Review - House Season 8 Episode 5 The Confession

It's safe to say the writers have accepted that House is a silly show and aren't interested anymore in realism. The return of Chase and Taub isn't anything spectacular, but it introduces some more fun dynamics--new team and old team, old team plus Foreman as boss, and old team dealing with House. They work well in "The Confession," an episode without a good medical mystery, but has significantly more joking than in previous episodes.

Score: 8.4/10

Review - House Season 8 Episode 4 Risky Business

It's not surprising that House's eighth season serves up another middle of the road episode. Expectations of a new and improved show are gone, replaced by expectations of the same stuff, represented by Chase and Taub coming back next week.

"Risky Business" has a boring medical case with the CEO of a company sending jobs to China, which Dr. Adams expectedly objects to. (Dr. Park's point about her cousin echoes a point Paul Krugman made a long time ago before he became a left-wing crank.) House solves the mystery and also the solvency problem, buying shares of the company knowing he'll save the CEO and raise the price.

Park's disciplinary hearings aren't exactly interesting, but Park is a fun, quirky character who is different than the other characters, especially Adams, who remains very boring.

Score: 8.1/10

Review - House Season 8 Episode 3 Charity Case

The whole "character quirk as medical problem" plot has been done so many times on House that it's no surprise that the patient (played by Wentworth Miller) actually has a medical problem which makes him want to give away his things. The added twists is that instead of House being his usual dickish self, he wants the guy give away money, to fund diagnostics so he can get the whole team together. While this didn't last the entire episode, the episode as a whole felt very streamlined and flowed nicely, as there weren't any random side-stories like there were in several episodes last season. We get to see some interplay between Dr. Adams and Dr. Park, and they seem like good characters.

The episode also marks the last episode for Olivia Wilde unless she returns for the series finale. Her exit is rather understated, as she shows up in only a few scenes, blurts out some lines of medical jargon, and then is out the door forever. I like it this way, given how little attention the other characters have gotten through the years, and her departure didn't add an extra burden onto the rest of the episode.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - House Season 8 Episode 2 Transplant

House back at Princeton‑Plainsboro! Inevitably, House would have made it back into the hospital with a team of doctors to bully around. "Transplant" serves as the bridge between prison episode and the rest of the season, and it's generally a smooth ride, better than the stilted premiere at least. There's nothing too big going on, as we're introduced to Dr. Chi Park (Charlyne Yi), who's seems quite innocent, and led through a normal case. I have no idea why, but Foreman is now Dean of Medicine, which will obviously be a large point of contention for House.

The show essentially resets itself at the end of the episode. House has his stuff back, his office back, his job back, and Wilson back. Yes, there are potentially snags in the way, but it's looking good for him. At the end of the day, the writers like who House is and don't want to change him. Viewers seem to like him and that's enough. They probably couldn't stand him in real life, but watching from from a television screen breaking rules and playing tricks is what people have come to enjoy.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - House Season 8 Episode 1 Twenty Vicodin

Set entirely in a prison setting, "Twenty Vicodin" is immediately reminiscent of the sixth season premiere ""Broken," set entirely in a psych hospital. The comparisons end there, however. Beyond the expect prison trimmings, "Twenty Vicodin" is a typical House episode, a medical procedural in prison.

It plays out as one may expect and nothing has really changed. House is still House, perceptive as ever. He's actually decided to stop doing medicine, to study physics instead, but obviously that's not going to happen. Another medical mystery draws him into this world and that's that. Then there's the pretty, bright-eyed female doctor, played by Odette Yustman. She doesn't like working at the hospital--until House shows up and does his thing.

Score: 8.1/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 22 Moving On

On the heels of news that Lisa Edelstein will not return to House next season, "Moving On" feels right. It begins with an ominous set of circumstances--terse, dark, suggesting that House will do something really bad. The end, in truth, is utterly hilarious and silly beyond reason. House drives his car into her house! With this amount of absurdity, it's no wonder why Lisa Edelstein would want to leave a show which offers her lower pay and stupid plots.

