Sunday, February 28, 2016

I miss House

Notice the title I said I miss House, not home ;) and the house has a capital h. I miss the show House M.D. The show was recommended by a Furobiker. After a few shows  failed to grab my attention and interest, I decided to give it a go. I am into medicine soaps.  I loved Scrubs. The novel Doctors by Eric Segal is one of my favourites. It was eye opening. But I did not want to be drawn into and random E.R kinda stuff. E.R is hugely popular, but it is not my type ;) 

I watched the first episode,and it was witty, funny, well acted, gripping and intelligent. Yes the most important aspect - it was intelligent. I  like medical detail. With Papa being a microbiologist, and having taken botany and zoology  after 10th, I am au fait with some of the facts. When I visit doctors I try to follow their rationale. So this was totally my kind of show. As the seasons progressed I started googling diseases like sarcoidosis, lupus, auto immune, Huntington 's disease, encephalopathy. It was quite interesting to find more details. 

Each episode is a case where a medical mystery is solved. But there were many human aspects and idiosyncrasies that were revealed. The best parts were House's personality traits. He was a genius physician. He was also conversant in multiple languages. He was a self obsessed, arrogant, drug addiction who regularly resorted to prostitutes. He manipulative to the core. He did not possess the characteristics that I would like in reality. But Hugh Laurie's portrayal of an anti social, narcissistic, egotist was endearing. In fact he came across as a very intelligent man -child . The ultimate anti hero :D I would say he joins in the league of Howard Roark and Atticus Finch in protagonists I have a crush on ( though Roark and Finch are not anti heros) 

As the episodes progressed, the subtle ties that bonded and gagged the team (House's colleagues / subordinates) were revealed. As were some of the emotional aspects of House. They were very well etched and made interesting viewing. A very good element of human quirks were added by the patients in the clinic. The celebration of friendship of House and oncologist Wilson was the icing on the cake for me. It was the typical 'House' relationship, filled with one-upmanship, deception, manipulation and sabotage. But it was a true relationship. It was a lasting relationship. It was a relationship that could stand the test of each character's limitations. The season finales were very intriguing and a fitting end to each season. Somehow in that respect I was a bit let down by the series finale. 

On the whole House has been a splendid watch. Joining the ranks of Homeland and Breaking Bad.