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"HOUSE" MOVES TO THE TOP
OF THE HOSPITAL HEAP
January 13, 2006
Okay, time for me to fess up - I'm now totally and completely hooked on "House."
And not just the good doctor, but the whole darn show, which just last April I called a "paper-thin hospital drama" that was lucky to have the unimpeachable Hugh Laurie in its lead role.
Laurie is still the best reason to watch, and in the show's sophomore season, Dr. House has been as charmingly cantankerous as ever. But now the whole "House" universe has won me over, as well. Maybe it's because the storylines have gotten sharper. A typical episode still largely consists of medical red herrings being thrown at the viewer for just shy of an hour until a burst of inspiration allows House to finally save a life or two in the final moments. But the patients' back stories have been much more interesting this season. I particularly liked LL Cool J as a death-row inmate dying before he's supposed to and Ron Livingston as a smug doctor known for his humanitarian work in Africa. With richer characters coming into Dr. House's care, the ludricrous coincidences that prop up the show's weekly mysteries become far less annoying.
Or maybe "House" has improved because the supporting characters are now more compelling, light years beyond the bland ciphers they were for most of last season. Omar Epps is particularly good as Dr. Eric Foreman, an ambitious student of House's with eyes for his boss' job. The back-and-forth administrative battles between House and Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) get juicier and juicier. And the addition of Sela Ward as a hospital attorney and House's former flame has brought out shades of our curmudgeonly hero that we didn't know were there.
Less enthralling characters are Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), although even they've also been given an added level of complexity that wasn't there last year. Especially with Cameron, who did little more than make lovey-dovey eyes at House for most of the first season. Whereas before I was bored any time House wasn't on screen, now I find myself caring about the poor folks who must endure his daily taunts, as well.
It must be all of these improvements that have helped turn "House" from an okay show with a great protagonist into a great show, period. Not that it still doesn't have its petty annoyances. Does every episode really have to end with some kind of cathartic musical montage featuring the whole cast of characters looking thoughtful and solemn? Well, note to the producers: Every episode shouldn't. And, yes, the big aha! moment as the week's medical mystery is solved still comes flying in from left field more times than not.
But these things no longer stop "House" from being can't-miss television. Its ratings remain healthy, though it amazingly doesn't draw the viewers of ABC's vapid "Grey's Anatomy." "House" is far superior to that show, as well as the long-past-retirement-age "ER." It's the best hospital drama on TV, featuring one of the most fabulous characters
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