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Alice Holmes

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2 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:


Probably just as well that I never started watching the show, then.  At that point I would have either quit in disgust or else like you I would have spent the rest of the series yelling at the screen.

I suppose they were going for "realism," but if I wanted that I'd watch the news.

 

House is a very flawed character, which incorporates both good and bad. The first four seasons were the high point; after that, as too often happens with medical dramas (cf. ER; Grey's Anatomy) most of the original cast had departed, to be replaced with 'younger, hotter' interns, whose hooking up and romance soap operas overrode the medical drama which was the ostensible reason for the show in the first place.  Addicts also become very tedious after a while with their antisocial behaviors.  After House went off the air,  the baton for self-destructive addict-centric dramedy was picked up by Showtime's Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco, a sort of female House, albeit she's a nurse.  A nurse in a busy Manhattan ER with unfettered access to really good drugs.  Her Achilles heel is the same as House's, an addiction to pain narcotics initially taken to manage a real medical issue.

House is worth a view to see how thoroughly a very skilled actor can become a completely different person.  I actually had not seen of any of Hugh Laurie's work prior to House and so I had no difficulty at all accepting him as a doctor from New Jersey.  He's brilliant, and the role has a bit of everything, including physical humor.  It's realistic to a point, though it's really astounding how many extremely rare (like in, never before seen in humankind) diseases wind up in House's diagnostic unit.  The comparison to Sherlock Holmes is apt because until the show started losing its focus around about Season 4, the 'medical mystery solving' aspect was front and center.  Hugh would make a fantastic Victorian era Holmes, but this was the next best thing.  Hard to believe that it's been 17 years since the show started.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Please excuse the interruption!  A new member has posted a question in General Sherlock Holmes Discussion:

1 hour ago, Kathleen B. said:

I am hoping to find any thoughts that Holmes had about love for a screenplay I am writing. [....] I have delved into a few of Doyle's books with nothing noteworthy thus far. Are there any specific titles you feel I should read on the subject? 

I have pointed her to the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia and the end of The Three Garridebs, but there are surely other tidbits that I know nothing about.  So if you ACD aficionados have comments or suggestions, please pop over to this thread [link].

Thank you, and we now return to the House discussion.

 

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  • 1 month later...

I’ve never ‘binge-watched’ anything in my life but it’s the only way that I can describe the way I’ve watched House. I’ve just watched the final episode - number 177 Everybody Dies and I have to say that I’m already feeling that there’s a House-shaped hole in my life.🙁

I don’t usually get absorbed in TV shows or movies ( unless it’s you-know-who of course) but I became totally absorbed in House. I pretty much loved everything about it; especially the characters. House is a complex figure and one that you can easily imagine yourself wanting to strangle if you actually knew him in real life but I still found myself having sympathy for him and even really liking him. The similarities to Holmes are very obvious of course - he’s a genius, he’s an addict, he gets bored easily, he sees people/patients as problems to solve. He’s a loner who hates anything that he can’t explain (or have at least a measure of control over) He’s totally unimpressed by status or authority; he’s incapable of diplomacy he’s unconventional and he likes to shock. And he’s sarcastic and funny. What’s not to like? 
 

The other characters are great too. Especially his Watson (Wilson) As Hikari said the characters change over the years but I still found something in all of them. Whether it was Masters, Cuttler, Taub, Thirteen or Amber (or Cutthroat Bitch as House charmingly named her) Usually when something like this ends I tend to hope that it will be revisited at some point in the future but I don’t think that I would want to see House without Wilson but viewers are left with a massive question. What would happen to House and how would he cope when the time came that he lost his only friend? We will never know.

This is one of the best things ive ever watched. No doubt I’ll ‘revisit’ at some point in the future. Even last night after the final episode ended I watched the first few minutes of the first episode again which was like watching an old family video. Can you become nostalgic that quickly? I’d recommend House to anyone who hasn’t seen it.

One question ...... there was one huge gap in the last episode where we had lots of old characters making an appearance alongside all of the important characters in House’s life.....Cuddy. Why didn’t she make some kind of appearance? Her absence was an issue for me. Was there some kind of falling out with Lisa Edelstein? 

