EPISODE POST-MORTEM: 5x17 "THE SOCIAL CONTRACT"

[thewlisian-afer.livejournal.com]

This is the after-airing post. Discuss any and all aspects of the House/Wilson relationship or friendship pertaining to the episode here. This post is for use in all time zones.

If you have meta/reaction posts in your journal that you would like to share with the community, please link to them in the comments and I will compile a list here in the main post so that they are all in the same place and people can find them easily. (No, really. I finally caught up, and I'm going to STAY caught up!) Thank you, and happy viewing!



Thoughts Posts:

• taiga13's reflections
• phate_phoenix's reflections
• thewlisian_afer's reflections
• I pretty much just skim the comments for links. If I miss yours, send me a private message to let me know. ♥

Comments

[jennydoom86.livejournal.com]

BAH!

House has been slumping a little bit for me lately but boy was the show redeemed tonight!!!

BEST. EPISODE. EVER!

Why? Well I'll give you 5 reasons.

1. VERY UNUSUAL LACK OF THIRTEEN <- LOVES IT!
2. LOTS OF WILSON!
3. GREAT DIALOGUE!
4. CHASE CAMEO!
5. AND BEST OF ALL...SCENE ENDS WITH HOUSE AND WILSON LEAVING TOGETHER!!!

It's like I've died and gone to heaven!

Best episode since 'Birthmarks' imho.

Oh to think all of the fan fics that will pop up tomorrow...^_^

[southpaw526.livejournal.com]

I watched it with my grandmother and my dad. At the end, I breathed, 'they are so dating'. And my father...(who has a bit of a man-crush on RSL) goes, 'they really are'.

WIN.

[specialsmiley.livejournal.com]

Dad Man-crush. Excellent. :}

[kirili.livejournal.com]

The Harry Potter reference was pure gold! I've just never thought about that, that Harry essentially... "chose his better nature", and... DID. It's adorable how that would give Wilson hope.

Andand I think it made House happy on some level.

[lavosspawn.livejournal.com]

There were several moments in this episode where I honestly thought they were going to hug or makeout... or something. Awesomesauce.

[californiaquail.livejournal.com]

We'd better get a hug by the end of the season.

For God's sakes.

We've earned it.

[akuma-divine.livejournal.com]

LOVE for episode!!! Significantly less Thirteen, significantly more House/Wilson, ALMOST NO HUDDY!!! HOORAH!!!!

Also, slightly disappointed in the writers for using the Death Cat urban myth for the next episode. I'm sure they'll make it interesting, it's just... they couldn't come up with anything better? =/

[taiga13.livejournal.com]

There was an article about the cat in the New England Journal of Medicine.

[jailbait4wilson.livejournal.com]

OMG THAT WAS THE BEST EVER

[shadowstark.livejournal.com]

Oh, show. Just when I'm thinking of joining a karate class on Mondays at 8, you do this.

Should I love you for making something fun to watch, or hate you for letting me continue to ruin my figure? I suppose I'll love you, because I can still do some exercise biking while I watch, and you totally distract me from the effort...

[savemoony.livejournal.com]

LOVE I WENT OUT DRINKING. I TOLD KIT TO RUN THE HOUSEWILSONCHAT BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, DUDE, VODKA > HOUSE. AND THEN I COME HOME AND SEE THIS AND WAS LIKE, OH SHIT, DAMN.

[cdewilde.livejournal.com]

This episode kicked some serious ass.

Kutner's reference to Harry Potter? GAH. There aren't words. The one House/Cuddy scene? Cute and not annoying. I liked Foreman and Thirteen's banter. PotW story wasn't half-bad. Scruffy!Chase in a leather jacket makes me want to steal him and House's motorcycle and go for a joyride.

And then the House/Wilson. WAY more awesome than I was expecting it to be. I loved House's terrified "Oh my God is he?" expression when he was looking through the articles on suicidal cancer patients. And Wilson was definitely on the verge of tears when he got back from that walk. I wanted House to drag him away and comfort him...but instead he badgered him. That's just how House shows his love, I guess.

[jennydoom86.livejournal.com]

Hahaha nice on the dad mancrush!

