Throughout most of the episode, I was reading a magazine, checking my Twitter account, and watching videos of my baby niece learning how to roll over because all the navel gazing happening on TV was sooo boring and making me twitchy. It was nice to see Kal Penn and Sela Ward and Jennifer Morrison return to the show as Kutner, Stacy, and Cameron, respectively, to talk to House as figments of his imagination while he considered killing himself, but even their appearances and a raging fire couldn’t add much dramatic tension to his internal conflict. It was about the same ol’ issues he’d been struggling with all along—Is life worth living? Will he ever be happy? Can he find true love? Blah, blah, blah. Twenty minutes in, I was shouting at the TV, “Do something!”
Finally, House did get up, but when the building collapsed and exploded, I didn’t feel anything. As Wilson said in his eulogy, it was a selfish death. House had more than enough time to save himself but waited until it was too late. Shrug. And I’m saying this as a former super fan of the show and current fan of Hugh Laurie’s.
So I thought, “That’s that. I didn’t expect a happy ending, anyway.” But when Foreman said the coroner confirmed the identity of the charred body in the building, I thought, “It’d be so easy for House to switch his records with his former patient’s.” Which is what happened, and House appeared quite alive on Wilson’s front stoop.
Finally, we got to see the two in leather and stubble, riding off into the sunset on badass motorcycles. (This was funny in its midlife-crisisness, but Wilson is at his endlife so he’s allowed.) At that moment, I suddenly realized I did care what happened to House, but more for Wilson’s sake, because I didn’t want him to end up being so angry and alone. It’s nice to know Wilson will have his best friend by his side in his last days, and perhaps House will learn to stand on his own after all when his crutch is gone.
What did you think? How did you want the series to end? Did you miss Cuddy?
Photo: Byron Cohen/FOX
15 Comments
Erin
May 22, 2012 at 7:15 amYES. Exactly my reaction. I came away thinking that they bottled it, but I’m not sure I expected anything else, really. Would have had far more respect for the show if he’d died. Any what about the heroin addict? I mean, was House on heroin in the fire? What was that building, anyhow? It had the potential to be a great finale, but just…wasn’t.
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2012 at 11:35 amI think House was on heroin, and the building was the address the heroin addict gave the hospital when he checked in. I’m not clear on why it was burning, though.
Erin
May 22, 2012 at 11:38 amYeah…ok…and he said he got out the back. But when he was lying on the floor, he was surrounded by flames…so how did he get downstairs unscathed? And from whom did he acquire the heroin? The patient? I dunno…one of the things I used to like about the show was the attention to detail, and this seemed to just throw all that out the (back) window 😉
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2012 at 11:41 amAnd then there’s the fact he fell through the floor and busted both legs, it looked like. How fast could he run out the back door?
Mr. PCN
May 22, 2012 at 9:18 amThis last season has been more boring on the average than usual. The cases were always interesting, but I got fed up with such illogical behavior from someone who is supposed to be so damn brilliant. I tuned in for the finale out of pure nostalgia for a show I considered Must See TV at one point. I applauded the writers for finally killing him in a blaze of his own making, but just shook my head when they didn’t seem to have the courage to make it stick. It seemed to me that a self destructive person who refuses to change their ways will eventually self destruct. To take us to the brink of that conclusion and then pussy out on the inevitable turns my memory of that once great series into yet another Hollywood piece of crap.
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2012 at 11:36 amYes, dear, we discussed this last night. Who knows? Maybe he will still self-destruct after Wilson dies.
Clair
May 22, 2012 at 9:22 amI don’t know. I was pretty happy with it, as a series finale. Surprised by how glad I was to see some of those folks (Kutner! Stacy! Cutthroat Bitch!) and I thought Lisa Edelstein’s absence was a gaping hole that reflected badly on all parties. I too felt detached from the first half, but by the time the fireball blew I was completely with it, and sobbing like a child. The show had stepped away from conventions of reality a long time ago, and I liked that they went out with that kind of meta-episode. (I could even make an argument that the whole last scene was Wilson’s fantasy, not reality.)
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2012 at 11:40 amOohh, interesting theory on the end being Wilson’s fantasy. That would’ve been quite devastating if we found out it was all part of a morphine haze he was in…right before he flatlines. NOW I’m crying.
Christine McCann
May 22, 2012 at 11:28 amI liked the Swan Song episode highlighting more of those responsible behind the scenes of HOUSE and the paintball a la Bond was fun. Reading tweets last night, it surprises me that there are still people who didn’t know Hugh Laurie is British. 🙂
As for the finale, we did enjoy the return of characters from some of our favorite episodes. When all of the eulogies felt flat to me, I knew something was up. Brian and I wondered if House would turn himself in after Wilson dies. I like Clair’s idea that the ending could have been Wilson’s fantasy.
Sad to see it go because of what it once was, but it was time.
Pop Culture Nerd
May 22, 2012 at 11:55 amI liked the behind-the-scenes episode, too. It was a little disorienting to see Hugh dressed like House, looking like House, but talking in Hugh’s voice, which is quite different from House’s voice, not just in accent but in tone. When I see/hear him at awards shows, looking dashing in a tux, my brain identifies him as Hugh Laurie and expects the accent. When he’s scruffy on the show, my brain says, “That’s House” and expects him to speak like House. The juxtaposition of the two was interesting.
Paulette
May 22, 2012 at 5:17 pmI thought the series “jumped the shark” a while ago. However, I have enjoyed this season and the finale was everything that I wanted it to be. Cuddy was certainly missed, but well represented in the retrospective which I thought was well produced!
Pop Culture Nerd
May 24, 2012 at 12:52 amYes, it was nice to see her there, at least.
Shell Sherree
May 23, 2012 at 1:29 amWilson’s dying? That’s sad!! I gave up watching sometime shortly after Cuddy left – much as I love Hugh Laurie’s work, I grew tired of House and his manipulative ways. It seemed like he always somehow ended up off the hook, no matter how damaging or hurtful his behaviour was. Given the number of times the writers took us on hallucinogenic trips, I like Clair’s idea. I’ll probably tune in when it airs here so I can have closure!
Pop Culture Nerd
May 24, 2012 at 12:59 amI stopped watching after this season’s premiere for the same reasons. And I also tuned in to the finale to say goodbye. At least we didn’t have to watch W die.
Laura Benedict
May 24, 2012 at 7:28 amClair wins the prize for best resolution/explanation. I can’t see how he survived the fireball, either–and he fell like 20 feet through the floor.
I need some help, here. What did I miss with Lisa Edelstein? Her cameo piece in “Swan Song” was just weird. It was like she was Photoshopped into the show. Did everyone just hate her so much for leaving that she couldn’t come back for the finale? Was she fired? I never liked Cuddy much, but now I’m just confused.
Loved “Swan Song.” I will always heart Hugh.
I guess I’m in the minority for liking the last season. Charlyne Yi was a brilliant cast addition, and really lightened things up. Her friendship with Chase was charming. Wilson’s cancer was a little over the top for me–like being pounded with a hammer. But the ride into the sunset was perfect. No tears, here. It was all entertainment to me. : )