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1 hour ago, HerlockSholmes said:

there was one huge gap in the last episode where we had lots of old characters making an appearance alongside all of the important characters in House’s life.....Cuddy. Why didn’t she make some kind of appearance? Her absence was an issue for me. Was there some kind of falling out with Lisa Edelstein? 

Total ignoramus here, but maybe she was contractually obligated elsewhere at the time?

 

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5 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Total ignoramus here, but maybe she was contractually obligated elsewhere at the time?

 

It was possibly some simple explanation like that Carol. It just seemed a huge omission for me. Maybe only for me?

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Could have been more to it than that.  According to this article:

Quote

According to rumors, Lisa Edelstein, who played Cuddy alongside Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps, two other original cast members, had contracts that expired after the seventh season. Because the show was only expected to go seven seasons, “House” had a limited budget for Season 8, and tried to negotiate lower rates for Lisa's and Omar’s return. Omar Epps took the deal, but Lisa had another offer to work on The Good Wife. 

They also quote the actress, regarding Cuddy's reasons for leaving:

Quote

“I don't think that show was about happy endings," she stressed. "And the truth is, if someone drives a car through your living room [like House did] you should do what I did and get the f**k out of town.”

So I'm thinking perhaps being busy on another job, plus possibly a bit of hard feelings over having been asked to take a pay cut.  Also, considering the "car through the living room" bit, maybe the writers couldn't think of any plausible way to bring the character back.

 

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Herlock, you almost make me want to give this show another try. I loved it the first season it came out, but after about 3 years I couldn't watch it anymore ... House got too mean and out of control. But having watched other iterations of Sherlock since then, maybe I'd have more sympathy for his character ... ? I know you are not the only one who adores the show, so there must be something to it! :smile:

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6 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Herlock, you almost make me want to give this show another try. I loved it the first season it came out, but after about 3 years I couldn't watch it anymore ... House got too mean and out of control. But having watched other iterations of Sherlock since then, maybe I'd have more sympathy for his character ... ? I know you are not the only one who adores the show, so there must be something to it! :smile:

Hi Arcadia,

He certainly wasn’t the easiest character to like but there were moments where we saw glimpses of the more human side of House. He consciously tried suppressing this though as, like Holmes, he saw himself as a brain; a solver of puzzles. I always thought that it was strange when I heard people say “I’m hooked on Game Of Thrones,” or Breaking Bad or anything but I certainly got hooked on House so that I was genuinely sad (not heartbroken, couldn’t eat or sleep sad of course) when I got to the end. 
 

I said in an earlier post that I don’t think that I’d like to see House return as Wilson is now dead. But then again.....

“Everybody lies.”

😃👍

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2 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Hi Arcadia,

He certainly wasn’t the easiest character to like but there were moments where we saw glimpses of the more human side of House. He consciously tried suppressing this though as, like Holmes, he saw himself as a brain; a solver of puzzles. I always thought that it was strange when I heard people say “I’m hooked on Game Of Thrones,” or Breaking Bad or anything but I certainly got hooked on House so that I was genuinely sad (not heartbroken, couldn’t eat or sleep sad of course) when I got to the end. 
 

I said in an earlier post that I don’t think that I’d like to see House return as Wilson is now dead. But then again.....

“Everybody lies.”

😃👍

Congrats, Herl.  Or should I say, condolences?

As others have mentioned, the show declined somewhat in quality over such a long run.  With the arrival of all the new interns, the intimate feeling of the original team was lost.  I liked some of the new characters, but others were a trial.  House stopped being the charming addict and descended into being just a full-time arseh*le.  Addicts do that--use everyone without regard for the consequences.  I really started to lose steam after the extended bit of House in rehab doing a musical.

I'm sure Hugh Laurie won any number of Emmys (our TV BAFTA).  His transformation into a gruff American renegade was really something to see.

