Fixed Perspective

Recently I've taken a great liking to House M.D., which is actually surprising since I swore off watching the show ever again after the non-consequential sub-story with David Morse. I love the way he portrayed the detective investigating House's illegal Vicodin prescriptions, but the story was negated right at the point where a positive change could have happened. That was season 3, and season 4 was the 16- episode writer's strike season, complete with a new diagnostic team I really didn't have any interest in getting to know. That, combined with the formulaic progression for each episode, was enough to put me off the show for a while.

What pulled me back was the characters. Aside from house, I was curious to see the ways that Dr. Wilson would grow, and he manages to seamlessly weave his way in by the end of season 4 as the vessel for one of the main plot points. The mass job interview conducted by House to find a new medical team was also a joy to watch. The crowning glory of the season was the finale, which was a unique adventure into the way that House's mind solves puzzles, and the risks he takes to get an upper hand.

It was enough to pull me into watching season 5. The interesting thing I found about my experience with these two seasons is that I was a lot less interested in season 5 as I went through the first half or so. It lacked any major issues that could last longer than two episodes. The character development was very good, which in retrospect was the underlining issue. The fifth season was about people. The patients began to have a more profound effect on the main characters, and often caused them to change their minds completely.

House had a lot of moments where he shows true compassion, regret, or fear, which is a major change for the careless jerk that he usually is. Scenes with he and Wilson, even if they are only for a few seconds and overlaid with music, are among the best in the season.

The episodes took an unexpected change at a excellent time, having House hallucinate a dead character from season 4 right at the end of a rather uplifting episode. It really set a tone for the remaining episode, delving deeper into House's mind. As the hallucinations become more vivid, House takes another great risk to fix himself. Though he believes it to work, the last few episodes end up being one big hallucination, which amounts to an incredible twist ending that takes place in Cuddy's office. In that moment, Hugh Laurie shows us his best acting under the role of Dr. House, conveying several emotions at once. His shock over the uncertainty of his own life was completely believable.

The season ends with House being admitted into a mental institution after a silent goodbye from Dr. Wilson. The scene has a wonderful orchestrated version of The Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By" playing as House hobbles toward the front door before the season cuts to black for the final time.

The sixth season started with a 90-minute episode that began with a completely new intro and song. The Radiohead tune "No Surprises" played as we are shown scenes of House in the institution that are actually rather hard to watch. Particularly one moment where House screams for help while banging on the door of his padded room.

The episode plays like a movie, not giving us any sign of his old co-workers (sans a two-minute call to Wilson), and providing us with an incredible new cast of characters. What's really amazing about it is the way it still retained the whole House formula, which I've actually taken a liking to, while not diving into medical jargon or what have you. The epiphany House gets comes in a much different way than usual, but it still makes for a great conclusion to a wonderful episode.