Monday, January 23, 2012

HOUSE'S FINAL PUZZLE

I moved my head to look at the cabinet behind me. When I turned again, Sherlock Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table. I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and then it appears that I must have fainted for the first and the last time in my life. Certainly a gray mist swirled before my eyes, and when it cleared I found my collar-ends undone and the tingling after-taste of brandy upon my lips. Holmes was bending over my chair, his flask in his hand.
- The Adventure of the Empty House -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
As the very long House Hiatus comes to an end tonight, HouseDetectives have been thinking of what the future of our beloved antihero and show may be. House is back and we would like to share some thoughts we've had of late and hope YOU will add your voice to this discussion.
Thankfully, we were given the gift of the British second series of "Sherlock" to tide us over during the long wait for House to return. Over the hiatus, a fandom within a fandom was born with House fans all over the world discovering or re-discovering their love for this character, and becoming totally "Sherlocked" in the process.
Makes perfect sense really as we all know that House M.D.- the character, is based on Sherlock Holmes.
The similarities between Holmes and House were EVIDENT in nearly every frame of Sherlock. We found ourselves,(upon repeat viewings of "Sherlock") to be visually replacing Holmes/Watson with House/Wilson, which was remarkably easy to do.
With the last episode of this seasons "Sherlock"("The Reichenbach Falls") we were left thinking about House's endgame once more. 
Over the years, House fans have speculated on how this series would end. As we are midpoint in Season 8, and are still without word regarding a House renewal for Season 9, the possibility of a House finale weighs heavily on us. Whether this year will be the finale of House, or there will be another season, the question remains:
How will House end?
Fans comments regarding House's death appeared early on in the series and have continued up until today. One always imagines the worst happening to people and things we love. When you add David Shore's frequent comments about House as a character, a death scenario has never been out of the equation. Frequent reminders from its creator as to House-the character's darkness and how this wasn't going to end with a happy House,mowing a lawn behind a white picket fence..are guiding comments to consider.
In watching "Sherlock" though, it became apparent that if DS & Co. were to continue to parallel House's journey with that of Holmes - The Finale is set forth and there for us to see and to apply to House.
In speculating about House's fate, House fans have a distinct advantage over Holmes fans of their day. WE KNOW how the original ends. The world's only consulting detective FAKES HIS OWN DEATH, only to re-appear at a later date.



My body is a cage that keeps meFrom dancing with the one I love

Flight of fancy: Sherlock Holmes jumps off the hospital roof, 60ft up... or does he?
Sherlock Holmes jumps off the hospital roof, 60ft up...or does he?

The story of why Conan Doyle decided to have Holmes die, is interesting. As time went on, Conan Doyle found himself more and more closely identified with Sherlock Holmes to the exclusion of his other works. "I weary of his name", he told his mother. We can only speculate as to whether David Shore (House's creator) has twinges of "weariness", coupled with feelings of great good luck and fortune as Doyle expressed.
Some fans see signs of such wearinesss in Season 8-House M.D., while others are delighted with the direction of the episodes.
In Doyle's mind, he had come to a solution regarding his involvement with the fictional Holmes. Holmes must die. Some of us have thought that David Shore had written House's ending many years ago. We are told by other writers that this would make sense and that no writer develops a character without mapping out or at least thinking about how the story will end and how the character's story will be resolved. This may differ from Holmes to House, but we are left pondering:

"Will House die"? and if so.."How"?
Conan Doyle wanted a dramatic finish for the great Sherlock Holmes. Hugh Laurie wants to "go out with a bang", a comment which received much attention after Season 7's finale. Some thought that the end of Season 6, "Help Me", should have been the end of the series, while others thought "After Hours" should have been the conclusion. And there are still others who think "Moving On" moved the story in a very negative direction.
We all know that House cast, writers and producers DESIRE a fitting conclusion to House's journey as Doyle did with Holmes.However, the fans of the original Sherlock Holmes stories did NOT find Doyle's conclusion to be satisfactory.
The Adventure of the Final Problem was published in December of 1893 in The Strand magazine. People were so upset that more than twenty thousand of them cancelled their subscription to The Strand magazine.
It took a story of a ghostly hound to inspire Conan Doyle to bring the great detective back. In 1901 Sherlock Holmes reappeared in "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Conan Doyle needed a strong central character for his ghostly novel. Why invent one when he already had that in Holmes? However Conan Doyle made it clear that Holmes was not alive. This story took place before the incident at Reichenbach Falls.
The public's response was phenomenal. The Hound of the Baskervilles was also first published in The Strand. The magazine's circulation rose by thirty thousand overnight.
Later, Holmes
was truly brought back to life in The Adventure of the Empty House. At the start of the story Watson is alone. His wife is dead and he believes Holmes to be dead as well. However Watson learns that Holmes's death was a ruse to hide from Moriarty's associates.

