Paganism on TV -- Last Night's "House" Episode

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[Finn]

It struck me as VERY odd.  What was the point of making him a witch, when they then just completely dropped it?   

So, it made me wonder if anyone else here saw the episode and had any reaction to it.  What did you think of that scene?  What did you think of the fact that it ended up being totally irrelevant? 

I'm glad you brought this up -- I had a serious "WTF?" moment when I was watching it. But honestly, I kind of forgot about it as I watched the rest of the episode, which (as a huuuge House fan) was one of the best episodes I've seen this season.

My guess is that they had a bunch of spooky witchy props from decorating their Ren Faire set and they wanted to make sure they got some air time for what they had to pay for them. 

[yewberry]

So, it made me wonder if anyone else here saw the episode and had any reaction to it.  What did you think of that scene?  What did you think of the fact that it ended up being totally irrelevant?  What do you think of these random representations of paganism? 

It was totally incongruous and weird.  I watched it while I worked out on my elliptical last night and it stopped me cold (at least long enough to say "guh?").  I've sort of been thinking House jumped the shark a while ago (it's a formulaic but formerly entertaining show...how long can one keep up such a formula, though).  Now I'm wondering if the writers are huffing glue or something.

Brina

[Melamphoros]

It was totally incongruous and weird.  I watched it while I worked out on my elliptical last night and it stopped me cold (at least long enough to say "guh?").  I've sort of been thinking House jumped the shark a while ago (it's a formulaic but formerly entertaining show...how long can one keep up such a formula, though).  Now I'm wondering if the writers are huffing glue or something.

Well, Law & Order (and it's spin-offs) has followed the same formula ever since it started (and I'm just guessing here) a decade before House....

[yewberry]

Makes me wonder what ended up on the cutting room floor.  It may well be that WAS a plot point, but that part didn't survive and for some reason they left the room in.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened.  I've honestly never seen such a glaring screw up in this show (being completely out of touch with the realities of actual medical care and diagnosis notwithstanding).  It was...jarring, for lack of a better word.  It was as if the room were filled with a My Little Pony collection or leather dungeon...that was never referred to again in the rest of the episode.  I mean jeez, they could have at least made a joke out of it.

Brina

[Owl]

This makes me think...  I wonder if it was someone's attempt at some kind of in-joke about stereotypes.  Between the timing of the episode and the Necronomicon (i.e. a fictional book, completely made up by Lovecraft as part of the mythos of his work, which is often purported to be a real grimoire)...  And it's sort of a stereotype that obviously all pagans are ren-faire types too...

I dunno.  I'm feeling like there's some kind of connection here that we're just not getting, but I may be wrong.

Part of our personal humor was based on our observation that there are a LOT of pagans deeply involved with the ren faire scene, BUT there are some very Christian people too.  Historical re-enactment generally doesn't hang on your religious beliefs.

And to answer another question, if a Christian prayer room had been discovered, it would have been just as weird.  It felt like a plot line had been started but not finished.

[Owl]

I'm pretty sure that's what happened.  I've honestly never seen such a glaring screw up in this show (being completely out of touch with the realities of actual medical care and diagnosis notwithstanding).  It was...jarring, for lack of a better word.  It was as if the room were filled with a My Little Pony collection or leather dungeon...that was never referred to again in the rest of the episode.  I mean jeez, they could have at least made a joke out of it.

Brina

What she said.  Totally.  The show ended and we looked at each other going WTF?

[yewberry]

Well, Law & Order (and it's spin-offs) has followed the same formula ever since it started (and I'm just guessing here) a decade before House....

The nature of the formula in Law and Order allows for more change-ups (at least in theory).  Rather conveniently, I caught an interview with Juan Jose Campanella on NPR last week.  The interviewer, Robert Siegel, gave such a perfect description of the House formula, I don't have to write one myself:

"But I would imagine, and I'm saying this as somebody who's watched plenty of the shows that you're talking about, that in directing a "House," there's something formulaic about it. That is, you know, "House" will be wrong for the first 40 minutes of the program, at least, and he'll do something terrible to a colleague, and by the end, after an enormous medical bill has been rung up testing the patient, they'll figure out what it is, and there'll be a, you know, kind of a half-satisfying conclusion to the program."

Which from my perspective was fine as long as the cast was entertaining and the side-stories were at least a little compelling.  And hell, I'd follow Hugh Laurie anywhere.  But (again, just MHO), it's wearing a little thin.  <shrug>  I'm usually in the minority in these things.

Brina

[Aster Breo]

"But I would imagine, and I'm saying this as somebody who's watched plenty of the shows that you're talking about, that in directing a "House," there's something formulaic about it. That is, you know, "House" will be wrong for the first 40 minutes of the program, at least, and he'll do something terrible to a colleague, and by the end, after an enormous medical bill has been rung up testing the patient, they'll figure out what it is, and there'll be a, you know, kind of a half-satisfying conclusion to the program."

That description left out my favorite part of the formula: when House is talking to someone about something totally unrelated and has his inevitable epiphany, which solves the diagnosis.  That usually happens right around the 40 minute mark. 

I agree with you that it's getting old.

[mandrina]

That description left out my favorite part of the formula: when House is talking to someone about something totally unrelated and has his inevitable epiphany, which solves the diagnosis.  That usually happens right around the 40 minute mark. 

I agree with you that it's getting old.

Not to mention half or more of the time, the diagnosis, IS medically wrong for the symptoms.  I'll post the blog I found that critiques House episodes for actual medical accuracy.

[yewberry]

Not to mention half or more of the time, the diagnosis, IS medically wrong for the symptoms.  I'll post the blog I found that critiques House episodes for actual medical accuracy.

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one anywhere, but even I've picked up on a few House whoppers.  I can only imagine how much real doctors probably hate it.  Fortunately I don't give a rat's about that aspect of the show (beyond the tension it might create between the characters).

Brina

[Aster Breo]

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one anywhere, but even I've picked up on a few House whoppers.  I can only imagine how much real doctors probably hate it.  Fortunately I don't give a rat's about that aspect of the show (beyond the tension it might create between the characters).

Willing suspension of disbelief...

We don't watch House for the medical part, really, do we?  We -- or at least I -- watch it for Hugh Laurie and Olivia Wilde. 

[Finn]

We -- or at least I -- watch it for Hugh Laurie... 

You're not the only one.


*swoons*

[Aster Breo]

*swoons*

Ditto.  There's enough eye candy to go around in that cast. 

That's why we watch Criminal Minds, too.  Because it's definitely not for the...stellar...plots.   

[yewberry]

You're not the only one.

*swoons*

He doesn't make me swoon.  He makes me laugh.  Mostly because I always think of him like this:



Brina

[CosmicCastaway]

This isn't the first time they snuck something "pagan" into the show. When it first started (I think during the whole Tritter thing) Wilson told someone House was Wiccan.



I heard that the woman you always see sitting by David shore is Wiccan (can't remember her name). I could be totally wrong tho :/

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