House – The consequences of being reckless

When we got the screener for this episode of House, the powers that be were sure to tell us how much fun they had filming “After Hours,” which takes place when the team isn’t at work. I get that it was interesting, compelling, had strong characterization, was a little bit gory … but it wasn’t much fun. It was pretty dark, dude … well, except for Chase falling asleep while reading a book on The Crusades. Therein lies the only comic relief of the episode.

Taub is still just as selfish as he’s ever been, billboard epiphany or not. He’s not thinking one bit about Ruby in any of this baby drama, or the child — he’s only thinking of himself, yet again. I love how Foreman’s got Taub pegged and doesn’t cut him much slack, but in the end, a psychotic exotic dancer (is that a tongue-twister?) is all it takes to urge Taub to leave his legacy behind in the form of Ruby’s baby. Whatever. I hardly think a baby can change Taub from selfish into someone who could be a good parent; I’ll need to see it to believe it.

I like the bond that seems to be forming between Chase and Thirteen. They seem to be accepting and almost needing the darkness in the other. Thirteen killed her brother, Chase hit and grabbed Thirteen so hard he left a mark on her neck. I really thought they were going to drop to the floor and have sex right there in Thirteen’s bedroom, ignoring the minor distraction of the bleeding woman in the bed. My favorite part was when Chase was trying to tell Thirteen she needed to talk to someone who wasn’t a therapist, but she didn’t know how he could help because he didn’t know what it was like to live with the fact that you killed another person (way, way paraphrased, and awkwardly too). Chase’s very cool answer, “Let’s grab a coffee,” was so delightfully understated … I’m almost sorry we didn’t get to see Thirteen’s reaction when Chase spilled the beans about how he killed Darth Vader, but then again, it really was done perfectly.

House doing surgery on himself fits, but I certainly didn’t want to watch it — gross! It was interesting that he called Cuddy last, yet she was the one he could really count on. He opened up to her, said he trusted her and she stayed with him while he needed her. I’m just not sure where they are going with that. It’s been said that the powers that be will not put House and Cuddy back together, but Rachel’s letter to him was so sweet, I’m wondering if her mom wishes that House still came over to play too.

The part where Cuddy said that the whole experimental drug thing wasn’t about making his leg better, it was about making his life better (which was also said in a previous episode or two), and that unhappy people do reckless things really set Wilson up for success in that last masterful scene. Timing is everything. The two most important people in House’s life tell him he can’t keep going like this just after he has topped reckless with really reckless (or do experimental drugs trump self-surgery?), the universe aligns and House is able to admit that he knows he can’t. And we’ve come full circle — House can’t escape all of the personal growth he’s experienced in the last two seasons; he knows he can’t go back to being the reckless addict. Nicely done, writers.

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on May 16, 2011 @ 21:00 EST5EDT