This from Sacha Zimmerman, TV Critic for The New Republic, on the climax to "House, Season Three"
ast week, on its season finale, "House" dumped half the cast. Three of the six primary
players on the show--House's whole team--either quit or were fired. And so at the end, just like all those insipid programs that follow televisionland rules about the hero always surviving, House finds himself alone but bracing for a new season. No other character is so strong or so dominant; only House is essential. Losing House is as unlikely as losing Buffy. The producers have intriguingly made the show as narcissistic as the main character.
"But suddenly this attachment to the rules doesn't bother me. With a predictable plot, mean-spirited protagonist, and incomprehensible medical jargon, "House" shouldn't work. And yet, I find myself loving every minute of it. That's because on "House," while you certainly can't rely on spontaneity from the story line, you can get it from the voice of the show. And, in the case of "House," that is more than enough."
Here's Ms. Zimmerman's article, for those interested:
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w070604&s=zimmerman060407
As fans of the show, my wife and I were releived that Detective Tritter, an Inspector Javert-type bully's bully, was finally off the show a few episodes back . David Morse, the actor who played the one humilitated clinic patient determined to see House brought low, was truly a scary guy.
Of course, it's hard for a seasoned television watcher sometimes to really feel a threat to a main character on a continuing series--what would they retitle the show if force-of-nature Dr. Gregory House actually went to jail--"Cuddy, MD"? or "Meet Doctor Chase"? "House" should be around a couple more seasons. Thanks to the great writing, newer episodes are still far from feeling tired or repetitive.
And I thought that the Great Detective Tritter "scare" was enough for one season. And then it came up that Omar Epps' character, Doctor Eric Foreman , was going to likely leave the show. OK, that's unsettling. But that happens--it's a breaking up of one member of the gang, a bit of drama for the seaon finale. Hey, actors go on to do other things. New faces come in.
And one could easily imagine a real-life situation where a intelligent doctor could get tired of House's less-than-veiled racial remarks directed at him and his general snarkiness to all comers. The prime reason Dr. Foreman gave for leaving was that he didn't want to become like his boss. (Apart from his Sherlockian brillance at deducing illness, or his musical abilities, who would want to be this lonely and often angry guy?)
What I didn't expect was that "House" would wrap up with all three of the younger doctors on the show apparently gone. Now, THAT is a cliff hanger. Who will come back? It remains to be seen. I'd like to see all the actors back for Season Four, but I think too many gauntlets have been thrown down at this stage. One or two of the characters must be moving on; it would defy plausibility to do otherwise. Hopefully, the producers can keep the resolution under wraps until September.
For more on this fun and challenging show:
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