Question:  Who do you see as 'the Woman' for House?  Does he have one?  I'm pretty sure that Elementary lifted the idea that Holmes sees prostitutes recreationally as a means of tending to the physical instrument.  There's a scene in an early episode where House is at the OTB shop and he meets the eye of a Rubenesque brown sugar lady and they exchange knowing smiles.  This was one of his birds of the night and based on the look she gave  him, it must have been an outstanding night, even for a professional.

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2 hours ago, Hikari said:

Congrats, Herl.  Or should I say, condolences?

As others have mentioned, the show declined somewhat in quality over such a long run.  With the arrival of all the new interns, the intimate feeling of the original team was lost.  I liked some of the new characters, but others were a trial.  House stopped being the charming addict and descended into being just a full-time arseh*le.  Addicts do that--use everyone without regard for the consequences.  I really started to lose steam after the extended bit of House in rehab doing a musical.

I'm sure Hugh Laurie won any number of Emmys (our TV BAFTA).  His transformation into a gruff American renegade was really something to see.

Question:  Who do you see as 'the Woman' for House?  Does he have one?  I'm pretty sure that Elementary lifted the idea that Holmes sees prostitutes recreationally as a means of tending to the physical instrument.  There's a scene in an early episode where House is at the OTB shop and he meets the eye of a Rubenesque brown sugar lady and they exchange knowing smiles.  This was one of his birds of the night and based on the look she gave  him, it must have been an outstanding night, even for a professional.

If I had to name a ‘the woman’ it would have to be Cuddy. It was an ongoing ‘will they’ ‘wont they’ relationship but, like Irene Adler, she was also an adversary constantly trying to get him to do the parts of his job that he saw as boring and lacking in challenge. 

Two other missing Holmes characters were a Moriarty and a Mycroft. Early on I thought that Vogler might have been his Moriarty but he didn’t last (and it was actually Cuddy that got rid of him) There was also no Mycroft figure. House was always cleverer than everyone else. He did bring in the detective character of course who might be seen as his ‘Irregular?’ Obviously there was no Mrs Hudson character either of course.

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53 minutes ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Early on I thought that Vogler might have been his Moriarty but he didn’t last (and it was actually Cuddy that got rid of him) There was also no Mycroft figure.

Well, canon Moriarty "didn't last" either, did he?  And Mycroft was in only one or two stories, barely a recurring character, let alone a regular.

 

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1 hour ago, HerlockSholmes said:

If I had to name a ‘the woman’ it would have to be Cuddy. It was an ongoing ‘will they’ ‘wont they’ relationship but, like Irene Adler, she was also an adversary constantly trying to get him to do the parts of his job that he saw as boring and lacking in challenge. 

Two other missing Holmes characters were a Moriarty and a Mycroft. Early on I thought that Vogler might have been his Moriarty but he didn’t last (and it was actually Cuddy that got rid of him) There was also no Mycroft figure. House was always cleverer than everyone else. He did bring in the detective character of course who might be seen as his ‘Irregular?’ Obviously there was no Mrs Hudson character either of course.

You and I talked about this before; I also think Cuddy was the Woman.  At least, she seemed to be the only person House semi-respected, even when he was clashing with her.  He might have feared her a little bit, too.  I feel that he respected Cuddy more than he did his Watson.  He abused Wilson constantly but he toed more of a line with Cuddy, and not just because she was the 'boss'.  She's the sharpest brain in the hospital besides his.

Lisa Edelstein is an attractive woman, but it always bugged me that Cuddy's clothes were always so tight.  With her oversized lollipop head and her tight, sex-kittenish costumes on a very thin body, Lisa E. looked like a live action anime character at times.  She certainly did not dress like any hospital administrator I've ever encountered.

I've been working my way through The West Wing lately.  In the first season, which aired in 1999, a very young-looking Lisa E. has a recurring role as Sam Seaborn's (Rob Lowe) girlfriend.  The wrinkle is--she's a prostitute.  It's a cute scene:  After their first-night stand, Sam takes her cell phone by mistake because it's identical to his.  Then he gets a call and thinking it's his phone, calls the number back and gets her escort agency.  So--he's got a hooker's phone and she's got the White House deputy communication director's phone--awkward!  She did not tell him she was a working girl because she liked him so much she went home with him for free.  By day, she is studying for the bar.  I can imagine a part-time job as a prostitute may come back to haunt an attorney in the future but her role didn't go past her law school graduation.  Sam has to of course disclose this relationship to his bosses, and the papers get wind of it . . it's all a bit of a mess for Sam.  A few years later, Lisa got the job as Cuddy.

