Yay, a better episode this week: "House vs. God"

[bironic]

Wilson should totally have been in the title of this episode.

Finally, we get to see Wilson in an extended conversation with one of his patients; ranks up there with his scenes in "Autopsy" with Andie and her mom. See, he can do doctor stuff and be effective! Except for it being undercut by the fact that he was dating her. (I have issues with the writing where that was concerned. It was a cheap trick, and many of the beginning scenes between Will Wilson and Grace don't sit right if you think back on them as having occurred between two people in a romantic relationship, however dysfunctional it may be. Not to mention all the ways in which it's inconsistent with how his character has been portrayed.) Nonetheless, I loved when he intervened in the hallway and checked to make sure Grace was okay, because he would have done that for any patient, girlfriend or no.

And, so he went to McGill! That explains why he sleeps in that Port Something-or-other Canada t-shirt.

Now.

Wilson, I love you, but you kind of suck at making sympathetic faces for your patients. Also your voice breaks too often now. But I respect that you don't sugar-coat bad news and that you worry about your patients crashing after the failure of false hope. Because I assume you do that for more patients than just Grace.

Directors, I love you too, but I don't need to see each of RSL's pores nor absently examine the make-up department's application of his blush. Please back off in future when characters are in hospital lighting.

However, you are free to stay as close to his face as you like when he is in House's apartment and they are squaring off. Oh my God. In the sweatshirt glaring at House while Chase snooped around Grace's apartment was possibly hotter than the sweater-vest in "Skin Deep." Need screen caps NOW. (Incidentally, how can you look vaguely cross-eyed in the beginning of an episode and eye-poppingly attractive in the middle of it?)

Speaking of which. House shoving Boyd back in the bed and ordering him to strip is the SEXIEST thing he has done in the entire series. Twice as sexy as the other time I thought House was hot, in the bathroom scene with Samantha Mathis in "Clueless." Hoo boy.

The slash it slashes everywhere. House is upset that Wilson moved out, and won't relinquish the last of his belongings; they argue in front of the kids ducklings,* who sit uncomfortably stunned and watch the sparks fly; Wilson's hurt he wasn't invited to House's place for cards; he does have a key to the apartment; the minute Wilson shows up at poker night, House stops paying attention to his other guests; House relies on him to act as Good Doc when he needs to gently convince a patient to do something; OMG the face-off over the poker table; he isn't willing to let Wilson run away from him and follows him out on the street despite there being three men sitting at his table; and, aw, his sheepish/hopeful face when asking Wilson if they're "okay." Similar to last week's cry of "No role-playing in the office!" when Wilson spouted his line about 'What are your orders, General House?', tonight there was a crack about candlelit dinners and roses when Wilson showed up Wednesday night and House was sitting there at the piano. And then he said something to someone about hiding something in a closet. (Yes, my memory is *just that awesome.*) And even my sister snorted when House made that comment about Wilson's "silver tongue."

Seriously, though, this was one of the best-ever episodes showcasing the complexities of their friendship. I have to watch it again before attempting to discuss the brilliance that was their argument in the living room/kitchen/street. Suffice it to say that it was great to see House really give as good as he gets from Wilson as far as relationship criticism and personality deconstruction go (see for contrast the rooftop scene in "Need to Know"). Also poignant was the moment where he thinks he might finally have gone too far and that Wilson is about to ditch him.

I did very much like how House accused him of needing needy people; it further cements Wilson's connection to Cameron.

Pardon -- a moment please for navel gazing: Though it's minor and predictable, I'm so happy to have written the line where Wilson responds to House's interruption in his office with, "Can it wait [5 minutes]?" especially since mine did originally have House hopping balconies and knocking on the glass door instead of the inside door, before I realized it had to be set in "Skin Deep" and he couldn't be that limber with his aching leg. Also the "he can't bring himself to say no" came up almost verbatim in an interview published today with Katie Jacobs and RSL. But, dammit, I got the Julie thing entirely backwards: she didn't need him too much, she stopped needing him. Grr. Though I suppose one could lead to the other; you could interpret that as she transferred her neediness to someone else...

Whatever, moving on.

Question: If Wilson complained to Grace that House wasn't inviting him to poker night, and she passed on the gossip to Boyd, then clearly she knew who he was; so why did Wilson refer to him as "a friend with boundary issues" at the beginning, and, if the explanation there is he was attempting a joke, why didn't she react more knowingly? I'm trying to give the writers the benefit of the doubt here.

I'm pleased at the way they handled the actual House vs. God thing. That could have gotten way out of hand. As it was, St. Patient never became annoying, House only had the one moment of hard-headed denial that could have harmed the kid, and he wasn't granted the victory of attributing the "auditory hallucinations" to a health problem but neither was that defeat rubbed in our faces. 'Nuff said.

And where was Cuddy?

*hawkeyecat and amazonqueenkate totally called this in their House/Wilson trilogy, the third part of which actually features the line "'not in front of the kids'."

Comments

[catilinarian.livejournal.com]

SO looking forward to this one making it over to England's green and pleasant land. (I find myself caring less and less about spoilers because I like reading your and Sam's commentary hot off the presses almost as much as I like watching the show!)

Until then, one note:

Wilson should totally have been in the title of this episode.

But he was. Wilson is God, remember?

(Seriously, I actually thought that was what the title referred to until I read the interview.)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Ha, I was thinking on my way in to work just now that I should have made the title of this post, "House vs. God Wilson God" to make that very point.

Glad these are entertaining someone besides myself! :)

[kabal42.livejournal.com]

I'm with catilinarian! I can't even watch the show and I enjoy your House-rants so much :-) It's almost like being there myself.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Whee! Glad to be of service. :)

Have to talk to you about Patronus. Great work on the site BTW. Getting excited....

[kabal42.livejournal.com]

:-)

Sure. When, how, where? And thanks, Lysa did the actual work there. Getting excited too...!

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I emailed you and asked half a million questions. Please don't hate me.

[kabal42.livejournal.com]

I don't :-) I just answered. Please just email back if I missed something or you need more answers.

[synn.livejournal.com]

so, when are we watching it?
b/c, you know, I didn't see it, and it's your responsibility as keeper of the house, to ensure that I view all necessary scenes or episodes.
*nods emphatically*

[bironic.livejournal.com]

What're you doing tonight?

I *totally* have to watch it again, and soon.

[synn.livejournal.com]

that depends on how my story goes today.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

'k. Keep me posted. If you want to work on it with a change of scenery, you could bring it over. Or, you know, not.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Or tomorrow (Saturday)?

Have your draft ready for beta-ing yet? nudge nudge.

[synn.livejournal.com]

haha... heh.
I have maybe two paragraphs more than when you read it.
So, no.