Brit Comedian Hugh Laurie has hung up his Mr. Thickie act to become the grumpy, yet usually right Doctor House who, with his team of specialists, solve mysterious diseases afflicting people.
The stories usually follow this formula: someone is struck ill brought in for treatment. House runs down the available options with his socially diverse team, narrowing it down. Then, they treat the patient, everything seems to improve, just before it all goes bad. (Enter the typical patient violently seisuring scene.) Then, they have to re-evaluate the situation, usually one of them has to search the patient's house for clues. Then, it's revealed that the illness was something simple or very unlikely, but the patient is cured, and everyone's happy.
Despite not understanding a word of medical terminology, I find myself entralled with this series. Its strength is not with the actual disease, but how doctors go about healing their patients. Most of the time, Dr. House runs up against his boss, concerned parents or other relatives, or other problems. There are moral dilemmas about if they should try new, risky treatments, or if they should try a procedure that could kill the patient. Simply put, it presents the best and worst in modern medicine.
And Hugh Laurie is the perfect choice for House. He makes House work, and I delight in seeing him handle clinic patients and their usually trivial problems. So, while the show isn't the most original out there (ER plus CSI), Laurie and gang still make it an interesting watch every week.
The series so far: B
1 comment:
House does seem to have a formulaic plotline, but it is addictive. Hugh Laurie does a superb job as being a grouchy, yet caring doctor. It's interesting to see him outside of his British comedy work. The "drama" between the doctors and the constant insights we receive concerning them and Dr. House seem to drive the show more than the medicine. It's also nice to see Robert Sean Leonard doing an interesting role as House's friend/ fellow doctor. Glad you found one of the few good shows to watch on TV!
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