NOT FEELING THE H/W LOVE

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Well, watched "Top Secret" a couple of times, feeling bummed.

WARNING! Long rambling dissertation under the LJ cut! Possibly TL;DR! Also, spoilers inside!



It’s undeniable now. House and Wilson got divorced.

They were happily, wonderfully married throughout all of Season One (even during the Vogler mess!!). They were totally married throughout Season Two (balcony scenes anyone? House deleting the apartment message from his answering machine anyone? Still the gold standard of H/W love!).

Then along came the "Euphoria" two-parter, and then Season Three, and all my happy slashy dreams were shattered. SHATTERED.

"Euphoria" had open hostility between House and Wilson (or, more likely, hostility from House toward Wilson—here I’m thinking specifically of the scene where House snarls at Wilson, "I’ll bet you you can even have unprotected sex with your patients without even catching a damn thing. Boy I wish I had your job." YEOWCH!), and here we see House considering packing up his things and asking for his magic decoder ring back. Sad. Really, really sad. I started getting a queasy feeling in my stomach right then.

Then, somewhere after House got the ketamine treatment and Wilson started manipulating him (withholding information from House about his paralyzed patient, refusing to prescribe Vicodin, etc), House got a separation from Wilson.

The lovely sexy sparkly chemistry onscreen between House and Wilson just shuddered to a halt. Sad, sad, sad!

Then somewhere after Tritter finally got booted off the show, House filed for divorce from Wilson. Looks like the trial separation didn’t go too well.

Where’d the chemistry go? Where’d all the jump cuts focusing on Wilson and House giving one another sexy, significant looks go?

What the hell is going on, here?

In "Half-Wit," I felt more depressed. Here House is DYING OF BRAIN CANCER, and what do we get from House and Wilson? One half-assed scene with the upright piano in the patient’s room and one sneering, hostile scene in House’s office at the end. Gah!

House actually looks simmeringly angry with Wilson in that last scene. Man. It almost felt to me, on watching that scene, that House has filed for divorce in a fit of betrayed fury—and Wilson didn’t even know they were married in the first place. Bizarre! That scene actually reads to me like House is still furious with Wilson, and Wilson has no freaking clue that House is even mad. Wilson gets House flowers. House throws them out the window. Wilson cluelessly gets House chocolates. House throws them at his head. Wilson’s all like, "Pizza and a movie?" House is all like, "Choke on that pizza and DIE!!!"

Am I the only one who saw that? Just how crazy am I?

Is anyone else not seeing the chemistry?

It’s like the actors are no longer comfortable playing scenes together. It’s awful. I don’t see House and Wilson interacting on the screen any more; I see Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard pretending to be House and Wilson on a set. Awful.

And so now we come to the latest episode, "Top Secret."

I would have enjoyed this episode much, much more if there had been ANY chemistry between House and Wilson AT ALL. And I’m not even being greedy and asking for sexual chemistry. Just plain old "House and Wilson are bestest buds and Platonically LUV each other!" chemistry would have made my day.

But no. Nothing.

The banter in the bathroom? Not feeling it. Feels forced and half-assed.

The fights about House’s drug use and House’s patient? Feels like the bickering of a divorced couple, sad to say. Seriously. This is how my mom and dad used to fight/argue/bicker with each other, after they got divorced. I know firsthand how post-divorce arguments sound and look, and House and Wilson in "Top Secret" fit the bill.

But maybe it’s not just House and Wilson, HL and RSL.

The scenes between House and Cuddy weren’t all that sparkly with chemistry, either. Or, at least not the sexual kind. The scene in House’s office where Cuddy gives House the patient file for Riley (or whatever his name in the show is), I see ZERO sexual chemistry between Cuddy and House. House looks tired and distracted. He doesn’t even leer at Cuddy’s cleavage. In return, Cuddy looks tired and concerned. More maternal than anything. Odd. It’s that way in the end scene, too, where we finally get confirmation that Cuddy and House had been up to sexy shenanigans years ago, in what appears to be a one-night stand.

Sexual chemistry? Zip.

Cuddy’s still looking and acting motherly towards House, not sexual at ALL, and House acts like Cuddy is a sister or something.

This is so weird.

So maybe it’s not just House and Wilson that’s lost its zing. Maybe it’s ALL the grownups of the show.

Cameron and Chase were kinda hot in the supply closet together. Foreman was fun and engaging in the ep. Has the end of the world come about? Am I actually enjoying the scenes with the kids more than the scenes with H, Cuddy, and W?

Please counter my arguments ramblings if you can. Please let me know if you DID see any chemistry between House and Wilson in the last few eps. Really. I’d like to know if anyone agrees with my view, that the chemistry is alarmingly absent from H & W these days. I’d also like to know if anyone disagrees, if they DO see chemistry. That would make me feel a lot better.