I watched tonight's ep with my mom (who watches the show here and there but not all the time) and she says:

"What's the deal with House and that friend of his? They act like a couple. Is House bisexual? But I thought he liked Cuddy?"

Xp gotta love parents.

[katie310117.livejournal.com]

Okay, am I the only one who missed a concrete explanation for the suicide thing? I'm pretty sure that it was never mentioned or implied that Danny is suicidal, so either I missed something, it was a cruel hoax to those of us hoping for suicidal!wilson angst in future, or it is somehow significant.
Thoughts?
Comments?
Q-Tips?
Whackings-over-the-head because I missed some explanation?

[shadowstark.livejournal.com]

Wilson wasn't talking to the DR named... er... whatever it was, he was talking to a nurse in the psych ward who had that same name.

[californiaquail.livejournal.com]

I'm happy.

Wilson gave House a chance to be his friend for once and didn't assume that he'd fail.

Happy.

Happy.

Happy.

And really glad the monster trucks and racquet ball things were lies.

I was laughing at the irony of Wilson's statement about wanting there to be some molecule of his life that went unexamined by House. LOL. Apparently it's okay for him to examine every molecule of House's life though. Oh Wilson. Your obliviousness is adorable.

[meran-flash.livejournal.com]

I'm happy.

Wilson gave House a chance to be his friend for once and didn't assume that he'd fail.

Oh man, just... so much this.

[meran-flash.livejournal.com]

My comments are pretty much what a lot of others have been saying...

This episode was BRILLIANT. It was the first time in a LONG time that the actions felt really true to the characters.

All of the House/Wilson interaction brought up so many fabulous elements of their characters, without being heavy-handed or cloying. House's dismay at his own jerkiness? I believe it. Wilson's egotistical overreaction as an excuse for one of his biggest flaws--his enabling? Totally.

AND. AND. House comforted Wilson... WHILE STILL BEING HOUSE. Just... omg.

Oh man though. So much else going on in this episode too. Kutner and Taub's odd but successful comraderie is beautiful. OH, and the way Taub was wonderfully, skillfully paralleled with the patient. YES, HELLS YES.

...oh man, this show. We may still have a pulse yet.

[xantemortemx.livejournal.com]

It was the first time in a LONG time that the actions felt really true to the characters.

YES! That's exactly what I was thinking earlier.

[in-a-crater.livejournal.com]

My sister groans every time I mention that something great that Wilson's just done, but RSL's little twitch in the waiting room chair was just epic. He is particularly epic at twitching.

HOW DO TPTB NOT RECOGNIZE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSE/WILSON LOVE IN THIS SHOW. It will never cease to amaze me hot it flits by unnoticed on their radar. I don't believe that they're that homophobic, however, there seems to be a general unsaid consensus among the writing staff that same-sex relationships of any kind are dangerous and a sign of instability. See Thirteen's plotline for vivid examples.

This episode was so lovely, and the little key the song hit just as Wilson was saying 'Absolutely' made my day. Will probably not finish Swing Kids History essay tonight as previously thought.

[srsly-yes.livejournal.com]

Amen to the twitch. ;)

[idonmatrix.livejournal.com]

Did I already say that I loved this episode? We still haven't seen their makeup episode. When Wilson says still not boring. Damn I can't wait. Wilson hides a lot and if it weren't for House pushing and prodding I think Wilson would be even more depressed and possibly suicidal. damn!! House is totally and completely in love with Wilson and Wilson is just scared shitless to let guard down. Now I understand what draws them to each other. St. Doris is amazing.

[californiaquail.livejournal.com]

"Wilson hides a lot"

yes. this.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was doing it on purpose, in order to keep House busy.

Sort of like an Easter Egg hunt.

[passthepeaches.livejournal.com]

I love the Bromance, and after having two papers due earlier, it was nice to have House and Wilson to look forward to.

(http://fr.tinypic.com)

Whoop Whoop! :D

[californiaquail.livejournal.com]

I'm blind apparently.

Is that James Spader?

[majiex.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this episode a lot. I recently just got into this fandom only half a year ago and have been a bit disappointed in this season. But this episode was simply wonderful. I hope for more episodes like this, damn my love for Hilson continues to grow.