Falling in line with the general theme of the episode, Rachel is also pregnant and Taub is still a loser. 13 blabbers on about art and New Yorker magazine while the patient's "art" was dumb in a funny way as well. It's possible that the episode was supposed to be a big joke like a parody of a House episode, but there were no other clues besides the plots. I guess the writers were trying to be serious and that's a scary thought.

Score: 7.2/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 22 After Hours

There comes a point in a television show's life when a change--any change--would be welcome. For House, that episode is "After Hours." It's certainly far from perfect, but it's different and that has to count for something. I know this isn't the greatest endorsement and I'm not sure how I would react to this episode if it were in an earlier season. Still, given the level of boringness that descended on House this season, let's just give the writers credit for effort.

Following the odd rat drug stuff, "After Hours" is a pretty harrowing episode of House. Characters are driving at breakneck speeds, 13 is holding herself back, House is operating on himself to remove tumors--we knew this would all be resolved without major damage but there were some genuinely freaky scene. Ignoring the lame bits of dialogue, the episode was actually quite good.

The whole Taub plot seemed like one big joke, but with a baby in question, it couldn't be one of those funny things we could laugh off at the end. Taub somehow comes to a revelation after a stripper has a gun on him and decides to keep the baby. The whole circumstance is funny and probably not appropriate for the subject, but the writers don't seem to care.

Score: 8.6/10

All missed reviews

Here are the short reviews for shows I missed through the week. I included reviews for shows I've stopped reviewing to balance things out. Also, you might have notice that reviews for Breaking In and The Good Wife are still missing. Blogger still hasn't restored them, but since the Glee review was restored, I assume the other posts should follow. If that does not happen by Monday, I repost them. (If you really want to read them, they're on Insidepulse TV.)

Body of Proof Season 1 Episode 8 Buried Secrets: "Buried Secrets" is a reminder that Body of Proof is a mash up of different shows. Every part of the episode has been done before in large amounts, but Body of Proof does them well, which makes the show worth watching.

Modern Family Season 2 Episode 22 Good Cop Bad Dog: I normally find plots of Modern Family to be somewhat realistic, but Jay and Gloria’s plot with Guillermo and the dog seemed like it belonged on Breaking In instead of Modern Family. But Phil and Claire were great in the episode, and realistic, so it mostly balanced out.

The Chicago Code Season 1 Episode 11 Black Sox: I’m not particularly interested in Jarek and his lady problems, especially since it’s been one of the least developed plots. It looks like Gibbons is finally making his move, whatever that they be. We originally thought he put a hit out on Teresa, but that turned out wrong. Is he capable of ordering her murder if she gets too close?

House Season 7 Episode 21 The Fix: It was really out of the blue for House to suddenly decide to fix himself with an experimental rat drug. But this contrivance does put House in some kind of danger. That’s better than nothing, right? OK, maybe not, but we should see what the writers do first before casting too much judgment.

The Big Bang Theory Season 3 Episode 23 The Engagement Reaction: Priya wasn’t mean in this episode for once. She talks to Penny without being bitchy and is actually fine with Leonard being near Penny. The Raj stuff was again weak and random, but that’s to be expected. As far as the main story goes, the stuff between Howard and his mother was hilariously creepy, especially when Bernadette yelling reminded me of Howard’s mother while Howard thought it was sexy.

Parks and Recreation Season 3 Episode 13 The Fight / 14 Road Trip: Two episodes of Parks and Recreations!! And if that wasn't good enough, next week has two more episodes! While I enjoyed both episodes, I would give the edge to “The Fight.” There were so many great moments with the actual fight, Snake Juice, and Ron. Ben and Leslie finally make out in “Road Trip,” so there was development on that front for once.

