House likes to entertain himself. Juggling, with his cane, and video games. Here are some of the occasions he uses video games.
Ep1-03: Occam's Razor House is trying to annoy Cuddy by calling her to the Clinic for every patient. He plays his hand-held video game to pass the time, and occasionally gives it to the patients.
Ep1-13: Cursed House is passing time playing his hand-held video game. The patient's father walks towards the door, so house gets up and walks over to it, and locks it.
Ep1-14: Control House is sitting with patient's secretary. Passes his hand-held video game to her.
Ep1-15: Mob Rules House checks eyes, pokes toes, and uses his hand-held video game to play sounds next to patients ear.
Ep1-16: Heavy
Cameron: Then why aren't you watching TV? Or playing your damn Game Boy, or whatever else you have fun doing by yourself? Maybe I should just quit. Make it easy for everyone.
Ep1-17: Role Model House interrupts foreman and patient with "Ohhhwww", while playing hand-held video game.
House: It helps me concentrate.
Ep1-18: Babies and Bathwater
Vogler: The board's meeting again this evening. Why don't you settle down? Play some Game Boy. Why don't you watch your soap? I hear they're firing the handsome doctor today, boy, that should be a good one.
Ep2-05: Daddy's Boy House is in his chair, with leg on stool. Playing racing game on hand-held, he hits a wall and stops playing.
Ep3-04: Lines in the Sand House plays his patient's (Adam) hand-held video game, and uses it to show "game over", to emphasise a point
Ep3-09: Finding Judas House is lounging back, playing his hand-held video game. Wilson comes in, angrily. House looks like he wants to sty on the couch playing the game, but has a conversation with Wilson instead. Anything to take his mind off his leg. He makes a joke about needing a book to read, when he's got his hand-held video game. In other words, Wilson will be talking for a while, and it'll be boring.
Ep3-12: One Day, One Room House is sitting next to the patient, playing what looks like a racing game on his hand-held video game.
Game boys are good for other people too:
Ep3-04: Lines in the Sand Severely autistic patient Adam - eats, sleeps, plays his hand-held video game
Ep3-19: Act Your Age Jasper, whose sister Lucy has a load of symptoms that don't match her age, is playing a hand-held video game while Chase does a test on her sister.
Ah, House and the metaphors (and similes). From Moby Dick to House having trouble thinking of a non-sexual metaphor. They're a very useful part of the show - without them, most people watching wouldn't understand what was going on. Especially me. And they're classic House humour. Not that they always make things clearer. Some of House's more obscure metaphors stump even his team and Wilson. And then one of them has to bite...
The metaphors usually refer to the show's patient, as the team try to figure out what's going on. House is usually the one confusing the team, but sometimes one of them rise to the challenge, like in Ep2-12: Distractions:
Cameron: His brain is like a waiter that's got too many... House: Heyyy! I do the metaphors.
Only to be knocked back by House. But hey, he does them well! Like the murder scene metaphor in Ep2-19:House vs God. Simple, easy to understand, right? Well, as long as you know of the medical stuff he's referring to. But the metaphors are more interesting anyway. Some of his better ones:
Ep1-3: Occam's Razor House: Hey! How you all doing? Interesting fact: every seven years it's a whole new you. Inspiring metaphor, huh?
Ep:1-10: Histories Wilson: The something else is going to melt her brain. House: Poach. Better metaphor.
Wilson tries to appeal to House through metaphors. Maybe it's catching. Comparing House to Moby Dick when he wouldn't stop chasing a disease in Ep2-17: All In was a classic (House wouldn't chase the whale, he'd convince it to be caught). Also great was the image of House as a cat in Ep3-14: Insensitive, when his curiosity about a Sepia patient gets the better of him. Is there a theme here? Obsessive and destructive...
Of course, the best parts are when House confuses not only everyone watching, but the team (and Wilson) too. That moment of silence, while they figure out who's gunna bite. Some apt House-isms.
Ep2-18: Sleeping Dogs Lie House: Great battles kick up a lot of dirt. Obscure the battlefields so the generals can't see what's going on. Wilson: ... So what are your orders, General House?
Ep1-17: Role Model House: You know, when the Inuit go fishing, they don't look for fish. Wilson: ... Why, Dr. House? House: They look for the blue heron, because there's no way to see the fish. But if there's fish, there's gonna be birds fishing.
It's not always Wilson who has to take the bait, but he does tend to take one for the team.
There's so much more to show and tell about metaphors in House. But, this post is long enough. I'll visit the metaphors again.
I'm Mark, currently studying Info. Tech. at university in Australia. I'm into cycling, soccer and volleyball. Science facts and trivia are a bit of a vice of mine. I enjoy seeing what's possible with technology: making Javascript games for example. I pass the time otherwise by creating web pages and watching House, Supernatural and Scrubs. The lighter side of House interests me because the show is not your average detective or medical drama. The antics and action are more real, have more depth. And it's a great show. I hope to extract the gems that might go unnoticed.
Quotations, etc. Copyright Heel & Toe Productions, Bad Hat Harry Productions, et al.
Pictures from the show copyright Fox Broadcasting Corporation Questions, Comments (remember we are not related to the show): bewarne@housemd-guide.com