I was working away today when I had a stray thought about the Vicadin addicted Doctor that stars in the show "House" It occurred to me that the last hero I remembered with a drug addiction who was such a high functional was Sherlock Holmes, then it occurred to me House...Holmes oh no no no... the lack of personal skills, the uncanny brilliance at solving based on small clues. A knock off, but that is the problem with detective stories, if you watch Monk you have seen old plots from Colombo, and others those shows ran forever, Murder she Wrote, on and on so it in no wonder they have to rehash them, but to base your character on Holmes and call him House, that is calling us blind stupid and daring us to notice. I feel insulted. Still enjoy the show though.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
It's pretty much obvious. Are you being sarcastic? It's not like they hid it or anything. I mean, I didn't think of it until just now when you said it, but there's no reason to feel insulted.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
What, you're just getting that now? Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Gen Sax, There was a thread about it, but it might not have been here. If you go on the House site, it will discuss how the show is based on Holmes. I do not think it is necessarily obvious, either.
They even discuss Holmes=Homes=House
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
And there's House's home address. Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
And Holmes' only friend is Watson...and House's only friend is Wilson.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
And the idea for Holmes was sparked in part by a doctor the Arthur Conan Doyle (also a physician) trained under... And there's even been series of mysteries based on the young Arthur Conan Doyle and his mentor solving mysteries, medical and otherwise...
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
They have a section on this on the wikipedia entry for Gregory House.
"that is calling us blind stupid and daring us to notice"
Yes, they're daring us to notice and calling us blind stupid, they're definitely not intentionally trying to make a tribute to Holmes for us to pick up on and enjoy.
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Yes, but on the show's actual official page, it talks about the intentional connection. So, yes, actually, they are. Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
I can't tell if you're making a joke on my sarcasm or if you thought I was being serious. Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Oh, I thought you were being serious! Apologies; my sarcasmo-meter is broken today. Posted by dawnmaria (Member # 4142) on :
Cameron and Chase just got engaged in real life! How cute!
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
I dunno. The more I watch it, the more I feel the similarities to Holmes are superficial. Holmes had some honest feelings of friendship for at least one person.
In fact, the more I watch the show, the more convinced I become that the only thing that lurks behind that callous, rude and abrasive demeanor is a highly successful sociopath, whose success is only threatened by his current drug abuse (last episode seemed to have clearly pushed him over the line in that category).
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Holmes had some honest feelings of friendship for at least one person.
And when he felt that Watson had "left" him (got married, which he saw as a betrayal) he was very cool toward him for a time and Watson had to win his "affection" back. From the start he was abusive even toward his "friend". It wasn't until he got cleaned up (with Watson's help) AND had a "near-death experience" that he ever actually came close to expressing in words his friendship and feelings for Watson.
Also, House was married once, he really meant that. Until she "betrayed" him. And Holmes thought all women but one were beneath his notice-- just like House.
Posted by General Sax (Member # 9694) on :
I plan to watch for more Holmes connections now that it occured to me that they may be hiding them. One is the hostile cop that gets outdone.
Posted by Hitoshi (Member # 8218) on :
Oh, House the show. You got my hopes up for a thread on House music. Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: \ Also, House was married once, he really meant that. Until she "betrayed" him. And Holmes thought all women but one were beneath his notice-- just like House.
House and Stacy weren't married, she was just his live-in girlfriend.
Personally, I think we're given pretty good evidence that he was always the way he is when we see him, it's not a response to Stacy leaving him. I also disagree that House sees all women as beneath his notice. I think he's still in love with Stacy, so he's not romantically interested in them; but that he certainly appreciates Cameron and Cuddy as intelligent people.
I hope I'm not tilting at windmills with this post, I've never read any Holmes, I'm just obsessed with House.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I think he also appreciates Cameron's newly found seriously butt-kicking set o' balls. And don't anyone dare take that out of context.
And yes, he's still in love with Stacey, who gave him a serious run for his money. I loved watching them interact. While House isn't in love with Cuddy, he certainly does respect her as much as he's able to respect people.
I found it interesting that when that little ol' lady told House he was being in appropriate (or something along those lines when House was coming down on Wilson in front of the just-dead guy and his new widow) that he apologized and left. Just like that. Somewhere in there, there's a decent human being.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: Gen Sax, There was a thread about it, but it might not have been here. If you go on the House site, it will discuss how the show is based on Holmes. I do not think it is necessarily obvious, either.
