Pardon the Interruption: House 8:16 - Gut Check

Overall Rating: 7.5

This episode is strangely endearing for one reason - the Chase story line.  Otherwise...it's more of the same at a time when they should be doing something awesome.



Plot Synopsis:

IMDB has a brief summary...it tells you most of what you need to know here, but Wikipedia isn't updated and FOX's website has become so annoying that I refuse to patronize it ever again.  Luckily, their programming is going to shit, so I probably won't have to.

To add to the brief summary:

• Chase is lonely and needs more family interaction with all of his relatives dead, so he invites Park to live with him to get away from her family, but it's really a ploy to let Park's relatives spend time with Chase.  This is...maybe the first endearing thing Chase has ever done on this show.
• Taub learns that his biases can seriously screw with his judgment and explains that he detests bullies because he was a constant victim growing up...which I can relate to.  Me relating to Taub is an event so rare it ought to come with freeze warnings for Hell.
• House plays Wilson like a fiddle to get him to realize that he's not ready to be a full time parent because, despite his age, he's too immature.  This is definitely true.  Though House's methods are flawed, because even a fully responsible adult is completely capable of freaking out when the kid you just met and want to make a fresh start with arrives and asks to live with you inside of a week.  Sheesh.

The Skinny:

The PotW story was boring.  All of the personal stories involving the cast were, however, interesting to some level and I didn't find myself desperate to throttle one of them...which is kind of rare these days.  So despite this being a rather lackluster effort given where we are in the series' last days, I'm willing to be generous with the rating.  Call me sentimental or just call me bored with giving out fives and sixes.

Writing: 7.0

Each plot except the PotW was engaging enough to distract me from the reality that they're about to end this show in a manner not befitting all of the work that went into it.  But only just barely.

Acting: 7.0

No stand-out performances this week...no flops either.

Message: 8.0

Bonus points to Wilson for TRYING to be a good guy and for trying to expand into grown up territory...and major bonus points to Chase for doing something other than boning some skank.