It's over... 8x22 "Everybody Dies" [US] **Spoilers**

jordainius

Hmmm, quite an underwhelming episode, I still don't get why he was in a burning house? I was happy to see Stacey back (even if she was only a figment of House's mind), she was far better for House than Cuddy ever was!

The ending was like a Disney film or something, riding off into the sunset.... It was a nice (and believable) twist at the end about House switching the dental records, but the riding off into the sunset with Wilson style ending didn't work for me, even though the only thing I wanted was for House to still be alive, it really was not in keeping with the general feel and theme of the show over the last 8 years to have an ending like that.

It's a pity, because the first 30 minutes were pretty boring, but a finale can always make up for that by getting the ending right, but this fell flat for me. I'm disappointed because I feel the show deserved a better ending. After a very average season it had really started to pick up in the last 3/4 episodes, it seemed to be peaking at just the right time but ultimately it fell at the final hurdle in my opinion.

Still though, what an excellent show that was for 8 years, I'm sad to see it end!

TheBrinch

I agree with where you are coming from.

Some of the final episodes of older seasons held a lot more tension i found. Although I thought is was a very good twist at the end and i somehow didnt see it coming despite all the clues!

Very sad to see the show end though! House was awesome!

Jacksquat

At first I was Then I was

It may not have been a great episode but I enjoyed it and the ending. When the body came out I was thinking he may have switched but the funeral had me thinking aww crap. So the twist was nice.

I liked that they ended in that way. I'd prefer if Wilson wasn't dying but it was a good feeling to see House and he go off together. I'm glad they didn't go the dark finale way.

Sad to see it go. It will always be one of the best shows ever for me.

smellslikeshoes

It wasn't an amazing episode or anything but I did enjoy the twist and it also ended in a way that I hoped it would.

jordainius

Imaginary Cameron is a manipulative b***h trying to convince him to die like that! And an obvious nod towards Sherlock Holmes at the end as well!

Having slept on it, as an objective viewer I still feel it was a dull episode, but as a fan of the character of House I'm actually happy that he got a positive ending. He's had enough misery, I know "You can't always get what you want" is a running theme on the show, but that doesn't mean "You can't EVER get what you want".

Still don't get why he was in that burning house though

The Black Oil

Oh dear. When the most interesting thing you notice are the wheels/alloys on Wilson's car you know it's dull one. AV Club have given it a D+ which is a quite harsh review. I'd probably give it a C+. David Shore tried, but wasn't great. Saying that, there were a few pleasant surprises - Andre Braugher being one.

Once the fire was made known (the glimpse of it under the floorboards) quite early on you knew he was not going to die. The hook of House being AWOL was interesting enough, but the philosophical witterings/getting everyone back to brain vomit life's wisdoms or whatever, in the abandoned craphole of a building, generally were not. Honestly, they could have stuck with a POTW and just made it a bit more bizarre or have House causing a bit more havoc in the hospital. Maybe business as usual, but all this overdosing on flashback stuff does not tend to make for entertaining viewing.

Once the body was taken from the building you knew House was OK, regardless of the coroner's report. There's no way the show was going to end without House being in the final scene. Tbf, I don't mind the dental records switching antics in order to be able to be there for Wilson. His funeral speech seemed to be the only bit of the episode that had some punch. At least the motorbike scene made me smile.

gavmcg92

... well there's another chapter of my life closed off. After 8 years House has come to an end. Fitting end to a brilliant series.

Unlike the majority of people here, I really enjoyed this episode and felt that it was an adequate ending to what has been an enjoyable 8 years.

Next it is on to Dexter's finale in September.

Somnus

Disappointing episode for me

The past cast interactions weren't great. I liked Cameron, as I think that's the mindset she would have. But I was expecting a lot more, considering how great the bus crash episode and Amber's appearance in House's head after Kutner's death were in previous episodes. This just didn't seem to have the same weight to it.

It would have been a much ballsier ending had House actually died in the fire. The whole him riding into the sunset with Wilson didn't do it for me at all.
It just doesn't suit the mood of the show over the previous seasons, as other people have said.

Had he died it would have been bittersweet, thinking that maybe he was finally learning to change, but never got a chance.
And the eulogies could have been about how he told the hard truths and taught everyone he met something important, even if he wasn't a nice person to be around.

It just really didn't sit right for me. The best moment for me was when he's in the house with the baby, and says it's all something that could have been, and there's no use pretending it's still possible. He just lies down to give up. That was a true House moment to me, that you can't just wish something into happening.

Sad to see it go out on a low note. But the fantastic earlier series more than make up for it, and I still consider it one of the best shows I've ever seen.

