‘House’ gives weekly insight into human condition
By Adam Holmberg
IV Leader Staff, April 12, 2007
Sherlock Homes in a hospital. A medical procedural. A
hospital drama. A character piece about a team of doctors. All of these describe
“House, M.D.,”
Fox’s Peabody award-winning drama (Tuesdays, 8 p.m. central),
but they do not properly encapsulate the sheer uniqueness of David Shore’s
wonderful show. “House” is, simply put, “House” – outwardly a show about a team
of doctors who solve medical mysteries and the personal trials and demons they
face in doing so, but in actuality it is a show that routinely sprints past the
limitations of its procedural formula through excellent acting, sharp writing
and first-rate production values.
To watch “House” is to watch a show that actively wrestles
with the human condition, pondering deep questions of morality, mortality, and
faith so subtly and profoundly that the viewer is both entertained and
intellectually fed. The center of “House” is the title character, Dr. Gregory
House, an irascible, tortured so-and-so whose brusque and flippant manner (his
“Houseisms” are often priceless) hides deep pain, both physical and emotional.
He is a brilliant doctor who lives by the mantra “everybody lies” and tries to
avoid direct contact with a patient whenever possible, but he also is a master
of the “differential diagnosis” – determining what is wrong with a critically
ill patient through analysis of symptoms, history, and lifestyle.
Simply put, House solves cases no one else can solve, and he
is, in the words of Dr. Lisa Cuddy – the hospital’s chief administrator – “the
best damn doctor we have.” The House character – who is addicted to Vicodin due
to an infarction in his leg (which led to nerve death and severe daily pain) –
is a wonderfully complex mess of contradictions that will leave any viewer
breathless.
House is played by British actor Hugh Laurie, whose
performance is a landmark in television history – a character as every bit
iconic as Lucy, Archie Bunker, Columbo, Andy Sipowicz and Tony Soprano – made
all the more spectacular with the knowledge that the British Laurie flawlessly
fakes an American accent, a severe limp and being one of the world’s best
doctors (spouting reams of complex medical jargon) while also managing to turn
in a performance far better than most actors who have no such limitations.
Also a pleasure to watch is Robert Sean Leonard who plays
Oncologist Dr. James Wilson, House’s best (and outwardly only) friend. Leonard’s
performance, which is sometimes only a critical single scene in an episode, is
amazingly layered and the character often stands both as House’s conscience and
his devil’s advocate – his “Watson” if you will. Lisa Edelstein, playing Cuddy,
is often underused as she is saddled with the often-thankless procedural role of
“boss” but she shines with the material she is given.
The stories on House are usually crisply-written medical
mysteries – creator and executive producer David Shore was an important figure
on Law & Order during the classic Angie Harmon/Benjamin Bratt years – but they
often take the opportunity to overcome the trappings of both procedurals and
hospital shows, examining – put simply – all those things that make us human.
The third and current season began with a half-dozen shows
that are equal to those in the second season, then spun wildly off course into
what has become known as “The Tritter arc” in which a disgruntled patient – a
cop – tried to have House thrown in jail for his Vicodin addiction.
The arc was a good idea in principle, but swallowed too many
episodes and became clumsy and unfocused. However, just when all looked lost,
the arc ended and the show came back with “One Day, One Room” an episode written
by Shore in which House, banished to clinic duty, must treat a rape victim.
During the episode, by far the best hour the show has ever produced, House makes
a very real connection with the woman and actually opens up to her (if this were
the only show this season, Laurie would still deserve an Emmy).
The shows that have aired since have returned to House’s
usual high quality. “House” is truly not just another “doctor show.” At its
best, it is a drama as complex as its title character that examines what makes
us human. Everyone who loves great television, great writing and great
performances owes it to themselves to check it out.