American audiences have recently been treated to a new kind of medical drama. Last November Fox TV began to broadcast House; so named after its main character. The long-term prognosis is a healthy one. But can Fox’s new medical Sherlock Holmes return to become a prime-time winner? Can viewers sustain repetitive medical scenarios; or keep up with all the complex medical terms described during the dramatic and often inspired interchanges between Dr. Gregory House and his medical team. House is ER meets CSI. Let’s hope it is not House meets the Big Bad Wolf.
Watching Hugh Laurie as the unsociable and brusque Dr. House during the first couple of shows was somewhat of a challenge for me. Being of British origin myself and now living in the United States for the last several years, I was initially amused that some of my American friends here, were completely unaware that our medical detective is in fact British.
With his almost believable American accent; some stubble and wrinkles placed conveniently by time and middle-age, Hugh Laurie does a grand job of making most people forget his many previous starring comic roles. What makes Gregory House (and Laurie’s performance of him) interesting is the idiosyncrasies of the role. The threatening cane, the pill-popping, the typical Columbo-esque scruffiness intended to distract victims from the I know I’m clever than you glint in his eyes; the addiction to a daily hospital-soap-opera which he watches on any television he can find; and finally his condescendingly smug approach to lesser mortals in white coats. Yes, there’s a fresh, interesting appeal to this new anti-social doctor. Colleagues tell me they watch just to see what lines the writers give him next!
In another life Hugh Laurie is a comedian at heart, also a pianist, singer, a serious actor, writer, producer and director. Take this 45yr old back twenty years to when he hit the big-time with shows like A Bit Of Fry And Laurie (witty sophisticated revue-type sketches), Blackadder (as Prince George and Lieutenant George – dim-witted intellects), then moving on to Jeeves & Wooster (PG Wodehouse classic escapades of a gentleman and the gentleman’s gentleman – Laurie playing upper-class and gullible Bertie Wooster succumbing regularly to Jeeves’ manipulation), and more recently the Stuart Little movies (with Laurie as Frederick Little) – bringing us to present day with his role as “Ian” in the recently released Flight of the Phoenix. Hugh Laurie has been in many more roles; but he is known with more affection for his humor and musical talent.
House appears to be a different direction for Laurie. Perhaps he got tired of the endless commercials, and voice-overs he became associated with recently and decided to try his hand at American audiences, testing his dramatic prowess. Here we see a more interesting and pleasantly rich with character performance from Mr. Laurie.
The show each week presents us with a medical mystery. An unlucky patient generally has some mysterious illness which every other doctor in the hospital fails to diagnose correctly. We are given symptoms and plausible diagnostic analysis – however, the prognosis is always looming towards the fatal if not cured with the Dr. House deduced treatment within the allotted time-frame of the show. Dr. House spends the hour avoiding interaction with patients and people in general; battling wits with his boss Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), or often belittling Dr. Taylor Foreman’s (Omar Epps) theories and diagnoses – for his betterment of course, insists House. The remainder of the team comprise of intellectual Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) who is the closet thing to a friend and peer we have seen yet; required young attractive female with painful past Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and last but not least dashing and eager to excel Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer)
The positive aspects of the show are Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of an invalided, outwardly impassive and misanthropic, haughty genius. Using methodical and intuitive logic he manages to solve the most heinous of hidden diseases which become resident in our sad victims. This is generally accompanied by some brainstorming, and a few three-dimensional interactive ‘Fantastic Voyage’ style journeys through our victims internal organs. All this fits nicely. Even those elements of the show which are intended to educate us commoners who did not attend medical school. As House might say, “Yes, but the arterial exponative of the neurological amphesian, would cause the patient to suffer mild to fatal revulsions of the syngernistic fibrotheamelia which regulates the aeortic explecretional pathway – we therefore need to increase the antiquotent to an inaxterial sallation dosage!” In other words, the patient has a bladder infection, which needs flushing out. (Yes, that was, just utter gibberish I made up – Well, it didn’t sound any more foreign to me than the terms I hear on the show each week!)
With each episode we see the development of the main characters, the continual battles with medical mystery, clues, wrong diagnosis, correct diagnosis, and underlying message of medical brilliance. The show is receiving much applause. I personally like it. Like other crime and medical thrillers, CSI, Columbo, Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Murder She Wrote, Marcus Welby MD, Quincy, and so on, the show is predictable. As in all these shows, we know the sequence of events that will take place. A victim, a crime, the investigation, a battle of wits between the hero and the villain, and finally the hero always wins. Even though we know this; it is the methods; the art of war; the individual steps traversed to reach the conclusion; the total sequence of events which lead to the final relief. These are what kept us watching all those years, through all those episodes. I believe House has the makings of following in those long-running footsteps.
Fox have found a promising diamond in an otherwise glass minefield of worn down medical dramas, 1001 variations of Hill Street Blues, and numerous tacky reality TV shows. The writers need to continue to develop the show, the characters, and especially the plots. I’m curious to know Dr. Foreman’s shady past, or Dr. Cameron’s heart-wrenching secrets. Is House really a manic-depressive? Will he and Dr. Cuddy ever kiss? Will the stubble continue to remain frozen in time? And even though many of the medical references fly past my ear, I find myself still listening in anticipation. Perhaps I’m hoping some of them will stick to my brain cells, and the next time I go to the doctor I will be that much more knowledgeable. Perhaps the writers and producers of the show know that it does not matter if viewers cannot comprehend all the medical terminology; they will watch regardless of that fact – or maybe because of it.
Aired for seven episodes, another five have been scheduled. I think it would be a shame not to continue with the promising mix of white coats and magnifying glass. My only fear is, occasionally I almost expect Hugh Laurie to burst out into song or to tell a quaint funny story in his natural educated British accent. But that is only at those times when I remember days long gone. As far as this role, I would say to Mr. Laurie, “Well done sir! A jolly good show old man!”
For the future? Let’s see more of the personal side of Dr. Gregory House. Let’s see more blatant honesty and intelligent one-liners which he oft uses to belittle his patients and peers. Let’s see more deduction in identifying the diseases; and finally let us have more fascinating instruction on the esoteric collection of babble which health professionals call medical terms. Once all these are met, then I think without a doubt, House will Rule!
