DVD Review: House, M.D. Season Four
Fox's Medical Drama Revamps Its Cast for a Shorter Fourth Season
Oct 17, 2008
Overview of House, M.D. Season Four
As season three ended, the audience stood in awe, as House's team of diagnosticians began going their separate ways. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) opted to resign, as he realized he was slowly becoming as apathetic towards patients as his curmudgeonly boss. Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) gets fired by House, not for his incompetence, from rather from House's belief that he has taught him as much as he can within diagnostics, and wishes him to be on his way. As for Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), as she becomes the lone member of House's team, she opts to quit, rather than be left by herself on his team, and grabs a different position with Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, the show's premise.
Upon the start of Season Four, House is on his own, and this solo attempt just isn't working. Seeking a team dynamic similar to his old team, he sets up a group of over 30 candidates, and presents them with medical cases, such as the ones seen each week on the show. Slowly but surely, the process takes a reality show flavor, as the often devious Dr. House starts devising contests between candidates, as an excuse to fire some more applicants, so he can reduce his group to the usual three doctors.
By the time the process of elimination is complete, House finds himself with a team not unlike his old one. His new team is composed of the mysterious yet sharp Dr. Remy Hadley (Olivia Wilde), who House likes to refer to as "Thirteen" (her candidate number during the application contest); Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), an easygoing young maverick who reminds House of himself, at least in his risk-taking ways. Finally, there is Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson), a plastic surgeon whose strong opinions often force House to rethink his brash approaches to a case. Also, Dr. Foreman is back on the team, as a watchdog on behalf of Cuddy, who always struggled to keep House on a tight leash.
A fourth candidate/runner-up, Amber "Cutthroat Bitch" Volakis (Anne Dudek), was also in the running, however she was the final candidate to be fired, as her strongheaded refusal to admit she is wrong in her diagnostics, would never have worked out with House's team synergy. That being said, her character turned out to be such a popular one with the fans, that the show's producers brought her back into the storyline, as Dr. Wilson's (the ever pleasant Robert Sean Leonard) secret girlfriend.
Best Episodes of House, M.D. Season Four DVD
Though most episodes of this show always contain enough interesting elements to make each one memorable in its own innovative way, a handful of storylines are worthy of mention. Among them:
- "Mirror, Mirror": While marking the return of Dr. Foreman to the diagnostic team, this episode's patient is an amnesiac mugging victim, who keeps inadvertantly adopting the most dominant personality in the room with him, with incredible accuracy. This unusual condition goes a long way in establishing the various cast members' character details, giving the audience more meat to their favorite team members.
- "Frozen": House and his team are reduced to helping an ailing patient (Mira Sorvino) via webcam, as they are unable to treat her in hospital. The reason? She is stranded in the South Pole, and is going to die unless they can figure out what is wrong with her.
- The Two-Part Season Finale, "House's Head" and "Wilson's Heart": House is part of a violent bus accident, and has no memory of the event. However, some elements of the crash may be vital to his latest cases, and so the team works to help him remember through any means possible. The second part deals with the aftermath of his ordeal, and how some of his actons may come at too great a price, for himself and those close to him. Truly one of the best storylines in the entire series so far.
Overall Analysis of House, M.D. Season Four DVD
The show needed a bit of a fresh revamp after three years of the same format, and the showrunners knew this. By keeping the old team in the background of the teaching hospital, and introducing us to new blood (no pun intended -- 'tis a medical show after all), the producers managed to attract new viewers, while not alienating the old ones.
Hugh Laurie is still at the top of his game, exploring the intricate inner workings of his Gregory House character. Despite playing the most detestable and grouchy character on prime time television, you just can't look away from him each week, almost as a guilty pleasure, wondering what he will do next.
Pair this with excellent and consistent writing from David Chase's production team, and you have a great show which will be remembered as a classic years from now.
House M.D. Season Four DVD Extras
The set contains the usual behind the scenes featurette as seen on the previous three season boxes, however this set doesn't have the memorable gag reel featued in previous sets.
8 out of 10, for continuous quality and storytelling, and for ensemble cast excellence.
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