23Aug/07Off
House – Two
The TV series, that is. The Mrs has discovered it and is really rather liking it. I've seen odd episodes, mostly in gloomy hotel rooms in the US, and thought that it was very well done, but I've never been able really to get into it. It's one of those things that I ought to like, based on past performance, but which I've failed to get to grips with.
Does anyone watch it? Is it worth me making an effort with?
August 23rd, 2007 - 15:42
In short, Yes.
OK, it does have a distinct formula (three or four wrong diagnoses, leading to gradually worse and worse state of health, before miraculous recovery in the last five minutes upon correct diagnosis at last of some esoteric illness) but it’s still worth it. Mainly, I think, because the story arcs end up making Disease Of The Week into a sideline, while the characters develop (slowly, but generally believably) over the course of a/several season(s).
All told, yes, worth it. Not as worth it as Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing”, or the Wire, but then, what is?
August 23rd, 2007 - 16:11
Now you see – The Wire is another one I’ve never seen so much as a minute of. The West Wing, on the other hand as you obviously know, is probably the source of more postings here than any other TV programme except possibly Doctor Who.
But yes, that structure exactly describes the episode of House we watched last week.
August 23rd, 2007 - 20:09
I just can’t get past Hugh Laurie’s American accent. It’s good. But he’ll always be Bertie Wooster to me.
August 23rd, 2007 - 21:19
The Wire took me a while to get in to. West Wing I only initially started watching on S2, but then watched all of S1 on DVD in (I think) two days. Might’ve been three. But only just.
The wire is an acquired taste. More people rave about it than do about Shawn Ryan’s “The Shield” (which I personally prefer) but it’s still pretty impressive – well, so long as you don’t mind cop shows with dubious morality…
August 23rd, 2007 - 21:50
I go through the same cycle with House every season: I watch it because I enjoy Hugh Laurie’s performance and the interactions with his colleagues, then after a while I get bored with the formulaic way the illness of the week is handled, then after a bit of a break I drift back to the show again after inadvertently catching an episode and enjoying Laurie’s performance all over again.
I’ve watched more of season 3 (the one that ends on Channel 5 this evening) than I did seasons 1 and 2, so I suppose that must mean that I’m enjoying Laurie’s performance more than I did. Or that I’ve learned not to be irritated at the nearly-kill-the-patient followed by figure-it-out-in-the-last-five-minutes formula.
Either way, I think I’m giving the show a thumbs-up.