Why Does House Seem Indifferent About His Patients?

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The discussion centers around the TV show "House," with participants sharing their initial impressions and insights about the main character, Dr. Gregory House. Many viewers express confusion over House's seemingly laid-back demeanor and apparent indifference toward his patients, describing him as arrogant and irreverent yet brilliant in his diagnostic abilities. The show's unique approach to medical drama, combining humor with serious themes, is highlighted, with some viewers suggesting that it may take multiple episodes to fully appreciate its depth and character development. Participants also discuss Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of House, noting his impressive American accent and comedic background. The conversation touches on the show's formulaic plot structure, with recurring medical conditions, but acknowledges the clever writing and engaging character interactions that keep viewers hooked. Overall, the thread captures a mix of admiration and critique, reflecting on the show's appeal and its quirks.
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Hey all,

I've just watched my first House episode, and I really don't get it. Why is the main character so laid back? It is as if he doesn't even care about his patients, like he already knows what's going to happen. It all seems a game!

_Mayday_
 
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_Mayday_ said:
Hey all,

I've just watched my first House episode, and I really don't get it. Why is the main character so laid back? It is as if he doesn't even care about his patients, like he already knows what's going to happen. It all seems a game!

_Mayday_
House is one of my favorite shows. You may have to watch it a few times to understand it.

The show the other night was really unexpected, I can't wait to see the season finale.
 
Evo said:
The show the other night was really unexpected, I can't wait to see the season finale.

I watched that last night: it was brilliant!
 
I love HOUSE. It's a very good show.

Like Evo said, it may take a few times of watching it, but it is very addicting.

If this is your first time watching, might I suggest you rent the previous seasons, so you can get the full effect, and it might make more sense to you :smile:
 
cristo said:
I watched that last night: it was brilliant!
So you get the show real time there?

Every time she asked "what's my necklace made out of?" I was yelling the answer at him. :redface:
 
House compilation:

 
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Evo said:
So you get the show real time there?
Erm.. no.. I find other ways to watch the show backs away slowly[/size]

Every time she asked "what's my necklace made out of?" I was yelling the answer at him. :redface:
LOL, yea, so was I! I thought that was one of the best, especially in terms of story-writing.
 
Darkiekurdo said:
House compilation:

:smile:
 
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Darkiekurdo said:
House compilation:



That's hilarious!
 
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  • #10
_Mayday_ said:
Hey all,

I've just watched my first House episode, and I really don't get it. Why is the main character so laid back? It is as if he doesn't even care about his patients, like he already knows what's going to happen. It all seems a game!

_Mayday_

Well, I'm not really sure he's laid back, but he definitely doesn't care about his patients. I think the idea behind the character is that he's arrogant, selfish, and (especially) irreverent, but good enough at his job that no one can really do anything about it. I'm personally not overly attached to House's character, though I certainly see how it adds an interesting dimension to the show which wouldn't be there if he were like any other doctor. Mostly I like it because the methodology they employ when diagnosing patients seems to resemble solving a physics problem.

You know, my first year of graduate school (which was this year), I tried playing with my students by having a different "TA personality" in each of the two semesters. First semester I acted all straight-arrow and by the book, second semester I tried to be overly friendly with them. My next semester I was going to try being the Dr. House of TAing. I was actually slightly disappointed when I found out I'd be going on a full time RA next fall. Maybe someone else should try this and let me know what happens.
 
  • #11
That's it---House is the 'Feynman' of Medicine
 
  • #12
Great parody, Dark. :smile:
Hugh Laurie is actually one totally hilarious guy. When he went to audition for House, he thought that the character was second-banana to Dr. Wilson. After he got the part, he found out that he was the star. He had also packed for only a week or two of staying in a hotel, since he figured that the show wouldn't be picked up by a network.
Even those of you North Americans who haven't seen him in things like 'Black Adder' should keep an eye out for the episode of "Inside the Actors' Studio" in which he is the guest. He performs one of his original songs called 'Mystery' that will crack you up.
Also just Google him, and a few neat things show up on U-Tube.
 
  • #13
I love House. Thats how I'm going to be when old, except worse...
 
  • #14
What about North Americans? Where did that come in?
 
