House 1x16

[katallison]

(Yeah, I'm watching House. Yeah, I caved. Oh, hush.) So
The only part of tonight's episode that puzzled me is that House, who's supposed to be the big-brain genius, took so long to figure out that this has *nothing* to do with money, or with Chase/Foreman/Cameron; it's purely and solely about Vogler making it absolutely clear that he can jerk House around anytime and any way he wants.

I mean, I am emphatically not a big-brain genius, but that seemed pretty obvious early on. House should at least have twigged to it after the pay-cut suggestion got nixed. It's not about money, it's not about staff, it's about *power*, pure and simple, and Vogler's not stopping until he's razed the village, salted the earth, collected tribute, and brought House to his knees. The only choices House has at this point are (a) take Vogler down somehow, or (b) leave, and I trust he's finally got a grip on that. Should be fun to watch.

(I also have a certain proletarian lack of sympathy with the trauma of one of the ducklings having to look for work elsewhere. I mean, it's not exactly like they're going to end up clerking at 7-11 or something. But, whatever.)

Comments

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

Yay! You're watching my show!

Yeah, it's about power for Vogler. I have to imagine House knows that by now. I was fascinated that after he mocked Cameron's "everybody keeps their job" suggestion, he turned around and offered that very suggestion to Vogler...and I actually kind of wonder whether he did it to smoke Vogler out, to make him say out loud that it's not about the job, it's about him making House do what he wants.

Gah. Also, I'm annoyed that they didn't give us any resolution on the damn firing, and now there won't be a new ep next week!

[katallison.livejournal.com]

I actually kind of wonder whether he did it to smoke Vogler out

Mmmm...possible, except that he actually seemed kind of honestly taken aback there by Vogler's response. I'll have to rewatch, though.

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

My suspicion is that he's currently treating the Volgr problem as he does his patients, which is he makes a diagnosis, tries something, and then learns more about the problem if he fails than if he succeeds.

I've got no textual proof to back that up though. Just my feeling.

[the-star-fish.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, interesting ... I like that.

[dsudis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it had occurred to me by last episode that Vogler had cast himself as Lord God, House as Abraham, and any given duckling (other than Chase, apparently, damn his eyes) as Isaac. He hasn't promised to bless House's flocks and descendants in perpetuity, though, so I can see where House is reluctant to go along with the program.

I do agree, though - House offered the pay cuts quite glibly; I think he wanted to see what would happen. In fact, I half suspect that he's trying to push Cuddy into standing up to Vogler.

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like this idea a lot. Yeah; Cuddy's been strangely muted and passive in this whole arc, sort of trailing along wringing her hands and rolling her eyes. I have a hunch she'll come out of the corner at some unexpected moment and play a big role in the eventual Bringing-Down of Vogler.

And I do like the idea that House is running a series of experiments, collecting the evidence. I just wish the show supported it a little better.

[tracy-rowan.livejournal.com]

I would LOVE to see Cuddy step up to the plate suddenly, and hit a home run, sending Vogler to the showers. And now that I've killed that metaphor dead...

[aerye.livejournal.com]

Okay, my two cents. ::g::

I was honestly taken aback myself when Vogler "changed his mind"--it was so "blunt instrument" in execution. Vogler has been determined and insistent so far, but with a certain charm, not quite brutish. I figure House figured if he shoved, Vogler wouldn't shove back in such a way that laid his motives completely bare--that Vogler would make a strategic retreat and attack again, in another way. So House shoved--but Vogler shoved back.

[tracy-rowan.livejournal.com]

House is brilliant about some things, but people's motives aren't always clear to him. When you spell something out to him, like the photos of the kids looking so much like NOT Mr. Hernandez, then he gets it.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I was going to say something very much like this, because really? "Big-brain genius" in one area (diagnosis) does not a big-brain genius in every area make.

[halimede.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And in House's case it's all about interest: he's good at that which fascinates him. Human behaviour, with certain noteable exceptions, does not.

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

Though if Mrs Hernandez is sleeping around, she should be much less certain that she's not pregnant, right? I mean, Mr. Hernandez's vascectomy don't count for diddly in that scenario.

They're getting sloppy, I think.

[renenet.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not the most tightly reasoned show to begin with, but I think Mrs. Hernandez's point about knowing what she feels like when she's pregnant because she's had six kids is pretty solid, at least from her perspective.

[troutkitty.livejournal.com]

I don't know why, but the whole idea of Vogler almost bringing House to his knees (metaphorically speaking of course) makes my own knees weak.

*sigh*

Very well said, though. The power struggle between them is going to make the next 6 episodes very interesting.

[planetalyx.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the duckling-trauma. As far as I know, the unemployment rate for kick-ass specialist doctor types is pretty low.

As for House, I think we're supposed to believe he just doesn't get certain types of human interaction, but I'm not sure that jibes with canon-to-date.

[milkshake-b.livejournal.com]

*meanders by* Another thing not to ignore is that House isn't actually... well, for lack of a better term, an aggressive character. He's dedicated enough when it comes to certain things, and he's certainly antagonistic and strong-willed, and will kick ass when he absolutely needs to... but he'd just as soon not if he can possibly help it. He'll try all the alternatives he can, first, usually starting with the ones he thinks will get the maximum effect with the least amount of effort. I hesitate to say there's a fundamental laziness to him, but there certainly is a strong element of that there--though by missing the earlier episodes, you're not as versed with the lengths the other characters initially had to go through just to get his ass moving on things. Inertia being what it is, these days that's going a lot smoother, but I think House's actions make a lot more sense when you consider his initial reaction to the regime change was just, "I'll wait it out. I've done it before."