They even discuss Holmes=Homes=House
I brought this up on the House thread over on sakeriver. I too thought I was very clever for picking up on it on my own until I brought it up and found out that there were a lot more connections which I hadn't even seen yet.
Here's what I said back then:
quote: Beverly and I saw one episode on TV, which was enough to get us to start netflixing it. We've seen one disc worth plus one episode. With those credentials, let me say:
House, in many ways, is a remake of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
They both solve mysteries through a combination of an encylopedic memory, acute perception of detail, and an impressive knowledge of the human psyche.
They both were horrible, horrible people to be around. Brilliant, yes. But lonely (of their own making), rude, arrogant, condescending, and petty.
They're both the "best of the best" who solve the cases that normal investigators failed to.
They both have drug problems.
Holmes had Dr. Watson to help out and be in awe at his genius. House has four of them.
All in all, I'd say there are three main departures: 1. Instead of criminal mysteries, we now have medical mysteries. At first glance, this seems like a major difference. But really, it's not. The structure of House episodes is a pretty standard mystery-show format, with the guilty culprit being discovered at the end of the show. 2. House is a cripple (his word). This is a cheap tactic to get us to have some sympathy with the protagonist, but it's probably needed. When I finally read some Doyle, I was dumbfounded at how unlikable Holmes is. 3. House has a boss that can kick his butt. This is a good change, IMO.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I've been hooked on House ever since I started watching it last May. I've never seen the back episodes, though.
I've also never read any Holmes mysteries (something I have been meaning to remedy), so I never clued in (no pun intended) that that was the inspiration.
However--was anyone else as irritated by the ending of last night's episode as I was, or did you all see it coming? It just seemed like a cheap plot device to me, and makes me on the verge of tired with the whole story.
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
Did they completely conclude the case? I watched it, but then a couple of hours later when I was getting ready for bed I realized that I either wasn't paying attention at the end, they zipped through the wrap-up stuff really quickly, or they aren't completely done with the patient.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Am I the only one who gets annoyed at how condencending House's staff is towards him?
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Condescending? I guess House's condescension toward others bothers me, not the other way around. However, if you mean enabling then yes, that is tough to watch. I mean, friendship is one thing, but really, Wilson should've let House take the rap for forging his prescriptions from the start. And don't get me started on how baffled I am by Cuddy's action on last night's show!
But I guess Wilson and Cuddy aren't his staff, so that's probably not what you're talking about. So what are some examples of his staff being condescending towards him that you don't like? Cameron does baby him a lot.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I didn't like last night's episode very much. The legal bit seemed like an overly easy out (Oh no! He's going to jail! Except the judge just sort of tossed out the case because he wasn't one of the worse offenders.) I think what bothers me is that they made a huge deal of it, as if there was almost no chance for House to escape prison, even though we all were pretty sure that next season was never going to be House, Inmate. And then, whoops! The judge dismisses the case because she feels like it.
Oh, and the electric shock thing was ridiculous too. I really doubt that electric shock therapy normally induces such profound, permanent memory loss. Nor do I think that erasing the guy's memories, essentially killing the person he was, was an ethical solution. Then again, I have huge issues with the ethical decisions the doctors make much of the time.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Synesthesia: Am I the only one who gets annoyed at how condencending House's staff is towards him?
Not at all. Given the way he acts and the way he treats them, it's purely a defense mechanism.
He's basically ruined them for working with anyone else, though.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
What I liked about last night's episode is that the whole stupid ordeal with the detective is over. That was really starting to kill the show for me.
Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I totally agree with Jon Boy. I really like the actor who played the detective but I hated that whole storyline.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Yeah. It was amusing when House got arrested during the first episode of the arc. He deserved that. But I think this got dragged on for far too long.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I know House is a jerk but they are always nagging him about being more social and looking down on him because he's handicapped and it drives me completely up a tree. House does tend to get on my nerves with his arrogant Houseness but he's true to himself. I got to respect that. Folks keep ragging him about every detail. Perhaps he needs that, but it still annoys me.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
House is a brat. A genius, and a funny brat, but still a brat. No one looks down on him for being handicapped. That's ridiculous.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I get what Syn is saying. It feels like every episode someone tells House why he is the way he is. It wasn't too bad at the beginning, but they're running out of original reasons and it's getting old. It seems sort of presumptive to me, too, not towards House, but on their own part. Like they're brilliant enough to dissect the human psyche.