Amber was who, then?  House was attracted to *her* because she was smart, but she was also as ruthless and conniving as he himself was.  A female version of him.  Being an egomaniac, of course that would make her attractive to him, his mirror image.  Maybe Cuddy and Amber together were meant to represent different facets of Irene Adler?  Amber would be Adler as played by Lara Pulver.  Cuddy was the Woman, but she was also Lestrade--House's contact with 'officialdom', and the gateway to all his cases and his continued employment as a consultant in that environment.

House had a very fraught relationship with his father . . who might stand in for Siger Holmes  . . .or for Mycroft, as a the family connection with the superior power to his.  As for the 'Moriarty'--I did not see that as any one individual.  House's Moriarty was in fact, his addiction.  It was seductive, it was his dark side . . and it was much more powerful and crafty than he because of the things it made him do.  The characters who were antagonistic could be considered the minor villains like Culverton Smith or Grimsby Rylott or Milverton . . but the Master Villain was Vicodin.  The members of his staff who were antagonistic like Vogler could be construed as 'the Scotland Yarders' who resent Holmes.  The ones who venerate House are his Irregulars.

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I loved West Wing. Just sayin'. :smile: 

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16 hours ago, Hikari said:

You and I talked about this before; I also think Cuddy was the Woman.  At least, she seemed to be the only person House semi-respected, even when he was clashing with her.  He might have feared her a little bit, too.  I feel that he respected Cuddy more than he did his Watson.  He abused Wilson constantly but he toed more of a line with Cuddy, and not just because she was the 'boss'.  She's the sharpest brain in the hospital besides his.

Lisa Edelstein is an attractive woman, but it always bugged me that Cuddy's clothes were always so tight.  With her oversized lollipop head and her tight, sex-kittenish costumes on a very thin body, Lisa E. looked like a live action anime character at times.  She certainly did not dress like any hospital administrator I've ever encountered.

I've been working my way through The West Wing lately.  In the first season, which aired in 1999, a very young-looking Lisa E. has a recurring role as Sam Seaborn's (Rob Lowe) girlfriend.  The wrinkle is--she's a prostitute.  It's a cute scene:  After their first-night stand, Sam takes her cell phone by mistake because it's identical to his.  Then he gets a call and thinking it's his phone, calls the number back and gets her escort agency.  So--he's got a hooker's phone and she's got the White House deputy communication director's phone--awkward!  She did not tell him she was a working girl because she liked him so much she went home with him for free.  By day, she is studying for the bar.  I can imagine a part-time job as a prostitute may come back to haunt an attorney in the future but her role didn't go past her law school graduation.  Sam has to of course disclose this relationship to his bosses, and the papers get wind of it . . it's all a bit of a mess for Sam.  A few years later, Lisa got the job as Cuddy.

Amber was who, then?  House was attracted to *her* because she was smart, but she was also as ruthless and conniving as he himself was.  A female version of him.  Being an egomaniac, of course that would make her attractive to him, his mirror image.  Maybe Cuddy and Amber together were meant to represent different facets of Irene Adler?  Amber would be Adler as played by Lara Pulver.  Cuddy was the Woman, but she was also Lestrade--House's contact with 'officialdom', and the gateway to all his cases and his continued employment as a consultant in that environment.

House had a very fraught relationship with his father . . who might stand in for Siger Holmes  . . .or for Mycroft, as a the family connection with the superior power to his.  As for the 'Moriarty'--I did not see that as any one individual.  House's Moriarty was in fact, his addiction.  It was seductive, it was his dark side . . and it was much more powerful and crafty than he because of the things it made him do.  The characters who were antagonistic could be considered the minor villains like Culverton Smith or Grimsby Rylott or Milverton . . but the Master Villain was Vicodin.  The members of his staff who were antagonistic like Vogler could be construed as 'the Scotland Yarders' who resent Holmes.  The ones who venerate House are his Irregulars.

