The House that wasn’t

Posted by Maggie January 31st, 2007 at 10:34am In House

Oh, how wrong I was in my glib prediction about last night's House.

Instead of solving a mystery disease, House spent the hour counseling a rape victim. If this doesn't sound like something the cranky, emotion-averse House would do, that's because this was a definite departure for the show. I can't say I enjoyed it completely, but I admire them for trying something new and ambitious. 

If you've ever taken a creative writing class in college, especially a playwriting class, you'll know there are a couple topics that frequently come up with almost unvaryingly disastrous results. They are: rape, incest, suicide, and eating disorders. (What's even more fun is when you have to read them aloud in workshops. Or see them on stage. Or act in them on stage.) People want to write about these things because they are inherently dramatic, and they think that because they're disturbing most of the work of writing the piece will be done for them.

I'm not saying there's no way to write about these things successfully, because it does happen. It just takes work. If you're going to fictionalize such serious, real issues, you have to be careful, because people can spot fakeitude a mile away. House has dealt with incest and eating disorders decently in the past, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that they eventually came around to rape. And no one can accuse them of not taking it seriously.

This may be a strange complaint to level at House, which is a show where people spout the most convoluted witticisms at the drop of a hat, but people just don't talk like they did in last night's episode. But that's all right; they're doing their highly stylized verbal universe, and even if it bugs it's at least interesting. Which is why I forgive and maybe even respect the show for its sometimes odd college playwriting project feel. No one else bothers to have their characters discuss the big stuff. Is that enough to overlook uncomfortable, stilted writing? Probably not, but Hugh Laurie pulls it off.

Two-time Golden Globe(TM)-winner Hugh Laurie. And don't you forget it.