I began watching House MD a long time after it became popular in 2005. At first, I viewed it as just another medical drama and I really wasn't ready to think about a hospital without McSteamy. I happened to catch one of the episodes late in 2006 and now, I'm a convert. Dr. Gregory House is an abrasive, verbally witty, and rudely charismatic doctor in the department of Diagnostics. He too often collides with his team and too often dismisses the Dean of Medicine (his eventual love interest). I love House because of his verbal intelligence - he has the sharpest tongue in the business.
My favorite episode is "Three Stories" in which House tests the diagnostic caliber of med students by introducing them to three separate cases. A farmer, volleyball player and male golfer (who House initially envisions as Carmen Electra) are all experiencing various kinds of leg pain. As the students deduce the symptoms and attempt to diagnose the injuries, House's team reveals that the golfer is actually House himself. The episode makes the strongest claim for critics who state that House is yet another reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes. House and Holmes rely on their intellectual and logical reasoning skills, are addicted to narcotics, and hardly show emotion for their clients. Their names are quite related (as types of residences) and House's apt number is 221B (the same as Holmes' street address). Both men have a psuedo-friend figure and are intellectually superior to those around them.
Maybe I love House because of his wit and book smarts. Maybe I love House because he has grown a bit more humble (and sensitive) in recent years (the Season 6 premiere episode of House in a psychiatric ward was simply spectacular!). I might even love House because he is an ass. But I definitely appreciate the literary history that keeps weaving through my everyday life. It is no secret that Sherlock Holmes is one of the most celebrated detectives of all time. To include references to Holmes, more than a 100 years after his introduction, speaks to the persistent power of literature so interwoven into modern society that it seems casual, almost cliche. In my dissertation on South Asian crime fiction, I find it difficult to leave Holmes out of any chapter - buy why would I want to? I know that in the modern age of digital this and electronic that, many people have stopped reading books beyond Harry Potter and the Twilight Series. There is no doubt that references to these texts will be made well into the next millennium. And I also know that if I wish to make a case for the return of reading - no one (except perhaps the wonderfully geeky English lit friends I have) will really hear me and understand the long-lasting benefits to immersing oneself in a book. So, I say this: READ - if only to understand your TV (and the amazing Gregory House) better. =o)
My favorite episode is "Three Stories" in which House tests the diagnostic caliber of med students by introducing them to three separate cases. A farmer, volleyball player and male golfer (who House initially envisions as Carmen Electra) are all experiencing various kinds of leg pain. As the students deduce the symptoms and attempt to diagnose the injuries, House's team reveals that the golfer is actually House himself. The episode makes the strongest claim for critics who state that House is yet another reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes. House and Holmes rely on their intellectual and logical reasoning skills, are addicted to narcotics, and hardly show emotion for their clients. Their names are quite related (as types of residences) and House's apt number is 221B (the same as Holmes' street address). Both men have a psuedo-friend figure and are intellectually superior to those around them.
Maybe I love House because of his wit and book smarts. Maybe I love House because he has grown a bit more humble (and sensitive) in recent years (the Season 6 premiere episode of House in a psychiatric ward was simply spectacular!). I might even love House because he is an ass. But I definitely appreciate the literary history that keeps weaving through my everyday life. It is no secret that Sherlock Holmes is one of the most celebrated detectives of all time. To include references to Holmes, more than a 100 years after his introduction, speaks to the persistent power of literature so interwoven into modern society that it seems casual, almost cliche. In my dissertation on South Asian crime fiction, I find it difficult to leave Holmes out of any chapter - buy why would I want to? I know that in the modern age of digital this and electronic that, many people have stopped reading books beyond Harry Potter and the Twilight Series. There is no doubt that references to these texts will be made well into the next millennium. And I also know that if I wish to make a case for the return of reading - no one (except perhaps the wonderfully geeky English lit friends I have) will really hear me and understand the long-lasting benefits to immersing oneself in a book. So, I say this: READ - if only to understand your TV (and the amazing Gregory House) better. =o)
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