"Euphoria," Part II
May. 4th, 2006 02:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bironicIt is a testament to how much I love and admire this show that I didn't really enjoy "Euphoria."
Let me explain. I don't mean to imply that people who did like it aren't good fans. I don't mean that it was not compelling television. What I do mean is, I was disappointed by how much the writers/producers could have done -- and have proved before that they can do -- but didn't. There were several fascinating plot and character lines they could have pursued, and in greater depth than usual because of the extra hour, but instead they delivered two weak episodes instead of one strong one. The whole thing left me with that same tugging dissatisfaction as "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie." Which a lot of people seem to have loved also. *shrug*
Dudes. Foreman was DYING. This was the perfect opportunity to touch on each character's relationship with him, to delve into his background and "true" personality as seen under extreme pressure, to follow up on the earlier discussion with Chase re: his father's faith and his own lack of it. We got some of the first with Cameron* and House and even Cuddy, but nothing with Chase, who wasn't even around at the end. We hardly got any of the second, just a vague reference to his sick mother. If the needle-stick was supposed to indicate anything about his inner ruthlessness, it was undercut by the fact that we can blame his action mostly on the brain-damaging effects of his illness; and Cameron called him on the fact that his apology was stemming from guilt now that he was facing death rather than from any real sense of remorse. Fourthly, the faith conflict never came to a head. Going behind his father's back to make Cameron his informed medical proxy was used more as a plot device to set up the House/Cameron showdown than to address the significant obstacle between Foreman Jr. and Sr. I get that most times they probably avoid talking about it, but this shouldn't have been one of them.
While we're on the subject, waste of Chase. Lack of Chase. Take your pick. If you have a character who went to seminary school before becoming a doctor, it's irresponsible not to put him in conversation with a kid who claims to be a faith healer and to neglect him again when his colleague's father needs guidance and is talking to you in a chapel, for Heaven's sake. Is it really too much to ask for even one line? Urgh.
*A resolution which would have been even better if the article-stealing had happened more than two episodes ago. It's always more satisfying to watch plot threads evolve over a season or several seasons instead of within one episode or a couple of weeks.
The Good
Cuddy's speech. Best performance Lisa Edelstein has given in the series. No one can disagree.
"We don't have the equipment for you to be 'really careful.'"
"*giggle* You're a doof." I'm sorry, I really am, but that's my favorite line.
A neurologist with possibly-permanent brain damage. It's "so like rain on your wedding day."
House's line about how pain, and fear of pain, leads you to make stupid decisions.
Cuddy telling House to *stop* doing clinic hours.
Cameron getting to explain what was wrong with the patient. Also, AMOEBAS! Because it's fun to say, even if it's not the correct plural (bad Cameron).
House standing at the pulpit.
Wilson once again saving the day, more or less, by providing the Moment of Inspiration. And House's line in the same scene about having had to use Steve because 'who knows what antibiotics' pet-store rats have been fed.
Neglected a great line from Part I. House over the MRI intercom to Foreman, regarding his colleague straining to maneuver the corpse into the scanner: "Dr. Foreman, Dr. Chathe requireth your athithtanth."
The Bad
Unnecessary stupidity/contrivance on both the characters' and writers' parts. For instance:
House's hot-and-cold treatment of Wilson. In one scene it's all "go away and let me think" and in the next it's "pull up a chair and chat." Also -- after ordering Cameron and Chase to stay away from people and animals they care about, he takes Steve on the tour of DOOM through the cop's biohazard of an apartment and lets Wilson sit right beside him and lean in. Again, there's self-destructive, and then there's exposing your friends to mysterious deadly diseases: a slightly out-of-proportion retaliation for lying about getting an apartment. Wilson knew the risks though. Of hanging around him, I mean.
The Ambivalent
I'm not sure I agree with Wilson's claim that House can't get close to his patients because he starts to care about them and is then reluctant to go all-out in treating them. It may be true that his clinical detachment serves him extremely well and that personal involvement hampers his effectiveness, but House cared about Foreman before he was a patient, and he wouldn't, I don't think, have hesitated this much with someone he hadn't met before but grew to admire during treatment (like the senator from S1).
Now. To be blunt: People who were upset at "seeing House's soft side" can bite me. First of all, we've seen it before, and these moments in which he lets his guard down are great every time except for some of his scenes with Stacy. And Hugh Laurie proved once again that he is a damn good actor. That look in his eyes when he gave Foreman his Legionnaire's pills said everything his words didn't (and was also ten times more moving than the lovey-dovey faces he had to make at Stacy). I said it in the Part I post and I'll say it again: Obviously, House cares deeply for his three ducklings, Wilson, Cuddy and Stacy. And his parents. And Steve. What was interesting here is that his attachment to the patient rivaled his desire to solve the medical mystery as far as motivating factors went. I don't recall another episode where House seemed to be working to save the patient, the person, as much as to determine and cure the illness.
