House

This episode was like a rollercoaster of emotions. I went from feeling frustrated about House's position in the psychiatric hospital, to happiness, to joy, to tears and ended with a huge smile on my face.

This new side of House is what I guess we've all been waiting for so long. He finally connected, trusted, bonded and was able to feel all the emotions and still be the same winy sarcastic old HOUSE we love.

This have been one of my favorite episodes, if not the best episode from House yet.

No matter how long I waited for House to be back, it full-filled all my expectations and more.

HOUSE rocked!!

I am in two minds about this episode. On the surface, it was good. A "tour de force" performance from Hugh, well acted by the supporting cast (apart from that annoying room mate guy who I wanted to strangle – how on earth does he have a Tony Award?), a perfectly acceptable season opener, high ratings, everyone happy. Especially the companies who paid to have their products advertised during the broadcast.



Leaving all that aside, this episode had the potential to be "great" television, as opposed to merely "good". I think the episode could have been right up there with some of the greatest tv moments of our time: the death of Mark Greene on ER, Ross and Rachel kissing for the first time, President Bartlett ranting at God after Mrs Lanningham's funeral in the West Wing, the deep fat fryer episode of Spooks (seven years later I still hold a cushion while watching that show) to name but a few. And for that reason, I am not just disappointed but actually a little bit angry at the writers. This was a big opportunity and they blew it. And when you're being paid that much money, have such superb characters to work with and an actor the quality of Hugh Laurie then there is no excuse. There really isn't it.



So where to begin….



This is what I would like to have seen: House detoxes from viacodin (that segment was good) but when he wakes up clean and sober he looks around and *shock* Amber is still there. He rants at her. Why is she still there? He's clean now. What the F is going on? This conversation is witnessed by his doctor. Serious discussion in the doctor's office: "Your issues run deeper than viacodin. You need to be transferred to our long term ward." Despite originally being admitted voluntarily, the fact that he is still hallucinating give the doctors grounds to hold him.



*sidebar*. The House we all know and love would never have submitted to that ward voluntarily, irrespective of the medical license threat or not. He would walk out of the hospital and find a psychiatrist who WILL declare him sane, or simply seek outpatient treatment. The law may stipulate that a psychiatrist's ok is needed to get his license back but it would not stipulate that he needed Dr Nolan's ok specifically.



Furthermore, I agree with House when he was saying "I should not be here". The problems he exhibits do not warrant forced inpatient care. The episode suggests his "issues" are trusting people. That is not an inpatient issue. Hallucinations are. Depression to the point where a person can't function warrants admission. Trust issues do not. *end sidebar*



House demands drugs. The doctor refuses and instead insists on talk therapy. Drugs are what got House into this mess in the first place and what is the point of switching from dulling emotional pain with viacodin to dulling it with anti-depressants? He needs to learn to cope without the aid of medication. House is livid – everyone else on the ward is on meds, why can't he get them too? Cue House acting out, if you must.



*second sidebar* I really, really, really don't like the inference in the episode that the only way to get better is by taking medication. I am about to say something which galls me to my very soul and will probably wake me up in the middle of the night. *takes a deep breath*: I agree with Tom Cruise. How unthinkable is that??? But I do! Psychiatric drugs are NOT always the answer. They work for some people but not for everyone. And I absolutely loathe that bit at the end where Albie goes to that female Doctor and asks for his meds. The look she gives him is really sinister. I expected her to cackle evily.



I personally would rather not have House acting like RP McMurphy. It's tired and I agree with professional reviewers who've bemoaned the Cuckoos nest-esque nature of the episode. It is lazy writing. House fighting "the system" is what you would expect. Seeing him struggling but not able to rid himself of Amber would be much more interesting (and, I suspect, challenging for Hugh as well). Maybe I watch too much Project Runway – "this is something I have seen before. I want to see something different." However, I think I would be overruled in a writers meeting because, let's face it, the spectacle of House misbehaving is enjoyable. But then, would House tolerate being punished with banishment to a padded room if he were there voluntarily? No.



