House Season 1 GoldenGait episode reviews

[GoldenGait]

1x20: Love Hurts

This show has the best guest stars! Seriously, how did they get so many good ones in their very first season? John Cho, from Harold and Kumar (and yes, I've seen that Kal Penn eventually becomes a regular on the series in the fourth season), as well as Ugly Betty and the American Pie movies. Funny guy, but I've never seen him show any real dramatic acting chops. Oh, and he'll also be in this fall's Star Trek (!).

Continuing with the Wilson-gets-to-mercilessly-taunt-House arc, I love the examination of the businessman who doesn't want to go back to work, and the conversation they all have about why Cameron came back. Wilson's immediate "yes!" in response to the patient's question of whether House likes her was fantastic. House, you can't lie to Wilson! I also loved the patient's assessment that if House didn't "do" her, he was gay. The cherry on the top of this scene comes as Wilson and the patient chant "...sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" as House leaves the treatment room.

Great line: "You gave the guy a stroke?"

Another great line: "Dr. Cameron! I'd appreciate it if you kept the terms of your new contract to yourself. Don't want everyone else clamoring for the same perks." House actually looked somewhat frantic right there. Nice job, Cameron, you've managed to make him come completely unglued. Or at least, as unglued as House gets. Fabulous that she immediately spilled the beans to Foreman and Chase.

Yet another great line: "You're on my naughty list. Sorry, no leather stethescope this Christmas." Glad another member of the team has something slightly embarrassing to get harassed about this episode to take some of the heat off of Cameron and her House Date.

Oh lord, they totally missed an opportunity there. When Cuddy corned House after he asked for a Viagra refill... come on, that's prime joke territory there! Have the pharmacist hand the bottle back to House, give him a wink, and say, "Here you go. Little blue pills, as requested. Our little secret." Cuddy's expression would have rocked, and House would've been hysterical as he sputtered that they were for a patient and not for him...

Funny line: "House isn't going to hand you anything. You want him? You're going to have to take him--jump him." I also like that in this scene Cameron refers to Sherlock Holmes.

Everyone seems so incredibly concerned about House and Cameron's date, and yet everyone is worried for a different reason. Some think it'll destroy Cameron, some think she'll fall for him even more, some think House will end up getting hurt--this last one being spelled out wonderfully in Wilson's scene with Cameron. And the fact that Wilson comes over to House's apartment to help him get ready for the date? So cute. I think you can really tell these two are friends off-set as well, they have such great chemistry together.

So, a moment to discuss Wilson: I think this character is one of the funnier one on this show. I think second only to House himself. Sweet, good, responsible, smart, a wonderful doctor, baby face... and then you find out he has several failed marriages, hits on every female in the hospital, cheats on his significant other like it's his second job, and gives House advice on "panty-peeler" moves and offers him condoms. Enough to give you whiplash, and yet it all works wonderfully. And all done with fabulous delivery by Robert Sean Leonard.

Confession: this is being typed while the episode is paused at 31 minutes and 44 seconds. When House went to the fridge and pulled out the corsage I got so bothered I paused the episode and had to get up and walk away. All the while ranting. This makes him way too sad, way too dorky, this makes you feel awful for him. Obviously this date was going to go badly, and true, I haven't even watched that part yet, but now I have a general idea of how they're going to write this screwed up little evening, and it would be a lot better if they just fought, and bickered, and Cameron could realize he's just that much of an ***, and they can go back into work, spit at each other for a week, and move on with the diagnosing. This is just going to be uncomfortably awkward. I don't even want to watch.

Wow. Hugh is fantastic at looking like a fish out of water. I imagine it takes a decent amount of courage to look that uncomfortable and vulnerable as an actor. Good job. Made me squirm right along with you.

Small problem I had with how badly the date went was that they've been out together before and it wasn't a problem. They went to a monster truck show and had a lovely time, and I'm sure there was small talk there. Sure, House pointed out that one wasn't a date, while this one was a date by the nature of the agreement, but I still think the two of them would have been slightly more at ease with each other. And I feel slightly cheated that we never got to see the end of that date, or any more than 3.5 minutes of it at all.

Amazing little monologue: "You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. That's why you married a man who was dying of cancer. You don't love, you need. And now that your husband is dead, you're looking for your new charity case. That's why you're going out with me. I'm twice your age, I'm not great looking, I'm not charming, I'm not even nice. What I am is what you need. I'm damaged."

Perfect music choice at the end of the episode.

