House M.D. created by David Shore (Film/Television)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AifiouvIylM

The widely-loved and critically-acclaimed television drama House M.D. was created by David Shore in 2004, and ran on FOX until 2012. The show features an exceptionally successful yet deeply flawed diagnostician named Gregory House. Each episode is centered around one of his cases and shows the interactions House has with his coworkers and patients. The inspiration for the show was the Diagnosis Column of the New York Times Magazine. It described peculiar, seemingly unsolvable cases that somehow a doctor managed to treat. In House, the cases become the device through which the character drama unfolds, and almost every case featured on the show happened in real life. The plot of the show is also loosely based on the Sherlock Holmes stories. House, like Holmes, is an unusual, somewhat anti-social, highly logical genius that is unparalleled in his field. As the amiable and gentle Watson flanks Holmes, the kind oncologist Wilson is best friends with House. The two protagonists also have dark pasts and drug addictions, making them even more similar. In this way, it can be said that House is essentially the modern, medical version of Sherlock Holmes, solving mysteries that no one else can, while also alienating many in his life.

Several themes are conveyed throughout House, yet one of the most prominent is whether or not ‘the ends justify the means,’ especially in the practice of medicine. In various episodes, it is explored whether or not doctors have the right to flout hospital regulations in order to save their patients, or even go against their patient’s wishes in order to give them the better, more effective course of treatment. Over and over, the show raises significant ethical and moral dilemmas, which are debated between House, the highly rational and logical, and his coworkers, who are practical and realistic. House obeys his own code, and achieves great success in curing his patients, yet often does this at the hospital’s or his own expense. The show also explores the theme of coping with disability and addiction. House is a cripple in constant pain, and he prides himself on his success. The pain House experiences forms him into the cynical, focused, and emotionally detached person that enables him to be so successful but prevents him from maintaining meaningful relationships. The only way for House to cope with the constant pain of his injury and the subsequent absence of relationships is Vicodin, which becomes addictive. In this way, the show demonstrates that disability and addiction can emotionally damage even the most successful and intelligent people.

            I find this show to be beautiful in many ways. It is among my absolute favorite TV shows as it is exceptionally well written and entertaining while also being highly engaging and thought provoking. In almost every episode, House and his team of doctors experience some conflict between logic, ethics, and regulation, which generates some philosophic or practitional debate. I find this to be particularly interesting, and I love to follow the characters as they form and defend opinions on intellectual and complicated problems. The characters engaged in these debates are also very complex and well developed, adding to the engaging nature of the show. House also thoroughly explores the nature of relationships between people. One of House’s taglines is ‘everybody lies,’ which he mercilessly tries to prove at every opportunity. This pursuit is often fruitful, but damaging to House personally. This shows how living in absolute truth can actually be somewhat miserable, which I think is a very honest depiction of real life. In that way, the show is beautiful, even though it is often quite dark. Finally, the brand of humor in House is quite dry, intelligent, and cynical, which I find endlessly entertaining. Overall, House to me is beautiful as it raises complex questions while also being genuinely engaging.