House: Season 7

Plot

Finally admitting their feelings for each other, House (Laurie) and Cuddy (Edelstein) decide to attempt a real relationship. Despite everyone’s concerns about the consequences it goes well at first, but after a series of problems House embarks on a self-destructive streak like never before…

Review

Despite the obvious intrigue of seeing House and Cuddy (or ‘Huddy’, as the kids are calling them) getting together, season seven is curiously one of the show’s least memorable years. Crucially, the series hasn’t jumped the shark just yet (as many are claiming), despite a shocking, did-they-really-just-do-that climax which leaves next season with an almighty narrative problem to write itself out of (good luck with that). But even though it’s marvelous to have come this far at all (how many shows do you know which have maintained their quality for several years?), House is undoubtedly starting to creak a little at the helm.

Thankfully, Hugh Laurie remains flawless as the Sherlockian perma-grump and the character work continues to be among the finest on television (especially for something this procedural), but a few niggles bring the seventh season down. Though Omar Epps, Jesse Spencer and the wonderfully-dry Peter Jacobson all shine when required, they’re given too few opportunities to do so, whilst Amber Tamblyn’s new addition Mary Masters – essentially filling in for Thirteen while Olivia Wilde was off making movies – never really works out. Of course, the intention was to have her inexperienced and morally-uptight newcomer clash with House’s deep-rooted cynicism, but we’ve seen this dance before with Cameron in the first few seasons to much better effect.

Worst still, with the perennially underappreciated and overshadowed Robert Sean Leonard (so often the show’s unsung hero) apparently busy with Broadway, there’s less screentime for Wilson than usual, which is unsatisfying. After all, what’s Holmes without his Watson? As for the Huddy romance, it’s handled well for the most part and the aftermath results in a few affecting scenes (most notably the haunting sequence where the camera morphs from a glass at the bar to a messy, post-booze hotel room), yet there’s niggles here too. In particular, Cuddy’s decision to call things off due to House’s normal behaviour - after offering assurance earlier that she doesn’t need him to change – rang a tad contradictory. As usual, he called the situation right from the start…

And then there’s the finale. After the largely-gripping penultimate instalment (where our titular diagnostician performs darkly-desperate surgery on himself after an experimental treatment goes wrong), the last hour promises to be heading towards a typically stunning climax, yet instead leaves us wondering how the show can continue. Up until now, House’s unparalleled diagnostic abilities have always been a free ticket (of sorts) to behave badly, but here his climactic actions are such that there‘s simply no viable or remotely credible way he could return to Princeton Plainsboro Hospital. None. Nada. Far better though is a heartbreaking realisation he has outside Cuddy’s front window (seeing her with someone else) and a brief emotional outburst earlier on, both of which are played superbly by Laurie and can sit comfortably among the show’s most powerful moments.