HOUSE: "House Vs. God"

[rj_anderson]

I really, really liked this episode. It reminded me of all the things I enjoy most about House when the writing is really on. Also, it was a good episode for Chase, who has been ignored too much lately, and I always enjoy House and Wilson playing conversational tennis. Unfortunately it was yet another example of this season's persistent sex = death motif, and it's about the 10,000th time we've all seen a story about a passionate young charismatic preacher who turns out to be a hypocrite in the sexual morality department, but those are minor quibbles in what was, overall, a really great script.

However, what I really have to say right now is this:

I CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF ANY LONGER.

THE WORLD IS READY. IT IS TIME.

Seriously, I have had this idea bubbling in my mind for weeks, but it is so heretical and would drive so many people in House fandom nuts for so many different reasons that I --

Actually I don't know why I haven't written about it before, come to think of it. But anyway. My heartfelt thanks to Doris Egan, a brilliant writer who has confirmed for me in the clearest possible terms what I have been thinking for weeks now:

CAMERON = WILSON. WILSON = CAMERON. They have the SAME hangups when it comes to House, and when it comes to patients, and when it comes to life in general. Cameron makes House's coffee and does his paperwork. Wilson buys House's lunch and lends him ridiculous amounts of money. Both of them show a persistent and obsessive interest in House's personal life, including trying to insinuate themselves into areas of it where they aren't necessarily wanted. Cameron married a man dying of cancer. Wilson moved in with a woman dying of cancer. House accused both of them of being parasites obsessed with trying to fix needy people. In any case, all of this means:

IF HOUSE/WILSON IN ALL ITS DYSFUNCTIONAL GLORY WORKS AS A RELATIONSHIP OF *ANY* KIND, THEN THERE IS NO REASON THAT HOUSE/CAMERON COULD NOT WORK EVERY SINGLE BIT AS WELL.

THANK YOU.

GOOD NIGHT.

Crossposted to house_cameron.

Comments

[charmling.livejournal.com]

WIN.

[sound-of-bells.livejournal.com]

!!!

If a+b=c and b=d, then a+d=c!

*mangles the transitive property*

HA.

(See, math is helpful in everday life...)

Excellent point, though, on a more serious note. You're definitely right. *pleased*

[kristendotcom.livejournal.com]

Lol...I love that the logic in your argument is like undeniable! Way to go! You should go over to houseficmeta and post this because the mod has started a discussion about H/C fics and why there are so many bad ones and has asked if there are any good ones. I totally know there are some you just have to sort through the boat load of crappy ones unfortunately.

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

You: 1
Haters: 0

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooh, clever.

[weirdlittlemeg.livejournal.com]

I always thought that it would be awesome if they would make it where Wilson and Cameron would start to get together, and then House would get really jealous and be forced to admit his feelings for Cameron lol....I've always been a House/Cameron nut, but lately, I've just fallen in love with Wilson

[weirdlittlemeg.livejournal.com]

Btw, good theory

[rara8777.livejournal.com]

*applauds* *throws roses on stage*

I whole-heartedly agree. You should go over to house_daily or whatever and try telling them that. LOL

[arefadedaway.livejournal.com]

YOU OWN. THE END, GOOD NIGHT.

[jovsg.livejournal.com]

I will agree to marry you without a ring, ceremony, or proposal.

In fact, let's just get right to the honeymoon!

*tackleglomps*

[lilly-rose.livejournal.com]

Great big fat WORD!!

[penwiper26.livejournal.com]

Heh. I thought you'd probably like the episode, with the same reservations I had. Fortunately, I think the ho-hum sexual plot twist was properly focused on the young man's shame that prevented him making the revelation rather than the OMG A PREACHER HAD SEX! Because everybody knows (or ought to) that that is old.

As for Wilson=Cameron, I agree that they are definitely meant to be echoes of one another in their medical practice and attitude toward other people, and indeed toward House. But I don't think they are interchangeable as far as a relationship with House goes. And I think it's more a homosocial issue than a homoerotic issue. Wilson actually does have a different function in House's life than Cameron does; he's clearly a friend more than a colleague (Foreman's little snub seems to have some metatextual application here.). Wilson's got the benefit of a long relationship with House, which means that House will still ask, "Are we okay?" after giving him a psychological pummelling.

But as you say, if the only qualification for a romantic relationship in a TV drama is dysfunctionality, of course you're right and there's not much to choose between Wilson and Cameron. I happen to like the rapport between the old friends more than the dust-clouds of romance in any direction, but I like gen best, so that explains me. :)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Yes, good point about the shame being the focus -- that did make it better. As did the father's reaction, affirming that he has faith in God but only as much trust in his son as his youth and humanity deserve. I found that really refreshing.

You're right that Cameron and Wilson are not interchangeable -- definitely not. Wilson's relationship with House is seasoned by years of friendship and shared experiences, and they are also on an equal footing professionally and personally. You couldn't just slot Cameron into Wilson's place and expect House not to notice, as it were. And I think Wilson will always be a big part of House's life -- and should be -- even if Cameron and House were to get together.

However, my thinking is that Cameron's resemblance to Wilson in so many particulars proves that she has the potential to develop an equally strong and meaningful relationship with House (because, in spite of the fact that both men are manifestly screwed up in their own ways, they do have a friendship they both value and benefit from), given sufficient time and opportunity.

My point was that contrary to what's often said by Cameron's detractors, there is nothing inherently unviable about House/Cameron in comparison to House/Wilson when it comes to the potential of a mutually beneficial long-term relationship: the only significant advantage of the latter is that it started first and has been going on longer.

