House - Anatomy of a Relationship "Recession Proof" 7.14

Anatomy of a Relationship
An Episode Examination of Huddy in Love
“Recession Proof” – 7.14

Wow. Oh. My. Heavens. Let me tell you right now, everyone, that it’s a miracle I’m sitting here at my lap top right now. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have a family to take care of and work to do (including writing this blog) I would still be watching that final scene of last night’s episode and going through the preview for next week’s episode is super slow motion. Alternating, of course, between watching for details and listening to Mr. Laurie sing. Ahhhhh. I know I have expressed my concerns about next week’s episode “Bombshells” possibly fitting into the dreaded category of “jumping the shark,” but if the episode is even half as awesome as the preview makes it appear then I will personally strap on Fonzie’s skis. Seriously. I’m dying. Okay, let’s deal with this last great episode before I get all excited for next week’s episode again.

This week we learned just what was “Recession Proof” when it came to relationships among the people hanging out at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The patient, Bert, is in a financial crisis due to the recession. He has lost everything, is deep in debt and has had to take a janitorial job to pay the bills and keep the lifestyle his wife is accustomed to. He has kept all this secret from his wife. His deceit makes it difficult to diagnose him correctly and when he does come clean with the team and his wife it does not go well. Masters holds a Cameron-sized grudge against the poor patient for the rest of the episode. The patient’s wife, however, eventually forgives him. She comes to his bedside to forgive him and tell him she has her own secret: she’s pregnant. Unfortunately, Bert is now in a coma and completely deaf and dies before regaining consciousness but….yeah. The wife realizes that her husband’s deceit will not destroy her love for him and their unborn baby.

Taub and Foreman are also having relationship adjustment issues. Foreman doesn’t particularly like Taub’s desire to be close roomies. You know, the kind that share ties and botulism. Taub just thinks Foreman needs to lighten up. Foreman just thinks that Taub is groveling for pity. But the harsh exchange of brutal truths only strengthen their friendship. They both figure the positives of their new bromance outweigh the negatives and they remain roomies at the end of the show.

Masters and Chase let the patient’s situation trigger mini-arguments about Chase’s lack of meaningful relationships. Hey, it’s the kettle calling the pot black in this case. And really, Masters may feel like she’s not bonding with anyone but that certainly hasn’t stopped her from riding on the boys about their faults. Of course, her caustic, socially awkward skills have always been a problem for her. Oh well, those soapboxes were getting dusty in the corner where Cameron had left them. Somebody needs to drag them out every now and again. And yet, in this episode the relationship between Chase and Masters stands the recession of good will and each realize the other has a valid point.

And then we come to Huddy. Wow. Again, just for research I had to rewatch the final scene. I hate those writers at House. They give us such a great moment: House is committing to Cuddy forever and yet, Cuddy sits there with a look of sadness and worry on her face. We Huddies just can’t get a break, can we? But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In this episode Huddy has a benefit gala to attend. House is making Cuddy think that he doesn’t want to go but he eventually tells her he’s already RSVP’d and is ready to go. Neither Wilson nor Cuddy believes he will actually attend. House spends much of the episode finding just the right mariachi band for the event. His team and Wilson believe this is part of his attempt to completely embarrass Cuddy. Why would he make sure they were all there at the event? House wants an audience. But House wants to know why everyone doubts him and his intentions. Experience, they all say, and House really has no counter argument. House is definitely distracted from the case on hand as he tries to create a really special evening for his lady. He feels that Cuddy deserves more than a cheap watch for her 15 years of service taking care of PPTH and putting up with all of its garbage. He’s right. As always. And I honestly think that House is sincere. I think he really wants to praise Cuddy, not ridicule her. Wilson thinks the mariachi band is a dead giveaway that House’s intentions are NOT pure…until he talks with Cuddy. Apparently, Cuddy has tried to get a mariachi band before at this benefit, but was denied because of the cost. Wilson is amazed that House would go to the effort and expense of making Cuddy’s benefit dreams come true.

Then House’s patient dies and House realizes he didn’t come up with the diagnosis in time because of his distraction with Cuddy and his effort to make a memorable night for her. His relationship with Cuddy, he realizes, has affected his effectiveness as a doctor many times. Wilson finds him in his office just before the benefit. Wilson gives condolences for the loss of his patient, but House seems indifferent. He figured out the puzzle, just not in time. But as Wilson tells House to hurry or he’ll be late to Cuddy’s recognition House’s face clouds over and I verbally shouted, “No!” at the screen. I did. I just knew he wasn’t going. I was almost sure that he had just decided that, however. I will again state that I think he honestly intended to go to the benefit with Cuddy and give her a show to remember, but realizing that he has lost another patient because of his distraction with Cuddy threw him. He bails and Wilson finds him in a bar. Drunk. And so handsome. Sorry.