That’s a good point about Amber. When House was interviewing (torturing?) potential replacements for Foreman, Chase and Cameron I expected Amber to be one of those chosen as House would have admired the qualities that led him to name her Cutthroat Bitch. A willingness to do whatever was needed including lying and rule-breaking. It was the reason that he went on to fire Masters and why he clashed so often with Cameron. Another surprise was that she went on to become Wilson’s girlfriend. She seemed an odd choice for the nice guy who was basically House’s ‘conscience.’ Like Mary Morstan she died but there was another twist of course in that Wilson blamed House for her death (at least for a time.)

That Lisa Edelstein is an attractive woman. You’ll get no argument from me on that score but she did tend to dress like Marilyn Monroe, drawing countless comments from House who loved to push the boundaries of ‘acceptability.’ Although Holmes was no respecter of authority and rank he was certainly courteous to women. No one was immune from House’s barbs. Look what Foreman had to put up with. 
 

After I’ve gone through the next Sherlock to look for Canon references I though that I might try and list the references in House. I can’t watch the whole series again though. Not yet.😀

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3 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

It was the reason that he went on to fire Masters and why he clashed so often with Cameron. Another surprise was that she went on to become Wilson’s girlfriend. She seemed an odd choice for the nice guy who was basically House’s ‘conscience.’ Like Mary Morstan she died but there was another twist of course in that Wilson blamed House for her death (at least for a time.)

That Lisa Edelstein is an attractive woman. You’ll get no argument from me on that score but she did tend to dress like Marilyn Monroe, drawing countless comments from House who loved to push the boundaries of ‘acceptability.’ Although Holmes was no respecter of authority and rank he was certainly courteous to women. No one was immune from House’s barbs. Look what Foreman had to put up with. 
 

Cameron has too much moral integrity to thrive according to House's playbook, but it sure doesn't help that she was so tentative in herself and transparently crushing on her boss.  Cameron is a Molly; useful dogsbody in the lab but House doesn't regard her as anything else.  Of the first batch of Irregulars, I only ever thought Omar Epps projected enough gravitas to be a doctor.  I could accept that Foreman was a gifted doctor.  House clashed with him so often because he represented a rival.  Maybe Foreman is Athelney Jones or Gregson.  Not 'Wiggins' because he's not that deferential.  Maybe Chase is the 'Billy'.  Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison came across as actors playing doctors.  Some of the next batch of interns were not as appealing as people, but they made for good doctors.

Kutner departed the show mid-season because Kal Penn was tapped to work on the Obama campaign.

Based on the number of cracks House makes constantly about Cuddy's rack, he is definitely looking.  Though her blouses make it impossible not to.

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10 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I loved West Wing. Just sayin'. :smile: 

I got a good deal on a box set and am now working my way through Season 5.  I had seen some of the later seasons, but not from the beginning, because I had never seen any of Rob Lowe's tenure.  He left, ostensibly over a salary dispute but I think in tandem with that was his dissatisfaction with the size of his role.  The show was rolled out as a star vehicle for him, on the strength of his Brat Pack movie star reputation.  Out of the entire cast, only he and Martin Sheen were known stars.  The first season was fairly Sam-centric.  He carries a large portion of the pilot.  Over time, Sam's appearances got fewer and shallower until sometime in Season 4 Sam went to California to run for Congress, never returned and was never mentioned again after he filled his own job with Will Bailey (Joshua Malina).  The show shifted to featuring President Bartlet more, which was a good move, seeing as Martin Sheen is a charismatic actor, but also shifted to favoring Toby Ziegler and Josh Lyman hardcore.  Sam got forced out.  There is too much Toby and Josh for me since I find both of these characters like sand in my underwear.  I think I would have liked the show better, and Rob Lowe probably would have as well, if he and Bradley Whitford had switched roles.   Rob Lowe's mistake was in accepting the job when his character's title was only 'deputy communications director'.  He should have said, 'Drop the Deputy' and I'm in.  How was a 'deputy' supposed to be the centerpiece of an ensemble drama when nearly every other character except the clerical staff was more interesting and more powerful than Sam Seaborn?  Sam had a sweet and goofy demeanor that was unexpected, and I miss him.  I really liked him and Ainsley Hayes together.  Emily Procter left to take the second lead on CSI: Miami, and I can't blame her for that.

