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Did you want House to stay in the asylum a little longer?

by Jane Boursaw, posted Sep 23rd 2009 2:07PM
House: BrokenWe used to be big House watchers in this house a few years ago. We loved seeing Dr. House be snarky and cynical, and while an addiction to Vicodin is tragic, it was part of who he was. Really, maybe that's part of what addiction is -- it becomes familiar and part of your psyche, and you don't want to give it up. I'm no therapist, though (clearly).

We lapsed with the show as it became more and more predictable, and even the addition of the new team and the Survivor-like way House picked them wasn't enough to make it must-see TV. We watched only an episode or two last season. House's spiral was sad, and we didn't want to watch it anymore. I know long-running shows have to evolve, but we had lost the old House.

But we eagerly tuned into the season premiere this week, and I feel like the old House is back, only better than ever. He still has lots of issues to work out, but the way he played the staff and patients at the mental hospital was classic, even to the point where he got some of it back from the staff. They're no dummies.

The storyline definitely gave House a much-needed reboot. I only wish he would have stayed in the mental hospital a little longer, like maybe another episode or two. The patients were all so kooky and damaged and funny, and I would have loved to see more of House's interactions with them, as well as the staff, led by the fabulous Andre Braugher. I'm a little nervous that the show will go back to being the procedural that Jason talked about in this post.

What about you? Are you liking the reboot (if, indeed, that's what you think it is). Are you nervous that it might return to its disease-of-the-week formula (or doesn't that bother you)? Would you have liked House to stay in the mental hospital just a little bit longer?

[Watch full episodes and clips of House, as well as other shows, over at SlashControl.]

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19 Comments

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Chris

If you've never seen a movie, do you want to know ending?

Any way, wow. It's not that big a deal. Just need to be a little bit more selective with the title.



Internet....Srs bsns.

September 24 2009 at 8:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jane Boursaw

I'd just like to know where this "cushy" schedule is ... :-)

c9 and Shaun and Craig - In your mind, how long should a TV blog wait before something isn't a spoiler?

Punk - I'm loving that spin-off idea.

September 24 2009 at 12:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jane Boursaw's comment
Craig

In the body of the article it's perfectly fine to have a spoiler at any point, because reading an article about a TV show would indicate spoiler potential. However, an article's title should never contain a spoiler, because a casual browser of IMDB or TVsquad could stumble across it, even if they were avoiding spoiler material to catch up on shows at a later date(the weekend, for instance).

September 24 2009 at 1:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Garrett

I liked the premiere but I know they have to get back to the regular show. I just hope that maybe we will see Alvi in an upcoming episode which could be if he gets better.

September 23 2009 at 9:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
chris

In a word. Yes.
The episode was fantastic. Made me realize how much I personally find the regular cast boring and unnecessary. I would have loved to have seen a whole year of House and Andre Braugher, as well as the further exploration of the relationship with the German woman. The actress who played that part was fantastic.

September 23 2009 at 8:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to chris's comment
GerryofNorVA

"...find the regular cast boring and unnecessary."

That's pretty insightful. I wonder if the regular cast was concerned about that ? Has to be an ego-killer at the least.

September 24 2009 at 1:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kate

I used to watch House but, like Jane, quit because House was too unpleasant. I thought this was the best episode EVER. I, too, dread what might happen in the weeks ahead; now I only watch to see Robert Sean Leonard, who never gets enough air time. Would love to see Andre Braugher again, too. Anyone know if Homicide is in reruns anywhere?!

September 23 2009 at 7:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Streamheat

Estimating House's stay in the hospital:

When Freedom Master jumps, Dr. Nolan states that House had been in for four weeks. He starts taking SSRIs the next day, which take five weeks to work. Figure at least another three for therapy and evaluation. Twelve weeks, or just under three months.

September 23 2009 at 7:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
wulfn1

I would have liked to see house stay just a bit longer at the asylum. It would have been great to watch him avoiding his issues (as he usually does) for another week or two , while expanding the characters in the asylum. They could have had the regular cast show up here and there for visitation (some to gloat maybe, some to worry) Though I think it would have harmed the show itself if they'd have kept him there beyond that.

September 23 2009 at 6:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ian

It's the sixth season and the show needs a redirection both for the viewers and for the sanity of the actors.
Let's hope that last night's show is a start for this.

September 23 2009 at 6:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
divineparasite

Do we know just how long he stayed in the asylum? Was it like three months or 60 days or six months? Seemed like he was there for an extended period of time but then the episode never indicated just how long his stay was.

September 23 2009 at 5:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
punksrus

Personally, I'm hoping this will be a spin-off. The staff was great, the stories are there, and the pleasure of getting to see the great Andre Braugher on a weekly basis would be fantastic!

September 23 2009 at 4:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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