House: Series Finale. "Everybody Dies." Discussion/Spoilers

[Trekker4747]

Spot's Meow wrote:

---

I have watched many episodes from the beginning of the series, not when they aired but over several months last year when I was unemployed. I didn't see all of them and stopped watching shortly after the new interns were chosen (13 and the rest) because I found the original interns much more interesting and it was disappointing not having them around full time anymore. I've seen a few later ones here and there.

I will likely tune into the finale tonight, mostly because all my other shows have ended for the season and I have nothing else to watch. It should be interesting.

Not to mince words but given that they're full-fledged doctors they're not "interns" they're in a fellowship so they're fellows.

Anyway, I found the Retrospective good and the final episode was interesting. When it seemed like House was dead it sort-of made sense especially when Wilson began his rant on what an ass House "was." It seemed to fit and to make sense given that House was an ass and all (but, again, I argue that's slightly "re-writing" the character he was in the first season) but when Wilson got the text I laughed as that ending somehow makes even more sense.

It's sad that Wilson is still going to die in a few months (I would have expected a last-minute miracle cure or something) and after that who knows where House will go from there, I'd suspect he'll do some doctoring in another country sort of like Bruce Banner or something.

Cuddy's absence in House's hallucinations/funeral I think sort of stuck-out. She was a major part of the show for most of its run so one would have expected to see her. I'm also a bit disappointed that we didn't hear "You Can't Always Get What You Want" played as that was another of House's sayings/tropes along with "Everybody lies."

For a finale I'd rate it as "Good." I think as show finales go it did things mostly the best to end the show on somewhat of an expected tone and mood and it did it without assassinating a character or doing something stupid or pretty much rendering all of the previous episodes pointless. The season I'd say was Average as it you could feel the show was weighted by the tighter budget, new cast, the storyline(s) they had set them selves up with and by trying "too hard." It had many post-shark jumping moments in it of pure ridiculousness.

The series? I'm going to land on Excellent there, but only in terms of that 5-point scale. Pushed I'd give it 4-1/2 stars, an A-, etc. I think the show lost some footing in season 5 and once House got out of the Asylum I don't think it ever really completely recovered.

House, it's been a good run ad it's sad to see such a good show with such a talented actor sort of cough and wheeze to the finish-line but it was... Fun.

A shame we didn't get to see Cuddy though. I wonder what happened with Lisa Edelstein that made an appearance not come to fruition.

Her and the show's producers must not have left on the best of terms since I don't even think she was asked to come back for the finale. Though she was in the Retrospective.

[Allyn Gibson]

gh4chiefs wrote:

---

I don't know if it was because I was bored with the episode and not paying proper attention, or i'm just dense, but why exactly was House in that warehouse with that patient?

It wasn't exactly clear, and I was expecting the flashback to draw the line from the patient's discharge to the warehouse. The implication of the drug paraphernalia we saw in the teaser is that House went there to shoot up heroin with him.

[Joe Washington]

First off, I love the cameos of past characters in the series finale. Stacy and Nolan were the most surprising. I wasn't fond of Cameron who always seem overly sensitive or hung on an unfulfilled crush on House.

It pissed me off that they didn't show what happened between House curing the patient and House ending up in that building through flashbacks. I would have loved to see what was discussed in the session between House and Nolan.

The twist of House faking his death reminds of Sherlock Holmes doing the same thing which I assume wasn't a coincidence, concerning that the House character was based on the Holmes character. But, though the twist was a bit interesting, it left me wondering what was the point of that. I get that it gives House time to be with Wilson until he dies but what about after that? Eventually, House being alive would be revealed and he ends up back in prison longer than before. What happened to "I want to change"? I don't see any attempt of that at the end. Actually, the series ending is similiar to the end of last season: House doing something reckless and running away from the consequences of his actions in a temporary state of bliss. That ending I felt was unrealistic and made me hate House than love him or feel sorry for him. I rather the series ending was similiar to that of House Divided, Broken, or Help Me which were all emotionally profound endings to the House character which I felt the series ending didn't match up to.

[Agent Richard07]

Trekker4747 wrote:

---

...who knows where House will go from there, I'd suspect he'll do some doctoring in another country sort of like Bruce Banner or something.

That's what I thought too.

I like his new-found freedom and lease on life.

Trekker4747 wrote:

---

I'm also a bit disappointed that we didn't hear "You Can't Always Get What You Want" played...

Eh... I don't like that song. I like getting what I want.

