Season 5 General Discussion

Yes, that's what I meant, that the story lines were linked to House (Cameron unable to deal with death which affected how she treated the patients; Chase's finding out his father had died which led to House having to step down from running the department for 4 weeks) by the way they came up. House didn't need to hire a detective to dig up dirt on them or throw everything including the kitchen sink at them (Thirteen, I'm looking at you) in order to give them screen time.

Interesting. Kutner became my favorite of the new batch exactly because he had no boring overextended storyline and proved to be a valuable team member I tend to think that the reason Kutner doesn't need an overextended storyline is because he's the one newbie with an actual personality. When I think Kutner, I think: goofy, adventureous, friendly When I think Chase, I think: guarded, pragmatic, occasional sycophant With Cameron, I think: Caring, ethical, occasionally judgemental Thirteen: Huntingtons Taub: Marital/financial problems Chase, Cam, and Kutner all have identifiable personality traits. Their back stories give us a context through which to view their personalities. Thirteen seems to be defined by her illness and little else, and Taub hasn't fared much better though he does show traces of wit from time to time.

and, as everyone on the show points out, boring. I think his boringness is part of his character. He's more grounded than Chase and Cameron (not to mention 13, Taub and Kutner) and much more logical. But his "boringness" is almost to the extreme where it becomes interesting...? I don't know. I'm a huge Foreman fan. And other than House, I think Taub is the person on the show that makes others look stupid incredibly often. He really is a bit of a bitch, isn't he? I mean, when Foreman told Cameron they weren't friends, he was kind of being rational about it, and his tone wasn't rude. It was just "Ten years from now, Christmas cards etc" whereas when the same issue was brought up between Taub and Kutner a few weeks ago, Taub just made a comment about Kutner's nerdiness and made poor little Kutner sad.

melly, good list but you skipped Foreman altogether. Is that significant? When I think of Foreman I think: smug, condescending, insecure and, as everyone on the show points out, boring. I'd add "snarky" to your Taub list. He's the only one who can consistently snark back at House. The others manage it occasionally. :lol: I wasn't sure if "boring" counted and I couldn't get past that to think of anything else for him. I think you filled the list for Foreman quite nicely, Poeia. "Snarky" is a good one for Taub. He's starting to show signs of life, and I hope they don't burden him with a heavy handed/too much, too fast back story like they have saddled Thirteen with. His character has such potential if used wisely. But his "boringness" is almost to the extreme where it becomes interesting...? I don't know. I'm a huge Foreman fan. Hi, PlayStereo. I think Foreman's extreme boringness is tied to his insecurity, and that is interesting in a way. He's insecure and feels the need to play everything safe, therefore he takes no risks at all and is...boring. As you said, it is a part of his character.

Yes, melly, that could be the case. He didn't need a storyline because he was already well-liked due to his personality. Kutner won me (and perhaps a lot of others) over way back, at "no, I'm not, I'm number 9". Regarding Taub being snarky, he is. But so is Thirteen. Foreman I'd say was the snarkiest of the original bunch. I think that contributes to make Kutner refreshing. Foreman I liked until the big "won't become you" fiasco. Already hinted at since S1, then explored in S3 and then repeatdly bashed through the last seasons. I still like him on reruns, but right now he's just 13 and House fodder.

I like Taub, personally, but I think the difference between his "snarky" and others .... I call their brand "snippy" .... is that he's got some gravitas and world weariness that the others lack. He's definitely been there and done that. He knows what it's like to be at the top, and now he's in a very different place. He's been more willing to tell House to back off on personal issues (as with the wife), but deals with the professional issues that come with his status.

I like Taub, personally, but I think the difference between his "snarky" and others .... I call their brand "snippy" .... is that he's got some gravitas and world weariness that the others lack. Snippy is good for the others. For 13, I'd just say "rude." Her comebacks almost never have any wit -- they're just "I don't like you, House" or "You annoy me, House." Good snark from the others would include Daddy's Boy Cameron: Why would you need five thousand dollars? Chase: Bad night at poker, or great night with a hooker? Living the Dream House: Where can I find a decent set of knockers around here? Cameron: Your porn’s in the second drawer. I'm sure there are better examples for Cameron but that's the one that I thought of first. For me, good snark means matching House -- returning the volley. Wilson, of course, is the master.