This is a political fantasy only loosely tethered to actual West Wing operations, so they can do what they like, but in the real world, I question that the 'Deputy Communications Director' and the 'Deputy Chief of Staff' would be cable news TV stars with their own groupies seeking autographs AND taking meetings with high ranking Senators to browbeat them into voting according to the President's agenda.  That is a legislative function; since when is the junior speechwriter at the White House deputized to act like a minority whip?  I guess I remain uncertain about to what degree the Chief of Staff and *his* staff are responsible for not just executing policy but making it.  Josh and Toby seem to wield a lot of power which seems Cabinet-level.  Advising the President in-house and lobbying votes on the Hill are two different functions.

After the fourth season, Aaron Sorkin departed the show, apparently due to a severe drug problem.  He had been in recovery and the pressures of cranking out the show caused him to relapse.  

I've enjoyed the nostalgia tour of a time when America had more faith in the Office of the President, but there are only a select few episodes, maybe 10, that I would think was worth revisiting.  C.J. Cregg is my heroine, though.  Grace under pressure, wit, and always impeccably suited.  From now on when faced with a stressful, crazy day, I'll ask myself "How would C.J. handle this?"

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59 minutes ago, Hikari said:

Cameron has too much moral integrity to thrive according to House's playbook, but it sure doesn't help that she was so tentative in herself and transparently crushing on her boss.  Cameron is a Molly; useful dogsbody in the lab but House doesn't regard her as anything else.  Of the first batch of Irregulars, I only ever thought Omar Epps projected enough gravitas to be a doctor.  I could accept that Foreman was a gifted doctor.  House clashed with him so often because he represented a rival.  Maybe Foreman is Athelney Jones or Gregson.  Not 'Wiggins' because he's not that deferential.  Maybe Chase is the 'Billy'.  Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison came across as actors playing doctors.  Some of the next batch of interns were not as appealing as people, but they made for good doctors.

Kutner departed the show mid-season because Kal Penn was tapped to work on the Obama campaign.

Based on the number of cracks House makes constantly about Cuddy's rack, he is definitely looking.  Though her blouses make it impossible not to.

Ahh so that’s the reason for Kutner’s completely out of the blue suicide. That’s one mystery answered. 👍

Now tell me why Cuddy didn’t make an appearance in the final episode?😃

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I have to admit to being momentarily excited. Was this an episode of House that I hadn’t seen? The beginning of a series 9?

No😪

http://jeromewetzeltv.blogspot.com/2012/10/house-born-again-season-9-premiere.html

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6 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

Ahh so that’s the reason for Kutner’s completely out of the blue suicide. That’s one mystery answered. 👍

Now tell me why Cuddy didn’t make an appearance in the final episode?😃

Ooh, yeah.  I had forgotten exactly how Kutner left the show.  Kal Penn is alive and well and helped get his guy into the White House.  I think he went on to have a role in the Administration.

That seems like eons ago . . . !

Despite owning the box set, I don't think I made it all the way to the end--Lisa Edelstein got other work, I imagine.

After you are done binging House, you might be interested in Dexter.  It's not really a 'Whodunnit'.  It's more a 'Who Done It is Gonna Have It Done to Him'. 

Imagine if Moriarty found a way to turn his penchant for violence into a sort of wild justice . . that is Dexter Morgan.  As a toddler, he experienced the worst trauma imaginable and as a result he has grown up with serial killer tendencies.  But as a grown up working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami PD (Dex loves his work) he's still moonlighting as a serial killer--only, he only targets other killers.  To get under Dex's knife you have to have committed heinous murders yourself.  Innocent people are in no danger from Dexter and in fact he is extremely protective of normal civilians, especially women and children.

A cuddly serial killer?  Fact.