So. Anyone else with problems with the show and the H/W relationship? Anyone else thinking the thrill is gone? Or do I need to start going to therapy to resolve my issues with over-analyzing a stupid show? (I mean, seriously. It's just a show! This much obsession can't be healthy.)

........send help!



ETA: Removed a few refs to "Top Secret" outside the LJ cut just in case.

Comments

[elva-barr.livejournal.com]

I don't know, I totally don't agree. I liked 'Top Secret,' I thought that their bickering during the DDX in the middle of the ep was so telling - Hugh Laurie and RSL stole the screen in that scene. Hell, even my straight, male best friend thought it was the slashiest thing this side of legal. So... Maybe you just got high expectations during the break, 'cause I, for one, do not agree. Sorry.

[thewlisian-afer.livejournal.com]

I agree with this. I was feelin' the chemistry.

[xue-lee.livejournal.com]

On the contrary, I think the H/W has finally picked up the last few episodes compared to the Tritter trash we had earlier in the season. And I really liked the "Wilson would do house before you do Chase" line. I'm pretty sure the writers are aware of the H/W subcontext in the show, and they're still paying attention to it. After all, H/W still has quite a significant fanbase (even though it's probably not as deranged as the HAM fans).

I think what's going wrong is the characterisation. Wilson and Cuddy are both losing their backbones whereas the writers are seemingly trying to make House seem a bit more soft and fluffy as some kind of "character development". And once characterisation is screwed, the chemistry and relationship between characters will be affected too.

The problem I see with Season 3 is that the show's turning more and more into a soap opera rather than the medical drama it was in Season 1 (and most of Season 2). The writers are replacing the medicine with more soap opera and drama, which they don't necessarily do very well. For example, they don't exactly know what to do with the entire House/Wilson relationship. For example, their friendship (and love) obviously got strained during the Tritter!arc, and the thing is that it's very difficult to a) change the nature of the relationship between House and Wilson; b) making sure that they're still best friends; c) keep most things pretty much the same way as they were before.

Besides, I think they're trying to play up the Chase/Cameron these few episodes. What I'm really afraid of is Season 4, which is purportedly the HAM season.

[reibish.livejournal.com]

What I'm really afraid of is Season 4, which is purportedly the HAM season.

SHH!! If you don't say it, it can't possibly be true!! But it would make sense...Cam's been quiet about House for awhile, and now all of a sudden she's like I'M OVER HIM, WTH? Which means she's not, at all. And that makes me sad.

Ham makes me want to go vegetarian. Lol.

[reibish.livejournal.com]

I can definitely see your concern, and I'm sure as characters, their hostility towards each other signals that they know the same thing is going on.

But.

House and Wilson have loved known each other for a very long time, and the fact that they're having a dry spell (honestly, I was only put off by Wilson's nonchalance about House's peeing problem...not peeing for three days is definitely fodder for at least MOCKERY, if not medical attention!) and are tense with each other about it only signifies that their chemistry is STILL there. Their actions during this tumultuous season are saying, "Hey, I still love you but I kinda wanna punch you in the face...wanna fuck later?" If the spark was gone, they wouldn't be doing anything at all. We wouldn't notice the obvious discord. House doesn't go out of his way to be with people he doesn't want to be around, except maybe patients ~:)

Have faith, my dear! Couples aren't always puppies and sunshine. Once Wilson has his breakdown (like we don't know it's coming?) House will hobble to his rescue and things will be merry again.

[xue-lee.livejournal.com]

I agree.

When you're friends with (and married to) someone for such a long time, you aren't going to be lovey-dovey every day of your life. You get arguments, but everything pretty much ends up okay in the end.

I agree that Wilson needs a crisis. He needs to be something more other than a cheap mouthpiece for all the moral lessons House doesn't need to learn in the show.

[argyletheme.livejournal.com]

I wholeheartedly disagree. I kind of like their banter more this season than any other. It's different because there's a lot more tension in their friendship, and I love that.

[raietta.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I'm just not feeling it. At all. But maybe I'm just not feeling it for the entire show, not just H/W (wonky scripts, ludicrous plot holes, bad character development, etc. It's hurting my H/W love!). At least other people are enjoying it, which means maybe the show's doing it right anyhow.

[teyla]

Hmm... I don't think they got a divorce. They had a rough time there in between "Euphoria" (where IMO Wilson, along with everybody else, was simply jealous that Foreman got to be the one to get sick) and the end of the Tritter arc. Maybe one or both of them considered a divorce. Then they avoided each other, until Wilson couldn't stand it any longer and confronted House in the last scene of "Half-Wit" (for me, that episode counts among the worst episodes ever from a H/W point of view... the only way I can explain Wilson's absence throughout the middle part is that he knew House was faking. But if that's the case, the scene in the end makes even less sense than it does anyway. Maybe Wilson was just cracking a little because he couldn't stand the pressure in the relationship any longer.). House turned him down, though, because House is House and can't just forgive Wilson.

