36 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

When a homeless teenager's (Bridgit Mendler) symptoms get worse, adult consent is required for an invasive surgery; Taub tries to connect with his daughters; House threatens Foreman's relationship with a married woman (Yaya DaCosta).

[aquarian1]

Taub is usually one of my favorite characters, but I couldn't care less about him being bored with his babies. Or about Foreman's married woman. Although Chase was cute with the babies.

Not as good as last week's ep, for me. But I did like Wilson's line about having kind eyes. But did anyone else think that scene was set up or blocked funny? He walks into his office and not only is Taub there, but he's standing looking right at the door. Not sitting, not waiting outside the door, not pacing. I don't know, I can rationalize it (heard the door knob and turned/stopped/stood up/whatever), but something seemed odd/off about it to me.

Didn't care for the duo of vomiting guys. Yuck. Not sure what they added to ep aside from clinic scenes. Clinic scenes that didn't seem to tie into the overall theme of the ep very well.

Edited by aquarian1, Jan 30, 2012 @ 10:10 PM.

[Driad]

That didn't seem like a "making the best use of our limited time" episode, although there were some good shots of Hugh Laurie.

The titles of episodes have often had more than one meaning. Did anyone see any runaways besides the primary patient? Possibly Foreman's girlfriend, or Taub with respect to the babies, but those don't seem to fit well.

Is every show required to have a lame story line about Civil War re-enactors? Hoping for some clinic stories that are creative and entertaining, like the toddler who put the toy fireman up his nose to rescue the toy cat, or the woman who thought strawberry jelly was a contraceptive.

[deb50]

Case conferences in restaurants and turtle races are a clear HIPAA violation, which is the least of the ethical issues ongoing in this show.

Slight elevation of BP=anuerysm=brain surgery? This team makes some huge leaps! Stay away from PPH!

Edited by deb50, Jan 30, 2012 @ 10:53 PM.

[QueenofCups]

That didn't seem like a "making the best use of our limited time" episode, although there were some good shots of Hugh Laurie.

Agreed. I thought the last episode was filler too, which is two duds in a row - not a great start to the second half of the season.

House seemed meaner, more unpleasant, and more hateful than usual.

[HyacinthBucket]

House seemed meaner, more unpleasant, and more hateful than usual.

He seems much more immature, too. I remember back in Season 2 when we first saw House at a betting parlor; it was also the first time we saw House do more than talk about hookers. As anti-social as he was back then, I never felt as if it were being overdone by the writers. The rare scenes with an actual hooker or betting parlor, or House being over-the-top crazy, was more of an exception, rather than the rule.

In last night's episode, it seems clear to me that the old House is gone and the erratic, crazy House is now the rule, rather than the exception. I thought the turtle racing and shoot range scenes were just plain silly.

It seems to me as if the writers are honestly trying to address some of the viewer complaints from the last few seasons, which may be why we are getting more clinic scenes. The first one was very funny, in my opinion, especially with House's hilarious expressions, but then the characters came back - twice - and weren't nearly as much fun, and as someone else pointed out, they didn't have any ties to the main case.

For those of us who complained that there was no longer anyone to fight for the patient as Cameron did, we now have Adams being self-righteous, over and over again. Her insistence on calling Social Services was getting irritating, and I haven't had time to like the character of Adams yet, so I'm not willing to see her side of it as I used to do for Cameron, a character I always liked.

Taub. Ugh. He won me over a couple of months ago when he chose to be a father to his daughters, and what does he do? He throws it right back in my face! He is "bored" with his babies? Give me a break. While babies can be very entertaining, they aren't there to entertain us. The only good part of that storyline, in my opinion, was when Chase was trying to make the babies laugh. Adorable.

Foreman. When House attempted to blackmail him, it seemed like the House/Cuddy relationship all over again. Please, writers, keep Foreman strong.

Finally, does the show have to be so damned depressing all the time? Does everyone have to be miserable, including the patients? Maybe I am an old softie, but I was hoping for a mother/daughter reconciliation at the end, especially since the mother was acting as if she really cared about her child.

[Dana5140]

Oh, that was pretty deplorable. I cannot fathom how they arrived at a diagnosis of berry aneurysm without any actual proof, and decided she needed brain surgery without, you know, any actual proof. You do not diagnose aneursym without undergoing testing to demonstrate its presence. Daugher has a lawsuit, since they did not follow an appropriate standard of care.

