2008 Woodie Awards
'House' mocks Trump's apprentice
Critic's Column
Paige Gabriel
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Culture
- Page 1 of 1
In a break from his previous performances as the buffoon in British comedies, actor Hugh Laurie has entertained viewers since 2004 with his portrayal of the title character in "House M.D."
Dr. Gregory House is a medical genius who seems to have slept through Bedside Manners 101 in medical school.
With his disheveled appearance, abrasive personality and unconventional methods, House cares not about curing the patient or alleviating suffering, but about piecing together the patient's symptoms in order to solve the puzzle.
He is a cynic who firmly believes everybody lies and has the audacity to pit himself against God on several occasions.
After losing all three members of his diagnostics team at the end of last season, House begins the series' fourth season by taking a lesson from Donald Trump's "Apprentice" and turning the interviewing and hiring process into a parody of reality television.
The season began with several dozen candidates, most of whom House fires over the course of the last eight episodes.
At the end of last week's episode, "You Don't Want to Know," House had pruned his crop of applicants down to four potential employees for the two remaining positions on his diagnostics team.
Some detractors accuse "House" episodes of being formulaic and predictable: a person with an unexplained illness comes to Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, the diagnosticians diagnose, the patient seems to recover only to deteriorate, more diagnoses are offered and fail and in the final minutes House has an epiphany and discovers the cause of the patient's illness.
Yes, but the driving force behind the show is the interactions between characters. I tune in to see what turn the love-hate relationship between House and Wilson will take and what creative ways House finds to subvert Cuddy's authority.
If you are not already addicted to Dr. House's unique brand of medicine, I strongly recommend that you tune in for a dose of his caustic wit.
New episodes of "House" air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. "House" reruns Thursdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. on USA.
Dr. Gregory House is a medical genius who seems to have slept through Bedside Manners 101 in medical school.
With his disheveled appearance, abrasive personality and unconventional methods, House cares not about curing the patient or alleviating suffering, but about piecing together the patient's symptoms in order to solve the puzzle.
He is a cynic who firmly believes everybody lies and has the audacity to pit himself against God on several occasions.
After losing all three members of his diagnostics team at the end of last season, House begins the series' fourth season by taking a lesson from Donald Trump's "Apprentice" and turning the interviewing and hiring process into a parody of reality television.
The season began with several dozen candidates, most of whom House fires over the course of the last eight episodes.
At the end of last week's episode, "You Don't Want to Know," House had pruned his crop of applicants down to four potential employees for the two remaining positions on his diagnostics team.
Some detractors accuse "House" episodes of being formulaic and predictable: a person with an unexplained illness comes to Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, the diagnosticians diagnose, the patient seems to recover only to deteriorate, more diagnoses are offered and fail and in the final minutes House has an epiphany and discovers the cause of the patient's illness.
Yes, but the driving force behind the show is the interactions between characters. I tune in to see what turn the love-hate relationship between House and Wilson will take and what creative ways House finds to subvert Cuddy's authority.
If you are not already addicted to Dr. House's unique brand of medicine, I strongly recommend that you tune in for a dose of his caustic wit.
New episodes of "House" air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. "House" reruns Thursdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. on USA.