Sudden Valley

It was not a bad finale- I just kept thinking i've seen episodes like this in other shows (being visited by dead/ex relatives)- kind of christmas carol- like. I would have preferred if stacey/cameron returning had been real-life interactions but was amused that both amber and Cameron were depicted by House as Devil like characters wanting him to die. anyway glad it ended in an upbeat manner for nearly all the characters (bar Wilson ofcourse)

I hear it was a two hour finale with behind the scenes footage and interviews in the first hour- did anyone watch that?

Somnus

Sudden Valley wrote: »

but was amused that both amber and Cameron were depicted by House as Devil like characters wanting him to die.

I don't think it was like that really. Amber was trying to get him to think about why he's letting himself die. And I think with Cameron it just shows her honesty and empathy about his situation. I mean just as she said, that he shouldn't have to suffer anymore.
Nothing malicious about it.
It actually made me realise how much I missed Cameron! She was a great character

Sudden Valley

Dr.Poca wrote: »

I don't think it was like that really. Amber was trying to get him to think about why he's letting himself die. And I think with Cameron it just shows her honesty and empathy about his situation. I mean just as she said, that he shouldn't have to suffer anymore.
Nothing malicious about it.
It actually made me realise how much I missed Cameron! She was a great character

Yeah i take your point about Amber, but the idea that because Wilson was going to die it was a good idea for House to just give up and die was something I'd imagine a manipulative devil would say (in a devil and angel on the shoulder type scenario they had going).

I liked cameron and was glad she returned for the finale and got a happy ending. Considering how she left the show I was surprised the actress was good enough to return. The absence of Cuddy was a bit glaring though.

ScrubsfanChris

jordainius wrote: »

Still don't get why he was in that burning house though

He was doing heroin with the other guy from the hospital in what was possible a drug den or just a place they wouldn't be bothered, the patient over-dosed or died from his illness?
Not shown what started the fire, the explosion was just Hollywood.

On the ending, remember that House is on FOX which is a network channel, so even in a show like House, there had to be a happy ending, so you dont alienate the mass audience.
While on cable channels like HBO, you can have any ending you want (ie: Sopranos)

My thoughs, it was ok but not great (7/10) and thats being generous. Nice to see everyone back. I loved Wilson speaking his mind at the funneral much like House would have done in the same situation. As the writers of Lost said, "Its all about the journey, not the finish"

The Black Oil

jordainius wrote: »

I
Still don't get why he was in that burning house though

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

He was doing heroin with the other guy from the hospital in what was possible a drug den or just a place they wouldn't be bothered, the patient over-dosed or died from his illness?

About all I could think of was that maybe he had taken the heroin patient there to help him die. But, I dismissed that as soon as I thought of it.

squonk

Dr.Poca wrote: »

Disappointing episode for me

The past cast interactions weren't great. I liked Cameron, as I think that's the mindset she would have. But I was expecting a lot more, considering how great the bus crash episode and Amber's appearance in House's head after Kutner's death were in previous episodes. This just didn't seem to have the same weight to it.

It would have been a much ballsier ending had House actually died in the fire. The whole him riding into the sunset with Wilson didn't do it for me at all.
It just doesn't suit the mood of the show over the previous seasons, as other people have said.

And I was hoping to see more of Masters. It was hardly worth her while returning. Agree about House dying too. That was the only fitting ending.

Dr.Poca wrote: »

Had he died it would have been bittersweet, thinking that maybe he was finally learning to change, but never got a chance.
And the eulogies could have been about how he told the hard truths and taught everyone he met something important, even if he wasn't a nice person to be around.

It just really didn't sit right for me. The best moment for me was when he's in the house with the baby, and says it's all something that could have been, and there's no use pretending it's still possible. He just lies down to give up. That was a true House moment to me, that you can't just wish something into happening.

Well said Dr. Poca and that's exactly what I thought. When the dental records came back I really thought he was dead. I thought that suddenly an average episode had turned good because he had decided to live but finally a mess he made caught up with him and he couldn't avoid it and it killed him. That would have been so fitting really.

I wish I'd stopped watching just before the telephone rang during Wilson's euology. What followed was just stupid. None of it adds up. House is an addict and needs vicodin. As a working doctor he had the means to acquire it. As a dead guy he isn't going to get that chance. What's he going to do after Wilson dies? House is about the puzzles but as a dead guy he'll have enough trouble getting by let alone getting good puzzles to solve. In PPTH he had a lot of very sympathetic colleagues who knew what he was like and tolerated him because of his abilities. He'll get that nowhere else. I think it was a very poor ending really.