The game is "ON" or "AFOOT"!
We Proffer One Possible Series Finale for House M.D.

House will fake his own death.
This should be interesting to observe. WHO is involved in the "cover-up" and the aftermath of such an act should make for "Compelling TV", as Wilson would say.

Wilson
Scenario I
Wilson will think that House is dead. As in "Sherlock" and Doyle's original,we have no doubt that it will seem a very realistic death. RSL, brilliant actor that he is, will surely break every,single heart when he learns of House's death and we will all need more tissues than they sell at Price Club. Time will pass. Maybe we will see visuals of "life continuing" with Wilson going to work, thinking about House and reminiscing over some "good times" and everyone "readjusting" to life without House.

One day though, House will re-appear,just as in the original. House knows where to finds his "one true friend" and lets him know that just as Holmes had to "disappear"..he did as well.
He will apologize to Wilson for the deception and for all the pain and they will walk and discuss this as they are shown walking away together.

Wilson
Scenario II
We see (as in "Sherlock") that House is indeed alive and is watching his friend. We may not understand now, WHY this deception was necessary but it could involve an unselfish act on the part of House for a reason or reasons unknown to us at the current time.

Wilson
Scenario III
Our Current Favorite Theory
Note: This is difficult to take.

Wilson does indeed die. House will be totally devastated by this (as will we all) and he feels there is nothing left in life he truly values any longer. If we couple this together with his possibly losing his license for some reason- we can see a man adrift. A man who might easily fake his own death to begin again.A man who knows he must stand on his two feet,face the world and TRY to find some peace and even a little happiness along the way.

Or
Wilson could help House plan his demise. We offer this as a possibility but don't think this is what will occur.
We have always felt that the last scene of House should focus on House/Wilson. 
Whether this episode shows the true friends re-uniting,a House who "watches over" his friend or a man left alone to build a new life- we know that in the end- THIS was the central, defining relationship of the series.Wilson's "inspiring' death could teach House to live to the fullest for once.
Sherlock: "I have no friends. I only have ONE" 
Why does anyone think about faking their own death? Because it's advantageous to the character to do so. Because it allows the character TOTAL FREEDOM..an ESCAPE...a second chance at life.
Why would House want to "re-invent" himself?
One reason we can think of is that he no longer desires the life he is leading. He could have lost his medical license and that would take the joy and meaning from his life. Perhaps, he, like Holmes, will fake his own death to PROTECT someone.
Do you think House will give his life for a nobler cause? To save someone OTHER THAN HIMSELF? We've seen House put himself into mortal danger when someone he loves needs him to do so.

“Then why do you think your life is worth less than mine?” 
As Molly(in the BBC version) helps Sherlock to carry off his fake death, who would be likely to help House IF WILSON WAS NOT INVOLVED? Chase comes to mind. Chase has been there since Day 1 and is very capable of assisting House in this plan.It's interesting to think about who House will enlist. Unlike Sherlock, House has a plethora of doctors to call upon who have access to cadavers or coroners who can falsify death certificates.
An overdose seems so obvious here that we the writers may go another route.


It might be easier for House to convince those around him that he might take his own life, as compared with Sherlock.In "Sherlock" the main character admits to John that he was a fraud. He wanted John to believe that everything he had told him was based on a lie. In true Holmesian fashion, John doesn't believe a word "Sherlock" said. He knows the inner man too well. Maybe House will place Wilson in a similar situation for reason(s) that might be revealed in the future. 

It will be a bittersweet ending to be sure, but one which sees the shows mantra of "Everybody Lies" ring true until the last.
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llp3h0fwYd1qjkmbno1_500.gif

If Wilson were alive after House's death...would he try to solve the mystery he may see surrounding House's death?
 TOP FAVORITE FRIENDSHIPnot in a particular order ϟ gregory house & james wilson 
We'd love to hear from you and hope you will write, comment here and answer our polls on the right of the page.
Until next time
We are HouseDetectives, taking a leap of faith and...

Thanking each and every House fan whose curiosity, interest and imagination motivate all of us to be better detectives.
(Gifs/Pics found on internet. Please contact us if you would like credit- happy to give)


The following people contributed to the writing of this article:

The USUAL HouseDetectives:
&

Special Thanks to:

Many thanks to @hols14HL for her help with House M.D. pictures.

