Season 5 General Discussion

I still cannot find consistent connections between Thirteen's never-ending story and anyone besides Foreman. To me, it's like Thirteen is on uninteresting Interstate 80 driving her two-ton albatross across country by herself. House is driving along on Interstate 40, with everyone else following along behind him, except for Chase and Cameron, who are lost somewhere in Jersey. While they're not quite parallel, the two highways never meet unless you want to drive down some little two-lane roads in Arkansas, or maybe Oklahoma, but they only seem to meet at Foreman Junction long enough to grab a burger and fries (and half a rice cake for Thirteen) before they're back on their own interstate highways again. Every now and then, the scenery starts to look promising on I-80, but Thirteen does NOT fall in the Mississippi River or drive off a mountainside , and is saved yet again. I keep hoping that Thirteen is like Interstate 70 and will mercifully end in Utah, but if anyone will make it all the way, Thirteen surely will. No doubt David Shore will build a damned bridge across the Pacific for her.

No doubt David Shore will build a damned bridge across the Pacific for her. :lol: :lol: :lol: I agree with the list (even Lucas because I did like him while he was on, more than I like Thirteen, Taub or Foreman). But even more than that, I don't like the lack of plots this season for everyone but House/Cuddy, Thirteen, Foreteen and bits of Taub this season. Once House and Wilson were reconciled in Birthmarks, even Wilson has been limited to being a Huddy shipper except for the cup washing. (He got much more during the Stacy arc.) In the early seasons, there were a number of plots for various characters in every episode and if you didn't like one, there was another just a couple of scenes away. Just about every season 1 episode had plots for everyone: DIYD had the patient puzzle, Wilson supporting House, Cuddy pulling him off the case, Chase's revelations with the nun, Foreman going to Cuddy behind House's back, Cameron learning she has to be assertive; Sports Medicine had House's betrayal by Wilson over having dinner with Stacy, Foreman's affair with the drug rep, Chase getting the diagnosis and treating the ballplayer, Cuddy's baseball banter with House and Cameron's trip to the monster truck rally. The show was always about House but the whole cast was used effectively, both to inform us about House and about the secondary characters themselves. I think the constant Perils of Thirteen is ridiculous, even more so when many of us are hoping that the gunman or the disease or the tumor will finally carry her off. I'm not a fan of how they're writing Huddy but I wouldn't mind it so much if I got a parallel plot of something I was interested in, seeing Wilson deal with his loss on an on-going basis, Chase and Cameron in more than bit parts, even Foreman doing research for any reason other than to progress Thirteen's story line yet again. It feels as if the show has gone from a varied and tantalizing smorgasboard to two dishes and if you don't like either, you're plain out of luck.

While article may have some points (though the cynic in me would like to point out that it's a media site owned by a competitive network of Fox, so methinks there's a underlying purpose in promoting something negative) ... I sincerely disagree that this season has become disjointed. Granted, the themes that they've been working on are just now becoming clear, so they were difficult to see, but I'm now seeing a wonderful and strong thread that leads from the end of "Wilson's Heart" right to where we are now. Namely: House struggling to build his human contacts in light of his realization that he doesn't want to be lonely and miserable. And on a wider scale, it's about the relationships between people -- flawed, miserable and very real relationships that don't fit into the neat and cliched TV drama version of relationships. We've got House admitting that to "Amber" -- actually himself, of course -- in "Wilson's Heart," and by the second episode of this season, when speaking to a patient who sees the world as skewed and dark as he traditionally has that he hasn't yet given up, whereas she had. So where does that take us? It takes us into his struggle to bring Wilson back. And just as Wilson's back, he has to deal with the shock to his emotional system of Cuddy nearly getting a baby, then losing it, then getting one again. This leads to him to admitting in that very raw and emotional kiss in "Joy" that he doesn't know why it is that he does what he does, yet he needs something else. Yet House, being House, continually struggles and also fails, so he can't bring himself to follow up on what that kiss may mean. He doesn't know what to do with these new feelings, and while he struggles, Cuddy finds herself with another opportunity for a baby. Because this is a season about everyone's relationships, not just House's, as well as those relationships being a reflection of House, Cuddy is also struggling with relationships -- with House and, in "Big Baby" to connect with her daughter. At the same time, House is still -- and this is again a return to the conversation with "Amber" -- wanting to not lose the relationships he has, so in "The Greater Good," he allows himself to be Cuddy's victim without retaliation just so she can -- in his words -- punch herself out and let things return to normal again. And since this is a House that's far more reflective on the concept of relationships, we've got him backing off when Taub is trying to save his marriage. We've got him watching and advising Foreman and Thirteen to understand that they do stupid things for love. (Even if House can't expose himself to the possibility of love for fear of things going wrong, he still recognizes those efforts in others, which I think really goes back to the "haven't given up yet" moment in the second episode.) He's also still highly involved in watching Chase and Cameron's relationship and nudging Cameron forward. Even "Birthmarks," which on one level is about pushing and prodding Wilson to get him back, House is more reflective about his father. A man he hated, and yet he admits made him who he is. He's considering what that relationship meant on both a physical and emotional level, and coming to admit at the end that his father's death really did have meaning for him, no matter how much he'd wish it didn't. And then we've got Wilson dealing with his relationships -- with Amber, with House, his friendship with Cuddy (and let's face it, most of his discussions with Cuddy about the baby were about bonding, about encouraging her relationship, just as he's tried to play cupid of a sort for House and Cuddy to encourage them) -- and it's also about his failure to move on from those relationships. He's been stuck without Amber. He has to redefine his friendship with House -- first in negative terms at the beginning of the season, then in remembering the good parts of their friendship by the time of "Birthmarks." Maybe others don't see these threads -- and again, I admit that they took too long in setting them up -- but to me, they're really beginning to coalesce and build up a strong cohesive arc for the season.

