I actually thought season 3 had a wealth of unusual, noteworthy POTW, ones whose particular characteristics or flaws illuminated angles of House's character quite well. A few of the best, for me, were: -- Joel Grey's dying medical man; -- the autistic boy, close to but so different from House; -- the obese man who demanded his pound of dignity; -- the great John Laroquette; -- the dwarf mom and daughter whose south of normal stance highlighted House's own world view; -- the spunky CIPA girl and the irony of her mirror-opposite ailment; -- Dave Matthews and his dad, a wonderfully challenged duo in Half-Wit, once again casting light on House's own quest for normality; -- the perceptive and willful photographer whose stubborn insistence on her baby's chance at life echoed important character aspects of both House and Cuddy; -- Lupe, who should never have died but for her doctors' fatal fascination with the allure of the exotic answer to every puzzle, -- The Jerk. I think these patients were all in excellent episodes this season. Of course, the only patient who really counted was House himself (the principle patient in Finding Judas, Words and Deeds, and OD/OR) who is the central medical case for the entire series. These also were outstanding episodes in a remarkably strong season.

Having the DVDs helps put the season in perspective. I would still love the season a lot more if the Tritter arc had at least been one or two eps shorter, for me it just went on too long, but then it gave me lots of angsty Wilson and House moments, so I can't look back on it with complete disdain. Favorite episodes: Fools For Love SoaCG WAM (if only for Wilson losing it at the end) Insensitive Act Your Age House Training (I can see why some people would consider it boring but I loved it.) Resignation Least favorite episodes: Informed Consent Finding Judas Merry Little Christmas Half-Wit (I get why some people think this is a great episode but I just loathed it.) :evil: FETEL POSITION (have I made that clear by now? :whistle: ) Best POTW: John Laroquette CIPA girl Lupe (she was the best) The family in "Family" The only clinic patient that really sticks out for me is the girl from Top Secret who kept drinking the water, I thought she was funny. Ships: Chameron- it got me farther aways from HAM, so whatever. Plus they are cute together. Huddy- Huddy has always been my neutral ship. There are things about it that I like and there are things about it that I don't like. I don't have any complaints about where it went this season. Wuddy- I found it surprisingly cute. I sincerely doubt it ever becomes anything serious but the "nondates" were cute and I don't know, they kind of look good together. I always like seeing that relationship explored in a romantic or platonic way. I like that they're able to be friends and, shocker, they actually talked about something other than House, sure it was only one scene but still, it's a huge step for them. :wink: H/W (I hate saying Hilson)- I could gush and analyze all night but I won't. The first half of the season left me fearful, escept FFL and SoaCG, but the second half was so reassuring I couldn't stop grinning. I prefer their relationship now than I did in S1. Now it really seems like they need each other in their lives, whereas in S1 it mostly seemed like they were just buddies who hung out. I saw House take measures to keep Wilson in his life when he could have so easily shut him out of it completely and I loved it. I don't know if this or S2 is my favorite season. Season 1 is definately my least favorite though. I prefered Human Error to No Reason but OTOH, I prefered Acceptance to Meaning. Cameron's hair was better in S2 but Chase's was better in S3, I think that they're mostly tied for me.

The first thing that come to my mind when I think about season 3 is that for the first time there are episodes I don't want to rewatch. Ever. I don't hate the Tritter arc. but I have the benefit of having watched all the episodes without interruptions. But as a whole was an irregular season IMO. Favorites epi: SoaCG House Training Insensitive Fools for Love Depressing epi (I like them, but I needed a drink after watched them...): WAM FJ MLC The ones I'll never watch again: ODOR Half-Wit Fetal Position Top Secret (I want to delete all the patient scenes... ugh!) One thing that I liked was the optimistic tone at the end of the season.

Half-Wit could have been a great episode, but I hate the edition and the direction. The whole story seemed rushed to me, like they had a lot to talk and not enough time, so they randomly cut scenes that could have made the episode better. Since I really know nothing about direction/edition, if I notice this things and they bother me, something was not quite right. But it's a personal list, so if someone tell me that this is their favorite epi, it's fine, I won't argue. I'm always surprise when people say that House Training was boring... :wink:

Thanks. I probably know less about directing than anyone, so any good or bad directing in an episode would fly right over my head.