Yeah, well, but the two of them just can't live without each other. So, now, in "Top Secret", they're carefully circling each other, probing and poking and trying to find out whether there's anything left to save from what they had before the Tritter arc. It's awkward, it's weird, but from the way the episode was going, I think it's gonna get better (and I'm not quoting Foreman again, because everybody knows what I'm talking about ;) ). So, I still have hope for my OTP.

Can't really comment on the House/Cuddy parts. I was too busy staring at Wilson and House to really notice Cuddy ;). I did get the impression, though, that the writers gave us a pretty clear sign that Huddy is not gonna happen. What with ships sailing and everything.

[raietta.livejournal.com]

I love this reading of the dynamic. Love it! Dead-on, accurate summary of events. Why am I not glorying in their messed-up relationship? Why am I not enjoying this more? Oh well.

[...]for me, that episode counts among the worst episodes ever from a H/W point of view... the only way I can explain Wilson's absence throughout the middle part is that he knew House was faking. But if that's the case, the scene in the end makes even less sense than it does anyway. Maybe Wilson was just cracking a little because he couldn't stand the pressure in the relationship any longer.

That part of the ep really bothered me. I just couldn't work my way around the fact that Wilson just vanished from the ep at a crucial time. Fanwanking it is not helping. It's just plain weird. I'm going with Badly-Written Episode theory, here, b/c anything else gives the writers too much credit.

So, now, in "Top Secret", they're carefully circling each other, probing and poking and trying to find out whether there's anything left to save from what they had before the Tritter arc. It's awkward, it's weird, but from the way the episode was going, I think it's gonna get better (and I'm not quoting Foreman again, because everybody knows what I'm talking about ;) ). So, I still have hope for my OTP.

I love the "circling each other" viewpoint. Excellent! This feels very right to me. I just hope there's some acknowledgment of the trouble H & W have been having lately. That would go a long way to my enjoying them again.

Thanks so much for responding to my silly post! I feel MUCH better about H/W, and am finally able to look forward to more episodes of House.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think they have lost any love for each other, they're going through a rough patch. While the whole Tritter thing was hard on them I think it was the end of Merry Little Christmas that was the breaking point. House scares Wilson to death thinking House is dead. House may be a bit hurt that Wilson leaves him to die in a pool of his own vomit. (Seriously, the hell Wilson?) If you see House's actions at the end of that show as a suicide attempt (even a subconscious one) then Wilson has every right to feel a bit abandoned. When someone you love wants to die it's a bit of a slap in the face. Right or wrong it feels like you aren't worth sticking around for.

So Wilson may have tried to pull back a bit emotionally to save himself. House is clearly a trainwreck waiting to happen and Wilson may not be in a hurry (after his brother) to see someone else he loves self destruct before his eyes.

Then Wilson thinks House has brain cancer and to make matters worse House doesn't tell him. Then it turns out he doesn't even HAVE brain cancer. At this point most sane people would run screaming away from the relationship.

So when House comes to him claiming more health problems it's no wonder Wilson ignores him. If you can fake brain cancer faking a wonky bladder isn't a stretch.

BUT! Anyone who didn't love House to little bits would have abandoned him and his crazy self destructive self a loooong time ago. Wilson still sticks around, can still be prodded into caring (and doling out more drugs) ergo there is still some love there. House still goes to Wilson when something is wrong which is maybe his way of showing the love.

It's a screwed up relationship but it's definately still in tact.

(anon again, this is Greeblygreebly from TWOP someday I'll have a real LJ of my very own, I swear)

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Great post, thanks for responding. I like this analysis of the relationship.

So Wilson may have tried to pull back a bit emotionally to save himself. House is clearly a trainwreck waiting to happen and Wilson may not be in a hurry (after his brother) to see someone else he loves self destruct before his eyes.

I like this and your bladder-ignoring point. It MAKES SENSE that there's trouble between the two, which I didn't mention in my original post (oops). Unfortunately, I've known that from the beginning of the arc. My problem is, I know that their friendship is rocky right now b/c of very good reasons, and I'm STILL worried. I'm worried.... I shouldn't be worried... dang.

House still goes to Wilson when something is wrong which is maybe his way of showing the love.

This is excellent. SO true. Who does House tell his dream to? Wilson. Who does House go to for drugs to help his wonky bladder? Wilson. Okay. That's undeniable proof that Wilson is still House's #1 person in times of trouble, and in personal secret matters. Thanks for bringing this up. It helps a LOT with my problems with H/W right now. Thank you!