The Office Season 7 Episode 24 Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager: Dwight is a guy who often expresses wacky ideas, but since he’s never in a position of power, nothing really comes of it. Well, this was Dwight’s chance to shine. Unfortunately, his excessive regulation in the office ends up with him shooting a gun in the office and eventually being demoted. The episode has the Dwight and Jim dynamic that was been lessened over the years, so that was nice to see. And as Jim tells Dwight, Dwight did one good thing in making all the orders on time.

The Mentalist Season 3 Episode 22 Rhapsody in Red: Before the two-hour season finale next week, The Mentalist dished up a fairly standard episode. Jane solves the crime while the rest of the team fills in the background. I did like, however, the increased attention on Cho, who is easily the funniest character other than Cho, and he got to tackle something close to home for once.

The Event Season 1 Episode 20 One Will Live, One Will Die: This new plot device the writer are using is the one where they show us part of what’s going on to mislead us. In the previous episode, it was the cocaine trafficker who turned out to be irrelevant, and in this episode, we only hear half of the phone call. To be honest, it’s plain stupid.

Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 23 Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau" heads directly into the season finale, mixing a standard standalone plot with the only search for Wo Fat and Chin Ho’s admission of guilt to stealing the money. The episode is tense, with the whole island potentially in danger, but as always, the day is saved.

Blue Bloods Season 1 Episode 22: The first season of Blue Bloods ended with a resolution to the Blue Templar plot, which chugged slowly along as the season went. It is resolved as expected, with the acknowledgement that the Blue Templars are just a couple of bad eggs in the basket. As always, the Reagans and police department come out looking like the greatest heroes ever.

Camelot Season 1 Episode 7 The Long Night: After last week’s snoozer, Camelot came back with a fairly strong episode. Morgan had some really nefarious schemes up her sleeves, deceiving Arthu and the rest of them, while stealing Igraine’s place at the end of the episode, using her shapeshifting ability. Oh, and gratuitous nudity!

Breakout Kings Season 1 Episode 10 Paid in Full: “Paid in Full” puts all the dirty laundry out there. The cons find out that Ray is not actually a Marshall and the audience and other cons learn that Lloyd was sent to prison for writing a fake prescription which ended in a girl dying. Charlie’s big speech at the end is a tinge disingenuous with his big “revelation” of a congenital heart defect, but it makes a point: everyone has their secrets and problems, but they have to trust each other. Considering what Shea was doing in the previous episodes, there is still a lot to be resolved.

Treme Season 2 Episode 3 On Your Way Down: In an episode riddled with crime, there is an obvious standout, the rape of Ladonna, which was harrowing to say the least. The fallout is executed brilliantly with Khandi Alexander coming through. As the visible crime affects several characters, there is also an undeniable crime in the background being perpetrated against all New Orleans, Nelson’s slimy dealings with the city’s money.

Review - House Season 7 Episode 20 Changes

"Changes" is one of those annoying episode where everything seems dedicated to the idea that people can't change. 13 explicitly says this several times, as does House, and all the subplots reinforce this point. I think most people got it after 10 minutes, and we don't have to be bashed over the head over and over again. Basically, the patient stays an optimist, the fake Jennifer remains fake, the real Jennifer is still real, Chase returns to sex, 13 is still going to die, House is still a bastard, and so on.

If not for the way the message was lathered on, I may have liked the episode even if the plot was dull. Chase versus Foreman was charming and House, as usual, have some funny, biting lines.

Score: 8.2/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 19 Last Temptation

Well, there goes Masters. To be honest, I didn't really care about her one way or another. She was just another character to bounce lines off of House and it was the predictable "that's against the rules!" dialogue every time. But that's not bad in the context of House, because she was at least a distinctive character. So in the end, I'm fine with how things went down. I don't care about her character staying or leaving and she didn't contribute much to the overall plot anyway.

"Last Temptation" tries its hardest to set up a situation where Master is put in a difficult condition and go against her conviction. The girls arm HAS to be cut off, her parents HAVE to be idiots, and Master HAS to save the girl, so she HAS to break major rules and pull a House. Then she gets up and leaves. I guess this is plausible...

