i'm not there (i did not die)

[swatkat]

i'm not there (i did not die):

'I'm better off alone anyway.' – House to Wilson, The Itch
'I don't want to be in pain. I don't want to be miserable.' – House to Amber, Wilson's Heart


And so now we have come to this—House is seeing a therapist, something you'd never have thought you'd see House do (although heaven knows he could use one). Wilson didn't tell House anything he didn't know in that last scene, and frankly, we could've done without that camera blurring thing in the end (hello, anvil!): he is alone. He is lonely. House needs people, whether he'll admit or no—he was forced to hire his new team because he couldn't do without them in his professional life; he ran after Wilson and Cuddy after they seemed to be drawing away from him.

I've been very proud of the way House has been trying so very hard this season, and frustrated by how locked in he really is. Nothing he has been trying (and he has been trying, he has been putting himself out there, he has been reaching out to people he loves) seems to be working very well. If there's one characteristic House shares with Cuddy, it's giving up on himself. But unlike House, Cuddy is an optimist. And unlike House, Cuddy does not angst. And therefore, unlike House, Cuddy bounces back the next day, no matter what she has suffered, and jumps right back into the fray (sometimes she even gets herself to believe that she's absolutely fine). House on the other hand will never let anything go when it comes to his puzzles and his friends, but when it comes to himself? He's scared and impatient, and he's quick to dismiss something as important and time-consuming as therapy after one frakking session. The last scene reminded me of House's little scene with Chase in 'The Social Contract,'

Chase: He says awful things. Hardly a medical condition.
House: When he leaves, he'll lose his family. He's gonna alienate the people he works with. And if he ever finds a friend who's willing to put up with his crap, he'll be lucky—till he drives them away too.

What is really awesome is that the last line of Wilson's works on two levels: Wilson is thinking in terms of House and his tangled mess of a whatever-it-is with Cuddy, because to Wilson, the definition of 'alone' is not in a relationship. That's *why* his decision to move on in life has meant 'getting a new girlfriend'. Like House, he doesn't want to be miserable and he doesn't want to be alone, but his solution to the problem is always, always finding a new person to date. ♥


i am in a quiet room:

It's just like Wilson to think that House's decision to see a shrink has everything to do with Cuddy—because, as we know, his brain works on the following lines:

X + Relationship = Profit!!!

I'm wondering if he doesn't recognise how much it also has to do with him. (I'm still waiting for some more fallout over Amber, and the fact that House nearly died because Wilson asked him to.)

But that said, it *does* have to do with Cuddy, and the fact that she has almost entirely withdrawn from her 'I-am-interested-in-you' position post-5.10. In 5.11, House tried baiting her repeatedly, to no avail. Afterwards, it has been all about Rachel, and despite her confusion about what she wants in 'Unfaithful' (which House does not know about, and believes that she did not want him in her house; he's also probably very confused about why the desk did not elicit any response), House has been frustrated and in the dark about her intentions. 'Why do you care if I'm happy?' he asked her in 'The Softer Side'. And I wanted her to reply, 'I can't believe you're asking me this after everything we've been through,' but that's not the answer he wanted, is it? Because House has been trying to make a point all throughout the season, through his secret cheerleader past in 5.03, through the desk in 5.10 and the 'Merry Christmas' in 5.11, through the mature punching-bag stance that he took in 5.14, that while he has better friends than he deserves, he is capable of caring for people and doing epic things for them. And it's frustrating, because while Cuddy did get the other point he tried to get across ('I'm an asshole, don't expect too many things from me'), she—in spite of her eternal optimism and her faith that House can do better, which, no matter what he claims, he desperately needs, as he showed us in 5.14—has not seen it, does not even believe it is possible:


House:There was a girl.
Lucas:Even more so.

Lucas:That's too bad. You wanted her to see you in a different light. Not only didn't she see it, she didn't even believe it was possible.
House: You know, people hate people who have theories about people.

And it's so very sad, because, it's not as though Cuddy doesn't want to believe him. Except that she has been burned. I found her apology at the end of 5.14 remarkable, because not only was it the right thing to do, but it was also remarkably honest, and House and Cuddy being honest to each other is a rare occurrence in the show. But it makes perfect sense that she baulked at his 'Why do you care if I'm happy?' I wrote post-5.10:

Add to this the title 'Let Them Eat Cake', and the reference to Marie Antoinette. I'm not happy she fell for the idea of a relationship with House, because she knows better, she has shown in the previous episodes that she knows better and she certainly deserves better than have her heart broken over House (I mean, the last look was 'I can't believe I fell for that, stupid'). But she did, and it makes sense with her character. We already know that House is a big scaredy cat and we already know House is the King of Mixed Signals and Emotional Ill-Health - but Cuddy is not very brave, either. In fact, she kind of sucks at relationships and emotional issues, things she cannot control, and that she put herself out there was an incredibly brave step on her part (tempered, of course, by a healthy dose of her vision of the 'world as it could be' - delusion, if you will; prompted, probably, by the melodrama in her life, her fear of loss esp. post 'Joy' and 'Last Resort', by Wilson's 'you can make it work!', by House's mixed signals, by the fact that she wants it), given her history of giving up on things and avoiding pain when they scare her (5.06: 'You're giving up.').

If House wants Cuddy, he's going to have to do something about it himself because she's not, the way she's now, going to drag him down the pool with his clothes on—at best, she will tug at his hand. And she's already done that.

I still believe this—unless, of course, some important event takes place in the near future. The question House was really asking is 'If you only believe I'm a jerk and an asshole (which, of course, I am, and please don't forget it), why do you care if I'm happy?'