And I really need to start posting on TWOP. Their take on things is interesting. Would you like an LJ? I think I still have an invite to give someone an LJ. If you want it, it's yours.

[humanyouth.livejournal.com]

Huh. Our mini-Boston-H/W-Tues-Night-Party just called him "Riley," too.

I've kind of just accepted the fact the non-canonness of H/W, so I make the best of whatever I see and then make my merry way over here after the show to enjoy my OTP. Is that sad?

Also, since the show is written by a variety of people, Wilson's character is ALL OVER THE PLACE. None of the writers seem to know what to do with him, so we've seen a couple asyncronic (is that a word? nm) different sides to him that just don't match up. Moral and upstanding, sex with a patient. Merry and flippant, angry and sad. His own life rarely comes into play while most of his emotions are based on House's goings-on: House gets him upset so he's sad, he enjoys House's company so he's happy--does he even have a personality?

I agree that he REALLY needs to have a breakdown or a huge scandal (not just one patient he screws and nobody ever finds out about; something monumental; I wonder if his affair will come back to haunt him in the show?) If they don't do something soon, the first real insight will be when his brother turns up, and I just know they're going to handle it poorly if they don't build his character a little more.

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Huh. Our mini-Boston-H/W-Tues-Night-Party just called him "Riley," too.

Yeah, do we even get the patient's name in the ep? I'm sure we do, but it doesn't matter. Riley has crossed over from Buffy to House. It's like a Marvel/DC crossover! Cool! I'm kinda waiting for Harmony to come by in a House ep as a Clinic patient. That would be fun.

I've kind of just accepted the fact the non-canonness of H/W, so I make the best of whatever I see and then make my merry way over here after the show to enjoy my OTP. Is that sad?

Not. Sad. At all. I'm liking your rule of making the best of what you get from the show. I need to adopt that, especially since I think it's precisely the non-canonness of the pairing that makes their fights upsetting--no public acknowledgment that H and W are even fighting. All we have to go on is body language and voice tone. That's not good.

Also, since the show is written by a variety of people, Wilson's character is ALL OVER THE PLACE. None of the writers seem to know what to do with him, so we've seen a couple asyncronic (is that a word? nm) different sides to him that just don't match up. Moral and upstanding, sex with a patient. Merry and flippant, angry and sad. His own life rarely comes into play while most of his emotions are based on House's goings-on: House gets him upset so he's sad, he enjoys House's company so he's happy--does he even have a personality?

ITA, all the way. I remember first going WTF? when Wilson and Cuddy started colluding over House's patient. Warning bells started to ring. Sure, there's Season 1 evidence ("Detox") that W and C do this, but it still felt wildly OOC for me. Stupid of me, I guess.

Wilson feels more solidly together as a cohesive character than Cameron, Cuddy, and Foreman do, to me, but he's still all over the map. I'm going to chalk this one up to bad writing on the show's part, and wash my hands of it.

I agree that he REALLY needs to have a breakdown or a huge scandal (not just one patient he screws and nobody ever finds out about; something monumental; I wonder if his affair will come back to haunt him in the show?) If they don't do something soon, the first real insight will be when his brother turns up, and I just know they're going to handle it poorly if they don't build his character a little more.

I have worries that IF the lost-brother subplot ever comes back, it will be handled very badly. Like, "One Day One Room" bad. Please God! Don't let this be so!

I do want a big scandal/breakdown for Wilson, and then I don't want one. Foreman's brief moment in the spotlight was rather awful, Cameron's subplots are ridiculously bad, Cuddy looks worse and worse the more screen time she gets--so far Wilson hasn't been hurt too badly by the show focusing on him (ummm.... in comparison to the rest of the characters, I mean. Sigh). While I'd LOVE a big, dramatic, wild breakdown/relationship meltdown/etc., I can't help but feel the show would do it badly. Bah.

Love your insights into the show and the H/W dynamic!

I never write short comments it seems...

[hry2007.livejournal.com]

I actually think their relationship is on the mend, but it'll take some healing post-Tritter. Besides, the tension from late Season 2 on has been needed for a few reasons:
1) To reiterate House's personal demons. We could argue addiction/physically dependent all the live-long day, but the point is, his Vicodin use is getting worse, and it's impacting all facets of his day. In Season 1, when TPTB still needed to warm the audience up to House, the pills were (for the most part) treated as unhealthy but merely a quirk of dealing with The Great Dr House. Even if it only goes downhill for House's character, it has to go somewhere for dramatic purposes. My guess is that it will only get worse for him for a good long while.
2) To show the real James Wilson. To fully grasp just how lonely Wilson is (and unfortunately for him, I'd say that's a defining characteristic, right up there with codependent and self-sacrificing), the writers needed to show first the dissolution of his marriage, and show him making some pretty big interpersonal mistakes in the name of helping others.

