House: Both Sides Now [season finale]
By fred | May 12, 2009
(S05E24) Just because an episode isn’t good, or maybe satisfying would be a better word, doesn’t mean it cannot be enjoyed. For its season finale, I feel that what the writers had to offer us was flawed in many ways, and not one of the best/most satisfying episodes they could have done, but because they have such a wonderful and talented cast, starting with Hugh Laurie, it can be okay.
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the episode was bad, in many ways it was great, yet at the same time and in many others it was not. That was a strange mix, and overall in the end I would say that it feels disappointing, although I can’t help but hope for the best and be confident that next season will be a very strong one. After all, writers of the show can do great things and avoid the usual TV clichés.
See how Cameron & Chase never got back as House’s team, resetting everything back to normal. Of course, when we saw how little they’ve been used then and how they got stuck in mostly boring useless filler, you almost have to wonder whether or not it wouldn’t have been better to go for the clichéd road.
Anyways, this episode might be in itself somewhat of a disappointment, only because the whole hallucination bit has been overplayed lately. Last season was all about House having hallucinations, albeit fully aware of it, and the past episodes have also dealt with him and his hallucinations. It just feels a bit too much of it now, and I would seriously urge the writers to put hallucinations on the board under “not to be done for the next 3 years,” to be safe.
That said, this episode’s twist was a good one, and not only did it brought a new light to this very episode and what we had been witnessing so far, but also made last week’s episode all better. Because the way too fast detox was suddenly “explainable” since it never happened. And Cuddy and House having sex, same deal. Most of what irritated us last week found an explanation this week, and that’s good.
But the execution of this week’s reveal was seriously flawed if you ask me, because while I didn’t see it coming at all, once House revisited what happened after he insulted Cuddy’s child, when he realized he never asked her for help, hence she never went and he never detoxed, when he look into his pocket only to see it wasn’t lipstick, but his good old vicodin, which he was obviously still popping like crazy, it all made sense.
Everything became obvious at that very moment: he did not ask for her help, he didn’t detox, none of that ever happened outside of House’s mind. It was all a made-up reality concocted by House’s left brain to keep his right brain happy and “sane,” or think it was. See, just like this week’s patient, whose once again was only here to illustrate a parallel with the rest of the episode.
But what I thought majorly disappointing was that if all of this was obvious, they somehow thought we might not be smart enough to put two and two together, and showed us some scenes again, only not through House’s ill mind but as they really took place. But it didn’t bring anything new to the table, all they did was show that Cuddy wasn’t there, which we already knew, or that he wasn’t playing with lipstick but his vicodin, which, again, we already knew.
What they didn’t show back, though, where all the less obvious and much more interesting scenes. Those we also saw though House’s perverted brain, but that might have took place differently in reality, and those were a new lecture was obviously to be done now that we knew the truth. Scenes like House “flirting” with Cuddy while she told him how people close to him get hurt, she’s the boss and he’s the employee and it should stay there.
That wasn’t about “last night” as in that they slept together, since they did not, but about how he insulted her child, and therefore she didn’t want any relationship with him, even as a friend. That was worth another look, even the exact same scene, but it could have also been now seen with Cuddy acting “differently,” as she actually did.
Same goes with her screaming after he told everyone he slept with her. Was she really tearing up at that point, or was that only in House’s mind? And his comment about moving in together was – again – sounding a lot differently when it was just him not showing remorse and just still insulting her, after what he said about her child, and how he keeps disrespecting her despite her warnings. Such scenes, or the ones with Wilson, probably didn’t go down as we saw them happening, and even if they had, the fact that we now knew the truth made them worth another look, in a Sixth Sense way.
And yet, they only went for the lipstick that wasn’t really lipstick. They came up with a pretty cool mindfuck, and didn’t even did it well!
Anyways, despite all that it was a nice thing, even though we’re ending basically where we were not so long ago, and I’m not sure House going to the clinic with Wilson because Amber was always around wouldn’t have been just as efficient. Did this whole new trip provide anything new? Was House still able to practice medicine before that? Clearly not, it was just meant to have one more episode this season.
There were a few other things that worked really well, though, such as House actually caring for a patient and making sure Taub would be with the patient who just found out he had cancer, or the patient’s left hand suddenly being all nice and stroking his girlfriend’s face with affection, which worked a lot more than I thought it would have.
Overall though, this season wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as the show could be, or once was. Despite some strong episodes, what remains is Chase & Cameron having nothing to do, a suicide that came out of nowhere and House once again hallucinating and needed treatment because of his drug addiction. Doesn’t sound like anything new, so hopefully next season will be better, and rely on more than an incredible cast to make us want to tune in each week.
What did everybody else think?
And yet, they only went for the lipstick that wasn’t really lipstick. They came up with a pretty cool mindfuck, and didn’t even did it well!
They came up with a pretty cool mindfuck, and didn’t even did it well!
did it well!
I think the lipstick trick was really good and i didn’t see it coming at first.
I guess that the writers have to think of new things for Chase and Cameron to do in the next season.
House got to be back to normal and diagnose bafflings cases that got our interests at first. But i guess this is a pretty awesome twist for any seaon finale. Can’t wait to see season six to see how it goes.