Many thanks to @AleTheHOUSEwife for her brilliant "Frozen Lake" Video.

"We're in this together"

15 comments:

  1. Wow... This is a very well written article and very fascinating to read, specially with the pictures. (The pictures and videos complement the text beautifully). It certainly is an interesting concept, and it parallels beautifully with the fate of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and the series motto "Everybody Lies". However, I'm a bit reluctant to accept it, at least at this point in time. I don't know why should "House" fake his own death. Most important, I don't know if it is in the character's personality to fake his own death. Could be that the rest of the season provide some motive for that decision, but, with the information that we have now, I don't think that ending plausible. And, to be quite frank, I don't know if I would like it. The scenario that I least like is the one that involves Wilson's death. This I would hate to see. I have no idea how I like the end to be: I just hope that the series would not end with House's death or Wilson's. I just know something for sure: this series must end with House. And the final episode must be completely focused on him.

    Once again, I congratulate the team behind the text and the images. It's certainly an interesting concept to think about and one that I never thought of, strangely enough since I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan.

    Ana (ana_m_q)

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  2. I enjoyed reading this very very much! Thank you!!

    I agree with so much of this, and especially that the series should end with House/Wilson. It's the only thing that makes sense to me.

    My preferred scenario right now is the first. RSL would absolutely break my heart into a million pieces, but I'd still get a happy-ish ending :).
    But I think all your theories have merit! If the series ends with any of these, I'd be a satisfied fan :)

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  3. I admire the thought you put into these posts. They are intelligent and well written. I have to say, I'm in total agreement with this statement: "It will be a bittersweet ending to be sure, but one which sees the shows mantra of "Everybody Lies" ring true until the last".

    A faked death seems plausible but would Wilson be along for the ride? I have this image of the final scene of "Shawshank Redemption" where Morgan Freeman's traveled miles to meet Tim Robbins on a tropical isle where they will both start their lives over. This sort of ending wouldn't disappoint or surprise me.

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  4. I got goosebumps when I read this.... Excellent article, amazing photos, well done!!!
    Although I am still in denial that this may be the last ever season of [H]ouse, if it is *sniffs*, then I agree 100% that the finale should be House and Wilson based but I don't think my heart could take any of your suggested scenarios *sobs*.... Whatever the ending may be I am sure that DS will not disappoint, after all it was he who created THE most amazing characters ever (even with a little help from Conan Doyle)....
    Love Sherlock, ADORE [H]ouse!

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    1. Sherlock Holmes and House are favourite characters of mine. Thankyou really enjoyed reading the scenarios, great gifs, photos and videos, i hope this amazing and complex character finds some peace yet i very much doubt it, i wonder if he will become ill because of the years of alcohol and drug abuse, will he continue to cope with his sometimes unbearable leg pain, i have no idea what to believe all i know is i will continue to follow this character, his best friend and the team until journeys end, i hope it won't be too sad.. cynthiaanne61

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  5. Tracyhepburnfan-

    Very well written article. If [H]ouse follows Sherlock, I wonder why House would fake his death. Unless he thinks everyone is better off without him, and he thinks faking his death would allow them to move on. Then he could move on to find his place in the world. To find some peace.

    Agree that if Wilson thinks House is dead, it would be a devastating scene for him and for the audience. Tears galore.

    I don't agree that the final scene should focus on House/Wilson, only because I don't think the show is about House/Wilson. I think it is about House, and so the final scene should be about him and only him.

    I love your articles. Truly gives us plenty to think about.

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  6. Housedetectives, you are made great job. This idea is very interesting.
    And I suggest DS will do something more cruel than we are waiting. From other side, I think there too many possibilities to do decent exit for this brilliant character- Gregory House,which we all fall in love with.
    So I am agree, that Wilson will be the person ,who really will appear in the last scene but whether will it be death of House? May be House just will deside to leave PP,and will go to travelling?
    I hope that DS won't leave loose ends and make Cuddy appearance possible at least in last episode. This charachter deserve proper closure too.
    So we'll see what waiting us in this year.

    Thank you very much for your article! @Yahnis14

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  7. Well done.
    Interesting article.
    After i read this article,Hugh Laurie's words came to my mind.
    When they asked him what he wishes for his character:
    Hugh:"I like to disappear.""Where is House?"
    I know back then it was sort of a joke,but after reading this article it isn't anymore!
    Thank you for making this.
    One last note: I don't think the final scene should focus on House/Wilson,only House.