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11 hours ago, Hikari said:

Ooh, yeah.  I had forgotten exactly how Kutner left the show.  Kal Penn is alive and well and helped get his guy into the White House.  I think he went on to have a role in the Administration.

That seems like eons ago . . . !

Despite owning the box set, I don't think I made it all the way to the end--Lisa Edelstein got other work, I imagine.

After you are done binging House, you might be interested in Dexter.  It's not really a 'Whodunnit'.  It's more a 'Who Done It is Gonna Have It Done to Him'. 

Imagine if Moriarty found a way to turn his penchant for violence into a sort of wild justice . . that is Dexter Morgan.  As a toddler, he experienced the worst trauma imaginable and as a result he has grown up with serial killer tendencies.  But as a grown up working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami PD (Dex loves his work) he's still moonlighting as a serial killer--only, he only targets other killers.  To get under Dex's knife you have to have committed heinous murders yourself.  Innocent people are in no danger from Dexter and in fact he is extremely protective of normal civilians, especially women and children.

A cuddly serial killer?  Fact.

Thanks Hikari. I’ve heard of Dexter but I’ve never seen it.

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12 hours ago, HerlockSholmes said:

I have to admit to being momentarily excited. Was this an episode of House that I hadn’t seen? The beginning of a series 9?

No😪

http://jeromewetzeltv.blogspot.com/2012/10/house-born-again-season-9-premiere.html

Egad! :wacko: That's almost cruel!

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  • 1 year later...

Herlock Sholmes, where my homie at?

I just revisited our conversation about House from back in 2021 because I have started the series over again and have resolved to watch it straight through this time.  My DVD player is temporarily out of commission so I'm watching on Amazon Prime.  Hope it stays up until I get to the end.  I don't think I ever finished (or even started) the final season.  

I have just returned to work after a week and half in quarantine due to a nasty eye infection.  [....]  Anyway, while I was laid up and feeling sorry for myself, I decided that I'd try to take my mind off it by watching stories of fictional people much sicker than me.  I'm halfway through Season 1.  I'd forgotten the very first case . . a kindergarten teacher with weird neurological symptoms.  That was Robin Tunney.  Being the first patient on House was a coup for her.  I'd say it led directly to a juicy supporting role in Hollywoodland opposite Ben Affleck, which is were I first saw her and then on to her long-running stint as Detective Teresa Lisbon on another Sherlock Holmes-inspired drama, The Mentalist.  Lisbon starts out as 'Lestrade' to Patrick Jane as his immediate supervisor in the California Bureau of Investigation, becomes a sort of Watson as his best (only) work friend . . eventually becoming 'The Woman' as the show ends with the Jane-Lisbon wedding.

There's another show for you to add to your view list, Herl.  Patrick Jane is an even more overt homage to Sherlock Holmes than Greg House is, helmed by another foreign-born actor who morphs so convincingly into an American it blows the mind.  Simon Baker is of course, Australian and was, in his time, junior surf champion of the world, I believe.  Simon cut his teeth (under the name, Simon Baker Denny, which is weird because his middle name is Lucas and there's no 'Denny' anywhere on his Wiki bio) on a small but pivotal and touching role in one of my all-time favorite films, L.A. Confidential. (1997)  Only in his 20s at the time, he slayed the American presentation . .rock solid.
 

Edited by Carol the Dabbler
Moved the part about people not staying home when they're sick to "Shoot the Wall" (the rant thread), so I could respond to it at length!
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On 11/12/2022 at 2:43 PM, Hikari said:

Herlock Sholmes, where my homie at?

I just revisited our conversation about House from back in 2021 because I have started the series over again and have resolved to watch it straight through this time.  My DVD player is temporarily out of commission so I'm watching on Amazon Prime.  Hope it stays up until I get to the end.  I don't think I ever finished (or even started) the final season.  

