By Orion Christy
Doctor Gregory House M.D. (Hugh Laurie) is head of the Diagnostics department at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital in New Jersey. He is also a drug addict, self-obsessed, conniving narcissist, as well as one of the most brilliant minds in the medical field.
Both too lazy and otherwise distracted to do one on one patient care, he will assign the “tedious and boring” aspects of treating sick people to his group of fellows. They consist of an equally unique bunch who have quirky and serious issues all of their own. From the wealthy and attractive Australian to the altruistic, yet married three times oncologist best friend, not to mention the range of patients from those perfectly content with their fate to those who perceive a common cold as a death sentence, House’s cast is full of variety.
The cases too ranged from simple to complex, primarily based off of the time allotment for the present character back-story; but wasn’t ever quite so simple as “oh you have X. Take these meds and your symptoms should dissipate overnight.” Although, toward the end, it was obvious the writers were running out of unique twists and clever hyperbole as symptoms and case development started to become almost predictable. This was one of the reasons show creator, David Shore, chose to end Greg’s run. He also commented on his reasons for ending the series as House’s self-destructive tendencies were “getting out of hand and becoming too extreme (to remain believable).”
The show ran on Fox for eight years and, unlike most good shows on Fox received upstanding approval and ran a full season throughout its life (excluding a slight hiccup in 2007). But the one thing that set House apart from most medical dramas is that each episode contained a unique message buried under the guise of seriousness and comedy alike.
The show’s final episode was the most poignant in trying to belay a bit of wisdom by all but openly saying “enjoy yourself while you can because you never know when your time is up.” As a state primarily consisting of retirees and/or tourists, it is often easy to forget to relax and/or unwind, letting the more unpleasant aspects of our lives take the backseat from time to time. Because, as difficult as it may be to accept this, your expiration date is fast approaching, so you should enjoy yourself while possible. One of the simplest ways to do this: after class today go to Best Buy and buy all eight seasons in one box set, order a pizza and vegetate this weekend.
So look back on your life, you don’t have to go far, just a few months to your New Year’s resolution, did you keep it? Now ask yourself if it’s true, does everybody lie?
Another interesting tidbit about House’s final episode is that it was shot entirely on the Canon 5D. No your eyes do not deceive you, that is the same camera you see being carried around campus by photography students. He future of visual storytelling no longer lies in a film canister or dark room, but at the, relatively, easily attainable digital camera. By using this to capture cinema quality 24FPS images and then coupled with separately recorded digital audio, which is already being used by filmmakers, we are allowed to replicate the cinematic experience at buy a fraction of the cost. Already auteurs are taking wind with this and more and more independently produced films are being released.
No longer does a curious fan have to travel to an art house theater or wait for video either. Recent advancements in technology have made it easier than ever to upload a project online, where it can be seen by almost anyone.
So the end of House is relevant to modern times, as it is a precursor to what will soon be.