House, M.D.: Season Two

After ER, Chicago Hope, and dozens of other medical dramas, how many really good stories could be left? Turns out, quite a few if done in the right way with an excellent cast. House M.D. breathes new life into the hospital drama by adding a dash of CSI type sleuthing with a stellar cast, led by Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House and also starring Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, and Robert Sean Leonard.

Dr. Gregory House is an incredibly unusual doctor. He dislikes patients, is partially crippled by a muscular disorder, pops Vicodin like they are tic-tacs, and is addicted to reruns of General Hospital. He would rather read a medical journal or hide out in the OB/GYN lounge than deal with a patient. His true purpose in life is leading a team of young doctors in diagnosing the usually rare and fatal maladies that baffle most doctors. Here House is part Sherlock Holmes and part Gil Grissom. He assembles the puzzle, often failing to get the pieces right, until finally the solution is arrived at. In the meantime he runs rampant across the hospital, badgering or simply bullying his way into getting what he needs to try and help the patient. His bedside manner is not pleasant, in fact House is a jerk because being a jerk is the fastest way to get patients healthy.

Season 2 started off a bit slow overall as a subplot about House and his ex-girlfriend Stacy (Sela Ward) takes up too much screen time, but once she departs the season picks up dramatically. There is quite a bit of character growth for the staff: Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) still holds a bit of a torch for House but moves on to other and more risky things, Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) has difficulty dealing with the death of his father and still doubts his own abilities at times, and Dr. Foreman (Omar Epps) discovers that he is willing to step on others to ensure his own success, and that sometimes tragedy strikes closest to home. Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) and Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) get some great screen time, becoming more three-dimensional and much more interesting, and we learn quite a deal more about House and the skeletons in his closet that make him tick.

The 2nd season set contains 24 episodes, with the best coming towards the end of the season, several featurettes, and at least one commentary according to the tvshowsondvd guys. Top episodes include Sex Kills, All In, Sleeping Dogs Lie, House vs God, and the brilliant two-parter Euphoria, which showcases some phenomenal acting by Epps, Morrison, and Laurie. The writing is particularly fresh, original, and inspired, and the cast seems to thrive on the energy. Some of the incredible guest stars include LL Cool J, Ron Livingston(Office Space), Alanna Ubach(Legally Blonde), Cynthia Nixon(SATC), Greg Grunberg(Alias), Samantha Mathis(Pump up the Volume), Michelle Trachtenberg(Buffy), Elias Koteas(Traffic), Charles S. Dutton(Threshold), Michelle Clunie(Queer as Folk), and D.B Sweeney(The Cutting Edge). Improving on a great rookie season is difficult, but House M.D. succeeds brilliantly. Pick up your copy today. Highly Recommended.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

While some shows experience a "sophomore slump" of sorts, this was certainly not the case with "House" which picked up right where it left off with more great stories and more interesting cases. Once again, Hugh Laurie stars as the mysterious and brilliant Dr. House. Also back are his crack team of assistants Drs. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), and Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer), his loyal friend Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), and his regularly exasperated boss Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).

In season 2, the show broke the mold a little bit and focused a little more on the backgrounds of the characters to give us a better idea of who they are and how they came to be working at the hospital. Especially interesting was the relationship between Dr. House and his former girlfriend Stacy Warner (Sela Ward). This storyline gave viewers a better idea of who House is and how he came to be the way that he is.

Standout episodes from this season include "Acceptance" (about a death row inmate), "Skin Deep" (about a beauty queen with a bizarre ailment), "Failure to Communicate" (about a journalist who can't talk), "Euporia" (about a sick cop), and "No Reason" (abot what happens after House gets shot).

And of course, House is back with some more zingers:

Jack: "I don't want to hear semantics."

House: "You anti-semantic bastard."

- No Reason

"Why do you wanna sleep on a couch anyway? You got money. At least until the divorce is finalized."

- Clueless

Cameron - "Could pain medication cause an orgasm?"

House - "I wish."

- Distractions

Wilson - "Did you know your phone is dead? Do you ever recharge the batteries?"

House - "They recharge? I just keep buying new phones."

- Failure to Communicate

"Is it still illegal to perform an autopsy on a living person?"

- Autopsy

I love watching House. Not only is Hugh Laurie great in this, but the whole cast and the story lines make for entertaining television. This is great and he should definately win the Emmy this year. He really deserves it.

Here are some of my favourite episodes in this season. Autopsy featured a brave and mature little 9 year old girl with cancer. Daddy's Boy, showed a student with weird electrical shocks that they try to figure out, and House's parents come to visit him. And finally, I really loved Failure To Communicate where he and Stacey Warner are stuck at an airport waiting for a flight where they begin to rekindle their deminished romance.

Hugh Laurie really is very talented. Not only does he use an American accent with perfection, but his timing and delivery are brilliant and he's very believable. It's a great show and it's smart and enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

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