Score: 8.3/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 18 The Dig

The return of 13! Normally, I wouldn't be too excited about 13 (aside from her looks), but her reintroduction shakes things up, as she and House take a road trip while the team solves the case by themselves. 13 and House play off each other nicely as they devise the perfect spud gun and drive around, and towards the end of the episode, we learn that 13 was in prison because she had to euthanize her brother, reminding us of the large cloud hanging over her head.

The case wasn't at the forefront of the episode, but I, like Masters, thought it was cool that there was so much junk inside the house. I don't find mounds of junk interesting by themselves, but compared to the usual houses the team breaks into, it was a fun change.

Taub and his ex-wife are at it again... really? This seems like the kind of thing that would be a running gag on a comedy, Taub getting caught with his ex every episode with the laugh track running, but the writers want this to be really, really serious. Well, it isn't--it's just bad.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 17 Fall From Grace

The writers went way to far with the gimmicks--monster truck, toy helicopters, Green Card marriage--but I laughed quite a bit during the episode, something I never do when watching House. Knowing the writers decided to throw a bunch of random antics into the episode so House could bug Cuddy, I rolled with it, despite how unreasonable it was. And the final twist of the patient being a cannibal was especially hilarious with the previous discovery of bones in his colon.

As far as the actual medical stuff this week, it was mainly a distraction to the main show, House, in post-relationship turmoil, being mean to Cuddy, who, after giving substantial leeway to House, tells him to cut it out. At the end of the episode, House is married but both he and Cuddy are still suffering in their own way.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 16 Out of the Chute

It's a little late in the season, with 2/3 of the episode already done, but House has taken a pleasant turn these past couple episodes. Now that House and Cuddy are no longer together, House is back to the antics which made him so fun in the first place, and there's no worry he'll go scampering back to Cuddy, who acknowledges that she and House will never work.

And at the same time, there's a dark underpinning to House's actions, exemplified by the final scene where he jumps on whatever high floor he's on into the pool. It's more a fun gesture and not suicidal, as it turns out, but it's clear House is willing to throw himself into more dangerous situations than he would before.

The patient this week is a bullrider, and we're treated to a very cool cold open (both the beginning and end of the episode were done well). The main subplot is Meg trying to contain her irrational feelings about him while the team jockeys for position in House's absence. It's not particularly compelling, since the conflict lies in House, but it's not bad either, which is all you can ask for these days.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 15 Bombshells

Up until the end, "Bombshells" is a horrid episode and I was ready to give it 4.0/10 (my scores are totally arbitrary so it doesn't really matter). There are pointless, silly dream sequence, although the Two and a Half Men spoof is very relevant. The episode begins with Cuddy possibly having cancer before we learn she's perfectly fine, and worst of all, after everyone doubts him, House comes through in the end to be by Cuddy's side.

But then the ending comes around and defies every expectation. Cuddy breaks up with House! And not only that, House is back on Vicodin! With this move the writers have reversed course on the relationship, one of the most boring things about this season, and will hopefully follow this path.

Even though the ending was great, that still doesn't mean "Bombshells" is a good episode. 95% of it is awful and the patient stuff isn't that engaging, with a tiny bit of Taub relating to the kid, but the final twist does lead the show in a good direction.

Score: 8.0/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 14 Recession Proof

"Recession Proof" has certain signs that things could turn ugly--House licking a Vicodin pill, a patient dying, lots of drinking, and lastly, House telling Cuddy that being with her makes him a worse doctor (Yes, there is no evidence for this and it's completely random but whatever--manufactured drama is better than no drama.). Then things turn back towards the House of season seven, with House proclaiming his undying love for Cuddy, Cuddy sighing and generally accepting House for who he is. Now we're back where the episode start, House and Cuddy in this lovey-dovvey relationship the writers aren't even going to have multi-episode drama for.

A stated earlier, a patient dies, but it's no one's fault, as there have only been 1000 reported cases. Why House thinks it has to do with Cuddy baffles him, especially when he's lost patients before (and House tells Wilson these previous cases).