Every once in a while I just want to shake all the characters and point out that any of them could stop dealing with House at any time if they wanted to.
Of course, one of the reasons I feel very mehish about this season is that I think they went from making House a sympathetic jerk to just a jerk.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: House is a brat. A genius, and a funny brat, but still a brat. No one looks down on him for being handicapped. That's ridiculous.
They totally do, Like that episode when Cuddy made House stop taking Vicodin. The poor man was a wreck when it came to pain and they were all so condescending towards him. They have no idea what it's like for him to have to go through that all the time. It drives me completely crazy. And they keep trying to analyze him. I know when people analyze me it drives me completely up a tree, especially if they get it wrong. But, he can be a brat and a jerk often. He's still cool for some reason.
Posted by jh (Member # 7727) on :
Ah, finally an episode to make me forget that horrid Tritter arc.
Favorite moments: Wilson is House's conscience! Cuddy is an endocrinologist! PotW/House banter Cameron/Chase (hee!) The transsexual nurse
That tapeworm seriously made me go EEWWW!
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
It was good. Cuddy needs to run off with House, like now.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
She doesn't want to live with him, she just wants his love child. Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I loved that they made House ambiguous again. Throughout the Tritter episode he was just morally bad. But telling his team they could take the nerve from where ever and then cursing Wilson? That was the House I like watching.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I agree; the nerve biopsy interaction w/ Wilson was classic.
Posted by Counter Bean (Member # 10176) on :
It was a good episode, I really enjoyed the guy who left for very insightful reasons the booty call with Cuddy.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
quote: I agree; the nerve biopsy interaction w/ Wilson was classic.
Of course, this scene involved Wilson analyzing House's motives - with precision accuracy, in this case, since House more or less admitted he was thinking about some kind of graft of her spinal cells to his leg.
Unlike others who are bothered by the ways others critique house and suggest ulterior motives, I figure this is a game he started - and tends to be better at than the people around him.
Posted by hansenj (Member # 4034) on :
*spoilers from last night's episode*
. . . .
Hey, does anyone know if it's actually possible to survive with only half of your brain? Usually the procedures they do in this show seem completely believable, but for some reason I found this one a little crazy sounding.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Yep, it is. I read about some of these cases lots and lots of years ago.
This wikipedia entry seems pretty much in line with what I remember on the subject.
Yes, it is. Usually it has only been done in children, but it is. The one thing is that unless they bolt his head into shape with some kind of prop, it will collapse and be lopsided, I think. They didn't show or talk about that part.
I'm not sure the kind of learning that would happen after losing half your brain would happen as well, if at all, in an adult, but it wasn't so far-fetched as to throw me out of the episode.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
Its not Lupus!!
Posted by Krankykat (Member # 2410) on :
General Sax: I think a great idea for a TV detective show is to have a ethnicly diverse gangster-type crack-head detective and call it Homie. He would have a lack of personal skills and the uncanny brilliance at solving CRIME based on small clues. Would tnat be insulting, too?
Posted by hansenj (Member # 4034) on :
Well, cool! Thanks!
Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
I was so impressed with Dave Matthews in this last episode? What did you guys think?
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
He was good in it. I didn't know he was such a good actor.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
quote:Hey, does anyone know if it's actually possible to survive with only half of your brain?
My next door neighbor had this same type of operation ... they removed half his brain. He was a child, though, as KQ said. He had the same type of issues with seizures as the guy in the episode. The seizures caused him to be severely developmentally delayed. He could barely say two words at 4 years old.
The thing is, that part of his brain was effectively dead anyway, and his body had compensated already by making new pathways in the brain to control those parts that should've been controlled by the damaged part of his brain. So when he had the surgery, the skills that he should've lost and had to take years to re-learn were never really lost, because he'd already been compensating for that half of the brain for years. With the seizures gone, the improvements he's made in speech and development are astronomical. He's now in my son's Cub Scout troop. Still delayed, but a huge change over what he was.
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Yes, they're daring us to notice and calling us blind stupid, they're definitely not intentionally trying to make a tribute to Holmes for us to pick up on and enjoy.
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I can't tell if you're making a joke on my sarcasm or if you thought I was being serious. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)