Why House Sucks Now

Remember when House was a good show? That was about four seasons ago, and unfortunately it's been going steadily down hill since then. The only reason I still tune in is because I've invested so much time in the show that I want to see how it ends. That, and Hugh Laurie (and Olivia Wilde). Will they do the show justice, or continue to stink it up until it mercifully dies?

The show's declined so much, I'd say the show's had two jump-the-shark moments: when they got rid of Cameron and when they killed Kutner off. Getting rid of Cameron was a bit more of a subtle shark-jumping moment, but nevertheless important. She was the moral center of the show, the one character who always challenged House's thinking and his methods, and it was great to see her grow into a strong character who eventually stopped letting House walk all over her.

Now we have Amber Tamblyn's character serving as a sort of fill-in for Cameron, and it's so blatantly obvious it's insulting to faithful viewers. And without Cameron, Chase's character has diminished as well. They were excellent foils for one another, given Cameron's unwavering morals and Chase's complete lack thereof. Their relationship was a key part of the soap opera that drove the show in its first few seasons. Now, Chase has nothing and no one to work off of, and as a result his place on the show feels forced, without any depth or meaning. He's there because he's always been there, not because there's a reason for him to be there.

Forman is basically in the same boat as Chase. He's outgrown his original role on the show, as he no longer is beneath House. Forman's matured to where he no longer cares about standing up to House or seeking his approval as a doctor. He's lost the edge that he started out with on the show, and now he too suffers from being there because he's been there from the beginning, not because there's a reason for him to be there from a storytelling standpoint.

Chase and Forman have essentially been replaced by Taub and Thirteen respectively, which is both good and bad. First the good: Thirteen and Taub are both interesting and complex characters and succeed at what Chase and Forman succeeded at doing early on. Now the bad: though it's not their fault, their characters leave Chase and Forman out to dry, basically replacing Chase and Forman while they're still there, and the writers have done nothing to resolve this.

The other major moment was Kutner's suicide towards the end of season five. His death was forced and unnecessary and Kal Penn's exit from the show could have been handled much better. Have House fire him or have Kutner take a job at another hospital and leave the door open for Penn to return. Instead, the writers went for a TV moment and tried to hype the episode as groundbreakingly significant. With Kutner gone, the show lost his optimism and his exuberance that brought energy to the show. Without him, the show has become stale and dull.

Both this season and the last one have have suffered from stagnant and redundant storytelling, character development and drama. Remember all those funny scenes in the clinic? That was one of the best aspects of the show. Remember when the medical mystery was just as significant as the soap opera and was  relevant to the plot not just of the episode but of the show? Now the medical mysteries take a back seat to the characters. Remember when it was never lupus? As dumb as that was, it was much better than what we have now. There were legitimate ethical and moral dilemmas that the show addressed in a smart, non-preaching manner.

Episodes now seem like excuses for the writers to explore various topics such as blogging and open marriages, with the characters speaking for the writers. The writers try to structure episodes as ways to comment and debate these issues, with the characters becoming caricatures of the different perspectives the writers include. This demeans the characters and devalues them, as they no longer fulfill their intended roles. I know it's the job of the writers to manipulate their characters as they see fit, but this format of writing betrays who those characters are.

There's also too much emphasis on the main characters now and very little on the patients. Before, the patients (and many cases, their families) were a vital part of the drama. They were well-written and we could emotionally invest in their struggle. Now? Patient is sick. Diagnosis one. See patient. Diagnosis two. Convince patient to stick with them. Diagnosis three. Apologize and try again. Diagnosis four. At this point the patient isn't anywhere near involved in the drama. Finally a cure.

Early on, the ailments the patients faced reflected the issues concerning the main characters. That was one of the elements that made the show great. Now they're there because it's a supposed to be a medical show and the writers used to have a formula that worked. As a result, there's very little character development among the main cast in what's supposed to be a character drama. Story structure has become unoriginal and much of the dialogue and decision-making by the characters is out of place and painful.

It's only through sheer talent and ability that Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard have been able to keep House and Wilson from eroding the same was as the other original characters have. They still remain somewhat fresh and interesting, but they too have lost a step, so to speak. Wilson is not as strong a character as he once was, not because he's weakened, but because he hasn't evolved in quite a while.

Wilson's role as House's conscious hasn't budged, and now he's being relegated to the babysitter who's helplessly trying to look out for an out of control kid, a real waste of Wilson's character. That's why the Amber arc was such a great plot development. She took him out of his shell and he began to step out of that role of babysitter. But now he's around because he has to be, because that's the winning formula. Whenever House does something House-like, Wilson has to be there.

Hugh Laurie's talents are also being wasted, as House's character also has declined. It's more evident this season with Thirteen's absence, as she is a good foil for House because she's an enigma for him, and there's nothing House loves more than a mystery. The House-Cuddy storyline hasn't worked for me because it's too unbelievable. Cuddy gave up on House a long time ago and it was clear from the start of the series that she knew it would never work. Yes, the sexual tension was great, but the idea of a lasting relationship was always preposterous.

This leads me to Cuddy, who's really lost her bite over the past few seasons. She no longer has any authority over House, something that was once critical to her character. Her role as Dean of Medicine at Princeton-Plainsboro has been diminished to the point where it's completely irrelevant. House used to either have to figure out ways around Cuddy's roadblocks or figure out how to convince her otherwise. Now, House has complete control over Cuddy and doesn't have to worry about her as an antagonist.

Is there hope for House? I'd like to think so, because it's sad to see what was once a great show go out in such a depressing state. I think there's still a chance it can go out in a blaze of glory, but only if it returns to its roots, and not just the structure. Characters need to be what they were meant to be, not what they've devolved to. The patients and their medical mysteries need to once again become the forefront of the show and mirror the real-life dilemmas of the main characters. And can we please start calling people by their first names? I'm getting sick of all the last names. It worked for a while, but now it's lost its charm.

Until next time, Orange Hat Guy