I wouldn't call them divorced so much as in a rough patch (they are each others longest relationship, and the basis of the show), but if we're to determine where things went to shit it was toward the end of their living together, around or right after All In and Sleeping Dogs Lie. Wilson is always portrayed as the effemenate one (in no small part because RSL knows how to bring the HoYay), but if we're going off of actual behavior, I'd say that House is wicked jealous of anyone Wilson is with and Wilson is for the most part oblivious. The Odd Couple Arc was, even more than the Stacy arc (since deep down House knew it wouldn't work out), House's window to the good life. Wilson did what in most cases you're supposed to do when you're living on your friends couch, he moved out (albeit with a patient *headdesk*). In House Vs God, House is very pissed about this turn of events, and finding out about Grace only goes to magnify that. He's still quite angry about Grace (Words and Deeds). Even when there are other things he could bring up, he seems to have understood that Wilson was trying to do the right thing in the Tritter arc, and forgotten or forgiven about the Addison's guy. But spot Wilson talking to any female, and the claws are out (Fools For Love).

Either that, or they slept together around that time, and Wilson freaked because he's a closet case, but that seems almost too easy a storyline.

Short comments are boring anyway.

[earlwyn.livejournal.com]

Either that, or they slept together around that time, and Wilson freaked because he's a closet case, but that seems almost too easy a storyline.

Uh... I totally vote for that one. Really (and shut up, I'm not delusional) it's the only one that makes the most sense. Why else is House so bitter about Grace for so long? Or about any woman Wilson thinks of hooking up with? In S1, House seems more removedly amused by Wilson's pathology. End of S2 and S3? He's acting possessive and jealous and more vengeful towards Wilson than ever before.

How else would you explain it?

[earlwyn.livejournal.com]

I agree with you up through "Half-Wit" -- mostly. I thought in the end of S2 House seemed none to pleased with the Wilson/Grace thing (and please, someone give me a reason that is not slashy, because I can't think of one) but it seemed like something they'd get over. Eventually.

But then Tritter happened and all the way up until this very last episode, I was pretty damned convinced House and Wilson were breaking up. In fact, House not accepting Wilson's invite for pizza clinched it for me -- they broke up (platonically, more-than-platonically, whatever). And I was sad. Because there is no excuse for Wilson just walking out when he thinks his best friend has brain cancer -- NONE. God, I don't even want to think about it anymore.

But "Top Secret"? Totaly H/W chemistry. The fact that House willingly told Wilson about his dream and went to him with his peeing issue; that Wilson felt they were okay enough to (pointlessly) attempt to stand up to House about writing him prescriptions; the DDX scene between them where Wilson goes "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're idiots. You're point?" (that was so totally S1 Wilson shoving his head back in btw, finally) and House listens to him; and the scene with Wilson in scrubs and House calling him "Dr. Self-Righteous" but backtracking by claiming they were all wrong as soon as Cuddy started harping that Wilson was wrong -- that's H/W back in fine form. Plus all the bathroom scenes and the bantering and the shared looks. Oh no no no. Whatever happened in the time between "Half-Wit" and "Top Secret" House and Wilson worked something out. They're not back to being completely okay but there's definitely hope, me thinks. Definitely hope.

I agree about the lack of sexual innuendo in the House/Cuddy scenes. And frankly Cuddy's "I'm always here" comment creeped me out in a really odd way. I have no clue what's up with them.

[hry2007.livejournal.com]

And frankly Cuddy's "I'm always here" comment creeped me out in a really odd way. I have no clue what's up with them.

I agree, although the "No you're not" did redeem it a little (bitter about the infarction much?). I had expected the Huddy stuff to be somewhat tolerable, but Cuddy's being written horribly this season, and spoilers for next week just flat-out piss me off. There's no way a woman dean of medicine would behave like this. Edelstein is playing what she's given very well, but you just can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

WOW WAY TL;DR

[hellspoette.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, I blame the writers. Truly, this season has not been as good as the previous two. Of course things are going to seem strange & weird after the Tritter arc; they piled tension and tension and tension on the characters, most notably House & Wilson, and then dismissed it with an absurd foppish gesture & a puff of purple smoke. I'm STILL pissed about the way that storyline ended. It invalidated many of the developments that COULD have, er, developed, and left everyone floundering, the relationships all askew. I said back in September, any season that begins with House jogging eight miles despite missing a chunk of thigh muscle could not possibly bode well. Credibility is a slippery slope.