But yes, I love the rapport between House and Wilson and would never want to lose it, so the idea of replacing Wilson with Cameron is completely unappealing. But the idea that Cameron could come into the mix and play Eliza to House's Higgins and Wilson's Colonel Pickering -- I find that I like that idea a good deal.

[ponks19.livejournal.com]

i was thinking the same things after last nights episode...

me to my mom: wow...cam and wilson are so much alike it's almost creepy but super fantastic for my ship!
mom: wtf are you talking about? we don't have a boat.

hahaha

[ww-sb-xf.livejournal.com]

XD "we don´t have a boat", that´s just too funny!!!!

i exposed that theory to my mom too (when i was still waiting for the second seaosn) , she didn´t get it :(

[naimaheartslep.livejournal.com]

Omg I was going to totally post something like this last night, but I thought I was insane XD
Thanks for sayin' it!

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Why is this heretical when it is completely obvious? *stare*

(You for the win, yes.)

[(Anonymous)]

Respectfully disagree, since as the chracters are written, Wilson is an adult, albeit screwed-up, and Cameron is whatever the writers want her to be from week to week, but rarely a grown-up.

The only H/C fics I've seen that work well are those where the authors have given her a mighty yank into maturity**, or, as in your case, aged her. At present, she's more a potential than a personality.

Mileages, etc., obviously.

Naomi

**Twice I typed 'maturin' instead of 'maturity.' You can tell where my heart really lies.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

See my comment here (http://synaesthete7.livejournal.com/208660.html?thread=2097428#t2097428): I wasn't saying that Cameron is "there" now in terms of her personal growth or her relationship to House. I was merely disputing the common view that Cameron could not have a viable relationship with House and that she is inherently Not Worthy compared to Wilson. It's the potential that interests me.

[tek-noir.livejournal.com]

Cam=Wilson isn't exactly a new concept, but I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

I was just checking out the fox site and Cam even looks hot in a decom. suit! It's gonna be sweet when H/C finally happens. Of course this LJ may explode...

[teenwitch77.livejournal.com]

Ha. You rule.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

That makes very good sense. Even though I wouldn't exactly call myself an H/C shipper, the canonicity of this theory is why I won't mind if it actually happens on the show. Because it really, really fits.

[endlesswonder.livejournal.com]

*is dead from the logic*

OMFG I R LOVE YOU.

YOU = GOD.

You just COMPLETELY PWNED the nay-sayers, and for that, you win at life.

Thanks for sharing! :D

[endlesswonder.livejournal.com]

And it also niftily explains why Wilson/Cameron in a romantic sense would never work, because THEY ARE TOO MUCH ALIKE AND IT WOULD BE WEIRD.

...Yes.

*nods firmly*

[houserocks1.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...sounds good!! I like your thinking and it really makes a lot of sense.

[singingtopsy.livejournal.com]

Wilson=Cameron except Cameron is younger, female, and less worn down by endless blows to her idealism (she's less smooth than Wilson). Which makes Cameron interesting to House in a way Wilson is not. House thinks he has Wilson completely figured out; Cameron still has that stimulating capacity to throw him for a loop.

In the end, I thought House vs. God was amazingly sensitive towards religion for television. I mean, they obviously had to partially debunk the kid's powers, but they didn't do it completely (as shown in Chase's tally and his defense for it). And at the end, Crazy-Charismatic-Dad wasn't crazy at all, but quite, quite sensible, much to my utter surprise. How perfect is this quote?
Kid: Dad, I need you to have faith in me.
Dad: I have faith in God. You, I trust. As much as you can trust a fifteen-year-old boy.
See, even charismatic Christians don't have to be crazy Oh World *snaps*.

Oh, and I should thank you for introducing me to my now-favorite show. I started watching House this season directly because of your posts about it in the fall :).

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Which makes Cameron interesting to House in a way Wilson is not. House thinks he has Wilson completely figured out; Cameron still has that stimulating capacity to throw him for a loop.

That is a really, really excellent point. I like that!

And yes, I agree about how well and sensitively the issue was handled. The Chase element kept this from being yet another tiresome diatribe about the vacuousness of religious faith and how everything can be explained by science (Star Trek: The Next Generation, I'm looking at you).

[grissomsbutrfly.livejournal.com]

I agree!!!!!
I loved this eppy and I was thinking the samething when House was interrogating Wilson!
Cam/House will happen! But it is too early... If they were to let us have what we want, it would make the show not as interesting. But they will not make the show go down the tubes by waiting too long like CSI. I used to love that show and then the stories went down along with the relationships. It's still my 2nd fav show but House of course is #1~!!

[daizze.livejournal.com]

Love the ranting hun and you do have a point!!

[vanityfair00.livejournal.com]

You're right on, I think. BUT, I think House is only patient enough to have one person like this close to him, and right now that's Wilson. If something were to ever happen to that friendship I could easily see Cameron stepping into that role (with possibly more duties *wink wink*)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I think that Wilson will (and should) always be House's best friend, and I don't think a relationship with Cameron really needs to come between them in that respect, any more than House's relationship with Stacy did. You make a good point, though, that the very similarity of Cameron and Wilson might cause House to value or need Cameron less -- only the ways in which she is different from Wilson would cause House to notice her in that respect. Though fortunately for her, being female is a pretty whopping big difference already. :)

[(Anonymous)]

I totally agree. Personally, I think it is just a matter of time for House and Cameron to hook up. The fireworks will fly, when they do.

Katie