[090108joanna]

In last night's episode, it seems clear to me that the old House is gone and the erratic, crazy House is now the rule, rather than the exception. I thought the turtle racing and shoot range scenes were just plain silly.

To me, those scenes made sense. House just got his ankle monitor removed. He was supposed to have been in jail for 10 months and then limited to home and work for all the months since he got out of jail. Of course he wanted to be anywhere but in the hospital. Sure, it was crazy trying to work in those places, but I don't think this is "now the rule." I think it was an immediate reaction to finally being free after over a year of not being free.

This ep was okay for me, not great, but it had its moments. House telling the mother that her daughter should hate her, for instance -- which I saw as his direct justification for why House hated his father. The Wilson/Taub scene in Wilson's office was also good, though I agree that it's very hard to have sympathy for a man who thinks his adorable babies are boring. I agree that the Foreman/girlfriend stuff was dull, and the Civil War clinic patients tiresome after the first scene, but I did like the rest of it.

[TV Anonymous]

deb50:

Case conferences in restaurants and turtle races are a clear HIPAA violation, which is the least of the ethical issues ongoing in this show.

Well, if a non-licensed physician can work in a clinic and treating patients - clearly not just in consulting capacity - then I can not see how HIPAA is relevant for them.

The secondary story, polyester poisoning? Really? Are polyester not in our everyday garments already?

[Bookface]

The only thing I liked in this episode was the mother and daughter not reconciling. The mother resisted a single temptation, which is entirely meaningless, and the daughter had no reason to trust her at all.

Chase was cute with the kids too. He's the only fellow I actually like.

[abbottrabbit]

Although Chase was cute with the babies.

They could've run an hour of that, and it would've been totally pandering to my uterus, and I would've recognized that and still loved the hell out of it. And saved it on my DVR. And watched it over and over again.

[mansonlamps]

Are they trying to make Adams so unlikeable and insufferable that we won't want to tune in? Because I'm about half-way there already.

Even the POTW was annoying. Maybe I was just in a bad mood.

The worms were kind of cool, though. I know I am never swimming in a canal (not that I ever would have).

[QueenofCups]

While babies can be very entertaining, they aren't there to entertain us.

Taub obviously regards fatherhood the way he regarded marriage. He wants parenting to be constantly entertaining and fun and wants to bail the instant he gets bored. Taub was also pretty rude and pushy with Wilson, lurking in his office uninvited to ambush him with personal questions, and then refusing to say why.

[happy turtles]

Are they trying to make Adams so unlikeable and insufferable that we won't want to tune in? Because I'm about half-way there already.

Of course she got a perfect shot on the bird at the trap range. Of course she did. As a mediocre trap shooter, I wanted to kick her in the shin.

[caseylane]

Between Cameron, 13 and Adams I've decided that only blonds should work at this hospital. What a lot of self righteous asses.

Taub may have been bored but I don't think he gave up. He looked for a solution and it worked. He didn't dump them back with their mothers and refused to see them until they could talk.

As far as being in Wison's office like that, I've given up on anyone at this hospital respecting personal or business boundaries. Maybe it's the House effect but it seems like every area is considered public.

Glad the POW took off, she was right, she shouldn't trust her mother. Adams and her privileged ass needs to just go back to the prison where the guys are there to be punished.

I really can't think of anything I liked about this episode other than Chase and the babies.

[FakeLocke]

Boy, you can tell the show is winding down.... Half a day after the show, and just barely to page two with the comments...

Adams is just a prettier, single-chinned version of Masters. Social Services? Really? She worked in a PRISON, surely she's seen that Social Services isn't the panacea for all of society's ills.

The whole Foreman story is stupid, starting with him being made the Dean of the hospital and ending with House actually taking the time to blackmail him just to get out of clinic duty.

I'd like to see a chart of FUD (frequently used diseases) on House. I'm pretty sure parasitic worms are in the top ten, somewhere below tiny undetected cancers and above lupus.

Bonus points for multiple blood vomiting and the (un)happy ending for the mom. They could have easily gone to the mom-says-she's-sorry-so-everything-is-ok ending, but they went for the more realistic kid-ain't-buying-the-redemption arc. Dark ending for some, but much better than the Hallmark ending.

