Annnd we're back! [US] 5x12: "Painless" [spoilers]

Necronomicon

Whoot, delighted it's back.

Synopsis: House and his team deal with a man living in constant pain. Meanwhile, Thirteen receives treatment by Foreman while taking part in his clinical trial on Huntington's Disease, and Cuddy tries to balance her hospital duties with her new baby.

Haven't watched it yet, but it's gotten a fairly low score on tv.com

anotherlostie

It's been off air for an eternity! Has it moved nights? I think it was on Tuesday night before Christmas.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

It was an alright episode - nothing spectacular this week, but some nice classic House moments all the same.
Yeah, it has moved from Tuesdays to Mondays. Clever move by Fox to put up House and 24 against NBC's Chuck and Heroes. Bad news for NBC. No doubt ratings for Chuck and Heroes will take a nosedive when they return, if they've to compete against two high-rating and longer established shows.

BlitzKrieg

the problem with these mid season gaps is the assumption that the episode that starts them off is meant to wow people and get them back in the mood for the series.

Course as people are muttering this episode doesnt really do that, it feels like a normal House episode either playing down the issues that concluded the mid point (Foreteen, baby) or not introducing new elements to the plot.

But I say NA! this episode shows the hallmarks of taking the remainder of this season somewhere funny and somewhere dark.

Yes the case itself was a bit of a wasted potential, a patiant who feels nothing but pain, you'd think there be more bonding with House beyond one scene and the finale but the hints of what to come are far too juicy.

1. Is Cameron going to take over Cuddy's job? Or is she going to fill in some new role. Either way she is coming back into the fold at last and no longer dittering on the edge.

2. Will thirteen finally crash and burn (thanks to foreman) and get booted out at the end of the season (please please please please)

I personnally dont care about the thirteen subplot (they have tried again and again to make her interesting and failed to get anything beyond a meh from me) but the cameron subplot. Oooooo that could be good.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Will thirteen finally crash and burn (thanks to foreman) and get booted out at the end of the season (please please please please)

I personnally dont care about the thirteen subplot (they have tried again and again to make her interesting and failed to get anything beyond a meh from me) but the cameron subplot. Oooooo that could be good.

How can you not love 13???
She's awesome - plus the rest of the cast, the writers and producers all seem to adore Olivia Wilde, so I doubt she'll be leaving. At least I hope she won't.

BlitzKrieg

thirteen is the most useless character in the series.

She was completely boring to begin with and seemed to fill no purpose except to be the *hot sexy one*

They went almost a whole season of her fulfilling only that role. Towards the end of season 4 they brought in her suffering a horrible illness and season 5 has been obbsessed with trying to make her interesting and has failed in my opinion.

They make her bisexual, self destructive drug abbusive and out of control and I couldnt care.

Tau as a character and the actor playing him has drawn more interest and appeal with 1 single drawn out subplot (the cheating on his wife) then the countless additions made to thirteen's over only 2 seasons.

Kutner who has had no major subplot involving him at all beyond maybe a few morals linked to some of the cases is still more interesting because his development throughout the series has been more natural. The scary thing is he has gone from being the most useless doctor of the new additions to being one of the best, he is still the only one of the three of them to solve a case without House and they mostly use him for comic relief which makes it more shocking how appealing as a character he has become.

And Foreman, who was for the first 3 seasons probably the most important character after House, has been left for the last two seasons to simply play it by the numbers, they bring him to the centre of the plot again by trying to tie to thirteen to him which is probably the first half interesting thing they've done with her as a character but its too late for me to start caring.

You might disagree with my opinion but I have been consistant with my dislike of thirteen since she's been introduced I never wanted her to get pass the selection process arc in season 4 (I wanted cutthroat bitch which the finale completely delivered in milking a fantastic character to the last drop or ridiculous old fraud.)

doonothing

Thirteen is a horrible addition to the group of characters, every moment she's on screen feels so wasted in comparison to the vastly more interesting people who should be on instead of her! I wouldn't mind if she was as peripheral as they've made Chase, but christ! She's forced onto our screens EVERY FIVE SECONDS!
MAN if she wasn't attractive...
Taub is so dislikable as a person (is there something weird in his accent? It's like condescending patronisim, but in accent form!) but at least he's half interesting... Liking Kutner a lot. Cuddy, House as entertaining as ever. Wilson popping in for 5 seconds felt odd, I'd forgotten about him nearly! Foreman feels as neutered as he has since he was shoehorned back into the show in the last season. Cameron is a babe and not irritating. Chase is a non-entity.

Soooo much room for improvement. There's still time I guess...

Necronomicon

Pretty decent episode. Although I can't help but think at times that they over-use the "House seeing something inocuous that gives him an epiphany to solve the case" thing. Still, it's one of the consistently best shows on tv so that's a minor complaint. It'll be very interesting if Cameron takes the job. That would be her and Foreman written back into big roles, will they find something for Chase next?

Chinafoot

Kutner and Taub are both likeable in their own ways but I have to agree with BlitzKrieg on Thirteen. She's not interesting. I admit that I liked the twist with the medical trial she's involved in but really not finding the Foreman/Thirteen romance even remotely believable or interesting.

I enjoyed the episode and would love to see Cameron back on a more regular basis. Her taking responsibility above House could be very interesting.

anotherlostie

The case bored me. I think it was the little kid that did it.

The non-case stuff like Cuddy arriving late (and subsequent hiring of Cameron), House's attempts to claim on the insurance, and the drug trial were much better.

Overall 3/5.