I have just returned to work after a week and half in quarantine due to a nasty eye infection.  [....]  Anyway, while I was laid up and feeling sorry for myself, I decided that I'd try to take my mind off it by watching stories of fictional people much sicker than me.  I'm halfway through Season 1.  I'd forgotten the very first case . . a kindergarten teacher with weird neurological symptoms.  That was Robin Tunney.  Being the first patient on House was a coup for her.  I'd say it led directly to a juicy supporting role in Hollywoodland opposite Ben Affleck, which is were I first saw her and then on to her long-running stint as Detective Teresa Lisbon on another Sherlock Holmes-inspired drama, The Mentalist.  Lisbon starts out as 'Lestrade' to Patrick Jane as his immediate supervisor in the California Bureau of Investigation, becomes a sort of Watson as his best (only) work friend . . eventually becoming 'The Woman' as the show ends with the Jane-Lisbon wedding.

There's another show for you to add to your view list, Herl.  Patrick Jane is an even more overt homage to Sherlock Holmes than Greg House is, helmed by another foreign-born actor who morphs so convincingly into an American it blows the mind.  Simon Baker is of course, Australian and was, in his time, junior surf champion of the world, I believe.  Simon cut his teeth (under the name, Simon Baker Denny, which is weird because his middle name is Lucas and there's no 'Denny' anywhere on his Wiki bio) on a small but pivotal and touching role in one of my all-time favorite films, L.A. Confidential. (1997)  Only in his 20s at the time, he slayed the American presentation . .rock solid.
 

Hi Hikari, 

The eye infection sounds nasty so I hope your ok now? I hope you’re enjoying revisiting House because I have to say that I got a little (only a little) obsessed by it. I was watching 2 episodes every night until I finished it. It’s a great series and I’ve often wondered if there could be any doors open for any more of them although I don’t think they’d be the same without his Watson/Wilson.

The Mentalist is another one that I’ve never seen so I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. (The ‘eye’ pun was unintentional.)😀

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On 12/1/2022 at 5:59 PM, HerlockSholmes said:

Hi Hikari, 

The eye infection sounds nasty so I hope your ok now? I hope you’re enjoying revisiting House because I have to say that I got a little (only a little) obsessed by it. I was watching 2 episodes every night until I finished it. It’s a great series and I’ve often wondered if there could be any doors open for any more of them although I don’t think they’d be the same without his Watson/Wilson.

The Mentalist is another one that I’ve never seen so I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. (The ‘eye’ pun was unintentional.)😀

Hi, Herl,

The eye funk has cleared up but I've been brought low by a cold and hacking cough this week.  Finally feeling more human today and capable of a full day of work.  This is why I haven't been communicado but I hope everything is well with you.

I'm in Season 2 of House and stalled a bit because I have been obsessively following from my sickbed the terrible crimes in Idaho.  It's going to be a very mournful holiday season for many families out there and the festive season starting with Thanksgiving will never be the same for them.

In a recent episode I was reminded that House's address is 221B, so the Holmes/'Homes'---> House homage is definitely overt for those in the know.  Even though The Mentalist isn't quite that obvious in taking its inspiration from the Great Detective, Patrick Jane is a very Sherlockian character.  Unlike House, he actually interacts with people and reads cues off them using the art of deduction.  I had a post once detailing all the ways Patrick Jane is like Sherlock Holmes, but the Glitch ate it.  Both have waistcoats as part of their daily uniform and a puckish sense of humor when they aren't depressed, which happens quite often.  They both have a nemesis in the form of a faceless but ever-present threat that leaves fingerprints all over their lives.  For Holmes it's Moriarty.  Jane has Red John, the psychopath that murdered his family.  The two shows are completely different sorts of procedurals but I like both of them.  Both overstayed their welcome a few seasons too long but they each did something different in the genre and the star detectives (both playing American but not) are top-notch.

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On 12/3/2022 at 10:30 AM, Hikari said:

Jane has Red John, the psychopath that murdered his family. 

That would appear to be another nod to Holmes -- "Jack" is a nickname for "John," and "Red Jack" was another name for Jack the Ripper, whose crime spree occurred during the Holmes era.

A DNA study of residue on the shawl of one of the Ripper's victims is now claimed to point the finger straight at one of those under suspicion at the time -- but other geneticists say that, although it's intriguing, not enough of the methodology has been published for the study to be considered conclusive.

 

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