Maybe others don't see these threads -- and again, I admit that they took too long in setting them up -- but to me, they're really beginning to coalesce and build up a strong cohesive arc for the season. Or, there are plenty of viewers, like me, that see exactly what threads are in play but are supremely bored (and/or appallled) by their execution. People not enjoying the season shouldn't imply that they just don't understand what's going on. I understand what they'd LIKE to be doing with the character of 13, but my reality is that the effort is failing because the writing for her is ridiculous and the acting even worse. In many cases, they're just not selling the story they're telling. I would have never predicted that Cuddy would be so unbelievably unwatchable and yet they've gone there. I really hate the notion that because I'm not enjoying something, I must not be understanding the writers' intent.

Namaste, you've just said very well what I've been thinking all season, and I'm glad someone else has noticed it (and said it better than I seem to be able to). It's not my imagination and it's not sloppy writing - House is trying to change, and he's hitting a lot of bumps along the way. I'm split between wanting him to stay miserable because it's more interesting and wanting him to be happy because I just love him so much and want the best for him. I've never been so wrapped up in a fictional character (and for me and my dreamworld brain, that's really saying something :wink:). I'd be very disappointed if he stayed exactly the same for ten seasons, and even more so if he woke up from his White Bus coma perfectly changed and reborn. I'm finding his choppy emotional journey very realistic and intriguing this season, and I can't wait to see where it leads. As for 13, I confess that I could certainly do without her, but I enjoy the rest of the show too much to let her ruin it. There are intermittent moments when her story does grab me, but overall it falls short. I have tried and will continue to try to like her for the sake of the rest of the characters, who are all still keeping me very much entertained. I didn't really care for Amber until she died, then I went back through season 4 and found that I liked her much more in retrospect. I suppose there's a chance that could happen with 13.

Even "Birthmarks," which on one level is about pushing and prodding Wilson to get him back, House is more reflective about his father. A man he hated, and yet he admits made him who he is. He's considering what that relationship meant on both a physical and emotional level, and coming to admit at the end that his father's death really did have meaning for him, no matter how much he'd wish it didn't. I LOVED that episode! Seeing "Birthmarks," and hearing House's sad "Wilson, my father is dead," made me think the writers were actually going somewhere with this important storyline of House's father's death, and I was very excited about that, but that was at least 9 or 10 episodes ago, and NOTHING else has been said about it. The father/son relationship is something I am VERY interested in, and I'd like to know more about how House's mother is doing as well, and whether that will affect House. Even if their story is picked up later in the season, it will still seem like a broken thread to me. The only unbroken thread I can see in this whole season is Thirteen's health issues, and I have no interest in her.

