House 6.whatever - the one after hiatus

[bironic]

1. Tee hee.

2. I have said it before about this show (and Boston Legal) and will doubtless say it again, but: making gay jokes about two guys on a show only tends to make them look more straight than before. I'd rather see them be friends, be close to each other, than have jokes made. They'd look a lot more like a couple if they could be shown having, I don't know, intimate conversations on the couch at night while the TV's on in the background—or something like when they were on opposite sides of the wall talking to dead people. Or, no—really what I mean is that it would be nice to see two straight guys do things like that and not have it necessarily be about being gay.*

2a. I mean, wow. There was way more subtext to drug guy/cop at the end there than there was with House and Wilson.

3. Regardless, it was kind of awesome to see Wilson declare his big gay love for another man in the middle of a public place near where he lives and works. Sure, it was probably easier for him than it would have been had he actually been gay—less to lose this way—but still an interesting departure from his usual self-consciousness about the way he's seen. Also, always fun to see him out-prank House.

3a. Speaking of out-pranking, since that seemed to be the theme of the night (Foreman pwns threesome, cop tricks dealers), I was waiting for 3B to be a lesbian who had at first been happy to bond with GLBT neighbors and then in it for the laughs once she figured out what was going on. Oh well.

4. Chase with that hair looks like Alexander Skarsgard. Hm. Or maybe that's because I was watching some True Blood reruns today and then also came upon wee!gard in Zoolander.

5. Ah ha ha, look—a heartfelt conversation on the couch at night while the TV's on.

6. That may have been the funniest part of the whole episode right there in the last ten seconds. Even with the whole "Characterization? Why bother when RSL can just be himself?"

ETA in the light of day: I was actually not as entertained by the episode as this reaction makes it sound. As others have since said, there was a lot of unhappy stereotyping that went unchallenged by other characters, and no one stopped to examine what H&W have and where it falls along the ol' homosocial continuum. Just overall handled with little sophistication. But -- not to be a whiner or anything -- it's been a while since this show handled anything with the sophistication I've hoped for. I didn't mention it because I don't expect the show to deliver it anymore. Alas.

*ETA 2: And by the same token, in case some of you weren't reading here in earlier seasons to hear me say it then, it will be nice when we're finally living in the time where two guys can do that on TV and be gay, whether they started out that way or not. Just -- looking for some diversity here, and for genuine relationships instead of all the joking.

...I still don't think what I want to say is coming across at all clearly. Should not post or try to ETA when sick.

ETA 3: http://bookshop.livejournal.com/1017712.html

Comments

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

I loved it, truly, even though I agree with #2.

Thing is, I can't see House and Wilson getting into their current living arrangements and there not being the whole thing with everyone thinking they're gay, and House having a field day with that. Because he's House.

So it totally worked for me, and the looks they gave each other across the table after the woman left were amazing. WILSON FTW!

I laughed loud and long at that scene at the end, and I'm with Wilson: that sofa is FUGLY. I see a tradeoff in the future, in which the sofa goes if the poster goes. Heh.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

There was way more subtext to drug guy/cop at the end there than there was with House and Wilson.

I kinda thought that was intentional -- the parallelism between H/W and drug guy/cop.

And now I really want someone to make a constructed-reality vid in which Wilson actually does propose to House!

[ignazwisdom.livejournal.com]

Loved it, but I agree with #2, and it does leave a bad taste in my mouth to think that they're pandering to us with this stuff while pulling the wool over our eyes.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I wanted this to be the ep for my birthday, but now I'm kind of glad it wasn't. Though I do love it when House and Wilson one-up each other, and I still very much think they're married.

I guess House had to buy a cheap couch because he spent so much moeny on that framed poster. O_O

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

PS. Did you notice that House and Wilson spent almost the entire episode reeeeeaaaaallllly far away from each other? Across the room from each other, or in that last scene, with the drop down arm rest/drink tray between them. (Sheesh, I have one of those of my couch, and I don't know what it's called. Hmph.)

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

Well, they were at odds pretty much throughout, so the physical distance makes sense.

Heh. I've been hanging out with the slashers long enough to think that perhaps that's what Wilson really doesn't like about that sofa, other than its spectacularly hideous design. He's used to sitting down and having House sit down right there, so this feels weird, even if Wilson's not consciously aware of why it doesn't seem right.

[ahab99.livejournal.com]

I totally agree that tv (and the world?) would be a better place if they could have straight guys be close and still be straight (all my gleeful slashing notwithstanding), but the thing with House and Wilson is that no matter which way you cut it they are the most important people in each other's lives. That is really the part about them that I love.

Of course, in the past things like Wilson saying "we're not together" instead of "we're not gay" didn't help them on the "totally straight guys here!" scale. And I do think it's fascinating that they're way more invested in messing with each other than finding other people to have actual sex with. ;)

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

6. I'd still vote for the restaurant scene, but I thought RSL was completely in his element this ep. Yay! XD

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

OK, now I wish House had made good with his threat of physical violence and reached across to grab at Wilson. In a manly (or, rather, boy-ly) "I will shut you up" way, and they'd end up wrestling while Wilson was continuing to sing. Hee hee hee. It'd be straight-man-friend friendly (a la sports fans and/or brothers) while slash-friendly too. :D

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Hee, that would have been lovely! I can see that with the 'brotherly' vibe (which of course would be open to criminal misinterpretation) :)

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

oh, that would have been awesome!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

If Boston Legal can have two grown med tied to each other while in bed together and still have it be straight, House has a lot of room to play in.

[i-sanguinity.livejournal.com]

T____________T I MISSED IT. Damn my switch from Comcast to Fios & the resulting loss of all DVR settings, auuugh!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Woe alas. Do you have backup options?

[i-sanguinity.livejournal.com]

I'll figure it out!! :)

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

a lot of unhappy stereotyping that went unchallenged by other characters

This came up while we were watching, and I thought that was exactly the point - House was playing directly into other people's stereotypes. Of course, I concede this does also act to reinforce them.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I guess the problem lay in the difference between House being House (and it was totally him to pull that voice and body language and the posters etc) and nobody mentioning that it's kind of offensive.

...I was going to say that Thirteen especially should have said something, except she didn't know what was going on, did she? I forget who said what in front of whom. But there was a perfect opening for 3B when Wilson said, 'We can't be gay, we don't even have any furniture.'

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

(here through usomitai) I have a very low embarrassment threshold and still found the proposal scene funny. House was so completely thoroughly thrown.
As for the stereotyping, I figure that was the point - that House and Wilson are so far from being gay that they have to fall back on stereotypes when discussing the topic.
While they were definitely milking it for the laughs, I'm glad they addressed the topic of how others must perceive their friendship and now living situation.
(May I friend you?)