As any reader of this blog knows, one of the TV shows I watch regularly is House. I’ve followed the acerbic diagnostician as he has dealt with a crush from Cameron, tried to rekindle his romance with Stacy, endured an unreasonable chair of the hospital board and a vengeful police detective, and ultimately spiraled down into drug abuse, hallucinations, and institutionalization before kicking his Vicodin habit. All the while, his friend Wilson tells House how miserable he is.
The challenge for a long-running series like House is to avoid falling into an uncreative rut while not ruining the characters that fans have come to know and love through ridiculous plot contrivances. This season’s big story arc has Dr. House grappling with a torrid affair with his boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. So far, I don’t really know what to make of House and Cuddy — called “Huddy,” for short, by fans. At times, it seems that the primary purpose of the plotline is to have an excuse to show some skin in the bedroom scenes. Sparking romances between characters also is pretty trite TV fare. But then the writers will toss an interesting idea into the mix, like how the relationship causes both House and Cuddy to act differently in their sparring about House’s outlandish proposed treatment of the patient of the week, that indicates that the plot line could work.
The most recent episode introduced House to Cuddy’s adopted daughter. I was glad to see that when the girl chewed on House’s cane, Dr. House didn’t dissolve into misty-eyed wonderment at being around a toddler. Instead, in true House fashion, he looked upset that the bratty kid had slobbered on the cane. Maybe this could get interesting.
Webner House 