News flash: We aren't the only ones who want House to deal with a mysteriously ill Wilson

[bironic]

For the last ten days or so, TV writer and BtVS alum Jane Espenson has been giving tips on her blog on how to prepare spec scripts for the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, and one of the shows she's been using to demonstrate examples is House. It makes me wish that she would write for the show; aside from being a fantastic script writer, she -- at least, as these posts imply -- appreciates Wilson's importance in the series.

The two posts that discuss House the most are:

Making Yourself Comfortable in the House or Office - On writing a script that achieves a balance between standing out and feeling like it belongs in the series. My favorite part:

Use all the major regular characters. If Wilson isn't in your House, it's going to feel less like a "real" episode. That relationship is important to the show, so you should make an effort to service it.

Although Wilson is a Best Friend, He is Not Also a Volleyball - On writing an effective teaser (which I've now learned is called a "cold opening") and whether to include or exclude a regular character in it. The part that makes me want to drag Espenson onto the House writing team:

I think if I were writing a House spec, I would start with Wilson (House's best friend, an oncologist) puzzling over a patient of his who has been brought in with some acute and alarming symptoms. While the patient struggles to breathe, Wilson picks up the phone and urgently demands that House come to his exam room right away. House enters (complaining) and looks confused to find the patient, still breathless and apparently alone. House is about to pivot on his cane-point and exit, when the patient points, panting, down out of frame. The camera TILTS down to find Wilson, lying unconscious at House's feet.

Sick!Wilson: it's not just for fanfic anymore. No, but really, that's one of the great things about Espenson: she writes with a fan's appreciation.

Some of the stuff in these and the other posts sounded very common sense to me, but if you're an aspiring TV writer yourself or are interested in House or TV writing in general, I recommend checking out the rest in the Disney fellowship theme, which start down the page on May 14 ("The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). Or, you know, subscribing to her blog in general.

Comments

[zulu.livejournal.com]

Dear Jane Espenson:

Plz to be joining the House staff soonest. Like Doris Egan, you are my hero. Also, nearly a year later, I cannot get over the fact that I was once in a room with both of you at the same time, and you talked together about the implications of slash. Clearly you are sympatico. Ergo, together you should write House/Wilson. Quod est demonstratum, or some other equally apt Latin phrase.

Love, me.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

She and Doris Egan are friends, aren't they? Or at least acquaintances of the sort who have occasional lunches together.

At what glorious event did you hear them talk?

[zulu.livejournal.com]

I don't know if they're friend-friends, but certainly they're happy acquaintances at least. I saw them at WorldCon last year, in L.A.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Neat. You didn't happen to post about it, did you?

[zulu.livejournal.com]

Um, after checking my archive, it'd appear that the answer to that is "Not in a helpful way." There is a lot of squee and flailing in my WorldCon tag, though.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Alas. *investigates anyway*

...

I stood within it and rimmed the Ring of the Ancestors.

BWAH.

Also, LOL, Suzie Plakson. Haven't heard that name in like 15 years.

[purridot.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes, yes yes.

There hasn't been sick!Wilson yet, but you know there will, someday. And House will be a jerk and have us screaming at the TV. Until the one tender moment that melts out little slashy-tinted hearts. <3

[bironic.livejournal.com]

If there is in fact some unspoken rule of House that every plot point or character evolution/devolution/stasis must be repeated at least once, then I dearly hope "Euphoria" will be reincarnated with Wilson as the patient whose life is in danger. And you're right, it'll have us yelling and tearing our hair out, except for that one little tidbit, which still won't be enough. *g*

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

The camera TILTS down to find Wilson, lying unconscious at House's feet.

I'm sure this is going to sound horribly inappropriate, but it just gives me the warm fuzzies to find out that a real live scriptwriter has even thought about this scenario.

Now if she were just one of the scriptwriters on House ...

[bironic.livejournal.com]

'xactly.

And, how could I say that sounds horribly inappropriate when I've just pretty much built a post around the same little thrill?

[dangomango.livejournal.com]

If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right. *g*

[idonmatrix.livejournal.com]

I'm wanna be wrong right along with you caused Wilson lying unconscious at House's feet is just filled with awesomeness.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

I also felt terribly happy just reading that snippet, because, you know, she's a real scriptwriter. LOL. Now, if we could just get her onto the show...

House will have to show he cares one day, you know. Grrr.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I think most of the caring got used up in the first two seasons. This makes me sad.

I also felt terribly happy just reading that snippet, because, you know, she's a real scriptwriter. - Yes, exactly. It's great to know that other professionals are glancing at this show and realizing it would be great drama to use Wilson in an episode to trigger one of those all-important Emotional Realizations in House.

(Aren't you supposed to be on holiday? All this time zone stuff confuses me.)

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

Off on holiday tomorrow - that's around Saturday night/Sunday morning your time :)

C'mon, House! You can do it again! XD

[bell]

Now I feel even worse for not appreciating Jane Espenson while watching Buffy. I will mend the errors of my ways and regard her with an even higher appreciation! (More seriously, I wasn't all that impressed with most of her Buffy episodes, but I do like her meta/analysis/writing tips. She also wrote a great introduction to "Buffy Slang"-- it was a present!-- that far surpasses the rest of the book in terms of quality.)

Oh, if she wrote for the show... *daydreams*

Problem with sick!Wilson, though, is that Foreman went there. So I'd want Wilson to get a three-parter except that oh yeah I'm against story arcs on House. XD

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Heh. Or he could DIE, and House would mourn him with a montage of whiskey and piano playing and office cleaning and the funeral, and then the next week Cameron would make a comment or ten about it, and by the third week it'll be as if Wilson had never been there.