[Trekker4747]

Joe Washington wrote:

---

Eventually, House being alive would be revealed and he ends up back in prison longer than before. What happened to "I want to change"? I don't see any attempt of that at the end. Actually, the series ending is similiar to the end of last season: House doing something reckless and running away from the consequences of his actions in a temporary state of bliss. That ending I felt was unrealistic and made me hate House than love him or feel sorry for him. I rather the series ending was similiar to that of House Divided, Broken, or Help Me which were all emotionally profound endings to the House character which I felt the series ending didn't match up to.

House reasonably couldn't improve his life from where he was. He was going back to prison for a few months and likely longer if his disappearance was construed as him trying to skip town to avoid incarceration.

You could reasonably argue that House while on the run could go to a non-extradition treaty country and live out his life in some measure of comfort. Granted, I would have been happier if the show just ended with a "life goes on" thing with House and the "status quo" being maintained (he keeps his practice, Wilson is going to live, etc.) but this ending is sort of nice too. Yeah it opens questions up for a "what next?" sort of thing but, eh. Like I said depending on how you want to look at it anything could happen next. As I suggested above, House goes to some remote country and lives out his life being happy, non-miserable, running a bar or something on the beach.

Eh... I don't like that song. I like getting what I want.

Well, if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.

[sonak]

So House does end up with Wilson.


Too bad Lisa Edelstein couldn't have been on it, her absence was glaring with all the other old cast people back.

A neat ending to a rather mediocre episode.

I didn't like the "Wilson gets cancer" storyline thrust on us in the last four episodes. He deserved better as a character. He was neglected except for tragic storylines.(cancer and Amber dying)


the show had been running out of gas for a while and was well past its peak.

[Agent Richard07]

About Chase taking House's position... A lot of you thought that he would become the next "House" or wanted to see it happen. Personally, I never saw it.

[SG-17]

Oh god, I've missed the entire second half of the season.

Oh well, time to tax my bandwidth.

[Snaploud]

Trekker4747 wrote:

---

You could reasonably argue that House while on the run could go to a non-extradition treaty country and live out his life in some measure of comfort.

I assume Wilson and House are already hanging out in some non-extradition treaty country. Wilson can get House settled for a long retirement. I doubt anybody would question Wilson withdrawing all his cash, for instance.

[sojourner]

Am I the only one that laughed at the Dead Poet's Society reference? Cause, you know, the actor that plays Wilson co-starred in it.

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, I chuckled at that too.

[Samurai8472]

Agent Richard07 wrote:

---

About Chase taking House's position... A lot of you thought that he would become the next "House" or wanted to see it happen. Personally, I never saw it.

When Chase got stabbed and starred walking with a cane and then not shaving we assumed he was going to end up like House. Chase flat out said " I don't want to be like you" at the end of an episode


This episode felt more like a season finale written as a series finale.


-Robert Sean Leonard would have left
-House would have to face repercussions for leaving
-Some new patient of the week
-Some joke concerning Chase in House's old office


"Get Out"

" I have to disinfect the whole office. Who knows how many interns Doctor Chase has had on my desk....and on my chair, and on the floor..."

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

He's in the burning building because he planned the whole thing. As the final stages of his plan proceeded as intended, he wrestled with his own self doubt about seeing it through. But ultimately, House gives up his life to spend the rest of his best friend's with him, and then to move on and find some new life away from the surroundings that would inevitably lead him back to his self-destructive ways. House finally succeeds in "destroying" himself, but without actually destroying himself and being relegated to eternal boring nothingness. He finally solves the puzzle of how to change and move on to a different kind of life.

Alternatively, House and Wilson both die and go to heaven!

[Allyn Gibson]

The Mighty Monkey of Mim wrote:

---

He's in the burning building because he planned the whole thing.

Oh, wait. Yes, that's an obvious thing I missed!

The dental records were switched, but House couldn't have done that after his apparent death because he would have run a risk of being caught.

See, I was thinking that House lucked into a situation where he could walk away from his life and start fresh, but in reality it's clear that House set up the whole situation.

[PKerr]

For me that was a horrible episode with a horrible ending.

I didn't expect a happy, sappy ending (though I am a fan of them) but that IMO was episode and finale was just poo poo.

I have been a fan of House from the beginning and my biggest problem with the show is they would come up with an interesting story line and end it by the episode and then drag on the crap story lines on for ever (Tritter anyone?).

Anyhoo as someone above mentioned they show had it's run and ran out of gas a few seasons ago.