5.08 - Emancipation

It's odd. There's much to like in this episode but it didn't grab me overall though it had some fabuous moments. Seemed to me some of the directing was much more on the nose than is usual on House: zooming in on the things just mentioned, shots mostly at eye level, and such. It was the directing that seemed S1-2 to me, while the story was excellent and the actual dialoge and writing of some scenes not as well executed nor as subtle as usual. So, uneven is the word for what I saw here. I think it was a new director and new writers (though P. Davis may have done 1 other?). Anyway, maybe this will grow on me over time as it has with some of you. Some of the parallels mentioned here were clearly intended, others may be stretching it a bit. Maybe after I've seen it a time or two more such things will be clearer.

I think it was a new director and new writers (though P. Davis may have done 1 other?) The writers were Pamela Davis and Leonard Dick, and both have written for "House" before. Pamela Davis wrote Need to Know, Whac-a-Mole, Resignation, and It's a Wonderful Lie. She also has credit as a story editor on the show. Leonard Dick wrote Words and Deeds, The Jerk, The Right Stuff, and Don't Ever Change. He has executive producer credit. Jim Hayman directed this episode. He has directed only one other "House" episode: Skin Deep.

I finally got a chance to watch this episode and I was pleasantly surprised. The early reviews I read made me think that I was in store for a snore fest. I really enjoyed it. I think the reason is that there were some moments that reminded me of the House of season one and two. I love (miss) the small moments of character revelation. There were a few reveals in the episode that I thought were gold. I hate being clobbered over the head with an anvil and I think the writers managed not to do that too much with this one. For all the love I have for this episode there were a few anvil moments. As soon as the word vitamin was mentioned I knew that the kids was going to have iron poisoning. They did a similar storyline on ER eons ago. If Foreman knew the kid was taking vitamins he should have, at the very least, asked what kind and how much. I find it hard to believe that knowing that the kid takes vitamins he wouldn't check to see if the vitamins were possibly a cause of the problem. The other anvil moments had to do with Thirteen. God, now we have Taub getting in on the Thirteen bandwagon. I wish she would just make up her mind to either live or die. Just get on with it already. On a nitpicking note, am I the only one who thought the POTW looked way older than 16? It's entirely possible that the actress is 16 and I'm just old and out of touch but she seemed older. She seemed wise beyond her years to me. On another nitpicking note, I know I can't be the only one who thinks that the doctors on this show share entirely too much personal information with their patients. Sick and dying people, I have to believe, don't give a rip about their doctor's personal problems, illnesses and drama.

Just because some of us found the episode boring, it doesn't mean we didn't understand the episode, and it doesn't mean we didn't analyze it and see all the references and parallels to House and Wilson. It just means we found the execution of the storyline to be boring. That's not what I meant, Nightowl, and I'm sorry if it came across like that. I tried to say that this 'quiet' episode, after all those high-profile ones, still resulted in so many analysises (I think that is a word). And since all people here definitely belong to the online fandom I know you understood all of it, in as far as that is possible on this show :) . It is interesting that what some people find boring seems to be what other people are longing to see.

It is interesting that what some people find boring seems to be what other people are longing to see. It is, and I guess it's probably understandable in a mature show like House. At this point, we all have our own investments in the storylines and characters and that is the lens through which we view the show, to one degree or another. I don't think there's any way David Shore could please all the people all the time, and I'm glad he doesn't appear to be trying. This episode was a good standalone medical story centered episode where character development came through interactions with the POTWs and some people were pleased and some people were bored. Last week was written very on the nose and some people loved it and some people found it anvillicious. We're a complex bunch, we viewers. :D

PURE FANON: And fanon has it that House's middle name is Jonathan. I could have sworn the police office says "James Evan Wilson" while he's arresting Wilson in "Birthmarks", which I didn't recall until just now, and that would make the Evan choice for the brother even better and even more direct. Yes, Evan as Wilson's middle name is canon as of the Birthmarks episode. I meant "Jonathan" was fanon. And as Namaste pointed out, probably not even reasonable, given that Papa House's name on his casket was listed as John, not Jonathan. Mea culpa!