It was visible in the little things. He was willing to sacrifice his rat for Foreman. It doesn't matter that Steve survived (of course Steve survived; House never really loses), it's the fact that he risked him. I'm not counting the fact that he returned to the cop's apartment without his hazmat suit or that he left his infected rat in his own apartment with no safety precautions. He *climbed a ladder* for him. Am I underestimating what he can do comfortably without his cane, or did anyone else think that was an impressive show of determination? And his relief when Foreman recovered was clear even though all he was doing was checking the man's reflexes and asking the necessary questions.
If by "soft side" we're including how he's surprisingly good with kids, forget it -- I wouldn't have traded this clinic appointment for anything. The high-five with the little girl was as cute as when he automatically held out his hand for Dakota Fanning's sister.
And he wasn't by any means all "soft." He was still offensive (quipping "Not 'what,' 'who.' They can even vote now." to Cuddy upon presenting Mr. Foreman) and Machiavellian (convincing Foreman to take a tissue sample from the dead cop after Cuddy, and indirectly the CDC, expressly forbade him to mess with it at the risk of outbreak).
Leftovers
More Cameron/Wilson similarities: They both stand with their hands on their hips when facing off against House.
More reasons for House to be impressed by Cameron: She told off Cuddy. She insisted on doing the white matter biopsy and held out for him as long as she thought medically responsible -- and then a little longer. And they both solved the case this time, arriving independently at the same conclusion at about the same time. (Never mind that House, of course, needed no test results to back up his surmise.)
Final verdict: Tightened into one hour, these would have made a top-tier episode. Stretched out into two, though, they were B- to C-grade at best, as compared with "All In" and "House vs. God"'s A's.
Let me explain. I don't mean to imply that people who did like it aren't good fans. I don't mean that it was not compelling television. What I do mean is, I was disappointed by how much the writers/producers could have done -- and have proved before that they can do -- but didn't. There were several fascinating plot and character lines they could have pursued, and in greater depth than usual because of the extra hour, but instead they delivered two weak episodes instead of one strong one. The whole thing left me with that same tugging dissatisfaction as "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie." Which a lot of people seem to have loved also. *shrug*
Dudes. Foreman was DYING. This was the perfect opportunity to touch on each character's relationship with him, to delve into his background and "true" personality as seen under extreme pressure, to follow up on the earlier discussion with Chase re: his father's faith and his own lack of it. We got some of the first with Cameron* and House and even Cuddy, but nothing with Chase, who wasn't even around at the end. We hardly got any of the second, just a vague reference to his sick mother. If the needle-stick was supposed to indicate anything about his inner ruthlessness, it was undercut by the fact that we can blame his action mostly on the brain-damaging effects of his illness; and Cameron called him on the fact that his apology was stemming from guilt now that he was facing death rather than from any real sense of remorse. Fourthly, the faith conflict never came to a head. Going behind his father's back to make Cameron his informed medical proxy was used more as a plot device to set up the House/Cameron showdown than to address the significant obstacle between Foreman Jr. and Sr. I get that most times they probably avoid talking about it, but this shouldn't have been one of them.
While we're on the subject, waste of Chase. Lack of Chase. Take your pick. If you have a character who went to seminary school before becoming a doctor, it's irresponsible not to put him in conversation with a kid who claims to be a faith healer and to neglect him again when his colleague's father needs guidance and is talking to you in a chapel, for Heaven's sake. Is it really too much to ask for even one line? Urgh.
*A resolution which would have been even better if the article-stealing had happened more than two episodes ago. It's always more satisfying to watch plot threads evolve over a season or several seasons instead of within one episode or a couple of weeks.
The Good
Cuddy's speech. Best performance Lisa Edelstein has given in the series. No one can disagree.
"We don't have the equipment for you to be 'really careful.'"
"*giggle* You're a doof." I'm sorry, I really am, but that's my favorite line.
A neurologist with possibly-permanent brain damage. It's "so like rain on your wedding day."
House's line about how pain, and fear of pain, leads you to make stupid decisions.
Cuddy telling House to *stop* doing clinic hours.
Cameron getting to explain what was wrong with the patient. Also, AMOEBAS! Because it's fun to say, even if it's not the correct plural (bad Cameron).
House standing at the pulpit.
Wilson once again saving the day, more or less, by providing the Moment of Inspiration. And House's line in the same scene about having had to use Steve because 'who knows what antibiotics' pet-store rats have been fed.
Neglected a great line from Part I. House over the MRI intercom to Foreman, regarding his colleague straining to maneuver the corpse into the scanner: "Dr. Foreman, Dr. Chathe requireth your athithtanth."