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  8. PEdwards

    This was very well presented. I have always loved Holmes & Watson, so it is no surprise how dear to my heart House & Wilson are. I think the idea of of an ending with House/Wilson is very fitting.

    I watched the 'Pilot' episode today and after we see the opening with the POTW, it is followed by the scene with H/W walking the hallways of PPTH. This is how we are first introduced to House, with Wilson at his side. Therefore an ending involving them both is fitting in my opinion.

    And I would choose the first scenario. RSL indeed would have me crying as he has done many times before.

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  9. cuddyclothes
    Interesting article. I tend to be on the side that thinks that House will kill himself. Or marry Wilson.

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  10. Interesting! Love your Sherlock - House comparison

    I wish Cuddy will come back, maybe it would be interesting if she had some kind of mysterious disease and get help from everyone. Cameron included.
    I'd like Cuddy and House to get back together too.

    You see I love happy endings, pple living happy ever after... So please no hurting Wilson, nobody dying.
    It's already terrible to think the show would end, last episode will be tough enough.

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  11. wow, i must say this is a very interesting article. as of how will house will end, that we still don;t know. though personally it would be interesting to witness how Gregory House will end his character. i just wish to see him happy but knowing House's character, the ending will surely surprise us all. i just can't believe that the show which i drew my inspiration to be in the medical field has been finally sending feelers to drop the final curtain.

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  12. First off, I would like to thank @RedTulip_Ana for sending me the link to this article and asking me for my input on this matter. I'll see what I can do.

    Second, I've been giving the whole "House Ending" episode a great deal of thought. Apparently I'm not the only one. I'm not sure that House will go through the trouble of faking his own death for the simple fact that House is an ass. Like it or not, we all know this to be true. House could care less of what anyone thinks of him. Sometimes he doesn't even care what Wilson thinks of him.... If he did, he wouldn't have pulled some of the stunts that he has done in the past that has hurt Wilson deeply, but has always seemed to find it deep in his heart to forgive his dearest and closet friend. I think House counts on this. House doesn't want to lose Wilson as a friend and will do just about anything to keep his friendship from drowning, as it has almost done so many times before. But one thing he will not do, is change. House is House and Wilson will always be there by his side through thick and thin no matter what House does.
    If there is a "death scene" for House, it will not be a fake one. I've been thinking back to the first couple of episodes at the start of Season 8. In particular to the scene of House having to give all his pain pills over to the Bully of the prison ~ "Wanna be Mafia Godfather of the GreyBar Motel"~ and being threatened that if he didn't, there would be someone on the 'Outside' waiting on him. As we all saw in that episode it seemed as if House was bowing down to the Bully and giving into him showing his fear, which is so unlike him. And then, of course, we all cheered, (I know I did), when he threw the pills into the air for all the other inmates to scramble after. With him showing his true House personality and not letting us down, it is possible that this Prison Bully makes good on his word, not only doing in House but Wilson as well. I really hate to think of anyone being killed, especially House, for the simple fact that they can always bring the show back in a few years if they choose to do so. If they do decide to revive the show once more, then how can you have the show House if House is dead?
    I haven't given much thought as to exactly how the last show will happen, but I have a feeling that it will be something memorable and totally worth recording. I will give this matter some more thought and see if I can come up with something that will make everyone happy. I know one thing that would make us all happy, would be that the show doesn't end. Of course that is always a possibility. It has not been set in stone yet that this is indeed the last season of House. As tweeted by Greg Yaitanes at 4:20pm 1/24/2012: "Those are some damn fine House ratings last night. Just when you wonder if this is your last season you go and win the night. #congratsteam"
    So even the head honchos of the show aren't even sure if this is the end or not. So all you House Fans out there... Keep the faith. I know I am. Til next time, take care and always remember.... That Everybody Lies: The Only Variable is About What.

    @DrGreg_HouseMD
    Dr.Gregory_House@GMX.com
    www.facebook.com/DoctorG.House

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  13. Nice article, really. Personally I don't think DS will choose to end House like Sherlock because he usually likes (and we like that of him) to be original.
    I instead agree with Dr. Gregory House's post when says House's end will be something memorable.
    And yes, I agree Wilson could be the one dying.
    But I have another theory where since the beginning of S7 (starting from epi 4) something strange happened to all them (House, Cuddy and the team) and actually only Cuddy exited the situation (in Bombshelles). What happened? Don't know. They could be all in a coma state and they are living an alternate life together in another dimension. Sounds Fringe, hmm? Don't know, I trust David Shore crazy mind and I'm sure he will give us something special.
    Cri - HuddyItaly

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  14. Sorry, here the correct link to my Twitter account.

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