5.07 - The Itch

Something trivial that's been bugging me: why does Taub not have a spare room? Or House? Or Wilson/Amber? Are houses that expensive in Princeton? :D It is expensive. Princeton/Plainsboro is growing very fast. It is almost exactly half-way between Philadelphia and New York City and people commute to both of those cities to work. I worked with someone who lived in Plainsboro who took the bus to work. It's about a 1 hour train trip but closer to 2 hours by bus. But there is a 3-year waiting list for a parking space close enough to the train station to walk and the bus stops a block from her home. That said, the grown-up doctors could afford a larger place. House has been living in the same apartment for 15 years. My guess is that it was all that he could afford when he moved there. And older buildings with charactere, like his, would be more epensive than the fancy new developments. After the infarction, the layout was excellent for him to move around without the cane. Wilson probably owned a house when he was married, just as Cuddy does. The younger doctors -- Chase, Cameron, Foreman, Kutner and Thirteen -- could be paying off very large student loans. It's not unusual for someone to finish med school in this country with over $100,000 debt. Residents at a hospital in that area would probably make $60,000+ so I'd guess that fellows would make around $80k. After taxes and paying off the loans, they'd be comfortable but not rich. That leaves Taub. He was a successful plastic surgeon. He's married. I have no idea why he had to sleep on the couch instead of in the guest room.

That leaves Taub. He was a successful plastic surgeon. He's married. I have no idea why he had to sleep on the couch instead of in the guest room. Perhaps it was to really emphasize to the audience the "in the doghouse" mentality. He could sleep in the guest room, but he'd still be "comfortable." On the couch, it signals a much deeper punishment.

jim wrote: House embraced his love and desire for Cuddy although he blocked himself from acting on it. By contrast, Cuddy is left still desperate for a baby but now is unwilling to risk the adoption process. She is blocked and has gone backwards. Add to that her feelings for House, which are as strong as his for her, but she manages to effectively deny the existence of both. Excellent summary of Cuddy's position as risk/pain avoidant. In their conversations with Wilson in "The Itch" both she and House display their strategies for avoiding pain by switching the subject, dodging the implications, and flipping the message so as to avoid touching a sensitive spot that might bring them emotional pain. As House said to Foreman in "Euphoria," people make stupid decisions based on their fear of pain. I think that is what House was trying to say to Cuddy at the end of "Joy" when he chided her on giving up the baby idea. The question going forward is whether House and Cuddy will overcome their fears or remain walled up and isolated.

Something trivial that's been bugging me: why does Taub not have a spare room? Or House? Or Wilson/Amber? Are houses that expensive in Princeton? :D I actually wondered about that too, which is kind of amazing given how little I care about Taub in the first place. I enjoyed seeing Cameron and Chase too. The scene in the hospital with Cameron, Chase, an unconscious PotW, Cuddy, and House which ends with House's stigmata comment was so much like an extended family scene with Mom laying down the law and Dad backing her up. The atmosphere around the new team has nothing to compare to it. I thought that was a great "coming home" kind of scene too. I also thought the way Chase exited the room was funny. His demeanor said, "sufficiently scolded."

So many great scenes in this one. Pretty much a lot of them have been mentioned, so I'll add some new ones: * Loved the fact that when House was bragging to his team about Cuddy, "I kinda hit that last night," no one believed him, but when he said it to Wilson Wilson did believe him. So, Wilson can not only tell when House is lying he can tell when House is telling the truth. I thought Wilson was great in this episode. We've seen House end up at Wilson's door twice now this season, which is more than we saw in the previous 4 seasons combined. However, Wilson was married for most of that time, so he was always going over to House's place to escape. An interesting development having House going to Wilson's place. *The cellphone DDX with Cameron when he is quizzing her about her relationship with Chase was great. It was very snappy. Actually, it was just a great all round show. It was very tight, and I thought the pacing was strong. I also liked the PotW. Chase-Cameron, House-Wilson, Wilson-Cuddy, House-Cameron, it was all good.

*The cellphone DDX with Cameron when he is quizzing her about her relationship with Chase was great. It was very snappy. Apparently Cameron was fine with spending most nights at Chase's until House commented on it during that DDX. Then she went to Chase and started pushing to spend the night at her apartment instead.

One quibble I have is with the fact that the Poor Dead Husband has no name- it seemed awkward to me that Chase had to mention him by that description, and that Cameron does too. If the writers are concerned we viewers might not know who "Jim" is, or whatever, surely they can write dialogue in a fashion that explains who is is and what his relationship to Cameron is. I found it rather clunky.

