House, MD Season Four Finale: Wilson's Heart

Originally published May 19, 2008. Catch the new season premiere tonight!NOTE; There was no way I could review this episode without describing pretty much every major plot point, so seriously don't read this if you missed it. SPOILER ALERT.As anyone who reads my other blog will know, HOUSE is my favorite show on American TV. I love it. It's funny and twisted and clever, and the acting, writing, and directing are generally flawless. It also has Hugh Laurie, who I've worshipped since BLACKADDER. I've seen every episode more than once, and I can honestly say that no episode has ever made me cry, until tonight. Correction: I did not just cry. I completely lost my shit.This season will not go down as my favorite. It was uneven, with the new team and quite a few gimmicks. I'm still not in love with the new team, but I keep reminding myself that I thought the old team was asinine until partway through season two, so I'm willing to give the newbies the benefit of the doubt (except Kal Penn, AKA Kumar - of the new team, he is the one I truly love).That being said, this season also has some of the best episodes in the history of the show (a full list of the best episodes is at the bottom, for your edification). After last week's cliffhanger, I was worried. Worried that they would take a good episode (if reminiscent of every other episode where we take a road trip through the mind of House), and totally screw it up. I was completely prepared to end up crying in the corner over the disaster my favorite show had become. And while I did end up sobbing in the corner, it was for totally different reasons.This episode will go down in history as the only HOUSE episode to make Elle completely lose her shit. It is also one of the best in the series. The acting was perfect, the writing was exquisite, and everything fell together just as it should. Fred Durst didn't even ruin it! I still don't ever want to see him again on my show.This is also the first episode in the show that didn't belong to House. Between Laurie's skills as an actor and the nature of House as a character, he's pretty much owned the show since we first saw him limping through the hospital. Nobody ever had a problem with that, least of all me. In this episode, Laurie stepped aside, and Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson) finally got to run the show.Leonard has always been a fan favorite, and the yin to House's demented yang. I've always loved Wilson, even with his own considerable set of flaws. Leonard has stolen his share of scenes (my personal favorite being the time when House dosed him with amphetamines), and evolved into a compelling and complicated character. Never before has he owned every scene so completely. His name is in the title of the episode, and so it should be; he is impossible to look away from, and incredibly hard to watch.I started to list the scenes where Leonard was wonderful, and ended up recounting most of the episode. Let's just say when Wilson cried, I cried. A lot of actors are terrible at onscreen tears. Leonard is not, which is good for the show, but excruciating to sit through. You want to change the channel to get away from his pain, but could never reach for the remote.OK, four scenes where he was at his pinnacle: the scene where he talks to Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) about waking Amber (Anne Dudek) up; the scene where they say goodbye, which I'm not sure I can talk about just yet; the moment where House wakes up and they look at each other; when Wilson finds Amber's note. There really are no words for how wrenching these moments are. Leonard goes from concern to desperate hope to sorrow to a shattered man. It's harrowing to watch. Robert Sean Leonard needs a Golden Globe for this performance. And an Emmy, a Tony, an Oscar, and a Grammy. He needs to be showered with praise and awards for this damn performance. If the universe has any decency, he will get the recognition he so deeply deserves.Hugh Laurie actually is quite tragic himself. It's always unnerving when House expresses emotion in a human way. Remember when Stacy left? Instead of crying or talking about it, House induced a severe migraine. And he expresses a hell of a lot of emotions this time around. He cries. House, debatably the nastiest protagonist on TV, cries. Maybe because his best friend is in extreme pain, and he is the indirect cause. I could write a whole essay on that, and might at a later date. Every time I managed to tear my focus from Leonard, Laurie was being devastating in a quiet, more composed way. And that scene on the bus at the end? Am I the only one who finds it moving that House would rather stay in a coma than have Wilson mad at him? I hope not, because it's one of the few times House is completely vulnerable, and Laurie was brilliant. Plus, it was shot really nicely.The rest of the cast is excellent, per usual, but I was only marginally interested. I thought the final shots of the old and new teams were beautiful, and said a hell of a lot in less than a minute of screen time. Who knew Taub (Peter Jacobson) had a soul? I liked the back story on Kutner, although I must say I couldn't bring myself to be that upset about Thirteen (Olivia Wilde). Of the new team, she's my least favorite, and I always thought she was positive. My hope is that they use this information in an interesting way next season.And I would be a heinous human being if I didn't point out Dudek's performance. I hated her most of the season. Really, really hated her. I thought she was a lame 'House with breasts'-type, and was annoyed when she reappeared on the show after getting canned. Then the writers of the show went and did a sneaky thing. They pulled her out of the background and developed her. They gave her a personality beyond Cutthroat Bitch. They made me really like her, the bastards. Her relationship with Wilson seemed had some touching, authentic moments. I liked them as a couple. I liked her interaction with House. She was getting more interesting with each episode.All of her past work, however, pales in comparison to her final bow on HOUSE. Dudek managed, with the last of her screen time, to cement my suspicions that Amber was perfect for Wilson, that she really had become a pretty cool chick, and that I wanted her to stay on the show. So of course she's dead now. Her death scene broke me down. It could have been corny and weak, and left everyone rolling their eyes in disgust. Instead, it was honest and hard to watch. She matched Leonard every step of the way. As sad as it was, it was also beautiful and sweet. These were two characters in love, who had to say goodbye. Her final words to him were indescribably wonderful, and reduced me to sobbing like a lost child in a dark alley with a scary clown.I know I should be critical of SOMETHING. That's what reviews are for. So here it is: the title sucks. I hate the name of this episode. That is the only bad thing I can think of. It's a terrible title. This was a great episode. Not just of HOUSE, but of television in general. As unexpected and sad as it was, I was also relieved that there was no big twist this time around (like House being shot, or House firing everyone). The episode ended on a down note, with lots of unanswered questions. Next season has a lot to live up to. All HOUSE sins are forgiven in this episode. Kudos all around. Now, when the HELL do new episodes start? It's going to be a long summer.NOTE ON THE LIST BELOW: I left off about twenty more episodes that I personally love. These are just the best ones overall, and my favorites. And if it was a list of favorite scenes, I'd break the internet.BEST HOUSE EPISODES(Ordered by season)SEASON 1* Detox - House quits the Vicodin, breaks his own hand, and causes much joy for those watching.* Three Stories - One of my top five favorites. We learn some of House's past, Carmen Electra shows up, and the writer's get creative.SEASON 2* The Mistake - The episode where Chase became awesome. Another one with great RASHOMON-style 'he said she said' moments.* Euphoria Parts 1 & 2 - Foreman gets sick, and Omar Epps gets awesome.* No Reason - Our first foray into the terrifying world of House's brain. SEASON 3* Lines In The Sand - One of my top five favorite episodes. House envies an autistic patient.* Finding Judas - The best of the Tritter episodes. Tritter was a dick.* Half-Wit - Another of the hallowed Top Five Favorites. Who knew Dave Matthews could act? But screw that, did you see the kiss?* One Day, One Room - House tries to connect with another human being, in his own special way. * House Training - Notable for Omar Epps' best performance (everyone else says Euphoria).* Resignation - Wilson an amphetamines. Enough said. Another Top Five.SEASON 4* Don't Ever Change - House sort of kind of starts to grow up.* Wilson's Heart - See above. The title really does suck, though.

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