Now I don't want to come off as completely sandy here; I still love this show, and there are little flickering moments of glory (Village People, "Have you ever appeared in any pornos?", "We get it we're all idiots", THE ACTING, etc) that make it worthwhile to watch. A television series is never going to achieve the seamless beauty of a novel, or even a film; it's a collaborative effort that's often stretched too thin over too many episodes, writers, and influences (OMG WHAT WILL THE NETWORK THINK, WILL WE LOSE RATINGS OVER THIS, IF WE RESOLVE THIS NOW WHEN IT SEEMS ORGANIC TO RESOLVE IT HOW WILL WE FILL UP THE REST OF THE SEASON, ETC). The obvious downsides are plot contrivances, awkwardness, strained & confusing characterization; the upside is, the show becomes a constant companion, something to obsess over and think about; and I'm willing to bet everyone who takes the time to participate in this community NEEDS that kind of presence in their life. Hey, nothing wrong with a few abandonment issues, LOL AMIRITE?

Anyway, in times like these, I must always remember the case of Buffy. I was a gigantic Buffy fan for the entire run of the series, but let me tell you, it hit some LOW points. Oh boy did it hit some low points. There are episodes that are truly embarrassing & unbearable to watch. Luckily House has not yet achieved such moments (although they are always a possibility), even though in my opinion, it has come close. In that Rolling Stone interview, HL was asked "Are you afraid of the show becoming a parody of itself?". He responded with something along the lines of "Of course. Right now the show is in its late adolescence. And you always have to wonder about how it will die... will it go quietly in its sleep, or have a long drawn-out death?" I think his concerns are valid. I think Season 4 will be very telling, in terms of how the show will go. I'm extremely worried because I love this show, and don't want to see it die horribly. But there's no reason (LOL) that it CAN'T do well in years to come. There ARE good writers on staff, and I think they do realize some of the mistakes they've made. I saw the last episode as an attempt to START to repair some of the damage, INCLUDING the H/W dynamic (which DOES feel strained to me, but I at least get the sense they're finding their footing once more).

They're under a lot of pressure now. More eyes are on the show than at its outset, and a lot of expectations have taken hold. I hope the H/W dynamic doesn't fall prey to the adverse effects of the Heisenberg principle (now that writers & actors KNOW there is such a large H/W fanbase, that observation may effect how the relationship shows up on screen), but only time will tell. There's a lot of talent involved with this show, & I hope to sweet zombie Jesus that it's enough to collaboratively make things effing work.

Re: WOW WAY TL;DR

[dangomango.livejournal.com]

Hey, nothing wrong with a few abandonment issues, LOL AMIRITE?
AMEN. OMG MY DADDY NEVER LOVED ME

lol to you, madam.

[sorion.livejournal.com]

Please counter my arguments if you can.

Not sure I can... After all, arguments won't change what you or I feel...

I still feel it. I've always felt it. Even when they fought through the Tritter fiasco, I felt it.

Yes, that arc put their friendship to the test, but they overcame that.
Starting with the "good night, House" scene, where Wilson was disappointed that there was no rehab, but figured that House was still his House.

They still joke with each other (jokes that others wouldn't appreciate *g* "guilt can be your friend" ^_~) they still laugh with each other, and Wilson is still the only one that House actively seeks out.


I definitely don't see the actors feeling uncomfortable with each other...
Chemistry's between the characters is still there from where I'm standing.

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right, I didn't post arguments so much as... well, ramblings. Fixed that in the OP.

They still joke with each other (jokes that others wouldn't appreciate *g* "guilt can be your friend" ^_~) they still laugh with each other, and Wilson is still the only one that House actively seeks out.

I do like it a lot that House still seeks out Wilson for advice and help. Makes me happy to see it. Gives me hope for the pair.

I definitely don't see the actors feeling uncomfortable with each other...
Chemistry's between the characters is still there from where I'm standing.

Only way I can see it, sometimes: the dialogue by itself still seems bantery and flirtatious and fun, but the actual execution seems off to me, forced, unreal. I like that you're still seeing the togetherness. This means that maybe I'm just reading it wrong--but maybe the reason I'm reading it wrong is b/c the body language/vocal tones of the actors are prompting me in that direction. Dunno. I think maybe I'm just really "sensitive." ;)

[xel1980.livejournal.com]

I must quite agree on the divorce thing... I think they're most likely separated at home... something isn't going well between them, they seems both sad, depressed and tired... they meet in random places by case, don't really search for each others... especially House... he's freeze after the apologies and the admission of care in SoaCG...
I hope the authors will fix their relationship very soon 'cause the whole show is suffering for it...
But I think there's still chemical between HL and RSL... they act together too well... but I think the feeling they have to explain now is just this "separated at home" feeling... that I hope will be explained and fixed later...

