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[timepiececlock]

House - Episode 2x10

I'm getting this ghastly feeling like the writers really don't have a direction they're aiming for with some of these character relationships. The arcs are more like semi-arcs: they start to look like they're going somewhere and then they don't. And if you're not going to do arcs, then everyone should always be the same and never change (like a Friends episode.) But that doesn't happen either-- these characters go through what should be character-changing experiences, but it's like they never make it all the way through. They just climb halfway up the mountain and then get turned around and mill about.

I noticed this in the beginning of the second season, but I was hoping 10 episodes in it'd sort itself out. Doesn't seem to be the case. Which is really a pity, because the first season had some lovely character arcs stretching from early eps into the final episodes. What happened to those?

On the other hand, my annoyance at the weird stagnancy of these characters is balanced by the fact that I still enjoy the mystery of the week stuff. And I like the style of the series as a whole. So, in that vein, I've decided to try and not get annoyed at character stagnancy and just enjoy what I enjoy about this series. Maybe the characterization writing will pick a pattern and stabilize as the series gets further along.

EDIT: Now seen up to 2x12

Comments

I'm not sure either

[klytaimnestra.livejournal.com]

The thing is, Hugh Laurie is so great that I forgive a lot of loose ends. I think they are trying to remember not to drop threads but while they're good, they aren't Joss, so the secondary characters will occasionally (usually) get stiffed, and remain fairly cardboard. Albeit with the occasional decent lines.

However they're doing their best to get House right, and there I think they are quite deliberately keeping him in a holding pattern. Partly because they figure that if he ever figures out how to deal with his pain in a healthy adult kinda way they will have no show. (I think they're wrong about this, but then I believe in arcs.) Partly because they can't have him reforming too fast, and slow incremental change with frequent backsliding looks very very like a holding pattern. (Remember BtVS S6 ...)

So I don't actually know what's going on. But Hugh Laurie is so fantastic that, oh well. I'm still watching ...

Re: I'm not sure either

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

The thing is, Hugh Laurie is so great that I forgive a lot of loose ends.

He does make up for quite a bit. I think one of my favorite Hugh Laurie scenes is when he goes into the guy's room with all the reporters and yells "This is not TB!" into the camera.

Given that I like all the other actors too (except Dr. Chase's actor, whom I'm kind of "Ergh." about)


However they're doing their best to get House right, and there I think they are quite deliberately keeping him in a holding pattern. Partly because they figure that if he ever figures out how to deal with his pain in a healthy adult kinda way they will have no show. (I think they're wrong about this, but then I believe in arcs.) Partly because they can't have him reforming too fast, and slow incremental change with frequent backsliding looks very very like a holding pattern. (Remember BtVS S6 ...)

I definitely expect them to keep doing that for a while, though I agree with you, I believe in arcs. Maybe I'm so used to watching tv shows with arcs big or small (Jossverse, Farscape, West Wing even, and of course anime), that I come to expect them. And it's not like House doesn't have them... the first season seemed to. But it's like so many of the arcs from the first season were dropped or altered mid-way for the second season, and I'm still having difficulty relating the two.

Cameron's behavior around House in the start of season 2 seemed like night and day different from the note last season ended on and I was having difficulty figuring out how one became the other. Explainable transition would have been nice. That's improved a bit more in the last three episodes, but it annoyed while watching the first 9 or 10 of the season.

Chase's characterization plot threads are jumping around like crazy-- first it's a family thing, then the issue of loyalty, then there's the random sex with doped!Cameron thing, all of which I expected to have *some* affect on his relationships with the team but all of which seemed to have been forgotten. The only semi-consistant thing is his asshattery, and even that comes and goes. Do they want us to like the character or not? I find it hard to tell.

I still feel like we know very little about Foreman, though I do appreciate that they've been pretty consistant about his position as House's burgeoning rival/antagonist within the diagnostics team. They led up to that pretty well and it was fun to see him as House's boss. I'd really like to know more about him personally, however. Most of his characterization has been confined within the politics of professional relationships.


Anyway, it's not inconsistant characterization that bugs me so much (aside from the stuff about Chase and Foreman above, they're okay with that) as consistant relationships (House/various team members, team members/team members, etc.) The most consistant relationships so far have been House/Wilson and House/Stacy, the first being non-arc and the latter being an arc. I'd like to see a change for better or worse in House coming out of the Stacy relationship, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high.

Re: I'm not sure either

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

My comment above is different from the post because I've now seen up to 2x12, which I believe is the latest episode.

[mswyrr]

Hey, if you want to see Hugh Laurie's work in British comedy, I'm putting up YSI links to episodes of Jeeves and Wooster, which he starred in. It's quite good.

Here's ep 1, if you want to try it out:
s35.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2K4X2IUE59JZ81CACVBWHI9T9A

He plays a very different character from House, but he's still very entertaining and watchable.