Like one of the previous reviewers, I have been watching all of the House episodes up to this one in a fairly short amount of time (I was watching the show several years ago, but stopped at some point). There were a few less-than-good episodes, but this one was unbearably bad.
I am not opposed to House being "fluffy;" actually I was somewhat turned off by his incessant abrasive and often downright nasty behavior towards Wilson and Cuddy, who are basically his only friends. I thought it was becoming somewhat implausible for them to not simply cut House off altogether.
However, the issues brought up in this episode were exceedingly clichéd. I don't think that it's possible to write an episode about rape or abortion (or dying) today that will *not* come across as hackneyed or trivial. Even if it is possible, this episode does not provide evidence of it.
Furthermore, the dialogue is terrible. I'm actually surprised this episode was written by the show's creator. I almost couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem as though David Shore spent a lot of time on this episode. I almost stopped watching when the dying old man said "I need someone to remember me." And regarding the other patient: One of the other reviewers pointed out that someone who is *this* comfortable with pressuring people into giving her what she wants by yelling "I was raped!" at them repeatedly does not appear that deeply troubled by the fact anymore. It just seemed very contrived and unnatural.
I also would have to agree that this episode seemed way out of character for Greg House (and remember I don't mind House being kind and gentle once in a while). I don't think he's the type of person to enjoy spiritual or metaphysical conversations in parks. Think about it this way: If someone had asked you prior to this episode what House would do if confronted with a rape victim, would your answer have been "Talk to Cameron, Foreman, and Chase to find out what he should say to her"? This episode, in my opinion, marks a drastic drop in quality compared to all prior episodes. As I move on to the next episodes I hope that it is *the* low point of the series (as opposed to one among several), and that the quality of the writing will return to the levels prior to this episode.
I am not opposed to House being "fluffy;" actually I was somewhat turned off by his incessant abrasive and often downright nasty behavior towards Wilson and Cuddy, who are basically his only friends. I thought it was becoming somewhat implausible for them to not simply cut House off altogether.
However, the issues brought up in this episode were exceedingly clichéd. I don't think that it's possible to write an episode about rape or abortion (or dying) today that will *not* come across as hackneyed or trivial. Even if it is possible, this episode does not provide evidence of it.
Furthermore, the dialogue is terrible. I'm actually surprised this episode was written by the show's creator. I almost couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem as though David Shore spent a lot of time on this episode. I almost stopped watching when the dying old man said "I need someone to remember me." And regarding the other patient: One of the other reviewers pointed out that someone who is *this* comfortable with pressuring people into giving her what she wants by yelling "I was raped!" at them repeatedly does not appear that deeply troubled by the fact anymore. It just seemed very contrived and unnatural.
I also would have to agree that this episode seemed way out of character for Greg House (and remember I don't mind House being kind and gentle once in a while). I don't think he's the type of person to enjoy spiritual or metaphysical conversations in parks. Think about it this way: If someone had asked you prior to this episode what House would do if confronted with a rape victim, would your answer have been "Talk to Cameron, Foreman, and Chase to find out what he should say to her"? This episode, in my opinion, marks a drastic drop in quality compared to all prior episodes. As I move on to the next episodes I hope that it is *the* low point of the series (as opposed to one among several), and that the quality of the writing will return to the levels prior to this episode.