Now I do realise that having House hallucinate presents a problem with his medical license and therefore the long-term viability of the show. You can't practice if you are genuinely suffering from hallucinations. So why would House want the taking of drugs to control hallucinations in his medical records. First of all, this is tv and House would have lost his license years ago anyway so let's not get hung up on real world crap. But secondly, I think House would see this as a fantastic excuse to not have to see patients (which he hates anyway) His skill is in interpreting test results not performing lumbar punctures. The kind of work he does would probably not need a license anyway. He could work as a consultant. *end second sidebar*



Various in-depth talk therapy sessions. The relationship with Lydia develops. House bonds with the other patients and in doing so learns a lot about himself.



*third sidebar* Back to the Cuckoos nest theme. I would have the other patients not being so "looney". I would like to have seen House connecting to them and finding common ground. All this would help in his recovery. It's why group therapy is a powerful tool. It also can make for superb and very moving drama. Again, I think this was a missed opportunity to explore the different facets of mental illness. I have done some work in psychiatric hospitals in the UK and yes, these stereotypes do exist but they are not the only kinds of mental illness in the world. Some of the patients I met, for example, were suffering as a result of extraordinary and inescapable grief after the death of a child/partner. I would like to have seen more of the relationship between House and the super hero guy. They suggest he lost in wife in 9/11. So explore that more please. These are the kinds of things that will help House regain his sanity, not a couple of superficial chats to a psychiatrist about nothing at all and pretending to be gay at a party. What on earth was that scene at the party supposed to show? The episode was double length, the same length as a feature film, yet doesn't do much more than scratch the surface of anything. If you compare it to the film Ordinary People and what that film manages to examine, the episode is really quite superficial. They had two hours, not one. Use the extra time. *end third sidebar*



House is upset when Lydia leaves but realises that he can survive her loss. This is his breakthrough moment. It seems to be me that House's main issue is fear of emotional pain. He goes to great lengths to avoid grief. Experiencing grief but it not being the earth shattering event he had anticipated would be the trigger for his recovery and for Amber fading away. He no longer needs to talk to an imaginary person (who he can subconsciously control) because he doesn't fear talking to real people anymore.



************************************************

Trust is an interesting concept. Learning to trust is about accepting the fact that you might be hurt but that it is ok and you can survive. Now obviously the show would have to end if House suddenly became all teddy-bear like BUT knowing something and living it are two entirely different things. This sets up the rest of the series with House trying to put what he's learned into practice. It is excruciatingly hard to trust if you come from a place where it hasn't been possible and won't happen overnight, or in one season. And, again, seeing House struggle with himself would make for superb television. Handled properly it could be incredibly moving. I think the bit with House on the bus at the end is terrific. Mainly because of the song. Right out of the Grey's Anatomy school of television: the actors just stand there and look at each other or into the distance while a fabulous song plays – and the song makes the scene.



Rant over. Apart from one final thing which don't make sense: Dr Nolan agrees to write House's recommendation letter because House 1) connected with someone enough to miss them, and 2) goes to find someone to talk to when he loses that person. Yet House already did both of those things. He DOES go to someone when he feels emotional pain. He goes to Wilson. And he was lost when Wilson left the hospital after Amber died. That Doctor is crap. He also played the researcher in the film Primal Fear (love Edward Norton) when he was young and thin and I spent the entire episode trying to work out where I'd seen him before. Distracting.



Reading this back sounds harsh – and I hate television/film and theatre reviewers who do this incidentally. I don't write television so what the hell do I know and if I really think I can do better than why don't I move to Hollywood and do it myself. Blah blah blah – however, I'm not publishing this in a newspaper and it is unlikely that anyone connected to the show will read it so no feelings will be hurt. I don't dislike the episode. I said at the beginning that I thought it was good. I am going to summarise by misquoting Mary Louise Parker's character, Amy Gardner, from the West Wing. I love the show and when you see a show which is good but could actually be great, it's heart breaking. Which is why I poke it with a stick from time to time. It's how I show my love.