[happy turtles]

Taub may have been bored but I don't think he gave up. He looked for a solution and it worked. He didn't dump them back with their mothers and refused to see them until they could talk.

As a Packer fan, I did appreciate the Aaron Rodgers shout out...Grrrr! And who doesn't enjoy a little TO/crybaby bashing? ;) Although, really, is TO still in the news that much? Maybe I've just blocked him out....

[QueenofCups]

Taub may have been bored but I don't think he gave up. He looked for a solution and it worked. He didn't dump them back with their mothers and refused to see them until they could talk.

Taub is doing the minimum required to be able to call himself a father (rather than an accidental sperm donor) and he's bitching mightily about it. He has "birthday cheque" dad written all over him, and that's much better than dead-beat dad, but hardly praiseworthy.

[Unspoiled]

It's a good thing I don't have (or want to have) kids, because when I'm watching my brothers' wee ones I have to make up stuff to keep them entertained too and it's exhausting. Kids that age are precious but not every moment with them is heart-warming and soul-uplifting. I don't find it effortless, I'm just sayin'. Wilson's advice was sound. And yes, his eyes are kind!
Bravo to the POTW for taking a stand with her mom. Adams was insufferable. I can't think of anything I like about her.
There was a line House said that I'm puzzling over. Did he at one point call the girl "your biological daughter" when he was talking with the mom towards the end of the show? Either I misheard it (entirely possible) or there's some meaning to this I'm not getting.
I used to tape the episodes and watch 'em twice but now I don't really bother.

[Peekay]

Between Cameron, 13 and Adams I've decided that only blonds should work at this hospital. What a lot of self righteous asses.

I like Park, so she can stay. I like how she was quite clear that she wanted and needed her parents, but their patient did neither.

I know some viewers dislike Park (and the actress isn't gonna win an Oscar any time soon), but I find that Park and her blunt quips make the show a lot more palatable this season. I thought in the last week's episode her crack about how she's hit 30 or more guys but doesn't have any need to get to know them -- and the response by Adams later ("30? Really?" "Everyone lies." "...Higher or lower?") -- was one of the funnier moments that made me laugh out loud. Parks hardly had any lines in this episode and it bored me to bits.

[rory]

Taub may have been bored but I don't think he gave up. He looked for a solution and it worked. He didn't dump them back with their mothers and refused to see them until they could talk.

Taub is doing the minimum required to be able to call himself a father (rather than an accidental sperm donor) and he's bitching mightily about it. He has "birthday cheque" dad written all over him, and that's much better than dead-beat dad, but hardly praiseworthy.

While it's great that he's learned how to connect with them, it took him an awful long time to figure this out. How old are his kids? He found out he knocked up 2 women before House went to jail, so these kids must be going on at least a year by now and it's taken him all this time to figure out a solution?

Chase and the babies was the best part of the episode.

Can't stand Foreman. Hated House telling Foreman that he's like him. He's not.

[jany11]

Agree with others this was a kind of "meh" episode overall. The writer (it was his first episode, by the way) was trying to tie together the themes of family -- what makes good/bad family relationships, the importance of biological versus emotional bonds, parenting issues, how do families bond -- to me those threads ran through the patient of the week story, the Taub/daughters story and the clinic patients/brothers who were trying to bond over Civil War reenactments. So he had the ingredients there, I just don't think the episode came together very well.

I like the final scene with Taub, he finally learned to be himself by using the sports illustrated with his daughters and could bond with them in that way. I like Peter Jacobson's acting, but I can only take small doses of his family issues.

I think the House/patient/mother scenes show that House continues to carry those childhood scars about abuse, and as Wilson said, wishing he had run away from it all. House believes the patient shouldn't stay with the mother just because she's the mother. Adams plays it by the book and gets shot down (yea!). I'm glad the daughter ran away again at the end -- makes the point that some relationships just cannot be fixed and for the daughter she is better off on her own. I think this episode, in addition to that final scene in the earlier episode when we see House examining his father's gun and sword, are setting us up for more examination of House's childhood issues and how they've made him who he is.

Disliked the Foreman side story. He just does not interest me and really never has. We again get the message that he now needs some sort of adrenalin rush that he doesn't get from being on House's team. All of that mini-arc (we had it in 3 episodes?) just to get to the closing scene with Foreman telling House they're alike -- which I pretty much disagree with anyway.