And here I stepped into the tiny little roller coaster the writers prepared for us. I sat, tense and worried with the big bar across my lap, as House told Wilson that he realized that being with Cuddy has made him a worse doctor and that if he stays with Cuddy he won’t save as many people as he usually does. My car chugs bumpily up the first hill. “I’ve got to tell her the truth,” House says as he stands and goes to grab his keys. The coaster reaches the top and drops quickly down the other side. Wilson grabs his keys and tells him there’s no way House can talk to Cuddy in this condition. House tells him he’ll just walk. Here comes the second hill. We’re at Cuddy’s house and we hear the rapping of a cane against the door. Cuddy opens it up to a very drunk House who pushes his way in saying they need to talk. The bar of the coaster car bites into my lap as we race down the track again. Cuddy sits down and stares warily at her drunk boyfriend. My car climbs again. House tells Cuddy of his revelation that being in love with her makes him a worse doctor and because of his relationship with her, he fully expects people to die. Cuddy tells him he’s too drunk to break up with her tonight. Oh crap! It’s a big loop-the-loop! Ahhhhhhhh! House sounds very emotional as he looks at Cuddy’s stricken face. He speaks, “And….you….are totally worth it.” The coaster car drops down another hill and then slows to the end. HOLY. CRAP. Cuddy, from the look on her face feels the same way. House continues as he wobbles over to her on the couch, “If it’s between saving everyone or being happy and with you. I choose you. I choose being happy with you. I will always choose you.” Cuddy’s face goes from shock to concern and worry as House passes out in her lap. Then we fade out. Oh. My. Heck.

I know I usually don’t recap the episode so closely, but I felt I needed to lead into this discussion. Remember the season six episode, “Ignorance is Bliss?” It was about a MIT wunderkind who wasn’t happy when he was brilliant, but found happiness in being with his dumb wife. He consequently dumbed himself down with cough syrup and alcohol so he could be with her. He told House that he’s rather be dumb and happy, then smart and lonely. House was at first appalled by this idea, but realized that maybe that patient had a point. He even in fact brought the patient some cough syrup. We know that House’s intellect is his prize possession. It was losing that intellect through too much Vicodin and the subsequent hallucinations that propelled House to Mayfield. While there he realized he wanted to be happy and clean. He thought he could find this happiness with Cuddy. As usual he was right. But like the patient from season six his happiness has cost him his genius. Well, that’s what House believes. He thinks he has to either put all his energies into medicine and be successful or put all his energies into his relationship with Cuddy to be successful. He doesn’t believe he can have both successes at the same time. Since House is ultimately still looking out for himself. He realizes that he wants to be happy. House’s intellect doesn’t like the fact that he’s a worse doctor but House’s heart loves being happy and in love. Love means having a connection. Love means not being alone. House doesn’t want to be alone and miserable again. He’s been there and done that. He has to go out to get drunk and shut down his intellect so his heart can go confess to Cuddy that he’s willing to let a few people die so he can be with her. House is willing to give up being amazing so he can be with Cuddy. His confession of this to Cuddy, even though he’s drunk, is tantamount to a wedding proposal in my book. This is HUGE.

In that final scene, Cuddy appears to be on the same roller coaster we were riding. Her emotions run the gamut as House confesses his innermost feelings to her and she looks genuinely surprised and pleased when House tells her she’s worth it…until she realizes what he’s saying. I get the feeling Cuddy doesn’t like the idea that House thinks she makes him a worse doctor, especially because he’s okay with it. Cuddy has told him in the past that they should want to make each other better people and here House is telling her she does the exact opposite. At least professionally. And the fact that House loves her so much he’ll let a few people die can’t sit well with her. Cuddy has to be worried about this latest show House’s selfishness. In last week’s episode a bunch of little things that House couldn’t be bothered with really bothered Cuddy. So I can’t imagine Cuddy’s okay with House’s selfishness that his happiness is worth a few patients’ lives now and again. She’s always been aware and worried of the fact that House will instinctly protect himself when confronted with change. She knows House loves her, but his admission in this episode does nothing to dispel Cuddy’s worry. House is still the self-serving guy he's always been. A little bit mellower, perhaps, but the threat of House reverting back to his Supreme Jerkiness status still stinks up the air.

We are just more than halfway through the season now. In past seasons, it was about now that The Powers That Be on House start to ramp things up for the big season finale. If you look back in past seasons you can see signs and foreshadowing that gently lead the viewer to the inevitable beating up of House at the end of each season. Yes, we had a happy ending in season six, but the beating up was still there and only at the last minute did the reprieve come. And yet, that beating, downfall and ultimate saving are all alluded to earlier in the season….beginning around episode 15, 16, 17. The best example is Kutner’s suicide and deep depression of House in Season 5. Take a look back. The writers include all sorts of clues beginning in about 5x16 which leads up to Kutner’s suicide in 5x20 and then we watch House drag himself to hell in episodes 21-24. The writers at House care enough to do this for us. They are also good enough to do this so that everything is believable when it happens. No “outa left field” situations for that group. So with “Bombshells” next week are we beginning the end? Is this declaration by House going to become something bigger that might not be successful come episode 23? The dreams and hallucinations in “Bombshells” will be pretty straight forward on how the relationship stands according to House and Cuddy’s individual perspectives. Will they be the same perspectives?

I am completely geeking out about the next episode. I have been trying to interpret any interview I’ve seen with any of the House people as to what this episode means to Huddy. I got nothing. It just makes it worse. Mr. Shore and Ms. Jacobs have serious reputations of leading us down one path only to push us off and watch us tumble down the hill. It scares me. Should be fun.

Thank you reading. I enjoy having this outlet for my musings and ramblings and I am grateful for your interest. See you next week!