House, M.D.: Season Six

Season 6 - House Still Going Strong
**possible spoilers**
Season 5 of the series House ended memorably with a well-edited contrast: family and friends at warm wedding vs. Wilson watching the broken doctor as he checked himself into a hospital on a cold and gray day. Season 6 starts off with House (Hugh Laurie) in treatment for his vicodin addiction, an addiction which had fueled a series of devastating (yet revealing) hallucinations. Viewers know how House treats "normal" people (that is to say, not with warm and fuzzy feelings) and in the beginning of Season 6 they are treated to House interacting with "abnormal" people. House, ever the equal opportunity offender, does not seem too changed by his stint in Mayfield hospital. Andre Braugher (of "Homicide") was well cast as House's experienced, nothing-shocks-him therapist, able to go head-to-head with House, and there is a guest role by Franka Potente ("Run Lola Run") as a beautiful visitor to the hospital with whom House has a brief relationship...

Smartest Show on TV
Anyone who cares about great writing - hopefully, we've all gotten over the loss of Aaron Sorkin for The West Wing - well, okay, nobody's reached his level - but I continue to be fascinated by this character. Thanks to the writers for delivering intricate character pieces within the "okay, first scene, somebody's going to contract a mysterious illness right NOW' basic setup - this show could so easily have sunk to one-trick pony oblivion but for the writing and the amazing acting from Hugh Laurie. If you've ever seen him on a talk show and been surprised at his all-too-humble personality, you're not alone. He transforms himself into this tortured, brilliant, loving and lovable character. He's acerbic. Brilliant. Sarcastic. Brutally truthful. Hilarious (but you never laugh at this character, only with him). And yes, tortured - by the pain in his leg and, of course, his heart. As I look over the episodes from this season, I'm thinking of one more reason to give it my highest...

Terrific Episode-House Center Stage All The Time (the key)
Once again we have a 5 star episode because Hugh Laurie is the focus of the show from the opening seconds to the closing. The other characters swirl around him, SUPPORTING him. That is the strength of this show and any deviations into making another character the central one immediately bring the star rating down. How relieved I was not to listen to Taub's love life or the unfolding of the Wison-Sam romance or the end of the Australian doc's marriage from the do-gooder doc--I am so glad she is gone.

House has to save a woman pinned under wreckage at an emergency medical scene. At first he gauges his treatment around what runs counter to Cuddy's recs because she has just told him that she is engaged to Lucas. Then his true talent as a life saver takes over as he admits his failure to connect with others and gets down to doing what needs to be done at the scene. This is a very poignant episode about the terrible choices one can face as a doctor at an emergency medical...

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