Let's recap this season so far: House is in jail, that should be intere—oh look, Foreman sprung him at the beginning of the second episodes. Guess there won't be any sort of seasonal arc about that. And wait, Foreman's the new dean of medicine? What? (Lise Edelstein left the show) Instead of seeking a new character to instill some new energy into the show, the producers again took the easy option of "Hey! Let's use one of our regulars!" And has been pointed out by House himself, Foreman is as about exciting as watching paint dry. (No offense to Omar Epps; Foreman has just become an incredibly boring character who pretends he doesn't pander to House's every whim when in fact he does).
And Thirteen? (I still can't believe they call her that; She's been on the show for three seasons). Well, she leaves after episode three, and it had to be one of the worst send-offs I've seen recently. She shows up halfway through the episode after not appearing in the first two episodes of the season, has some minor sub-plot, and then boom, House "fires" her right at the end of the episode out of the goodness of his heart so that she can spend the last few years of her life with her lover. As I've pointed out in the past, Thirteen is much like other previous characters on House in that she used to be quite interesting. Giving her Huntington's was a bold move. But after season five (when the show started going down hill), I can't really recall any decent character development.
Chase? Taub? Haven't seen them at all. No idea what's up with them. No idea if the actors are still working for the show. Instead, there's some random medical student with some bullshit backstory designed to make her unique from all of House's former team members. I guess what makes her different is that she's pretty apathetic to House's antics (fortunately he hasn't done anything that ridiculous yet), but she reminds me too much of Chase in that respect. And now there's another doctor from the first episode who's probably just there to replace Olivia Wilde's pretty face. Rhetorical question time: Who are these two new doctors? Why do I care about them? I'm not just going to accept them because they're on House and after seven seasons I'm not supposed to question this decision.
Wilson is still around, but at this point, the House/Wilson relationship is as stale as it can get. Fight, make up, fight, make up, etc. House drives his car into Cuddy's living room (which could have killed her had she been in there), but Wilson's already buddying up with House at the end of the second episode. Are you kidding me? That's not the same James Wilson from the first couple seasons.
Please, House producers, let the show die. Don't try to drag it on for as long as the network allows you to. The longer the show goes, more you're betraying the original spirit of the characters and the show. I know deep down House is just another medical procedural, but at times it was an excellent character drama, delving into different characters and moral stances through each episode's patient-of-the-week format. House used to be a compelling character, one that left the audience guessing as to why he was so bitter and cynical. There was a time when you really pitied him: I'm thinking of a moment early in the show when House sees Cameron, Chase, and Foreman enjoying each other's company in a restaurant, and House thinks about joining them but then doesn't, and instead is left out in the cold by himself. But that mystery's seemingly been solved: He's just an asshole. Pretty crummy way to solve that one.
Here's an idea how to end the show: Maybe let House finally realize how destructive he truly is. Cameron's gone. Chase's gone. Taub's gone. Thirteen's gone. Kutner's gone. Cuddy's gone. Cutthroat Bitch is gone. Amber Tamblyn's gone. Have Foreman leave. But more importantly, finally have Wilson leave. There House is, alone, friendless, and addicted to Vicodin, all of which are his own doing. I've always thought the show, whenever it would finally get around to it, would end with House committing suicide. All of his pain, both inner and physical, would finally be gone. But because of how ridiculous the last two seasons have been, his suicide would be cheapened because he's no longer the pitiable and suffering character he once was. So now I don't think you can end House on a proper note, because he's not the same character that made him so compelling.
Until next time, Orange Hat Guy