JP Liz V1

I wanted Cuddy back

Dravokivich

squonk wrote: »

I wish I'd stopped watching just before the telephone rang during Wilson's euology. What followed was just stupid. None of it adds up. House is an addict and needs vicodin. As a working doctor he had the means to acquire it. As a dead guy he isn't going to get that chance. What's he going to do after Wilson dies? House is about the puzzles but as a dead guy he'll have enough trouble getting by let alone getting good puzzles to solve. In PPTH he had a lot of very sympathetic colleagues who knew what he was like and tolerated him because of his abilities. He'll get that nowhere else. I think it was a very poor ending really.

House: "I can change"

I think the idea may be he might become his own puzzle with regards to how he actually does that.

Clareman

I thought it was a nice way to finish up, the whole "how do you want to spend your last 5 months?" showed that he hadn't thought everything out, just the next few months

witnessmenow

The fire starting clues might have been when the guy was in the clinic, he kept falling asleep with cigarettes....

It wasn't a great episode, but it was decent way to finish off I suppose

Jimmy Bottlehead

I thought it was a decent ending. Not great, and not what the series deserved, but it also wasn't terrible.

Very disappointed they couldn't bring Cuddy back for the last episode - it'd be worth paying Lisa Edelstein whatever she wanted just for that. I didn't like the hallucinations at all - they just didn't add much to the episode, and made it feel quite cheesy.
I was quite disappointed when they seemed to kill off House - it seemed so anti-climatic, but it was in the back of my mind that the death was faked. Nice swerve though by the writers.
I think the ending did make sense in the sense that we've seen Houses ice-cold exterior crack with Wilson getting cancer - we seen House exhibit true care with the chemo treatment, and behave like an actual doctor, which was unlike what we've seen from him previously. Wilson challenged House more than anyone lately, stating that House was the one who deserved cancer; usually we'd have seen a smart reply, but House just took it on the chin.

tl;dr? Decent ending, and made sense to me.

Lord TSC

Oh Jennifer Morrison. Marry me please You too, Anne Dudek. We can share...

Really liked it.

I was worried that a "happy" ending would be damp and boring but I really liked seeing what happened everyone. And the riding off into the sunset was nice. Happy with that.

I get some people wanted the bittersweet ending and I thought had he died with the last line "I can change", that would have been cool. But after so long with the show, having fallen in love with House and Wilson and Chase, I was happy everyone got their happy ending.

FloatingVoter

House died in the fire. The "ending" is the wishful delusion of a terminal cancer patient.
Alternatively, they're gearing up for a movie spin-off.

JohnMarston

I enjoyed the finale. At least it wasnt an ambigous ending where the viewer has to decide his fate. He chose to live.
Up until Wilsons phone went off at the funeral i was hating the ending.

Folester27

Did anyone get the "Dead Poets Society" pun at the beginning? A film in which a young Robert Sean Leonard stars in.. found it amusing

squonk

No, but what was it?

Faith

Folester27 wrote: »

Did anyone get the "Dead Poets Society" pun at the beginning? A film in which a young Robert Sean Leonard stars in.. found it amusing

That made me lollersnort . Wasn't there another episode where House stuck massive film promo posters around the hospital with Wilson's face supposedly super-imposed on them, but in reality they're posters from films Robert Sean Leonard was in when he was younger? I can't remember the details properly though.

/edit: Maybe I'm wrong. I can find absolutely nothing to support that, so maybe I made it up

wobblyknees

For those interested in an explanation of the final episode:

http://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/house-md-series-finale-review-everybody-dies/

wp_rathead

jordainius wrote: »

Still don't get why he was in that burning house though

If you remember when House met the patient first, he had fag burns on himself from falling asleep with cigerette in his mouth- assuming that was it

Liked the nod to Sherlock Homes with him faking his death- as soon as it happened I was like "duh- shoulda guessed that would be done"

I actually liked the episode- was never going to be as spectacular as an end of season finale as it had to tie everything up..

I did cringe abit when he went "I can change" and stood up in the burning warehouse- i know its relative as there entire series was based on the notion that no one changes but was still very unlike the scriptwriters to have a line like that (something you'd find in Greys Anatomy)

Great show though overall- season 1-4 was best (season 2 was TV Show gold imo)

Posy

FloatingVoter wrote: »

House died in the fire. The "ending" is the wishful delusion of a terminal cancer patient.

House appeared to die in the fire. How could he have gotten out the back fast enough with his bad leg even more injured than normal?
When Wilson sees him after the funeral House says "I'm dead, Wilson." House doesn't have his cane. At the end, we don't see House's cane either. Wilson is the only person that has seen House. So maybe you're right and he did die.
I hope not though!