Or, there are plenty of viewers, like me, that see exactly what threads are in play but are supremely bored (and/or appallled) by their execution. People not enjoying the season shouldn't imply that they just don't understand what's going on. I understand what they'd LIKE to be doing with the character of 13, but my reality is that the effort is failing because the writing for her is ridiculous and the acting even worse. In many cases, they're just not selling the story they're telling. I would have never predicted that Cuddy would be so unbelievably unwatchable and yet they've gone there. I really hate the notion that because I'm not enjoying something, I must not be understanding the writers' intent. What I'm about to say will probably come out sounding rude or mean or petty, but it's not meant that way. It's an honest, polite inquiry. I understand getting irritated with story lines. For me, the Thirteen plot is getting a bit too drawn out for my tastes. I wasn't particularly impressed with the way Cuddy went about seeking revenge against House. However, I appreciate what the show is trying to accomplish, accept the stories for what they are, and move on with life. I also understand getting fed up with shows in general. At some point, ER became completely unworthy of my viewership, IMHO. And when Izzy decided to stand outside a hospital for an entire episode, that's when I decided I was done with Grey's Anatomy. And when seasons seem to become irredeemable to me, I stop watching. Period. The love may come back later if I hear about a good plot, but it will never be the same as before. So, I ask, what is still redeemable about this show and this season to you (or to anyone else who seemed to agree with every single point in that article)? What keeps you watching every week, taking an hour or so out of your day to watch something which clearly irritates you?

So, I ask, what is still redeemable about this show and this season to you (or to anyone else who seemed to agree with every single point in that article)? What keeps you watching every week, taking an hour or so out of your day to watch something which clearly irritates you? :-) In that vein, I don't want my response to sound smug, but here it is. I'm not sure exactly how old you are but you're in college so you're between a certain range. That being the case, I can honestly say that I've been a fan of Hugh nearly as long as you've been alive. And that is my ultimate answer. Though to expand on that, I will say that there have been a handful of episodes this year that I've liked: Birthmarks, Joy, The Itch. The rest have mostly been "meh." And it's a far different thing to say "I hate this show" than to say "I hate what they've done to this show."

Maybe others don't see these threads -- and again, I admit that they took too long in setting them up -- but to me, they're really beginning to coalesce and build up a strong cohesive arc for the season. Excellent post, Namaste, and I wholly agree. I think the fallout from the white bus scene with Amber, his comments at his father's funeral, all those things are playing out in how he behaves. There's no way for the writers to say explicitly that *that* is why House is doing *this,* so the fact that House is reaching out, however he does it, is a big change in him. It's like complaining you don't know whodunnit in chapter 6. Also bailey it's a slippery slope to be dismissive about people's comments because of their age. I suspect I'm closer to your vintage than chippers but if she's got a good question, why bring that up? I don't think there's a contest here about who loves Hugh the most or the longest (I'm guessing we all love him, even if not House). I think it's fabulous that some of us have loved him a long time and wonderful for those who have just been hitten by the bug. Anyway, it's possible some folks who love the show want to share that appreciation. If you agree with all those things and still don't enjoy it, well, not much I can say. That's what the bitterness thread is for. I mean no disrespect to anyone, by the way, I'm just trying to sort through some spiky feelings that have arisen around here. Each to his/her own.

Also bailey it's a slippery slope to be dismissive about people's comments because of their age. I'm not bailey and I can't answer for her, but I read her comment (and I hope chipmunk did too) as "I've been a Hugh Laurie fan for so long (almost as long as you've been alive) and it's so much a part of me and so deep-rooted that I'd turn on my TV to watch him breathe (and that is my ultimate answer as to what is still redeemable about this show)." Yes, that is exactly it. I'm not interested in contests about who has been a fan the longest or most devoted except to say that my appreciation of Hugh and the fact that he's on my (American) television every week is what keeps me turning in even if I think the overall storytelling has slipped substantially.

Aah, thanks for the clarification bailey and Poeia. We all certainly agree on the Hugh love then, if not the the storytelling.

I'm not sure exactly how old you are but you're in college so you're between a certain range. That being the case, I can honestly say that I've been a fan of Hugh nearly as long as you've been alive. And that is my ultimate answer. If that is the reason you are watching, I don't quite understand why you ruin your enjoyment of watching HL being great, by getting tangled with everything else. If you singularly watch for Hugh, then do that. You can always ignore the rest. :wink: True. Although I am greedy and I would prefer to have my cake and eat it too. I will continue watching for Hugh, if nothing else. However, I would prefer that all other elements of the show click as well just to amp up my enjoyment. Beginning with S4, the show began working for me only in bits and pieces. (Those bits and pieces largely being Hugh/House, of course. But it was nice when I felt some connection to all the other elements of the show as well.) If it weren't for Hugh, I wouldn't be watching. Because the bits and pieces that aren't working are doing so in such an uninteresting way, that I wouldn't be able to work my way through it. On the flipside, there are shows like "Mad Men" whom I don't watch for any particular character or actor but whose entire ensemble clicks like mad and the whole show just sings. If, for some reason, though, it started to not work for me, I would walk away from it because I'm not personally invested in any particular person. (Even though Jon Hamm is sweet, sweet, sweet to look at.)

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