By Brian Jurilla
By Brian Jurilla
Television dramas seem to be getting better or worse.
One of the better ones to hit the tube is a hospital drama on Fox titled “House.” From the mind of Bryan Singer, the man that brought us “The Usual Suspects” and “X-Men,” comes a new take on mystery, where the villain is a medical malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients.
Dr. Greg House and his team of handpicked experts all specialize in diagnosing mysteriously ill patients and solving their critical cases. Only the most serious and unheard of cases go in their direction. The team will make the diagnosis, whether it’s legal or not.
Most episodes begin by following soon-to-be medical patients as they fall ill to some sort of disease and are taken to the hospital where the team works. The team administers a basic treatment to the patient to keep them stable while they look into the problem. Throughout the episode the team argues about the causes and treatments for the patient, while House cracks one-liners and makes sarcastic remarks at their expense.
House is usually the one that discovers the patient’s problem and he uses whatever means to keep them alive and well.
In the episode entitled “Control,” a business executive has lost feeling in her legs, and House discovers she needs a heart transplant. The problem is she is bulimic, and that is considered a mental disorder by the hospital; therefore, she will not be able to get the transplant. House lies to the hospital’s transplant committee risking his career to get the transplant and to give the woman a second chance.
Through all of this drama, Dr. House and his crew continue to make jokes, to entertain themselves or their patients, but that’s just how Dr. House is. Hugh Laurie plays the sarcastic and wisecracking House who walks with a cane due to an infarction to his thigh muscles, causing muscle death. This seems to punctuate his bitter, brutally honest demeanor.
House is joined by his team, which includes: neurologist, a nervous system specialist, Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps); immunologist, an immune system specialist, Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and intensivist, dealing with intensive care patients, Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer). House’s other good friend, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), a cancer specialist with whom Dr. House goes to and consults with on a daily basis.
There is also some chemistry in the works between House and Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edlestein), the dean of medicine and the hospital administrator, who is in constant conflict with House over his duties at the hospital, but admits that he may be the most brilliant doctor on staff. This show is one of the best shows in recent years.
The outstanding cast makes it a joy to watch and just pulls you in and makes you wonder what is wrong with the patient and how will they be cured. Laurie makes his character unique and entertaining. It really is one of the most intriguing shows on television.
On Tuesday night you just may want to watch and see Dr. House save the patient’s life and hear some of the things you wouldn’t normally want to hear from a doctor. The doctor is in and is waiting for you to see him at 9 p.m. on FOX.
