Thursday, December 1, 2011

House M.D. Season 8 Episode 8 "Perils of Paranoia"

          For the first time in a while, there was a terrific introduction to this episode. Most of the time, the show begins by showing a normal person having a severe problem such as losing vision, vomiting blood, or having a seizure. However, this episode opened with a court scene, which was tastefully different. For the first few minutes, I forgot what show I was watching and became enthralled by the courtroom drama. Instead of being overly dramatic, the Tommy simply said, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”
          It is interesting how Foreman lied to the patient in order to get House to take the case.  This could be a random occurrence but I feel like it is possible that Foreman is slowly becoming more like House. Only in the context of lying to a patient in order to get his way.
          While Adams and Park are driving to investigate the patients house, several unique camera perspectives were used.  Throughout the scene, cameras were attached to the bumpers of the car and pointed at the characters to give a new perspective on the scene. Creative cinematography is a wonderful thing if used properly. In this instance, I found it distracting because these shots have never been used before in this show and they feel a bit “artsy” for being a medical drama. Despite the distractions, I did enjoy the unique angles.
          To my surprise, I have started disliking Park in this episode. She may be a brilliant doctor, but her people skills are horrendous and her personality is abrasive. Park seems to defend her opinions about the case like they are her children. People can tell her she is wrong, but she will need proof to believe it.  This could be because of different writing in this episode, or could be part of her character. Either way, I am not a fan.
          I absolutely loved the reference to Black Friday by Taub.  Although, I am not certain if it was supposed to reference the woman who maced people waiting outside of a store so she could get an Xbox 360. He says, “I don’t think stockpiling weapons is the most reasoned response but given what I’ve seen at Bloomingdales’ on Black Friday, I wouldn’t say it rises to the level of mental illness.”  I love when writers add cultural references into movies in shows. By doing this, they manage to connect to the readers through relevant information.
          While searching for a gun in House’s apartment, Wilson triggered a booby trap (set by House) and got caught in a net suspended above the ground. It is these unique bits of comic relief that make this show addicting and incredible.
          To be perfectly honest, this felt like a forgettable episode. It was fun to watch, but there weren’t any big changes (other than Foreman going out with a married woman).

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