They didn't break me. I am broken.
by James Chamberlin
September 17, 2009 - Advance Review: Gregory House's (Hugh Laurie) voluntary admission into a psychiatric hospital was a fitting end to season five. Those delusions had him imagining all sorts of things and now it's time for House to get better - get off the Vicodin and get his life back on track. After seeing the season six premiere, I'm honestly happy to see that things may be improving for House, not just the character, but the show as well.
After going through a painful withdrawal (as opposed to that lame withdrawal shown in season five), House is ready to check himself out of the hospital, but not going through all of the therapy sessions means he wouldn't be allowed to practice medicine. He needs the attending physician to write a letter to the state recommending House be permitted to resume his job.
Regular viewers are well accustomed to House's antics. He'll use every ploy imaginable to get what he wants. He doesn't have a problem with breaking a few rules or hurting some feelings in order to reach the outcome which he desires. Unable to practice medicine means it's time to do whatever it takes to get Dr. Darryl Nolan (Andre Braugher) to write that letter. True to form, House tries everything in the book.
The antisocial House begrudgingly finds a friend in his roommate Alvie (Lin-Manuel Miranda). They're quite the odd couple. House isn't about to make too many friends. He's far too judgmental to befriend people with this many problems.
As time passes, House begins to change. House has been a frustrating character to watch over the previous five seasons because he really never changed for the good. Those hoping to see an entirely new person will be disappointed, but House's journey is a real joy to watch. He goes through an awful lot in this episode.
The two-hour season premiere feels more like a movie than a TV show. It's long and a little slow in portions, but is well worth the time. With very few good dramas on this summer (it's all reality TV with a few exceptions), it's been a while since I've seen an emotional TV show. "Broken" is a very well produced and written episode. – so much so that I didn't miss Princeton-Plainsboro one bit and I'm sure many of you will agree after seeing the episode.
Two days more and all anticipation and longing for a good TV show will be over. Now we have a reason to stay up late watching TV on Mondays. We won't say, "I don't like Mondays" anymore. Instead, we'll say "Thank God for Mondays".
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