Home is one of America’s most iconic medical dramas, primarily because it strives to undo the strict conventions created by its contemporaries and give them a more surreal twist. Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of this mad medical genius gives the whole show a touch of humor and a touch of absurdity. Yet the series is still capable of creating high levels of dramatic tension that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
Although the series lasted an impressive 8 seasons, many fans believe that season 4 is where the procedural hit its peak. This early season really brought out the absurdity as well as the drama, giving fans exactly what they wanted from Dr. Gregory House and his team. But why is this season so important to the series, and what makes it so perfect?
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What is the house about?
Home takes place at Princeton-Plainsboro University Hospital, where Dr. Gregory House serves as chief of diagnostic medicine. In addition to being one of the rudest men in television history, House has a crippling addiction to prescription painkillers. But this stumbling block does not affect his intelligence, since he is able to correctly diagnose patients with just a glance. As such, his arrogance manages to ruffle some feathers, particularly with the rest of his diagnostic team. In turn, this medical procedure follows Dr. House as he struggles to balance the demands of his addiction with some of the idiosyncratic cases that come through the hospital doors.
Dr. Gregory House is played by British comedy legend Hugh Laurie, but he manages to give the character an incredible sense of American courage. So this leading man manages to retain some of Laurie’s usual witty humor, but still shows glimpses of an immensely broken man. Another interesting thing about Dr. House is the use of his cane. After injuring his leg many years ago, the doctor now relies on a cocktail of prescription painkillers and a standard cane, giving him a very characteristic limp. Home was hugely successful from the start and managed to win many prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series.
Princeton-Plainsboro University Hospital seems more surreal than ever
Long time fans of Home You will notice that season 4 is significantly shorter than the others due to the writers’ strike that occurred between November 2007 and February 2008. Yet this season still manages to make Princeton-Plainsboro University Hospital as wacky and tense as ever. This is particularly evident in Season 4, Episode 3, “97 Seconds”, where Dr. House hosts a reality competition to help him hire a new group of recruits. After firing his entire team, at the end of season 3, Dr. House is forced to hire a new diagnostic team to help him treat his patients. But in true House fashion, this doctor is determined to make these candidates suffer. So when he separates the groups by gender, he manages to create a remarkable sense of dramatic tension that neither he nor the audience can resist. Admittedly, this is a very stupid way to hire a medical professional. Yet it is techniques like these that make Home so popular. In turn, this example highlights that Home doesn’t try to be like other medical dramas of its era, but is determined to completely overturn this overused format.
Another key example of the hospital being an almost liminal and supernatural place is found in Season 4, Episode 7, “Ugly”. Here, the diagnostic team is followed by a documentary crew as they aim to help a young man with a distorted face. This episode is extremely bizarre and strangely scary, as Dr. House can’t contain his nervousness. Yet as more and more eyes turn on him, he begins to become very insecure and paranoid. This leads to him saying a ton of offensive things and causing a lot of missteps. Scenes like this help expand Dr. House’s character arc even further. Although he is a true genius in his field, he is terrified of anyone seeing his true colors, especially when it comes to his drug addiction. Therefore, the audience is forced to ask themselves if they really know anything about this protagonist.
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Consistent references to past characters keep audiences on their toes
Although many medical series take a revolving door approach to their actors, bringing in a replacement whenever a character leaves, Home prefers to constantly remind the audience of previous characters. In Season 4, Episode 5, “Mirror, Mirror”, Dr. Eric Foreman returns to Princeton-Plainsboro University Hospital after a brief stint at New York Mercy Hospital. Foreman’s return to the series in Season 4 is a great way to remind viewers that Dr. House is nothing without his team. Additionally, it gives the series a great opportunity to restore the legacies of influential characters, without resorting to distracting flashback sequences or awkward exposition points.
In Season 4, Episode 9, “Games”, audiences quickly realize that even though Dr. House is happy to lead his new team of recruits, there will always be someone higher than him. In this episode, Dr. Lisa Cuddy spends the majority of her time ordering Dr. House around and making him feel emasculated. Although their dynamic is quite flirtatious at times, it seems like Cuddy’s role is to keep House in his place and never let him climb to the top like he desires. Thus, such dynamics ensure that the public always remains alert and forces them to recognize that the hospital operates according to a strict hierarchy.
The two-part season finale was two of the series’ most iconic episodes
In the penultimate episode of season 4, “House’s Head”, House survives a bus accident.
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Will House ever return to screens?
Although Home didn’t last as long as some of its competitors, like Grey’s Anatomy Or EASTthe series has managed to have an incredible impact on modern television. Laurie’s character may have been a horrible doctor, but her humor, arrogance, and attitude kept audiences coming back for more. The show ended in 2012, managing to gross 8.72 million for its final episode. With no spinoffs or accompanying material, it’s clear that the writers managed to wrap up Dr. House’s story into a complete show.
Since the series ended, the cast has moved on to bigger and better things, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve another chance on the air. While Hugh Laurie is unlikely to return as he now only plays film roles, the rest of the main cast could easily construct their own arcs. A relaunch has been mentioned, but the producers remain very discreet about the entire process. So fans may not have to wait much longer to dive back into their favorite offbeat hospital drama.
- Release date
- November 16, 2004
- Cast
- Hugh Laurie, Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer
- Seasons
- 8
- Creator
- David Rivage
- Number of episodes
- 177
- Network
- FOX