On the plus side, the pairings of Chase/Masters and Taub/Foreman are pretty benign, with a couple amusing moments for Taub and Foreman, and some more serious moments for Chase and Martha, including a call-back to the Dibala debacle. But, as always, they take a backseat to House, who has gotten increasingly less interesting.

Score: 8.1/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 13 Two Stories

"Two Stories" is a gimmick episode, but not all gimmick episodes are bad. If executed correctly, they can be charming, innovative, or any number of positive adjectives. But if the episode is like "Two Stories," neither enhancing, nor adding anything, then the gimmick looks like any easy way for the writers to get through an episode with minimal effort.

The story within a story isn't too bad, and is funny for the most part with Hugh Laurie tugging it along with all his abilities. Unfortunately, the story is completely boring and by the end of the episode, like the two kids, I just wanted to know what happened. Get rid of the school and have Hugh Laurie sit there and tell the story until the end! The main problem about the story is that it's about Cuddy and how how House doesn't seem to care much about what she wants. Predictably, he makes up with her in the end.

Score: 8.0/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 12 You Must Remember This

"You Must Remember This" is one of those unobtrusive episodes of television, without a polarizing subject matter or anything too annoying. The plot about two sisters, one of whom remembers everyone, is fine but nothing special. The subplots have some charm, but aren't outrageously funny.

House pokes around to get Wilson out there after breaking up with Sam (which was totally random), and succeeds until Wilson backs out. Well, he's got the cat.

Foreman and Taub living together... yeah, I'll hold judgment for now. Individually, they might not be interesting or worthy of the audience caring for them, but together there may be a synergy that makes them awesome characters. Or they can much, much worse.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 11 Family Practice

Throughout the episode, I kept wondering, "What's the big deal?"

Is it a big deal if House isn't treating Cuddy's mother? It's not like House is the only doctor in the world that thinks outside the box, and no one knew if the problem with life-threatening.

Is it a big deal to switch the medication? The ethical/legal conundrum seems like something that wouldn't be anything special. House bends a few rules, even breaks them, but it's all good in the end as he and the patient skip off happily. What makes this so different?

And is anything Taub does a big deal?

Assuming this episode isn't a parody, the answers to those questions would be, yes--except the importance is lost over the fact that it just doesn't make sense.

Score: 7.5/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 10 Carrot or Stick

House has been reduced to mildly amusing, non-dramatic subplots. This week Chase gets pranked by a scorned woman and House gets Rachel into a school for gifted kids by cheating, and Cuddy is turned into a useless nobody. It might elicit a smile or chuckle, but there's nothing more to it.

The medical plot of "Carrot or Stick" is near forgettable. The most I can say about it is that Sam Adama from Caprica is father to young Chris Rock. Meg says her usual girly lines about being nice and how the kid needs his father, and we're supposed to feel all emotional about it.

Recent news that David Shore had to abandon the Rockford Files remake after a major House storyline was scrapped late in development pretty much tells the story. The writers don't know what to do anymore and are on borrowed time.

Score: 8.0/10

Review - House Season 7 Episode 9 Larger Than Life

Someone who does a heroic act isn't necessarily a hero? Wow! "Larger Than Life" tries to be deep or something like that, but the point it tries to hit on is pretty obvious. Martha is amazed by this heroic act, House is unimpressed, and House's realism comes out atop in the end.

Taub and his wife--does anyone care about them together or as individuals? If you do, then you'll be shocked that Taub wants a divorce. Shocked! I mean, after the serial infidelity, online boyfriend, who would've thought they shouldn't be married?

Cuddy's mother ambushing House provided enough humor to save the episode from oblivion. The drugging, while atrocious from a story and character standpoint, was hilarious in Hugh Laurie's hands. As for meaningful development in the episode, there is none, as Cuddy's mother apologizes and leaves. Cuddy is largely a non-factor in the episode and House gets his alone time. At this point, House is running on steam and it's only time before it completely grinds to a halt.

Score: 8.0/10