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House Character Personalities – Part 6 of 6 – Dr. Gregory House June 26, 2008

Posted by Kelsey Martineau in House Character Analysis.
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Dr. Gregory House.  And last, but of course not least, there’s House.  I think House is commonly misjudged.  He is often called a heartless bastard, that cares nothing about others.  This is in fact true, to an extent.  However, throughout the seasons, we have seen House’s caring side shine through.  When, you may ask?  Other than of course saving lives, how has he been caring?  Well, we see in the first season, House lies to the transplant committee for a woman that obviously didn’t deserve the heart, but he believed she deserved to live.

Wilson claims House has the “Rubik’s” complex.  He just wants to solve the puzzle.  Of course, this is true.  Perhaps this is why he’s at times perceived to actually “care.”  I don’t think so, though.  Many speculate that House was why he was because of his leg, but at the end of the first season, we are proved wrong by this, by his ex-girlfriend of five years.  She told Cameron that House was “Pretty much the same” before the infarction in his leg.  It’s very interesting to know why people are how they are.  We also got a chance to see House’s parents, and the way his father treated him.  Perhaps this is part of the reason that House is somewhat damaged.

The Holmes/House similarities amaze me more and more as the show progresses.  House doesn’t only find pleasure in solving medical cases, but he obsesses over people.  Particularly his team (old and new) as well as patients, and Wilson.  However, he doesn’t obsess because he cares; he obsesses because it’s unsolved in his mind.  It’s a puzzle to him.  It’s unclear exactly how long House and Wilson have been friends, but it was probably a good bit of time, because of the history that they hint around at.  House likes to display his intelligence, often making fun of people’s weaknesses and problems.  Often times, it doesn’t even appear that House is analyzing people, only to impress them with the answer to their problems extremely quick.  Another exact comparison to Sherlock Holmes.  For the most part, he can figure out motives and even past events from simply how they act, or their appearance.  Of course, House hates meeting patients, and only does so in extreme situations.  If he does in fact meet them, he is extremely short with them, and has a bit of a poor bedside manner.  He takes risks when treating patients usually, almost always paying off.

Although I don’t care for the word, I would have to call House a non-conformist.  He doesn’t care what people think of him.  But, contrasting many other people in the world, he doesn’t actually have to say it.  His actions prove this more than his words.  Obviously, judging by his clothes, constant stubble, and refusal to wear a lab coat, he doesn’t care what he looks like or how people perceive him.  He even fakes his name sometimes, and claims he’s “someone from the lab,” or something similar.  We even see him tell some people at a bar, when a woman passes out in one season, to “Send her to Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital, ask for Dr. House.”

House has developed a great deal throughout the four seasons.  It is obvious that he has started caring a little more, only if it is slightly more than before.  Overall, House is stubborn and sarcastic, two qualities he will never lose.  He’s a realistic, believable, and even loveable character.  He says the stuff that people are thinking but dare not say.  Definitely a great character.

House Character Personalities – Part 5 of 6 – Dr. James Wilson June 9, 2008

Posted by Kelsey Martineau in House Character Analysis.
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Dr. James Wilson.  You have to love Wilson.  There are hardly any aspects of his personality that are bad.  Throughout the series, we see Wilson and his numerous failed relationships.  Almost every one of the females complained that he was to “caring” or “considerate.”  That’s almost a paradox if you think about it.  How can you be to caring?  It is speculated many times by House, that Wilson feels like he needs to “fix” the women he marries, or even dates.  Then when they actually adjust, he moves on.  Hence the reason he can’t stay in a relationship.

Wilson is pretty much the only friend House has.  This is where the Holmes/House and Watson/Wilson comparison comes in.  If you’ve read any of the Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you’ll know that House’s and Wilson’s relationship is almost if not exactly identical to Wilson’s and Holmes’s.  It’s very interesting to re-watch and observe the comparison.  Wilson, in some ways, is opposite of House.  He obviously cares for patients 1000% more.  He isn’t opposite in all ways, though.  He knows how to manipulate, as we see in the episode “House vs. God,” where he talks House’s patient into taking treatment for an illness.  House recognizes, and also loves this ability.  House once called Wilson a “a buddy of mine people say ‘Thank you’ to when he tells them they are dying.”

We see Wilson’s loyalty to House many times throughout the series, particularly when Vogler attempted to get House fired.  Wilson was the only one to vote against the termination of House, causing his dismissal as well.  However, he quickly comes back after Vogler is removed from the board, as they realize he is the donated money wasn’t worth the problems he was causing.

Wilson cares about House, obviously.  We see him attempt to fix House’s problems with Vicodin in many times throughout the series.  He even assisted Tritter, the detective investigating House’s drug problems.  He eventually was coaxed into testifying against House; however he did this simply for House’s gain more than anything.

It is revealed in Season four that Wilson was dating Amber (a.k.a. Cutthroat Bitch) which was one of House’s former students which qualified for the job on his team.  It was speculated by House, and also Cuddy that Wilson was only dating her because he wants a change from his typical neediness, but his need to be desired will feed off her need to control, and eventually it will destroy Wilson.

Overall, Wilson is a great character, and an excellent reflection of House in many ways, as well as a polar opposite.  In my opinion, they contrast each other quite well.