More seriously, I wasn't all that impressed with most of her Buffy episodes

Ah, man -- they weren't all great, but "Earshot" and "Pangs" are two of my favorite BtVS episodes ever. I remember "Conversations with Dead People" being intense, though I only watched it once. And "Shindig" from Firefly!

*g* I haven't read Slayer Slang, but I did hear Michael Adams speak at the Whedonverses conference last year (third paragraph down over here (http://bironic.livejournal.com/36115.html#cutid1)). His lecture was entertaining, in a deliciously geeky linguistic kind of way, though some of his arguments were a bit fishy.

[bell]

Or he could DIE... by the third week it'll be as if Wilson had never been there.

!!!! DON'T SAY SUCH THINGS. I'd have to stop watching and find some other tv series that isn't as frustrating. XD (...At least RSL could go back to NYC all the richer.)

Will grant you "Earshot" (brilliant!) and I've forgotten which is "Pangs"? But the overall quality was so high on the show that hers didn't shine out most of the time. To me. :D

My frustration with the book was that he stayed at a superficial level and didn't dig deep enough for my taste. Kind of a "What Language is Like on BtVS for Those Who Only Watched One Episode."

[bironic.livejournal.com]

LOL your icon.

"Pangs" was the Thanksgiving episode, first year of college, enraged awakened Shumash Indian, Xander got syphilis and smallpox, Spike was tied to a chair, Angel showed up, etc.

Kind of a "What Language is Like on BtVS for Those Who Only Watched One Episode."

Oh, that's too bad. An in-depth book-length linguistic analysis could be so great, considering all the things BtVS did with language play.

[jerico-cacaw.livejournal.com]

You need to cross-post this to sick_wilson. Really, really really.

And I'm not squeeing or doing anything equally embarrassing. I swear.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hee. I don't belong to that community (have used sick!Wilson icon to compensate), but you're welcome to link to this post over there if you like.

[jerico-cacaw.livejournal.com]

Will do, thanks!

[geekygecko.livejournal.com]

Thank you for allowing jerico_cacaw to post this link to sick_wilson. You absolutely made my day! Thank you from the bottom of my tortured little Sick!Wilson soul. :)

[bironic.livejournal.com]

From one fan of sick!Wilson to another: You're quite welcome!

[renoir-girl.livejournal.com]

LOL, when I read that I thought, "Aw, c'mon Jane, that's almost a cliche..." ehehe.

I love her blog. Read it constantly since tightropegirl first mentioned her.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hee. I like Doris Egan's more in-depth posts, but there's something to be said for Espenson's "short, sweet and frequent" approach. I loved her work on the BtVS/Angel/Firefly team, but I didn't know she had a blog until someone recommended it to me at the Slayage conference last year. Then I kept forgetting about it, and only added the feed a few weeks or months ago (how sad is it that I can't remember?).

[renoir-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the short, sweet, frequent approach works much better for me. It's very difficult to hold a finger in the middle of a blog post, but I can read through a short one quickly and won't see following ones come up on my reader until I'm ready for them.

I gather you're in a profession that gives you multiple opportunities for uninterrupted contemplation--but maybe that's an erroneous assumption based on your default icon. ehehe. Am I wrong?

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha *wipes eyes* No, my job is a madhouse of multitasking that has completely splintered my attention span over the course of three years. Fortunately, it hasn't ruined my fondness for depth over breadth or frequency. It just takes several window-minimizings or sittings to get through longer posts/stories. I wish, I wish I had more time for uninterrupted contemplation.

[thisisaname55.livejournal.com]

It makes me mad that the writers aren't getting the hint. Wilson getting sick would be such an obviously good episode. It's like the episode is prepared, packaged and ready to go. There's always next year but I doubt it will happen.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

It's like the episode is prepared, packaged and ready to go.

Maybe that's one of the reasons they haven't done it: it's too obvious or predictable. I'd love to see it happen, but it does make sense that the writers have so far only chosen to explore House's reaction to the impending death of someone whose relationship to House was less well-defined than Wilson's. Maybe if they paid more attention more often to Wilson and House's friendship, we wouldn't be hoping so hard for Wilson to land in the ICU just so House would say he means something to him!

[thisisaname55.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure "House, M.D." has had a few off episodes. Despite its total obviousness, a sick Wilson episode can't be any worse than that one with that rape victim. Sick Wilson already has a fanbase. It's less of a risk.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Ah, true. We would just need to keep David Shore far, far away from the sick!Wilson script.

[thisisaname55.livejournal.com]

We could always hope for Miss Patron Saint, Doris Egan.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Hee. Then we'd get to meet all of Wilson's wives when they come to his bedside, and at one point (at least), he and House would have a spectacular fight even as Wilson lies there weak and pale with tubes and IVs.

[thisisaname55.livejournal.com]

The fight would be over House's jealousy of Wilson's wives, cleverly disguised as something nonsexual, but not missed by the House/Wilson fans.

[elynittria.livejournal.com]

Reading her teaser makes me desperately want to see that episode (i.e., the one she'd write for such a scenario). We need an episode like that after this season!

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

I got nuthin' but this icon to add to the conversation. *g*

Except, you know, that they *don't* kill Wilson off. Though RSL does suffer very prettily.

[ahab99.livejournal.com]

Oh, for real: if only all of the actual House writers felt that way about #1. He is so criminally underused in some episodes that it's like the writer forget he was even a character...

[psychedk.livejournal.com]

Funny, when I gave an example of an opener, I also included Wilson in it. And House. But I'm a H/W fan, so no surprise there.

Sorry for the late reply, and I don't know if it's been mentioned, but Jane Espenson admittet after Buffy ended that she read Spike/Xander fanfic :P So another great reason for bringing her onto the show would be that she's a slasher, and we could probably count on her to give us some great HoYay :D