It ties in to Wilson's failure to recognise the magnitude of his importance to House, and really, my heart breaks for House here. Remember that conversation with Nurse Nemesis in 5.02 about the boy who cried wolf? His friends don't believe him. And so far, nothing he has done has served to rectify it.

Etc.:

* Kutner's still the smartest D2.

* Claiming Kutner's idea? That is low, Taub. And desperate. And why am I not surprised that Kutner let him do it? He loves his friends, be it in his demand to know where Thirteen was a few episodes ago or in his heartbreak over Cole in S4, and will go great extents for them. Like House will.

* Not enough Cuddy. Humph. That said, she was absolutely gorgeous in purple and I had trouble paying attention to what they were saying.

* On the same note: they've fixed her hair! ♥♥♥

* Even Foreman's problems are boring. Awww. His girlfriends don't like his taste in jewelry, and Foreman, that vain, smug idiot, is heartbroken about it. I love how Thirteen handled it. She knows she's the cool one, awww.

* Cameron!!!! (Also, this is the second or third instance where House has asked her why she's not on his team. Foreshadowing?)

* TAUB. STOP. BE HAPPY AND SARCASTIC, I BEG OF YOU.

* House and Wilson. True love = stalking your BFF.

Comments

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

What you mention about Wilson, that being "alone" means "not being in a relationship" is my least favorite thing about him, and I think is his biggest fault. And, like you say later, it causes him to fail to recognize how important he means to House as a friend, how not alone he helps House feel when he's around as his friend, not his matchmaker.

I totally agree, and I kinda love him for it in a 'Wilson, you darling twisted moron' kind of way. I also agree about the side-effects of Wilson's matchmaking, although I secretly suspect House would be disappointed if Wilson drew back too much, because that translates into Wilson no longer cares in his warped brain. They really have no sense of boundaries, and in House's head, irritating and intrusive matchmaking quite possibly translates into an expression of love.

But more than being pushed away through the matchmaking, what has made House feel even more alone is the return of Daniel Wilson. It's a neat parallel to Cuddy and Rachel, the fact that both of them now have new families, and that evidently means they no longer love him anymore. I'm not surprised that the therapy visit has followed 'The Social Contract'. I also wonder if he is very well, physically... (Um, haven't been following spoilers lately, don't tell me.)

House's fear and loneliness and pain is driving him to act

I agree. I'm not certain how much 'romance' really comes into the scenario - this show doesn't really do straightforward romances anyway. It's consistent with what he said on the bus - not being miserable translates into reaching out to Wilson and Cuddy.

[shutterbug-12.livejournal.com]

I secretly suspect House would be disappointed if Wilson drew back too much Oh, most definitely. House seems to want people at just the right distance for him, even the people he's closest to (so, I guess that would mean I think he does have boundaries, but they're different than most people's, and varies from person to person with House), but yes, I pretty much agree with that. It's how they operate, but when little nudges become something more like a shove away from Wilson, I can see how that would also translate to abandoning him, too.

I think Daniel is a huge factor, yes, you're right. It's the same issues coming up late in the season that came up at the beginning with Wilson leaving, Cuddy potentially 'leaving' because of a new baby, all those things. And a few episodes back, House admitted, at the very least, that he's been having bad pain days with more frequency, so even on that level, he doesn't seem to be as physically well.

I'm of the opinion that 'romance' actually has very little to do with the entire situation, as twisted and complicated as it is, with respect to Cuddy and House, but House more so. Despite the affection, care, and respect they both share for each other, those other factors--not wanting to be in pain or lonely or miserable--seem to be the driving force behind a lot of their actions this season. They've had some cute moments, and they've demonstrated great care for each other, and they've given possibilities some thought, but those seem to be thoughts motivated by that focus on pain (and all that other stuff I said before), and not on romance.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I want to smack House, because he wants his toys arranged at the right place where *he* can play with them and tear them apart at will. *sigh*

I'm of the opinion that 'romance' actually has very little to do with the entire situation, as twisted and complicated as it is, with respect to Cuddy and House, but House more so. Despite the affection, care, and respect they both share for each other, those other factors--not wanting to be in pain or lonely or miserable--seem to be the driving force behind a lot of their actions this season.

The same goes for Cuddy. She may have bought into the romance plan (and then given up on it, thanks to House), but beyond that there is loneliness and a fear of pain (traits they both share). That was *why* the kiss was not a sexy, hot kiss or a cute, fun kiss but a messy, painful kiss. And if (or probably when) they take a further step? It will be again out of that same desire for company and comfort more than anything else. It will also be a complete disaster. (And I will probably love every bit of it. *facepalm*)

[shutterbug-12.livejournal.com]

That he does. He has his reasons. It's scary when things aren't where he needs them. ;)

*nods* Yep. I'm not entirely convinced she bought out of that plan, or even really knows what she's doing, because it's so easy for her to lose perspective (and fall for it fresh every day, because of how she almost...reboots herself), but I definitely agree that for her too it's based much more in loneliness and pain. I don't think that's changed from Joy for either of them. If it's not a complete disaster, then it would only be because the writers decided to replace them both with pod-characters.

[swatkat24.livejournal.com]

she almost...reboots herself

That she does. But that rebooting, that bouncing back is usually tempered by caution. Does she know what she's doing with House? I don't think so. I don't think she quite knows what she wants ('Unfaithful' made that very clear). And if her experience with Rachel has taught her anything, even getting what you want doesn't put an end to your problems - it only leads to further complications. Which is maybe why she has stepped further back from House? Hmm.

[shutterbug-12.livejournal.com]

That getting what you think you want failing to solve problems but leading to crazy complications thing? Yeah, that's kind of what I think will happen when and House and Cuddy "progress". A wild stab to solve a problem will only make it worse, I suspect. *ponders*