House M.D

Season 6

Episode 1: Broken Part 1 and Part 2

House, dealing with his Vicodin addiction, goes to a mental hospital. He tries to get out, but he isnt successful. He tries to help patients, but only hurts them.



Excellent. Excellent season premiere. Season 6 has started. Amazing episode. So great. Part 1 had good amounts of comedy, really funnyh. Part 2 has more drama, but still had a couple of laughs. Great episode/s. House on a mental hospital, how's that? Pretty cool. House season 6 premiere, Broken, is an amazing episode. Full of drama. Pretty funny the first part. The second part was more drama. Amazing rpisode. House season 6 premiere.

I have to say that I almost fast forwarded trough this episode. It had some interesting aspects, but overall it was oh so boring and so very far from the real life. I know that this is Entertainment and I shouldn't be focusing on details, yet this gives an overall bad picture of psychiatric and substance abuse care.



House managed to use his wit and talent in the episode, and there were many interesting characters. But something is missing and I cannot pinpoint what. I fail to see why this is so good episode. I expected more, this being a season opener.

This episode is definitely my all time favorite episode of House. After having lived with this character for 5 seasons, finally seeing him turn into something recognizably human was very cathartic. Personally, I idolized House's antics throughout my own teenage years, so it was very nice to see him "grow up" after all those pranks.



But yes, the episode. When House finally makes that meaningful connection with his girlfriend Lydia, it feels like a scene from a really good movie. In fact this whole episode feels cinematic in the way it's shot and the arc of House's emotional growth. I could possibly see some people complaining about this episode trying too hard to be lifetime movie of the year but hey! You know, every once in a while it's ok to fall for that kind of thing and this episode really hit home for me. What can I say? I love my House. Go watch this episode, it's awesome.

This is one the best episodes to date as far as I am concerned. It is well edited, written, directed and of course, the musical choices are always impeccable.



This is also the first time we see House actually hug another person and it be a REAL hug. All the characters are clearly defined and with each attempt to dismantle his progress and those around him, he finds himself further from freedom to practice medicine. He finds a confidant and the casting crew couldn't have picked a better complimenting character in "Homocide:Life on the Street" Alumunus, mumble mumble (always forget his name). The black psycho who runs the show on this Episode at Mayfield where House is held.



He is stubborn, intuitive and in a sense, a House character almost. What better way for House to find a person he could finally trust.



I was just glued to the screen as only certain EPs of House will do. I enjoy them ALL but only certain ones really get to me. From "Both Sides Now" to this, the writing and deepening of House's character give us new insight into what we always take for granted to be a glib genius who is always right and yet this time, he is not at all this.



I loved it.



MediaGod

from the first chords of the radiohead song, to the final fade out, despite the 'one flew' homages, this stands as not only the television event of the season (in fact, the best drama on tv i've seen since the final sopranos!) it rivals most films on the big screen. the other thing -- as house does when it is at its best, as all literary and dramatic art does when it's at its best -- this piece told me, told us, about LIFE. didn't preach, but was felt. the complete breakdown, the speculative rebirth, the 'graduate' homage -- perfection.

Absolute rubbish until House gets the day pass at 1:06. 66 minutes of rubbish. Probably the worst season opener of any series ever.



So incredibly boring that I had to watch it to see why a network would present something this awful as their season opener. I am a House fan, but this was just awful. How dare the ruin a great show like this and possibly turn fans off with this rubbish. I will continue to watch the show in hopes that it turns out to be a great season like the last five. If not, I won't watch season 7.

All I can say is that I liked House a lot better when he was an obnoxious jerk. If he loses his personality, he's just another doctor whose personal issues overtake the show, and frankly, if I wanted to see this, I'd watch "Grey's Anatomy".

