As you may have noticed my posting has become a little more sporadic as of late. The main culprit behind troubling trend is the fact that the fall TV season has started once again. When I was a child this time of year was very exciting for me. I loved getting new school supplies and finding out what classes I'd be taking and who I'd be sitting next to in those classes (yes I was a big dork). Combine this with the fact that this was the time that my favorite shows would begin anew and my birthday is not far off made fall one of my favorite seasons (changing leaves and the cooling of the air rules as well).
So as this time has approached I've been a little conflicted on how I should continue writing. I obviously won't have as much time to watch about movies since I keep up with a couple of shows, and thus if I continue with my current format I won't have much to write about. So I have decided to write my thoughts on a couple of my favorite shows as they air. I may not post about every show I watch or every episode of shows that I do write about, but I will comment on things when I find them interesting or thought provoking. So without further ado let's start with the first week of the fall TV season (at least for most shows).
House - Season 6: Episode 1
As was probably the case with most fans of House, I was a little concerned with how this season would unfold. At the end of the previous season House checked into a mental institution after battling a both a drug addiction and hallucinations. It was interesting to see how these would play out in the fifth season, and I think the writers did a fantastic job weaving House's problems within the case of the week plots throughout the season. At it's heart House is a procedural, and it was pretty neat to see how that format could be combined with a riveting season long character arch. They kept the whole 'medical mystery' format of the show while delving into House's psyche in a way that most procedurals don't usually attempt.
Although I appreciated the build up to the end of last season, I was pretty weary about how they could keep House, House with the titular character being completely out of his element. Would they keep him in the mental institution for the majority of the season and have him solve mysteries within the compound or possibly as a consultant to his 'crew'? Or would they have him leave fairly quickly and return to the status quo? The first route completely changes the dynamic of the show and would make House much more of a serialized show. And the second route would seem to negate all of the emotional impact that the fifth season created.
After a fantastic opening sequence set to No Surprises from Radiohead's essential album OK Computer, the episode shows House settling into living in the mental institution and causing problems as you would expect. Even the biggest House supporter can't really defend his bullying of the other mental patients (making suicide jokes at a cutter? really House?) but these episodes eventually show House finally having some of that elusive contentment. After his initial posturing and misbehaving, House actually shows remorse over some bad choices, and even makes a real personal connection. It remains to be seen if the show will continue his personal improvement when he goes back to work next week, but it was a little nice to see House act like a real person.
Overall I was pretty satisfied with the premiere even if I did have a few qualms with it. While it was nice to see House improve as a person, we didn't really get anything in the way of 'medical mysteries' (there was a tease midway through that was pretty frustrating) that gave House a chance to use that brain of his, and there was nothing to be seen of the rest of the cast. It also seemed a little rushed having him get over his addiction and hallucination problems within the first 5 minutes of the show, and the rest of his stay at the hospital pretty much involved him trying to be less of a dick. I think they could have drawn out his addiction storyline and had him stay at the hospital much longer, as long as he was consulting with the rest of the doctors from Plainsboro so that the show could still keep some semblance of what it used to be. Or maybe I've been watching Mad Men too much and just find all this plot development a little hectic and possibly forced.
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