment; Cuddy lying on the witness stand to protect House from the Tritter persecution; House disrupting her date with the lube guy and expressing his extreme sexual jealousy over her Marine date in "Top Secret;" House closely following Cuddy's baby quest and intensely tracking her fertility. These and many other early moments suggested a pattern of caring and concern on House's part that went far beyond that of a rebellious employee or a casual office flirt. The horrible delusion and breakdown at the end of season five revealed to House and to the audience that his heart's desire was to quit his addiction, relieve his pain, and enter into a passionate fully-realized romantic relationship with Cuddy. The estrangement of House and Cuddy during season six was designed to provide her with the opportunity for a similar epiphany: she needed to get over the delusion that what suited her best was a white-picket-fence life with a conventional (if quirky) man. During her affair with Lucas, House was unwaivering in his expressions of his interest in Cuddy. He let her know how much he cared and how long he had felt that way. He showed through actions as well as words that he was a reliable and steady support for her in crisis. And he hoped she would get the message. I didn't interpret House's quietude during this period as showing a passivity or disinterest toward Cuddy. Rather, House has grown as a result of his Mayfield experiences. First, he realized that he cannot force or coerce or fix someone into the way he wants them to be, the disaster with Freedom Master showed him that. Secondly, his brief liaison with Lydia confirmed to him that he wanted a romantic attachment at the center of his life and that being lonely was not his sole option. House put these Mayfield lessons into practice during season six when he chose not to wage a scorched earth campaign to break up Cuddy and Lucas. He waited her out, hoping that she would come to the realization that he had reached at horrific cost the year before. I agree with namaste that I am delighted that David Shore chose to unveil the attachment of House and Cuddy slowly over the course of six seasons. To have revealed it during season one would have been fun, of course, but not nearly as satisfying as it has been to experience the twists and turns, set backs, collisions, misapprehensions, and yearnings along with the protagonists. I can't wait to see where we go next in this most intriguing and unconventional relationship.