What I love the most, not so much Huddy, or Foreteen. Which is great, I have nothing really against those pairings but, you know House and Wilson totally own the show.
And Taub and Kutner, my love for them also grows. ^_^

I can’t wait to post fan fiction in this community. Maybe even about that episode…I agree something was missing like the hawt man smex. XD

[sscourtney.livejournal.com]

It's somehow ironic that the episode quality improves whenever the female leads are in the background...probably because their personalities have been reduced to flirting and/or whining...:P
But seriously,chemistry between male characters on this show seems to me so much better and natural that I can't imagine any romance beating that.:P

[phate-phoenix.livejournal.com]

It's so sad, isn't it? XD The single House/Cuddy scene in this episode was great. I wouldn't mind the ship so much if it was like that all the time. Not that OOC crap they're force-feeding us now.

[xxlittlebirdyxx.livejournal.com]

I agree with all of these comments.

It made me so happy... *A* It deserves a re-watch when its screened in Australia. ♥

We all know that when they left, they totally had hot sex. *noms*

[bonomania.livejournal.com]

That ending had me squeeeing all over the place. Perfect.
At least I understand a bit more about 'Locked In' now...
Woo! Wilson. "I knew you'd meet me halfway..." haha.

[ic-green.livejournal.com]

Can someone, please, post a link with the end of the episode for us unhappy people who must wait forever to see it? Thank you!
Looks like a wonderful episode (and I must wait 13 weeks to see it :(
Cheers.

[lilapaddy.livejournal.com]

surfthechannel.com

[b-schmilsson.livejournal.com]

There's something about House getting all jealous and bitchy that makes me love him even more. I was grinning like a fool at the ending... and then I watched the last eppy again. ;)

[smiddlecn.livejournal.com]

I wasn't expecting this...not after so many episodes of the two having next to no screentime together. This episode was INCREDIBLE. We got a great deal of insight into characters--why Wilson behaves the way he does, how House views himself, how the two of them work within a relationship of honest and unvarnished openness. Both Huge Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard did fantastic jobs of conveying a lot of emotion and feeling through facial expressions and tone of voice.

Things I loved: The reasoning House gives Chase for operating on the man, because we know part of him isn't talking about the patient at all when he makes the comment about having one friend who'll put up with his crap...and how he could lose that friend.

The look on Wilson's face when House offers to go with him to see Daniel. The truly amazing thing is that House is offering out of friendship and support--not from his usual obsessive wish to see something and dissect it to bits.

The conversation in the waiting room...and the one in the elevator and leaving the building. "If it does go wrong, it won't be your fault." "Thanks, House." Two short sentences, but there was so much sincerely and feeling in them.

And yes, hooray--a break from Thirteen...and Cuddy wasn't hanging around injecting her opinion into everything for once!

This may be my favorite episode. It's definitely in the top five. Doris Egan ought to write *all* the episodes...she gets it so right.

I'm so happy. I think I'll go watch it all my favorite scenes again. *sigh*

[latina-fangirl.livejournal.com]

There are no words to describe how AWESOME this episode was.

There were so many things I loved:

1. No Huddy, Fourteen or Cameron, but a little bit of Chase as a bonus.
2. A possessive AND worried House? I almost imploded!
3. House admitting that the only patient he'd ever care about is Wilson was just priceless.
4. I was so sad for Wilson and his brother, but it was okay cuz House was there to make it all better.

By the time the episode ended, I was grinning like a lunatic.

This episode alongside 'Birthmarks' are my absolute favorites.

[kirili.livejournal.com]

That was good! The whole episode! Foreman was fun! It was witty! Taub! Taub/Kutner! Kutner! Cuddy's pistons! Andand Cameron being awesome yet offscreen, yet awesome! and Chase! mmm Chase. Andand WILSON. Fun Foreteen! And yes, that was lovely. Yay writers. Was this Doris Egan?

Oh YAY.

[cestlavieminako.livejournal.com]

It almost felt like someone was messing with us, with such wonderful amounts of House/Wilson! From bickering to jealousy, sympathy and support, to them acting like close friends again by the end. Seriously, the amount of attention on their relationship this episode made it seem like really beautifully written fanfiction!

I can't even come up with any real coherent thoughts on this right now, but this has definitely been one of my favorite episodes.

*loves*