"Birthmarks" was the first time we've heard anyone speak Wilson's middle name out loud, but in scenes/seasons past, "Evan" has been visible on his diploma on his office wall, if you squint. I think someone with better eyesight than mine pointed it out on a board or used it in a fic ages ago, so it was easier for me to make it out even though I have poor eyesight and no TiVo. My personal fanon on House's middle name is that it's either John, or he doesn't have one. I can't decide whether John was the type who wanted the ego boost of giving his son his name, or the type who thought a middle name would be frivolous and unnecessary. (I did read a cute fic once in which Cameron found out House's middle name was Ignatius.) Re the episode: I liked it. Several previous posters have nailed it: a pleasant little throwback to early "House" with a well-balanced mix of medical stuff and character stuff, and old and new team. I especially enjoyed the old team's interaction. If I don't think too much about it, I read it as growth on Foreman's part, going to Chase and Cameron, as we know they're not his favorite people. If I DO think too much about it, I realize that he went to them rather than some faceless Chief of Pediatrics because the Camster and the Chasester needed their screen time. Still scratching my head over Taub appropriating Thirteen's story to make a point to the patient. Who does that? I can see him saying, "I know someone who has Huntington's and yada yada yada," but this seemed just weird and OOC. I could see Kutner doing this, because he's younger, less experienced with patients and maybe heard that Thirteen's "I Have Huntington's" speech got through to the patient in "Dying Changes Everything" (temporarily at least), but even he wouldn't pull that with Thirteen *in the room.* ETA: Did Thirteen actually ID herself as "Remy Hadley" -- which would be the first out-loud use of the first name Remy, heretofore unmentioned except for the brief glance at the betting slip in S4 -- or did I dream it?

I never thought about House's middle name before. Now I want to know!! LOL Got to thinking about House & the POTW (sorry if this has been mentioned already), but I think he looks so compassionate at the end because this girl feels responsible for killing her brother. House, I think, feels responsible for killing Amber (though he verbally said it wasn't his fault, and it really wasn't directly his fault, I still think it might be a thought in the back of his mind).

I believe it was on the "Oncolgist" diploma from Columbia College.

Taking the middle name discussion over to the Gregory House thread. (Though I suppose it could be in "personal canon as well.")

That's not what I meant, Nightowl, and I'm sorry if it came across like that. Thank you for saying that, jonne, and I apologize for jumping to the wrong conclusion about what you said. I'm just feeling over-sensitive because of some issues on another "House" board. Thanks for putting me right Night Owl. Since the writers are House regulars, maybe it was the directing that I had issues with. Anyway, thanks for doing the research! imdb is my friend. It took about 10 seconds of my time. :)

Still scratching my head over Taub appropriating Thirteen's story to make a point to the patient. Who does that? I can see him saying, "I know someone who has Huntington's and yada yada yada," but this seemed just weird and OOC. I could see Kutner doing this, because he's younger, less experienced with patients and maybe heard that Thirteen's "I Have Huntington's" speech got through to the patient in "Dying Changes Everything" (temporarily at least), but even he wouldn't pull that with Thirteen *in the room.* ETA: Did Thirteen actually ID herself as "Remy Hadley" -- which would be the first out-loud use of the first name Remy, heretofore unmentioned except for the brief glance at the betting slip in S4 -- or did I dream it? I think that Taub may have talking just as much to Thirteen as he was the POTW (trying to get Thirteen to reevaluate what she is doing to herself). At least that is the way I took it. Yes, Thirteen did use her real name when she introduced herself to the person she thought was the POTW father.

I liked it as usual. I've been watching the show online for the last month, and I've really been enjoying it. I have a late class Tuesday nights and can't get home before 9 p.m. so throughout Sept. and Oct. I taped it and watched it at 10 p.m. But, I got so freakin' busy with the workload near the end of Oct. I couldn't even do that. I was basically only coming home to sleep, so I've been watching it at school online for the entire month of November. I find it to be a much, much better experience. I only have to sit through 3 commercials, and I get so involved, caught up, in the show even I can't believe it. I don't see it degrading at all in quality. I thought the pacing was solid. A basic Standard Operating Procedural show, but there's been a lot of drama this season so it was a nice break. Like others have said, it reminded me of a S1 or S2 show as well. Lots of sub-text going on, which is way better than an anvil.

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