[raietta.livejournal.com]

Well, at least I'm not the only one who feels this way and reads the ep this way. I like the "separated at home" idea.

they meet in random places by case, don't really search for each others... especially House...

This makes me very sad. They don't seek each other out for fun anymore, it's true. No more hanging out, no more eating together, no more chitchat on the balcony.

I'm hoping you're right about the chemistry btwn HL and RSL still being there. If they start coming across as forced, then the whole show is sunk, for me.

but I think the feeling they have to explain now is just this "separated at home" feeling... that I hope will be explained and fixed later...

I'm waiting for this, too.

[hry2007.livejournal.com]

Are Hugh and RSL still close friends on set? Because if they're not, that would explain some things.

I haven't seen anything to the contrary, especially considering recent episodes were filmed right around/after the Golden Globes bit. Every interview Hugh does shines Robert in a quite positive light. It's just bad writing. I think people are mistakenly tranferring rumors about Hugh being lonely and unhappy and melding it with his on-screen persona, which is a bit silly since Hugh's never really been happy.

[karaokegal.livejournal.com]

Agree and disagree. There has been a breakdown in H/W love, but to me it's Wilson loving House and House doing the rejecting, divorcing etc, although I'm not sure we're completely in different places about this. I just posted my own Housebabble at my LJ if you want to take a look, rather than my spelling out all my arguments here.

[housepiglet.livejournal.com]

Hello :) Thanks for bringing up such an interesting subject!

I don't wholly agree. I felt there was quite a lot of chemistry between House and Wilson in Top Secret. I felt the old spark was there in the bathroom scenes - in fact, it's felt to me as though the writers have been using bathroom scenes for a few episodes, now, to give House and Wilson a chance to demonstrate their fundamental closeness. Maybe they're using them as a replacement for 'House and Wilson on the couch eating takeout' scenes that we used to get. I also thought the snarkiness in that conversation that ended in Wilson writing House a prescription for the peeing drug (can't remember the name) was a reflection of the old House/Wilson goodness.

I've just felt recently that the writers aren't using RSL enough. I've spent several episodes (well, insofar as I can remember: they've been stretched out over such a ridiculous period) just counting the seconds until Wilson comes on. Top Secret was the first time in several episodes that I wasn't doing that, because (at least in the earlier part of the episode) he seemed to be a fundamental part of the episode setup, in the old way: there in the bathroon, there during a DX, helping with the investigation etc.

I was discussing this with earlwyn recently, and the only explanation I could think of for it was that perhaps they're afraid that if there's too much RSL goodness it might become the 'House & Wilson' show, rather than just House, and they want to avoid that. I really don't know, but it makes no sense at all to me, as - if this community is any sort of reflection of the average viewing audience - RSL's Wilson is much loved and appreciated, and missed when he isn't present.

I have to say that I don't agree about the Cuddy thingy either. I thought there was quite a spark between House and Cuddy in that scene at the end - I didn't get the impression that either of them was sexually disengaged. Add to that the choice that the writers made a few episodes ago to have House taking a strong interest in Cuddy's romantic adventures, and I have the impression that the writers are trying to emphasise the sex between them, rather than play it down. And I've always felt that there's a real and significant chemistry between HL and LE that I've never detected between House and Cameron.

So... if anything, this episode gave me hope that maybe the writers are moving towards reintroducing the House/Wilson chemistry. It was certainly littered with little sub-textual hints of a sort that I don't feel we've seen for a long time.

Just my 10 pence, and thanks again for such an interesting discussion :)

*bursts in singing loudly*

[earlwyn.livejournal.com]

[to the tune of 'It's Howdy Doody Time']

The House and Wilson Show! The House and Wilson show!
You know they like their blow (jobs)
The House and Wilson show!
*jazz hands*

Um. I'll just be *points* leaving right -- *runs*

[sessile29.livejournal.com]

My two cents will come in the form of positing that the show has backed away from the H/W relationship because it was getting too, well, H/W: the only natural progression of the relationship at this point would be to actually put them together and make them canon. :) They've set up H/W as being more than just best buds; they're too intense with each other for that. House cares too much about Wilson's romantic entanglements and where his loyalties lie, and Wilson does some pretty extreme things in the name of helping House. If either one of them were a woman, they've would've slept together a long time ago, or canonically have already slept together, or everybody would be waiting around for them to sleep together. :) But since they're two guys and the writers don't have the luxurious freedom that we slashers enjoy of putting together whomever the hell we want, they feel that overdosing Ham and Huddy is the solution to this corner they've written themselves into. WE SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU, WRITERS! DON'T FIGHT THE H/W LOVE! IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET! :D

[raietta.livejournal.com]

My two cents will come in the form of positing that the show has backed away from the H/W relationship because it was getting too, well, H/W: the only natural progression of the relationship at this point would be to actually put them together and make them canon. :) They've set up H/W as being more than just best buds; they're too intense with each other for that.