  • #15
binzing said:
What about North Americans? Where did that come in?

I is one, and never had a chance to see Black Adder or Hugh's other shows because I didn't have cable TV. The shows are British, and not played on broadcast networks here.
 
  • #16
binzing said:
What about North Americans? Where did that come in?
Hugh Laurie is a famous English comic actor, usually partnered with Stephen Fry (Jeeves and Wooster, "Fry and Laurie", Blackadder) don't know if those shows made it to the colonies.

ps. Experienced medics/professors do tend to get like that - they split into the 'I am God - it's the patient's fault for dying' and the 'Lost another one - nevermind where's the crossword' types.
 
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  • #17
Black Adder played on cable in Canada, but I never had that until I moved in with W 3 years ago. It was out of circulation by then. I've just seen a few clips of it. :frown:
 
  • #18
I'm a big fan of Wodehouse. Our library has a collection of Jeeves and Wooster tapes and I have seen all that they have. I haven't seen House, but it sounds dismal.
 
  • #19
jimmysnyder said:
I haven't seen House, but it sounds dismal.

Naw, man... it's great! That is assuming, of course, that you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy it. It's about as accurate medically as CSI is forensically. To start with, I don't think that any hospital on the planet has a department of 'Differential Diagnosis'. It's actually a comedy-drama (whether or not it intends to be). Some pretty witty lines are written in.
 
  • #20
Danger said:
Naw, man... it's great! That is assuming, of course, that you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy it. It's about as accurate medically as CSI is forensically. To start with, I don't think that any hospital on the planet has a department of 'Differential Diagnosis'. It's actually a comedy-drama (whether or not it intends to be). Some pretty witty lines are written in.
Not to mention the team of doctors that break into patient's homes without their consent to do investigative work.
 
  • #21
Oh. OK
 
  • #22
There is no way in hell Laurie is a Brit...
 
  • #23
binzing said:
There is no way in hell Laurie is a Brit...
That *is* rather upsetting, isn't it?
 
  • #24
How the hell does he not have an accent then, is he just acting with that too? I guess he does look a bit like a Brit though, skinny, sort of gaunt. Damn fatass Americans...
 
  • #25
Danger said:
Great parody, Dark. :smile:
Hugh Laurie is actually one totally hilarious guy. When he went to audition for House, he thought that the character was second-banana to Dr. Wilson. After he got the part, he found out that he was the star. He had also packed for only a week or two of staying in a hotel, since he figured that the show wouldn't be picked up by a network.
Even those of you North Americans who haven't seen him in things like 'Black Adder' should keep an eye out for the episode of "Inside the Actors' Studio" in which he is the guest. He performs one of his original songs called 'Mystery' that will crack you up.
Also just Google him, and a few neat things show up on U-Tube.
How could you not mention A Bit of Fry and Laurie? (arguably the best thing in sketch comedy in recent years - also all over youtube).

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fry+laurie&search_type=
 
  • #26
binzing said:
There is no way in hell Laurie is a Brit...

Because he is inteligent and sarcastic ?
 
  • #27
mgb_phys said:
Because he is inteligent and sarcastic ?
Yeah, that could be it. :smile:

Hugh laurie is House. <covers eyes and ears> How can Brits sound American, but Americans can't sound like Brits?
 
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  • #28
Evo said:
How can Brits sound American, but Americans can't sound like Brits?

What about Daphne in Fraser ?
 
  • #29
I love House! It is my favorite show. I can't wait for the finale, the last episode was really good. I was kept yelling Amber at the tv to when house kept trying to figure out the necklace question haha.
 
  • #30
I've been watching all of the shows back to back for the past few weeks. The individual show plots have been getting pretty old. It's all rather formula and it makes me lose interest every time they pull out the same tired old laundry list of diseases. I don't think there has been a single show where they haven't tossed Lupus, Sarcoidosis, and Lymphoma out there as possibilities.
At the same time a lot of the jokes and dialog are rather witty like Danger pointed out. They even made a joke in one episode "It's never Lupus." Aswell they do a very good job with character development in my opinion. They also know how to use subtle clues and foreshadowings which most television writers seem to not be able to grasp. It was rather silly though when I was able to figure out a patient had chimerism right away and it took them half the show to figure it out.
 