I can't watch Merry Little Christmas, Words and Deeds and One Day, One Room again. The first because it's painful, the second because the bizarre medicine and ridiculous conclusion to the Tritter storyline drove me crazy, and the third because of the awful writing.

I think if MLC hadn't had Wilson walkingout on House, it would have been a one of the better eppies.

MLC was one of the most depressing stories I ever watched. But it was a great episode. Wilson walking out House was the main point of the story, but painful nevertheless. It took me a long time to see this episode again.

I just finished watching season 3 dvds. House without commercials-priceless! I saw so many things more clearly after watching all in a row. Sasmom said everything better than I ever could, she's in my mind a lot. I just want to talk a little bit about the "millisecond" moments. In Meaning when House first tells Wilson he has changed and Wilson shoots back "No you haven't" was one. Wilson did not even give it a second to listen to what House said. Hugh had House process that fact in just one millisecond before he said "No I haven't".I thought that was huge. He realized that his best friend who should know him didn't believe he had changed at all and as is his way let Wilson think what he wanted. The next one was when Cameron told him he was not healthy. His expression, again just for a millesecond showed what he felt before he let it go. When Cuddy told him about lying to him about his patient he again showed so briefly what he felt before talking to her stomach that I don't think she realized how what she did affected him. He didn't let her see. These tiny moments, acted so amazingly by Hugh, set the tone for the big crash so well, but you really had to watch for them.I love this show for putting things out there for us to see just on the surface but because of the acting, we can delve deeper and see so much more. The Tritter arc told a completely different story to me this time below the surface. I saw for the first time House's guilt for what he was doing to everyone,especially Wilson that the dialog and actions did not show on the first "surface" viewing. The last several episodes when seen as one showed me clearly House's trying to do something about his pain and medication. It was again millisecond moments. Showing his apartment and desk at work overflowing with medical research and not mentioning it (except once in Insensitive) and a few tiny moments when he was alone. House only lets the people in his life see what they want to see. He says he does not care what anyone thinks. I love how we can see so much more than they do if we look for it. This stuff has been in my head and I don't have anyone in my life I can tell. So glad you are here to listen.

CAR, I think you are so right that season 3 is going to bear re-watching on DVD. I haven't done this yet (I'm planning a few marathon sessions). I have qualms about watching some of the eps again, but I think I've also missed a lot of the subtlety or small points that is there to make the season hang together better. That said, I tried to rewatch LitS on the box a couple of nights ago & the ep is much more annoying in some respects than I recalled - much as I liked House in this ep & the family, Cameron & Foreman were twice as annoying second go around, particularly Cameron's repeated ignoring of the PotW in preference to ranting on about House. I assume that habit didn't suddenly switch on full blast this ep, but I'm both interested & appalled (train wreck you have to look at mode) in seeing the earlier s3 eps to trace the changes in all the ducklings post-shooting.

I still believe that one of the main reasons that I love S3 (even the Tritter arc) so much is because I saw the majority of it one episode immediately after the other. I'm almost weary of S4, because it will be the first season that I actually see at normal pace. I guess we'll see...

This is completely silly, but its ON TOPIC How Well Do You Remember Season 3? ask the folks at buzzsugar... quiz be here http://buzzsugar.com/645109?sidcheck=1&idcheck=1

I have one more important, I think, tiny moment between House and Wilson that set the tone for much of the season. Wilson has always been upset that House does not ask for help when he needs it. He tried to when he told Wilson the pain was coming back. Wilson did not believe him and accused him of wanting to get high.I still can't believe he said that. He should have seen how hard it was for House to ask. After that rebuff, it was impossible for House to open up later when the train went off the track.There were things he should have done and said to Wilson during the Tritter mess,but he just couldn't. There were at least two millisecond moments when House almost did,one at the ATM and one when Wilson was waiting for the bus at night.His face showed what he felt, but Wilson didn't or couldn't see it.It had to be that way for the story, I guess, but so sad.