This point makes a lot of sense to me. Where can H & W possibly go from here on? They're too close, too possessive of each other. Like you said, they're too intense.

WE SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOU, WRITERS! DON'T FIGHT THE H/W LOVE! IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET! :D

Yes, exactly! Now is the time for H/W to take the plunge! Deny your true feelings no longer, TPTB! You know you want to! ;)

[spleenage.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmrm. I hate to say it, but it would appear that the show itself has lost its chemistry. The POTW fails to hold interest and is rarely focused on, and instead we're stuck with the soap operatics that this show was loved for lacking in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Passions (mmmm, Fuis and Chince and Shuis must die), but the genius of House was in the balance it struck, exploring the characters through encounters with patients while still making us care about the patients themselves! Now patients are treated (at best) as little more than plot devices, and (at worst) as nuisances relegated to the background. Where fan reactions to patients early on ran along the lines of 'I guessed it first, such a genius', 'brilliant/loved her so much', or 'BITCH MUST DAI' - now the entire reaction is 'ha ha, vagina mouth'.

It's not just House and Wilson.

[antychan.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but it would appear that the show itself has lost its chemistry.

Yeah... I thought they were SO going strong when they had the Dwarf!woman episode, but then they did rape!girl. And gypsy!boy. And firefighter!guy. Blah.

[axmxz.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I thought they had good chemistry. Nothing like the old days of Chinese at Christmas, but hell, a lot of things happened since then. But I think they're still fundamentally married. The Village People scene and the car key toss alone were worth the price of admission.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that the H/W dynamic is a little shaky at the minute, but I think it's down to both of them being weird with each other. Wilson seems a lot more guarded around him which is perfectly understandable. His job was fucked with and by extension, his lfe. No one gave him anything resembling support (Cuddy continuing to suck in her role as boss to anyone who's not House) and there's no way he can just brush all of that aside without it affecting him profoundly, especially if there's a parallel between House's drug abuse and his brother. Unfortunately I don't have faith that the writers will even bother to explore what Wilson is going through because that would mean that he would have to get a significant amount of screentime and that might seriously dent the 'everything must always be about House' theme that they've cultivated.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that the H/W dynamic is a little shaky at the minute, but I think it's down to both of them being weird with each other. Wilson seems a lot more guarded around him which is perfectly understandable. His job was fucked with and by extension, his lfe. No one gave him anything resembling support (Cuddy continuing to suck in her role as boss to anyone who's not House) and there's no way he can just brush all of that aside without it affecting him profoundly, especially if there's a parallel between House's drug abuse and his brother. Unfortunately I don't have faith that the writers will even bother to explore what Wilson is going through because that would mean that he would have to get a significant amount of screentime and that might seriously dent the 'everything must always be about House' theme that they've cultivated

[lightsharpedge.livejournal.com]

I really agree with you about the first two seasons and the separation,
but i feel like they're still in the separation, but Wilson thinks everything is A-OK but House really isn't sure, and Wilson has started to notice that and is feeling awkward about everything.

[antychan.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on "Top Secret". I thought it was totally lame and HL and RSL seemed really bored in their scenes. I could see why. Cuddy and House had no spark whatsoever. Lame episode.

However, I thought there was lots of H/W sparks in Half-Wit. And all that hurt and hostlity that boiled to the surface in the Tritter arc!! The arc was flawed, yes, but I thought it was a glorious H/W angstfest.

I only wish Wilson had still had one chin.

I agree with spleenage

[(Anonymous)]

I seriously want to keep on loving this show, but it lost it's spark. I think the writers are thinking that since this show is getting closer to the end, they're entitled to just give fanservice to the shippers. However...once in a while, like with the toothpick guy, I fall in love with an episode because I see a little part of season one and two in it. I really want the writers to think about all the OOCness compared to the first 2 super special awesome saesons

[no-eden.livejournal.com]

I don't think they're divorced, so much as just still married and out of love. I feel like some House/Wilson scenes are in their just out of the writers' sense of obligation to keep their love affair friendship going at the status quo. I get the sense that they're just unwilling to change their relationship. Sure, it was strained during the Tritter!arc, and there's something just a bit off about it now, but it doesn't seem to be anything the writers want to address. Unless they have some awesome plot involving Wilson and House's secret LURV that dare not speak its name.

Then again, what do I know? I'm just a hopeless fangirl. T_T

[dollrock.livejournal.com]

I like to think we're still feeling the aftermath of Tritter. Also, all the trouble seems to lead back to Grace. House took that kind of personally.