And did this episode have to get so cheesy ? House used to cure people's health problems in two days, not their souls. How are we supposed to accept that the people from the mental institution (who were obviously feeling bad enough to stay there for years), are suddently all miraculously recovering with the help of a few words from House and a music box ?

I believe that 40 min would have been sufficient enough to show us House's recovery, because frankly, nothing much happens in this episode, which lacks the energy brought by the medical puzzles in the rest of the show.

(And also, why so many clichés ? The show was usually very good at avoiding them. Come on, the talent show ? Give us a break.)

Well where do I start, I see that you all think it's a great episode, and I honestly can't see why. Sure it's a feel good story, oh the doctor is mentally ill, he needs to get better, but is that why people watch House? I watch House because I like his narcissist, rebellious nature, I like the fact that he brakes rules, the fact that he does not submit no anyone. Who is this pathetic broken man and why do I care? I like House because he's right 99% of the time and he doesn't take any crap but likes to dish it out. This episode was an 180 degree turn. This might also be a cultural thing, I don't really know what American audiences want to see, if it's this feel good stuff where you believe that people who are brilliant should be as submissive as people who are not, then enjoy the new show. I think that being smarter than 90% of the world gives you the right to be a jerk to 90% of the world if you want to.

I love ensemble shows. Shows that have a great cast chemistry where everybody has a key part of the show are always awesome. This is why shows like "M*A*S*H" and "The West Wing" are the best ever. I've never particularly cared for "House" because the show has one great character, House, and the supporting characters don't seem to matter. I think that "Broken" is a perfect example of what "House" should and could be. Not only is House great in this episode, but so are the new and interesting characters played by Andre Braugher and others. I also think that they should have done something completely ground-breaking and devoted the entire season to this storyline of House being in an insane asylum. That's right an entire season out of the hosiptal, forget Wilson, Cuddy and all those others characters. House in the asylum for an entire season with Braugher and the other characters would have made for something truly special and different on TV.

For a season opener, this episode was very strong and delved a little further into House's character than we've ever been. To start with, we see House locked in a room on the psychiatric ward, detoxing from Vicodin. He is in a lot of pain and screams for help. When he wakes up, he finds he has been strapped to the bed. Sometime later, the restraints are removed and he realises he can just about cope with the pain without Vicodin. He thinks that because he's there voluntarily, he can just leave, but his psychiatrist, Dr Nolan, tells him to stay. House checks into the long term ward, but figures out a plan involving blackmailing Nolan to get him out of there as quickly as possible. He phones Wilson to try a get information on Nolan, but Wilson tells House that Nolan warned him against helping House and it would be better if they had no contact. Wilson hangs up and House is left wondering whether Wilson was ever his friend.



House soon thinks up a new plan, involving him not taking his meds to prove to the doctors on the ward that he is sane and able to deal with the world. Dr Nolan reveals that he switched House to a placebo so as to catch him out and House realises his plan is foiled. He decides to comply with the doctors and starts opening up to Nolan, who challenges him to make friends and get over failures. In doing so, House ends up kissing and eventually sleeping with one of the patient's relatives, Lydia. Every day, Lydia visits her sister-in-law, who has been in a catatonic state for the past 10 years. One day, the patient suddenly recovers and Lydia and her family decide to move to Arizona, to live near the re-hab facility. House is devastated and tries to convince Lydia to stay, but she cannot leave her husband and children. House goes to Nolan to talk about this and Nolan tells him that is a sign of House getting better; he tried to talk about what was making him unhappy, rather than hiding in a Vicodin bottle. Nolan tells House he is going to write to the licensing board so that House can get his medical license back and the next day, House catches the first bus back to Princeton, happy.



This episode showed great writing and direction and was (of course!) brilliantly acted by Hugh Laurie et al. The only thing lacking, I thought, was a conversation between Wilson and Dr Nolan, which could have been very interesting! All in all, a fabulous season opener and promise of things yet to come...

