House Classic: 1:1 - 1:4 (Capsule Reviews)

1:1 - Pilot (Everybody Lies)

Plot Synopsis: Can be found here courtesy of Wikipedia.

Steph's Comments: As pilots go, this is pretty good. It accomplishes the critical task of establishing the setting, the characters, and the concept, but it does so without getting bogged down in boring exposition. I appreciate, for example, that Shore couched the key information regarding House's leg in a revealing - and plot driven - conversation with the Patient of the Week. That scene is both organic and unobtrusive -- and representative of the approach taken in the script as a whole.

Steph's Rating: 7.7

*****

1:2 - Paternity

Plot Synopsis: Can be found here.

Steph's Comments: I would put this episode in the "average" column. It retreads some of the same ground covered in the pilot - like, for example, House's aversion to actual work - and features a Patient of the Week who isn't especially memorable. Probably the only genuinely intriguing scene is the last. Beyond the excellent song choice, said scene hints at a profound unhappiness in House that is developed more fully in later episodes.

Steph's Rating: 6.5

*****

1:3 - Occam's Razor

Plot Synopsis: Can be found here.

Steph's Comments: This one, on the other hand, is slightly better than average thanks to several scenes that are justifiably recognized to be classics for the series. For instance, who doesn't enjoy House's "Hello, sick people!" speech in the clinic? Actually, when I watched this episode the other day, I found myself lamenting the fact that the writers often neglected to visit the clinic in later scripts. The clinic patients were great -- something I will repeatedly note as I review these early episodes.

Steph's Rating: 7.3

*****

1:4 - Maternity

Plot Synopsis: Can be found here.

Steph's Comments: I'm not sure why, but in the first season, an infant Patient of the Week generally heralded doom, disaster and despair. Still, the medical mystery here is engaging - as are House's unorthodox and frankly unethical diagnostic methods - and the character work done for Cameron in particular is actually pretty important. Essentially, this is the episode that establishes Cameron's baseline innocence and her history of personal loss. For that reason alone, it shouldn't be skipped.  

Steph's Rating: 7.5