Upon hearing of the news that America’s most famous diagnostician will be hanging up his cane and stethoscope come May, I must admit that, like House in the season seven finale, I initially felt nothing. For me too many issues seemed to have clouded what may have otherwise been complete sadness. Now, my sadness is of a different sort. A sadness that is engulfed by the fact that this once brilliant show is leaving our airwaves under a dark cloud of controversy rather than one that is finishing a well deserved marathon of acclaim.
Don’t get me wrong. I still have a place in my heart for this show, otherwise I still wouldn’t be watching it. Regardless of how many chapters of this book may not have been stellar or favorable, I still want to finish it and discover where the story ends. To me it’s akin to when your favorite team has a lousy season or changes players….you may hate your team for it, but they’re your team.
I would be a hypocrite though if I didn’t point out that the demise of this show was the doing of the show’s producer, David Shore et al. For years I supported his decisions, because I’m all for creative freedom and trusted that he would take us all on this amazing journey of perseverance and hope. Imagine how disheartened I was to find that this really wasn’t his intention. In a time where people look to hope and entertainment to escape life’s problems, it’s disappointing to find more misery with no redemption. Creativity and freedom are one thing, but throwing the anvil of pain and misery onto our screens is not something many are open to in the grand scheme of things.
Granted, things weren’t all bad. I even get a sense of nostalgia thinking of my marathon of watching the first season of House on DVD the summer after it aired. I polished the season off in one weekend and fell in love. I remember the good times and try to block out the bad. (I still haven’t gotten over Lisa Edelstein not being on the show. I’ve had many crying episodes over that, I admit openly.)
But…in true House form, I’ll use a bit of a metaphor. I think of the show as a beloved relative. This relative made me laugh, cry and even angered me at times. Suddenly, this relative develops an illness that begins to take its toll. Slowly, this relative is dying. And as much as I/we would miss this relative and want to selfishly keep this relative alive, we know that it’s best for this relative’s suffering to end and be at peace. Family members would rather remember this relative for the spirited and joyful moments he/she brought to our lives rather than the sickly state he/she is seen in currently. And in spite of this relative’s other family members for whom we may not be fond, the fact is…it’s still a relative that we cannot ignore existed for he/she has impacted our lives in different ways.
Hopefully in a few months before the series finale I will put together a tribute to the show that made me fall in love with television again. It’s only fair and only right, since I started this blog about it.
Yours truly,
Drdiagnostic