The Bad
Unnecessary stupidity/contrivance on both the characters' and writers' parts. For instance:
- Why, why, why did House go back to the apartment without his hazmat suit? There's self-destructive, and then there's idiotic recklessness. Plus, not believable; he cares about Foreman more than a lot of people might think, but not enough to throw away his own life like that.
- (Back to Part I) Cameron had to run from the lab to the quarantine room and House's office to relay the urgent news that the sample tested negative, arriving just late enough to lose the cop. The explanation for this drama was that she didn't get cell phone reception down there. Um, shouldn't there be a wall phone in the hospital lab, just like there's one in Foreman's room?
House's hot-and-cold treatment of Wilson. In one scene it's all "go away and let me think" and in the next it's "pull up a chair and chat." Also -- after ordering Cameron and Chase to stay away from people and animals they care about, he takes Steve on the tour of DOOM through the cop's biohazard of an apartment and lets Wilson sit right beside him and lean in. Again, there's self-destructive, and then there's exposing your friends to mysterious deadly diseases: a slightly out-of-proportion retaliation for lying about getting an apartment. Wilson knew the risks though. Of hanging around him, I mean.
The Ambivalent
I'm not sure I agree with Wilson's claim that House can't get close to his patients because he starts to care about them and is then reluctant to go all-out in treating them. It may be true that his clinical detachment serves him extremely well and that personal involvement hampers his effectiveness, but House cared about Foreman before he was a patient, and he wouldn't, I don't think, have hesitated this much with someone he hadn't met before but grew to admire during treatment (like the senator from S1).
Now. To be blunt: People who were upset at "seeing House's soft side" can bite me. First of all, we've seen it before, and these moments in which he lets his guard down are great every time except for some of his scenes with Stacy. And Hugh Laurie proved once again that he is a damn good actor. That look in his eyes when he gave Foreman his Legionnaire's pills said everything his words didn't (and was also ten times more moving than the lovey-dovey faces he had to make at Stacy). I said it in the Part I post and I'll say it again: Obviously, House cares deeply for his three ducklings, Wilson, Cuddy and Stacy. And his parents. And Steve. What was interesting here is that his attachment to the patient rivaled his desire to solve the medical mystery as far as motivating factors went. I don't recall another episode where House seemed to be working to save the patient, the person, as much as to determine and cure the illness.
It was visible in the little things. He was willing to sacrifice his rat for Foreman. It doesn't matter that Steve survived (of course Steve survived; House never really loses), it's the fact that he risked him. I'm not counting the fact that he returned to the cop's apartment without his hazmat suit or that he left his infected rat in his own apartment with no safety precautions. He *climbed a ladder* for him. Am I underestimating what he can do comfortably without his cane, or did anyone else think that was an impressive show of determination? And his relief when Foreman recovered was clear even though all he was doing was checking the man's reflexes and asking the necessary questions.
If by "soft side" we're including how he's surprisingly good with kids, forget it -- I wouldn't have traded this clinic appointment for anything. The high-five with the little girl was as cute as when he automatically held out his hand for Dakota Fanning's sister.
And he wasn't by any means all "soft." He was still offensive (quipping "Not 'what,' 'who.' They can even vote now." to Cuddy upon presenting Mr. Foreman) and Machiavellian (convincing Foreman to take a tissue sample from the dead cop after Cuddy, and indirectly the CDC, expressly forbade him to mess with it at the risk of outbreak).
Leftovers
More Cameron/Wilson similarities: They both stand with their hands on their hips when facing off against House.
More reasons for House to be impressed by Cameron: She told off Cuddy. She insisted on doing the white matter biopsy and held out for him as long as she thought medically responsible -- and then a little longer. And they both solved the case this time, arriving independently at the same conclusion at about the same time. (Never mind that House, of course, needed no test results to back up his surmise.)
Final verdict: Tightened into one hour, these would have made a top-tier episode. Stretched out into two, though, they were B- to C-grade at best, as compared with "All In" and "House vs. God"'s A's.
no subject
Date: May. 5th, 2006 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: May. 5th, 2006 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: May. 5th, 2006 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: May. 5th, 2006 07:09 pm (UTC)Still waiting on that photo for you. Part I caps are up but not Part II. Stay tuned.
no subject
Date: May. 5th, 2006 08:07 pm (UTC)Though, pet shop owners here are ruthless like that and many don't know that rats need to be more than one in a cage... *Sigh* Well, enough animal rights babble for now.
I'm tuned and waiting :-)
no subject
Date: May. 6th, 2006 12:07 am (UTC)Here you go!
cap credit
no subject
Date: May. 6th, 2006 01:49 pm (UTC)And that is an adorable rat :-) I went all "Awww..." and melted. He's a pretty one, (and an agouti) and very cute.