Spring Break
'House' needs a new prescription
Dalton Boland
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: The Edge
With Vicodin hallucinations and a clueless Gregory House, season five of "House" certainly ended with a bang. All summer, promos pointed to a brand new show, with House in a mental hospital and the team fighting to keep the diagnostics department alive. The show was sure to take a whole new direction, and I was positively giddy with anticipation.
For the first hour and 45 minutes of season six, I got exactly what I was waiting for: House truly as a patient and his team acting surprisingly similar to a headless chicken. Then, the show returned to the same formulaic style it has held for five years.
Some people might try to argue, "Well the team has changed!" True, but the team really has only evolved back into the same cast it had from seasons one to three. House, Foreman, Cameron and Chase; we've dealt with this group for years now.
I am not arguing that "House" is a bad show, merely that the new season is the biggest letdown of the year. They've driven their episode plot formula into the ground and somehow dodged a change that would have brought about some new vigor. As we get deeper into the season, it seems certain to return to what it has always been. Every episode, with a few exceptions, has been more or less the same thing.
The scene opens on average people, doing the one thing that defines their personality for the episode. Nine times out of 10, this is something that House has a complete and utter hatred for. Everything is going fine until inevitably, they go unconscious. Who's the only doctor capable of finding an answer? House.
The team meets in the diagnostics department to discuss the patient. They shoot out possible causes while House watches. It doesn't matter what they say, he already has his own diagnosis. He tells them to run a test. Insert racially or culturally insensitive remark about one of the team members here.
They test. Everything is working out fine until the patient convulses, goes into shock or starts bleeding out of some random orifice. The failed diagnosis is matched with a new symptom.
For the first hour and 45 minutes of season six, I got exactly what I was waiting for: House truly as a patient and his team acting surprisingly similar to a headless chicken. Then, the show returned to the same formulaic style it has held for five years.
Some people might try to argue, "Well the team has changed!" True, but the team really has only evolved back into the same cast it had from seasons one to three. House, Foreman, Cameron and Chase; we've dealt with this group for years now.
I am not arguing that "House" is a bad show, merely that the new season is the biggest letdown of the year. They've driven their episode plot formula into the ground and somehow dodged a change that would have brought about some new vigor. As we get deeper into the season, it seems certain to return to what it has always been. Every episode, with a few exceptions, has been more or less the same thing.
The scene opens on average people, doing the one thing that defines their personality for the episode. Nine times out of 10, this is something that House has a complete and utter hatred for. Everything is going fine until inevitably, they go unconscious. Who's the only doctor capable of finding an answer? House.
The team meets in the diagnostics department to discuss the patient. They shoot out possible causes while House watches. It doesn't matter what they say, he already has his own diagnosis. He tells them to run a test. Insert racially or culturally insensitive remark about one of the team members here.
They test. Everything is working out fine until the patient convulses, goes into shock or starts bleeding out of some random orifice. The failed diagnosis is matched with a new symptom.
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