  • #31
Aw, I messed him up. I kept yelling Lucite.
 
  • #32
House is my favorite show on TV (well, internet actually). Hugh Laurie seems to be the only reason I watch it. If he goes, the show is dead.

I can't wait until the season final.
 
  • #33
I watched Hugh Laurie one night on a talk show, and I was like, No Way, he is British...He plays the American part so well, and the cane, wow, it almost seems as if that whould be apart of his life too.
 
  • #34
mgb_phys said:
What about Daphne in Fraser ?

Jane Leeves was born in London. Her first film appearance was in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" (as a topless angel). She doesn't really have to fake the British accent, since she grew up with it. :rolleyes:
Hugh Laurie has stated on record that the hardest part of his job is the Yank accent. He uses it even between takes so as not to lose it.
He was on an entertainment show up here a couple of years ago, and was asked about the 'Stewart Little' movie. I can't quote exactly, but it was essentially: "here we are, playing second fiddle to a CGI mouse. It was rather demeaning, actually." :smile:
 
  • #35
Danger said:
She doesn't really have to fake the British accent, since she grew up with it. :rolleyes:

If she lived in London, she didn't grow up with that accent!
 
  • #36
cristo said:
If she lived in London, she didn't grow up with that accent!

She was born in London; she grew up in East Grinstead, Sussex.
 
  • #37
Wow, a House thread! I think I'm going to have to bring back my Avatar :biggrin:
 
  • #38
Danger said:
She was born in London; she grew up in East Grinstead, Sussex.

Hmm.. still sounds fake.. she wouldn't have an accent like that if she grew up in the south of the country!

Edit: Wiki says "Daphne was born in Manchester, England, the only daughter in a large, working-class family of nine children." so yes.. it is a fake accent, since she's pretending to be from manchester.
 
  • #39
The guy in the beginning of the show like coughed up this bloody solid thing! It was also sweet, when they opened the guy up and you could see his heart pumping etc. I just enjoyed it as background listening, while doing some work. Is anyone impressed by how good my online spelling is these days? I am :smile:

_Mayday_
 
  • #40
_Mayday_ said:
Is anyone impressed by how good my online spelling is these days? I am :smile:

_Mayday_
Do you have any previous posts so one can compare? :smile:
 
  • #41
Haha! I'll have a look.
 
  • #42
cristo said:
Hmm.. still sounds fake.. she wouldn't have an accent like that if she grew up in the south of the country!

Edit: Wiki says "Daphne was born in Manchester, England, the only daughter in a large, working-class family of nine children." so yes.. it is a fake accent, since she's pretending to be from manchester.

And you trust Wiki over her official website why?
 
  • #43
Danger said:
And you trust Wiki over her official website why?

I think he means that the character was from manchester so her "manchester accent" is fake.



All finished watching the third season now. I hear the fourth gets pretty interesting.
 
  • #44
Yes it's very interesting. I'm watching it now :biggrin:
 
  • #45
House season finale TONIGHT!
 
  • #46
Evo said:
House season finale TONIGHT!

Hmm.. I'm not sure when I'll be able to watch it; probably not until tomorrow night. I think I'll have to avoid this thread until then!
 
  • #47
Evo said:
House season finale TONIGHT!

I'm so getting ready to watch it. :biggrin: I can't wait, it's going to be pretty intense:!)
 
  • #48
Don't worry cristo, I'll only post the ending so I won't ruin the rest of the show for you.

OOOOHHHH!

Must...say...nothing...
 
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  • #49
Evo said:
Don't worry cristo, I'll only post the ending so I won't ruin the rest of the show for you.
:smile:

I never really got into House. The character seems too much of a knock-off of that one on SCRUBS that's almost always right about the diagnosis, and gives all the residents a hard time and sounds like he doesn't care but really does with his sarcasm. If the character was toned down just a bit, and didn't have such a gad-awful scratchy voice, I might have gotten more into it (I can suspend disbelief enough to not care the medicine side of it would often qualify as malpractice in real life).
 
  • #50
Oh, it was good, that's all I'll say :biggrin:
 

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