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GG

[GoldenGait]

1x21: Three Stories

This episode was fantastic! House's mental depiction of his team members was very revealing of House himself, while his dealings with Stacy brought some pathos into the episode, and the diagnostics lecture injected some humor. And all of this in a very different format from what we're used to--flashing from scene to scene, odd cuts, exaggerations and weird camera angles. Made the episode very interesting to watch. This goes on my favorites list with 1x11. Congrats, House, you've impressed me enough to warrant the ascension of another episode to the GoldenGait Episode Trophy Case.

Oh, no, first episode after Cameron and House's date and in waltzes Stacy. Bad timing. Or rather, perfect timing if you're writing an angsty TV drama. Nicely done, writers and producers.

Stacy: of course House's ex is gorgeous. Wouldn't expect anything different. And I believe that's the first time we've ever heard him called Greg. Sounds so... foreign.

Oh, poor House. His "No, I'm not too busy. But I'm not sure I want him to live." line was heartbreaking. Hugh did a great job here changing his entire demeanor when he saw Stacy. Like she was the one person who can instantly take the wind out of his sails.

Love that Carmen Electra actually guest starred as herself. Made the episode so much more fun.

I didn't know the story of House's leg at all when I first began watching this show. But the similarity of dress between patient 3 and House in the fantasy sequence tipped me off immediately. I hope they did this on purpose, because if they were hoping it would take the audience longer to figure it out, they failed.

Cute Wilson line: "She doesn't hate you, she loves you. She just...can't...stand...to be around you."

Funny geeky line: "Luckily it's been well established that time is not a fixed construct."

I loved how personal House got with his story, getting super-angry as the students failed to cure the House!Patient in theory. Cameron's "consult" during the lecture was great, too, giving away the answer, and I like that one by one the whole team migrated in to the lecture hall to watch their boss speak, followed by Wilson. I also like that Wilson takes this public, somewhat safer opportunity to ask House something that I'm sure he's been wanting to ask since it happened. This actually might be the first time he's ever heard House tell the story in this kind of detail.

Wow. Okay, I usually type along as I watch the episode, pausing when I need to get a complete thought out, which is why my reviews generally go in the order of events in the episode and why I sometimes suggest something at the beginning that later happens or is resolved later in the hour. With this episode, once it's established that the 3rd leg pain patient was House, I completely forgot to write the review. No pausing, no typing, I just watched. Awesome episode, completely sucked me in. I had to go back and rewatch to remember what I wanted to say...

Hugh's tearful performance when House insists he keep his leg was heartwrenching.

Where was Wilson in all of this? We know Wilson's been his friend since before the infarct--been Stacy's friend--and if his friends were going through this, wouldn't he have come in to visit or help?

Nice that he ends the episode being indirectly called an idiot by a student, and caving on treating Stacy's husband. And he referred to himself as Greg in the voicemail... still sounds weird.

If you like my reviews, check out my profile for a link to my webpage--I review lots of other shows, too!
GG

[GoldenGait]

1x22: Honeymoon

Oh, it just doesn't get any better than the House, Stacy, and Mark's three-way date, the alpha-male posturing, and the finale of House drugging him in order to get him to the hospital. Lovely. I can already tell I'm going to love this episode.

I want Cameron's gray suit outfit.

Funny line: "Stop looking at the suspiciously empty bottle and look at the screen."

Funnier line: "You're a Peeping Tom spying on your ex."

Cameron's puppy-dog inquiry to Stacy about House's infarct and Stacy's immediate understanding of Cameron's feelings for House was well done. These women are very interesting together.

Great exchange: "Hide up on the roof like you always do." "I haven't been up here in five years." Ouch. Stacy, looks like you're the only one who makes him need to decompress on the roof. Poor House--his hug on the roof with Stacy looked quite normal and comfortable. Never seen House seem so okay with personal contact. And then that pitiful confession that House doesn't know whether he wants Stacy or wants her to suffer.

What did I say in my earlier review? Huh? I knew there was going to be an actual patient with porphyria. They liked throwing it out as a differential way too much to not use it for someone.

Boy, Stacy is a piece of work. I understand she wants the best for the men in her life, but she needs to quit sneaking treatment on people. House was right to snap at her about it. Then again, it's nice to see him passively agree with Stacy by forcing Mark to accept the test.

Again, where was Wilson when this was going down? I want to see his interaction with Stacy. At least long enough for them to say hi in the hallway.

I loved the moment of Cameron watching House watching Stacy and Mark. And good lord, Stacy's not over House. I don't think she should have told him, though. That's not fair.

Oh, of course, House's ex gets to come work at the hospital. Set up some conflict for next season. But that's pretty contrived.

If you like my reviews, check out my profile for a link to my webpage--I review lots of other shows, too!
GG