They say House couldn't ever come back- is the penalty for people thinking you're dead that awful!?

Flashgordon197

gavmcg92 wrote: »

... well there's another chapter of my life closed off. After 8 years House has come to an end. Fitting end to a brilliant series.

Unlike the majority of people here, I really enjoyed this episode and felt that it was an adequate ending to what has been an enjoyable 8 years.

Next it is on to Dexter's finale in September.

Is Dexter finishing up? I thought he signed up for 2 more seasons?

Flashgordon197

Just watched the finale last night. I think overall it was a good wrap up. The twist at the end was obvious and thus really was no twist. I was glad House finally made some serious efforts to deal with a problem he created-( Going back to Jail) rather than succeeding in manipulating his friends/colleagues again.

What do you think might happen to House after Wilson dies?

Posy

Actually, House isn't dead- David Shore has confirmed that in a couple of interviews. He also mentions Foreman finding House's ID card and says that he believes Foreman is laughing disbelievingly because he figures out what House has done. It would make sense, since Wilson has obviously disappeared too.

I love the parallel with Sherlock Holmes to finish up with- like Holmes, House has 'risen' from the dead and come back to his friend.

I don't want to dwell on what House will do after Wilson dies- perhaps Wilson will seek the treatment that gives him longer to live. Maybe House will some back to Princeton at some point, or at least come out of hiding, act surprised that everyone thought he was dead, do his jail time and move on with his life. I was pretty devestated that they decided to kill Wilson, but at the moment House and Wilson are off having fun somewhere and that's what I'm focusing on.

The show definitely declined in the last couple of seasons- I lost interest for a while after 'Help Me'... but it's been a wonderful series with an amazing lead actor and I will miss it terribly now it is over.

jordainius

It has been suggested by a poster that the ending is just the delusion of a terminal cancer patient and that House died; nonsense! That is delusional in itself by someone who can't bring themself to accept the ending!

No question of whether or not House actually died, the writers always maintained that the show was inspired by Sherlock Holmes and the fake death ending borrows directly from Sherlock Holmes.

The Black Oil

Enjoyed the retrospective doc. Fun.

Posy

jordainius wrote: »

It has been suggested by a poster that the ending is just the delusion of a terminal cancer patient and that House died; nonsense! That is delusional in itself by someone who can't bring themself to accept the ending!

No question of whether or not House actually died, the writers always maintained that the show was inspired by Sherlock Holmes and the fake death ending borrows directly from Sherlock Holmes.

Yes, as I said in the post above, he's not dead- according to David Shore.
He knew people could interpret it differently but there's no way to really prevent that. Foreman knows House is alive because he finds the ID badge.
Apparently they seriously thought about killing off House, then considered House faking his own death. It was only then that David Shore says he thought about how it parallels the Holmes story. He said in an interview that it only occurred to him after they decided on the ending but that it's a really cool parallel.
He has also said that he wouldn't rule out a House movie one day but that it may or may not ever happen- and he's not sure how they'd fit Wilson into the equation if they ever do.
Still gutted about Wilson. SOB.


The Black Oil, I also enjoyed the Swan song. Thought it was great.

The Black Oil

It was a bit odd, but I liked how it was mostly just Hugh going around with a camera. No overdoing it with endless clips of talking heads patting themselves on the back.

As for the finale, it wasn't a big TV moment a la Lost or The Sopranos, but I'm not bothered about that even though they made crappy creative choices in recent years.

KoolKid

I though it was pretty lame. I had figured he wasn't dead. There was just way too much time left in the episode.

Jacksquat

Just watched Swan Song. I thought it was a decent way to wrap up the show and give credit to everyone that worked on it. Really shows the scale of production that goes into these shows. Cue sad it's over feeling again

Dr Silly Bollox MD

Laurie is on Graham Norton next Friday.

techyjon

How may episodes did he have conversations with people in his subconscious. Apart from zoning out for those bits listening to women getting on to him I thought it was a good episode. It's far fetched how a man having long winded conversations with them two (Cameron & Wilson's ex). Why them anyway? I always found that ex of Wilson's hard to listen to.

Everyone loved House because he was always a step ahead of everyone else and what better way to finish than him faking his own death. A good solution to avoiding Wilson dying alone while he was in prison

Somnus

I got confused as to what the random thread I got notified about was... Bit of a bump here...

I have watched the finale since it aired but I still don't like it. In my mind, House should have died. That would have been much more in keeping with the mood of the show for most of the seasons. In my opinion