Namaste: as far as Taub's world weariness goes, that could be part of why I don't like him. It was really interesting seeing the ducklings grow through the first season, watching them get to know House and his personality just because he's so out there. He didn't really have to go through that with the new ducklings -- nothing he did really surprised them, nothing I can think of at least -- and it's made me lose a little bit of that S1 feeling. I enjoyed the first set of ducklings because they were so new, it was refreshing, but the other doctors in season 4 all seem to have some sort of experience, especially Taub. I think the only time I can remember really liking Thirteen is during the last few episodes of season 4 with the constant jokes about her sexuality. Don't Ever Change: House: You do it both ways, don't you? Thirteen: What? House: The ultrasound. You do it standing up and laying down, right? ... What else would I be talking about? His joking about her sexuality was actually pretty clever and I really enjoyed it, but I wish they'd have dropped it after the bit of joking and Lucky Thirteen never existed. :/

But part of what made the "new" aspect of the first set of fellows work is that we, the audience, were learning who House was right alongside. It'd be frustrating to go through that introductory series of "Hey, he's really out there, isn't he!" all over again. With the first fellows, that setup works. Once we, the audience, know the character, they need different types to play against. That's what I like about the new fellows -- especially Taub and Kutner in this instance -- is that they bring something new. This also works with the story line of House as he's grown over the seasons. In the pilot, he's introduced as something of a recluse. He's got his world where he's comfortable, but has no intention of meeting anyone new. With the new team, though, he begins taking on more and more patients. As we've gotten to know him, he's also been further established as having this reputation well beyond the hospital walls. By the second season, Cameron calls him "world famous." So by the time the fourth season comes along, anyone applying with him would have to live under a rock in the medical community to not be aware that he's going to be out of the mainstream. The question is, of course, how much more out of the mainstream will he be than they expected.

SPOILERS: Please, someone tell me the episode that is airing right now is an april's fool joke. It's...horrible. Beyond horrible. Who directed that? Joe Schumacher? Oh well. I still hope it's an april's fool prank.... Break time is over. I'm going back to watch the episode and hope it's an april's fool. I hope he is still alive and just pulling a prank on everyone. ....Okay I'm going back to watch the episode. PLEASE let Kutner still be alive. Mod Note: And...thank you for spoiling people who haven't seen the episode yet. I'm sure they REALLY appreciated this. People, please use your frigging brains - this is obviously a major plot point. Please wait until the episode is over and then discuss it in the episode thread, not while the show is still on. Thanks, Fid

Omar Epps latest post on Twitter: omarepps: Tmrw is the last day of filming for our 5th season... Wow! Thanks to everyone that watches "House". Buckle up for season 6...

first of all I would really like to apologize for the spoiler. I don't really have an excuse for that except for the fact that I wasn't thinking straight. I'm really sorry. Now, a theory about Kutner's death. Isn't it possible he was playing Russian Roulette? I mean, then everything would make sense. He is addicted to new experiences, and wanted the thrill of playing the game. And lost. Is that possible?

Now, a theory about Kutner's death. Isn't it possible he was playing Russian Roulette? I mean, then everything would make sense. He is addicted to new experiences, and wanted the thrill of playing the game. And lost. Is that possible? It's possibly within the realm of possibilities, but I doubt it. For one, I'm sure House would have clung onto that as an excuse if it was available. Second, Russian Roulette is played with a revolver, which has a spinning chamber holding the bullet. Most handguns today have magazines, so no spinning to "win" if it lands on an empty chamber. Hm, good point. Unless Kutner got creative and had more than one handgun, and made sure one of them was loaded and the other one wasn't. He was playing the game with someone else, and that person panicked after Kutner died, picked up the other gun(maybe it was his gun to start with) and ran away. Since he was probably invited to play the game, he didn't have to break in to enter his apartment, and could have erased the signs of his presence quite easily. That would justify the second gun not being found at the scene of the crime and how he played Russian Roulette with a handgun. ...either that or he just committed suicide and I'm grasping for straws here.

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