Overall: 8.3
I'm starting to change my mind about House/Cuddy. Our birthday boy (Happy Birthday, SABR Matt!) should be very pleased.
Plot Synopsis:
FOX has a basic summary here.
The Skinny:
As you all know, I've had some non-specific misgivings about House/Cuddy from the very beginning. After ruminating over the matter for quite some time, I think I can finally explain the source of my worry. I shall do that first, and then I will discuss how this episode took the first step towards assuaging my concerns.
Let's consider this situation in the abstract: What would you say if a female friend came up to you and revealed that one of her male subordinates has, for the past several years, persistently cracked jokes about her bust and her ass? What would you say if that female friend added that this same individual has actually encouraged his underlings to steal her unmentionables as part of a dare? And what would you say if your female friend then admitted that her male subordinate has fantasized about having sex with her and has said so publicly? Personally, I would advise my female friend to avoid that creep; I'd even tell her to consider filing a restraining order. And bear in mind, folks, that I'm no hard-line feminist. I'm just a woman with common sense.
Don't get me wrong: I love House, and I don't just love him with my intellect. I derive some guilty pleasure from watching his glorious bastardy, yes, but more importantly, I spy a streak of moralism in the man that I feel makes him redeemable. Thanks to the show's generally strong writing and Mr. Laurie's always magnificent performance, I want House to find happiness. Still, if a woman came up to me and announced that she has begun to date a man who has treated her as House has treated Cuddy, I would immediately warn her that such a match is potentially dangerous.
What put me off in the beginning about this relationship was the potential bad example it was setting, particularly for any young people in the audience. Not only were House and Cuddy jumping straight to the sex, as SABR Matt observed, but they were also inadvertently conveying a message to the non-discriminating that it's okay to bed down with your harasser -- an idea that could lead to serious negative consequences in the real world. Perhaps I was over-thinking. I tend to do that sometimes. But I certainly didn't feel any more sold on the relationship when House blabbed to Chase, Foreman, et. al. about his new relationship and behaved like an athlete boasting in the locker room about his latest conquest. On the surface, it was funny, but still -- ew.
This week's episode, however, changed the game. In giving up his hooker-masseuse, House at last demonstrates that he is capable of "putting down the toilet seat" for Cuddy and validating her feelings. I'm still not convinced that love can conquer all, but if the writers continue to rehabilitate House in this incremental manner, I will be very pleased indeed.
Meanwhile, the medical case is pretty average for House, but I like how the writers use the patient's schizophrenia to segue into the message that real adult relationships are not all cherry pies and moonbeams -- and I like how, once again, the case brings House's inner moralist to the fore. I have to say, though, that I'm starting to get impatient with Thirteen's continuing unexplained absence. The only thing her "replacement" does for me is confirm that Chase is, in SABR Matt's terminology, "a dick." (And actually, Foreman acts like a dick as well, but for an entirely different reason.)
Writing: 8.0
This is a solid script that generates quite a few laughs of the "I can't believe he actually did that" variety -- and, as I said, the conclusion of the Huddy plot finally makes me believe that the relationship may work.
Acting: 8.0
There are no major missteps here, but there is nothing especially memorable either. For House, the performances are average.
Message: 9.0
There's a nice emphasis this week on the self-sacrifice involved in making a long-term, healthy relationship work. Bravo!
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