I am reminded of an allegory from-- at least I thought--
The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller (for which I have spent about the last hour searching; confession time, I've never read the entire book but remembering seeing this specific part somewhere, and I'm nearly certain that this is the book) I was hoping to quote it, but I'll have to paraphrase due to the lack of success in my search. It concerns a child with a golden brain who is praised for what he can do, until one day his luck runs out and his parents are disappointed so he cracks his head open and spills out his brain. Given that House is likely a gifted child, from what we know of him and his childhood, in the sense that Miller means (not just intellectually gifted, but having had a less than ideal childhood, and developing some kind of gift in order to get through though they may also have been intellectually gifted), and given the state of his skull/head at the end of the episode it's more than appropriate and somewhat chilling. I'm going to have to read it, nerd that I am, now specifically to look for more House parallels. In addition to these children at times being caretakers in some way for their parents (okay we don't know for sure, but I sometimes wonder if Blythe was of entirely sound mind or body throughout House's childhood-- though that could be my imagination running away) and in fact may have had an abusive childhood to some extent, they frequently report that their childhood was happy or at least if it was hard, was not abusive. Sound like anyone we know? (recall House's comment to Cameron after visiting with the parents?).
Yes, folks, this what an education in the humanities does to you
TelegramSam I was actually the one who mentioned that it appeared that Wilson to some extent like House more for what he could do for him than for his intrinsic value. I was hoping that the "preview monkeys" as they have been called were playing with us again, unfortunately I was right. I must say I'm not too fond of Wilson at this moment. Okay, so I was yelling at Wilson, via the television, in my best "mother bear" impression. I have been known to react in that way in defense of "my" people though I shudder to think of what it means that a fictional person--at least that's what they keep telling me
-- arouses that reaction in me.
Yeah, yeah Wilson's overwrought, grief, desperation, Blah-cakes (to steal a common expression from TWOP), but he's so quick to ask House to risk his life for Amber, whereas usually he'd be with Cuddy in telling House that he's going too far. And it's so sweet that House tries so hard for Wilson. Granted, I've never been in the situation of losing someone that close to me, so I can't say anything definitively, and I was one of those people who defended Stacy and would like have done the same in a hot minute, I just can't accept how casual Wilson is with House's life. Yes, House does this kind of thing all the time. The key difference is,
he chooses to do it all the time because he's comfortable with the risk, not because the person whom he considers his only friend asks him to. And with House's lack of understanding of unconditional love (and no wonder he doesn't understand), of course if his only friend is willing to sacrifice him, why should he resist? I swear you can see him saying "Tell me I'm worth something?" with his eyes when he ask Wilson if he's willing to risk him for Amber.
It seems pretty obvious to me that House has done the math, as he's mentioned he's cursed with the ability to do, when on the bus he's worried about Wilson being mad at him. There was nothing anyone could do (recall House is a nephrologist, it seems he'd know if there were any tricks to be pulled). All right I'll acknowledge that maybe House thinks Wilson blames him for Amber being on the bus, but, hello, he didn't hold a gun to her head to make her get on. If anyone deserves blame it's the garbage truck driver.
That's not saying I don't get his dismay that the middle aged cripple with a bad attitude gets to live and the young, in love, brilliant person dies (confession again, I've felt it myself, when I see promising lives lost and friends suffering who are far better than I am, whereas I seem to be indestructable). One of the thought that's going to result in me going to hell, or at least getting a good slap had I said it out loud, is that as a doctor, House should know the inverse law of worth and trauma (I kid you not, I've seen various Drs. quoting it, and it does seem true) your value to society inversely proportional to the difficulty of killing you (sort of like how somehow the drunk driver comes out of the accident he causes with no or minor injuries when one or more innocent people die in the same accident, so dirty, unshaven, drunken, creep of a person can survive virtually anything, kind, caring, philanthropic brain surgeon, dies from a slight tap to the head). Oh and poor House just wanting the pain-- and I don't think, even if he would never admit it while conscious, the pain is just in the leg-- to be gone. Like you said, cue soggy hankies galore. I did laugh inappropriately though, when Amber said, "Can't always get what you want".
Speaking of Amber, I wasn't too fond of her in her CTB personna, but as Amber/Wilson's girlfriend I really liked her. Unfortunate they had to kill her off. On a lighter note, was anyone expecting, given the way 13 was acting, that it turns out Amber was having an affair, but it was with 13? Someone made a wild suggestion, and I was nearly ready to believe it midway through the episode. I feel for 13 too. Yeah, she was brave, but what does it get her other than more second guessing of every little twitch as an indication of the beginning of the end. Unlike some genes, it's hardly as if she can do anything to delay or prevent the onset. Given a choice, I wouldn't want to know either.
This next bit will sound mean--and incidentally also stems from my humanities/pick apart everything training-- and even as much as I'm angry with Wilson now, I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone fictional or not, nor would I say he deserves it, but this may well be the ideal relationship for Wilson. It ended in the height of infatuation, the part to which he's addicted, being fully crazily in love, and he never had to become aware of the annoying habits, or become bored, and there's no need for him to remain faithful. I do pity whomever he dates next though, I've never done it, and for the precise reason I'm about to state I don't know that I would, it's hard to compete with a dead significant other.
In the meantime, I think I'm going to die of House withdrawl over the summer. This, folks, is how good it can be. And I do hope that someone gives Wilson a piece of their mind (in my own head I've already got a scene with a rather Mary-Sue-ish I'm sure original female character doing just that). I also hope that House is angry for a while. If it's all about Wilson being unreasonably angry with House, then I really will hate him.
"Wilson's Heart", Love is a verb, love is a doing-word