[lz1982]

There was a line House said that I'm puzzling over. Did he at one point call the girl "your biological daughter" when he was talking with the mom towards the end of the show? Either I misheard it (entirely possible) or there's some meaning to this I'm not getting.

He did say "biological daughter"--meaning she was a mom only in the biological sense.

I thought the POTW's mother was a very good actress. That plotline kept my interest, but the rest was meh. Adams can go at any time. There are too many supporting characters at the moment.

Of course she got a perfect shot on the bird at the trap range. Of course she did.

Major eyeroll at that!

Can't stand Foreman. Hated House telling Foreman that he's like him. He's not.

Agreed. They have been repeating this tired BS for years now, and it hasn't gotten any truer. Chase, not Foreman, is the most like House.

Edited by lz1982, Jan 31, 2012 @ 4:52 PM.

[sarcasticisity]

I did like the patient, she was smart enough to pay attention to her medication so that she knew what to ask for if she needed to, and she was smart enough to keep going to school and not just give up everything when she ran away.

I hated EVERYTHING that Adams did this episode. I wish when she was asking about what the mom really did, she got shut down. She is so insufferable...is she here to stay because I sure hope she isn't.

[extracat]

I agree with those that said that Chase playing with the babies was the best part of the episode. The rest of it was kind a a bore. I really don't care about Foreman or his love life. He's fine as the dean, but I could live with it if we saw him as little as we used to see Cuddy, like one or two scenes an episode. I don't mind Adams. She could be a lot worse (she could be like 13 at any point in her reign of terror). I wish they used Wilson a bit more. I do like seeing him interact with someone other than House. It seems like most of the time we only get to see him with House and it wastes the chemistry he has with the rest of the cast.

[yogimax]

Okay episode. I think I mostly liked it, although parts were eye-roll worthy.

I like Park and think her quirkiness adds a spark to the show, maybe that is why this one seemed a bit slow, she was barely in it.

Chase w/ the babies was adorable. Taub at least *trying* with his babies was commendable, IMO.

Adams, bores me. I knew she would hit the skeet, but that does make sense. Poor little rich girl's father probably has a skeet shooting range in the backyard of their estate, so of course she was an expert shooter.

[YoureSoUrban]

I know some viewers dislike Park (and the actress isn't gonna win an Oscar any time soon), but I find that Park and her blunt quips make the show a lot more palatable this season.

Park is pretty much the only thing I like about this show anymore. Even Wilson seems tired of this. Adams cannot get off my TV fast enough. Did anyone doubt for a second that she would make that shot?

The whole Foreman's Affair storyline never made any sense to me and I hope this episode really is the end of it.

[QueenofCups]

I think Foreman's affair was pretty flat as a storyline. There was one funny line (though it may have been unintentional) when Foreman says he likes Anita because she's smart. How did he find that out? Were he and his gym bunny girlfriend discussing string theory and the European currency crisis in between bouts of deliciously guilty, red-hot, secret sex?

Can't stand Foreman. Hated House telling Foreman that he's like him. He's not

Agreed. They have been repeating this tired BS for years now, and it hasn't gotten any truer. Chase, not Foreman, is the most like House.

I think they must put it in because they think if they repeat it enough, the viewers will be hypnotized into thinking it's true. The writers do the same thing with 'Cuddy was a great administrator and the only person who was able to manage House.'

Edited by QueenofCups, Jan 31, 2012 @ 11:49 PM.

[lz1982]

I think they must put it in because they think if they repeat it enough, the viewers will be hypnotized into thinking it's true. The writers do the same thing with 'Cuddy was a great administrator and the only person who was able to manage House.'

This show violates the "show, don't tell" rule with staggering frequency. Show Foreman acting in a Houseian way, and I'm pretty sure I'd think to myself, "Hey, he's acting like House!" without being told.

Foreman was having an affair with a married woman, and asked her to tell her husband they'd broken it off, to make the relationship seem more illicit and exciting. He had no intention of ending it. When House was having an affair with Stacy, he told her to go back to Mark because he, House, couldn't give her what she wanted. Not the same thing at all.

Edited by lz1982, Feb 1, 2012 @ 12:56 PM.

[karra]

Foreman, I'm pretty sure it's still an affair if the lady is married.