About
Hi and welcome to my new blogging space. Mostly I write about House MD, the wonderful television series starring Hugh Laurie. But I also spout off on a variety of other subjects: politics, books, music, religion, being a mom, whatever. I’ve had a very ecclectic career, with degrees in Biology and Public Policy, I now work as a Jewish educator and singer (and writer). I think this is my fourth career (microbiologist, journalist, public affairs consultant and writer, and now this). So, I hope you’ll stick around (and bring your friends). Please be sure to visit BlogCritics.org where I have a spot writing, reviewing and generally having fun.
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Hey,
I just read your article on season four (“survivor” arc). It was a great analysis, but I wanted to comment on the part about house firing Dr. Grumpy.
I don’t think that he was pushing his agenda. And I don’t think house fired him because he was being “self-righteous.”
I think House recognized it as a noble thing, but had to fire him because his agenda didn’t match up with House’s.
What he was trying to do COULD save lives, but it would also destroy House’s practice.
It totally broke the rules, but to a point that would break him.
-MN
Hi MN–Thanks for your comments and kind words. I to want to respectfully disagree regarding Grumpy. House has no survival instincts. I think he’s risked his practice lots of times–but always for the good of the patient–not for his own gain. Grumpy was going for the glory of discovery, maybe helping people, maybe not with the radical therapy he was suggesting. But he intentionally harmed a patient for his own gain. And I’m not talking about inducing a migraine into a patient after giving him an anti-migraine drug (someone who was in a coma already). It wasn’t ethical, but it wasn’t harmful. House would have first experimented on himself–before doing what grumpy did. The also, Grumpy is a fellow–House is genius doctor whose encyclopedic knowlege is renown. Had grumpy come to him first, maybe House might have found a way to do it. But Grumpy did it off on his own.
The only time I’ve seen House approach that sort of self-service was in the aftermath of Tritter, when he was pretty desperately was trying to find a way back to curing his own pain and the young lady in Insensitive, where he wanted to get a nerve biopsy. House’s emotional state at that point was pretty dodgy, and Wilson simply by calling his attention to the potential ethical breech (of doing the spinal nerve as opposed to a peripheral nerve) of making the decision on his own, given that emotional state, gave House pause, and he didn’t do it–even when he had the chance later to ask her. He shied away from doing it.
Hi – I’m a philosophy professor with a chapter in the new House, MD and Philosophy book, so like you, I’m quite the avid fan. In your review of Socratic Method (season one) you state that Socrates himself was a schizophrenic. I’ve not seen this before – do you have a reference or citation for this? (I write about disability and philosophy – this is new to me and I’d like ot follow it up.)
Thanks.
Teresa
There is a typo on my e-mail address – this is the correct address.
I read your paper on ‘The Ethics of Dr. House’.
As I recall, House let “ROF” go because, he was understanding House’s symbolic thinking easily. It wasn’t because of the lack of a degree, as you said, but the fact that House didn’t / couldn’t handle someone at the same level or at least minimizing what makes House special. ROF even seemed to understand that logic right before he left. If anything, the show was trying to make a point that people without the sheepskin can very well be superior in skill.
The show seemed to have given no indication that House let him go because of the lack of a degree.
Your paper leads one to believe that House refused to hire him for that reason and is part of his Ethics. There is no reason to believe that.
Other than that, good essay.
House……….How to contact……
Help, I need advice and contacts.
I’m an Dutch-Israeli, working for a German start-up medical devices company with a unique new product: a mobile emergency cardiopulmonary life support system, or mobile heart-lung machine: see http://www.lifebridge.com
It has been approved in Europe (CE) and Asia, with FDA-USA pending; it’s been used in 100+ emergency live cases, and we actually are selling.
The product is really unique, and of great design – we won 4 prestigious design awards.
In the Film & TV world the big, wealthy corporations manage to get their products exposed, usually for a hefty price.
Lifebridge does not have that kind of money, but we got a great product that can be used in unique circumstances typical for a series like House. I personally am a (very amateur) writer, and have many ideas for reasons and situations, so typical for House, where our Lifebridge can be used.
How can I get in touch with the writers (I Googled some names: Writers Doris Egan, David Foster, David Shore, Lawrence Kaplow, Eli Attie), or the producers?
We can offer something unique to House, and House can give us unique exposure, but how to?
Thanks a million,
Robert
I Love reading your HOUSE articles. I hope, one day, after the show ends you decide to put all your HOUSE essays together and package them in a book. I think it would be a great success.
Hey, thanks TAPA,
The thought has crossed my mind
Maybe it will happen!
Hi – I love your columns. I hope you’ll look at my blog (link attached) and see a bunch of spoof spin-offs I made up. On a discussion board, I also did a shot-by-shot discussion of the “Simple Explanation” promo (this was before we knew what it was about, of course). I tend to like to make up silly stuff. Enjoy!
Best,
Elisa
Thank you Barbara for writing the review of “Wilson’s Heart” on blogcritics. I was deeply moved by the last two episodes of Season 4. They are a work of incredible honesty. You’ve captured everything I felt as I was swept away by the wonder I witnessed while watching them. For once, I feel, I have nothing to add.
It makes me happy, that there are others too, who have been touched and moved by everything that was said and everything else that was not in House.
Sincerely,
Dip
Hello Barbara,
I enjoyed your review of “Brave Heart”; an excellent episode all around!! This season has been great so far. I love how House is changing/growing/evolving, and yet (to paraphrase Elisabeth Bennet re Darcy)in essentials he is the same as he always was.
I believe that House and Cuddy are developing a different kind of way of relating to each other: definitely beyond the craziness of last year and beyond the employee/er relationship…though Cuddy seems to still keep her distance and focus on that side of it. She appears to be the one deflecting now (and, who can blame her). I look forward to seeing their relationship grow as well. Yes, I am looking through my Huddy-tinted glasses;)
I’ve enjoyed seeing the “old team”, but unlike many, them being back in the forefront hasn’t made this season any more (or less) exceptional than last season or even S4. Hence, my comment on your page rather than Blogcritics…I know you cannot do anything about it and know that people should be able to comment freely, but I wanted to let you know the recent comments about 13 are disappointing to see especially since I see those comments on many other ‘interweb’ places and go to Blogcritics to get away from them.
I will admit, for example, that Cameron is not and never has been a favorite character of mine; however, I have always tried to keep my comments free of any unecessary and uninteresting comments (like those I have seen lately with regards to 13) and certainly know how important the character of Cameron is/was to House, the character and the show. I don’t recall seeing any rude comments about OW on Blogcritics, as I’ve seen on other places and I hope it can stay that way.
So, I apologize for the rant, but due to this I think I will distance myself from the comments section for a while. However, you have certainly not lost a reader of your columns and my view of each House episode is never complete without your reviews
Thank you for your balanced and insightful articles!