Have you been watching House on Fox? I find it entertaining for a number of reasons.
Perhaps the most obvious reason is the brilliant sarcasm of the title character. House is highly entertaining with is frequent dispersal of biting criticism. His comments are far too sophisticated to be considered "burns" but they are along the same lines. I predict that his popularity will result in an increase in annual cane sales; he shows they can be a bad-ass accessory.
Another reason i find the show interesting is because of the number of times House is wrong about a diagnosis. About 80% of the show is him making wrong guesses until he finally figures out what the real problem is. Other similar dramas make doctors appear infallible. House is brilliant but he really excels in his perseverance. As he collects each new symptom on his white board, you get to watch as he revises his mental model of what would cause them. It's really the scientific method in action. He goes through many incorrect hypothesizes before stumbling on the right one. He's skilled at determining what pieces are information are relevant and which ones can be ignored.
I've come to learn that doctors make many more mistakes than we are lead to believe; however, they don't have the same opportunities to correct them. In the real world, they just don't have the time with their patients as House does with his. The other thing that comes to mind when i watch the show is the wide battery of tests and procedures he orders for patients. I put the bill together in my head and i start feeling bad for the people whose lives have been saved but will spend the rest of their lives in debt. Real world docs seem more reluctant to order tests and are even less likely to admit they are wrong. I would guess that it's the fantasy that there might be a doctor out there such as House who would fight so hard to make you better that makes the show inspiring to watch.
The last reason i like the show is the lovely Jennifer Morrison playing the part of Dr Cameron. I typically don't enjoy watching a show that doesn't have at least one hot chick in it. The fact that someone so interesting can be drawn to someone as bitter and intelligent as House is reassuring to think about.
There is one thing the shows seems to be doing that bugs me. In the first few minutes, before the opening credits, they do ones of those montages to speed up exposition in much the same way Law and Order does. They play this three-card monte type game of keeping you guessing who is going to wind up being the sick one. You think it's going to be the person who is coughing or has the fever, then it turns out the be someone else. If you saw yesterday's episode you probably know exactly what i'm talking about. They go out of their way to make sure you are surprised and i think they sacrifice their own dignity in the process.
Posted by Matthew at September 28, 2005 09:53 PM