*The cellphone DDX with Cameron when he is quizzing her about her relationship with Chase was great. It was very snappy. Really? I actually thought it was very un-snappy. :lol: And it's not my hatred for Cameron that leads me to think that way. It's just that House's questions were completely out of the blue, and I didn't see any build-up to him bringing up the issue. To me, this scene was very awkward and contrived. As much as I hate 13, I actually preferred her suggestion of just ignoring the questions. I saw it as House trying to catch-up with what Chase and Cameron are doing. He's still interested. Part of his obsessive behavior with the people around him is a) he needs to know, b) he needs ammunition and c) despite his misanthropy he's interested in people. House loves to analyze people, their motivations and their relationships. It's one of the reasons he has to -*test*-('") them in so many ways. But, as far as Chase-Cameron goes, it's been a while since House has had any sort of "power" over them to allow himself to get involved in their business. Both of them just walk away now when ever he starts with the Houseian interference. In this case, House had Cameron right where he wanted her and she couldn't walk away. She needed him for the DDX and he was able to use that to get information from her. I thought it was completely appropriate - from a House character standpoint - to do exactly what he did. He got some inside information which he loves. Cameron's decision to appease him was also within character, and, as Poeia said, House's analysis of their relationship sent Cameron on a path to a greater commitment to Chase. I liked the back and forth banter between them. The scene worked for me on a lot of levels.

Re Taub on the couch: Lots of people don't set up their spare rooms as a guest bedroom. It could be a den or sewing room or storage room. My significant other's spare room does have a guest bed in it, but when one of us feels the need to "escape" -- generally for reasons of insomnia or other person's snoring rather than strife -- we tend to appropriate the living-room couch rather than the guest bed. If it's an issue of noise or wanting light to read by, the living room is typically farther away from the bedroom than the average guest room.

I saw it as House trying to catch-up with what Chase and Cameron are doing. He's still interested. Part of his obsessive behavior with the people around him is a) he needs to know, b) he needs ammunition and c) despite his misanthropy he's interested in people. House loves to analyze people, their motivations and their relationships. It's one of the reasons he has to -*test*-('") them in so many ways. Yes, I know all that. :lol: But there is usually a logical build-up for the audience before House embarks on one of these Q&As. And if there isn't build-up, then there is at least an explanation afterward, somewhere along the way. I don't see why on earth House would give a crap about where Chase and Cameron are in their relationship. Yes, he cares about them as former employees/former students, but this was out of the blue. It came out of nowhere for me. But, as far as Chase-Cameron goes, it's been a while since House has had any sort of "power" over them to allow himself to get involved in their business. Both of them just walk away now when ever he starts with the Houseian interference. No, I don't buy that for one second. For Chase, yes (he has walked away before). Not for Cameron. House has had several chances to question her. She doesn't generally walk away from him, no matter how much he's meddling. In fact, I'm pretty sure she loves his meddling into her business, especially since her crush began 3.5 years ago. She was loving the Q&A session, loving the attention from House, loving talking about her intimate life with him in front of people. I liked the back and forth banter between them. The scene worked for me on a lot of levels. Well, I thought it was quite awkward. But I think that of pretty much all House-Cameron scenes. For me, all the "tension" is forced and artificial (created by Cam, not by House).

Yes, I know all that. :lol: But there is usually a logical build-up for the audience before House embarks on one of these Q&As. And if there isn't build-up, then there is at least an explanation afterward, somewhere along the way. I don't see why on earth House would give a crap about where Chase and Cameron are in their relationship. Yes, he cares about them as former employees/former students, but this was out of the blue. It came out of nowhere for me. I'm not sure what kind of build up was necessary. Once House got rid of Wilson he basically started in on Cameron. And, he started with so are you and Chase engaged yet? And then mocked her when she said no. It was meant to both get information and piss Cameron off. House is often blunt about these things. He starts and changes conversation topics at will all the time. Usually, there is no build up. He just wants to get a reaction from someone, or deflect something, or change the subject. In this case, he was trying to get a reaction from Cameron. No, I don't buy that for one second. For Chase, yes (he has walked away before). Not for Cameron. House has had several chances to question her. She doesn't generally walk away from him, no matter how much he's meddling. In fact, I'm pretty sure she loves his meddling into her business, especially since her crush began 3.5 years ago. She was loving the Q&A session, loving the attention from House, loving talking about her intimate life with him in front of people. True. Chase is the one that walks away, Cameron is the one to tell House to go to hell. She's been pretty hostile towards him ever since she quit. Basically, my point is House hasn't gotten the access that he had previously in terms of screwing, in a mind-fuck kind of way, with Chase and Cameron. I agree. I think Cameron loves the attention from House, and maybe even loves flaunting that "special" relationship in front of the newbies. In any case, she was Cameron and House was House. I felt the scene was played true to form for both characters, which I always like to see. Well, I thought it was quite awkward. But I think that of pretty much all House-Cameron scenes. For me, all the "tension" is forced and artificial (created by Cam, not by House). Well, if you think that way of pretty much all House-Cameron scenes then I can see why you wouldn't like that scene, it was House-Cameron. The tension is usually created by Cameron because she gets in House's face - pretty much all the time about everything. I don't see that as artificial though, it's just Cameron. That's her character and if you don't like that, then well, you don't like that. She does bring a moral authority to the show and tends to be one of the few characters that challenges House. Foreman used to do that, but I find most of the time he's just incredibly arrogant and annoying. They've really failed to bring that kind of quality to the newbies.

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