In this episode of House, the following happens. This episode opens with House still in the psych hospital, as he detox's off of vicodin. Soon House packs his bags, as he prepares to leave. He tries to check himself out, as he is there as a volunteer, but the doctor in charge of his case, won't let him leave. He is told that if he leaves without getting the help that he needs, then he won't be able to practice medicine any more. And so House is transferred to Ward 6. And so begins a battle of the wills between House and the attending physician in charge of his detox program. Soon House learns what is wrong with his fellow patients and uses it against them. Soon House comes up with a scheme to blackmail the physician, but when he phones Wilson, he says he won't help him. And House decides to play along and make them think that he is making progress so that he is allowed access to other floors in the building. Soon a Happy Re-Birthday takes place, when one of the patients gets released. When one of the patients, who thinks he is superman, is told he isn't, he sinks deep into a depression. So House takes him out for the day, to a fair. During which they "fly" together on a machine. Thus proves to him that he is superhuman and so he jumps off of the car park, and survives, but barely. Soon a talent contest is held on the ward and some of them are quite strange to say the least. Especially when House helps out his roommate with his rap. House also manages to cure a patient who has spoken in years, when she is simply handed a music box, she begins to speak. Soon another Happy Re-Birthday happens and the cured woman is released into another rehab facility, to help her get back to normal, having been in a catatonic state for the last 10 years. Soon House's day comes and he gets his own Happy Re-Birthday cake and party. During which House rams his face into the cake, thus making everyone laugh. As he leaves with his one suitcase, we see his roommate looking on. Instead of seeing Wilson there to pick him up, we see House going to a bus stop, waiting for a bus to come. Then the roommate goes to gets his meds as he finally wants to get better. Perhaps House had a positive effect on him after all. Then the bus comes and House gets onto it and heads back home.

House M.D.: "Broken"



Dr. Nolan: You can’t go back to practicing medicine.

House: I don’t want to practice medicine. I’ve decided I want to be an astronaut.

Dr. Nolan: Well, if you want your state astronaut’s license, you’re gonna need my recommendation.



House M.D.: “Broken” - very unusually and strongly. Really good and promising start. I was bewitched after the first few minutes of the episode (Radiohead with their “No Surprises” have played here not last turn). House’s roommate, Juan ‘Alvie’ Alvarez (a manic depressive Puerto Rican-American who enjoys freestyle rapping) is really great. But the best part of the episode was associated with Dr. Nolan (Andre Braugher coped with his role perfectly) and House’s relations with Lydia. “People do not change. For example, I will always say that people do not change”. Despite Greg’s subconscious attempts to revoke content of his same words … People seem really do not change, well, at least House - certainly don’t change. And also it is necessary to note brilliant soundtrack. By the way, the inscription on the bus in the final scene is very symbolic - “Prepare to succeed!” Мy rating - 4.8/5



Link to original review - http://zuberbiller.tumblr.com/post/213886796/house-m-d-broken

Change is not all bad and this proves it



We have stepped away from the normal patient a week methodology and writers have given us a 2 hour feature on house's issues.



The season finale raised major concerns when House had seriously gone off track and ended up checking himself in for help. Nevertheless, this episode tied that story line up, not instantly curing him but showing a very different side of house (the show).



It was dramatic, is was funny and it left me constantly questioning what will happen next. I went into this episode very skeptical and i have walked away suprisingly very pleased with the outcome.

Honestly my favorite House episode yet. Expertly written, wonderfully acted, and it brings a freshness with a House who's admitting he needs help. It will be interesting to see how long this story arc lasts. It will also be interesting to see how long they keep him off the vicodin. Up until this point in the show, the pills seemed to be apart of the method of his madness. Now, things seem to be different. This is not only a House addiction free and still brilliant, but one for the first time in his life who is willing to admit his life is horrible to someone who can help. In the beginning of the episode you hate the Psychiatrist, only because you want to side with House. By the end however, he's the knight in shining armor. Overall, great start to the new season.

I thought the 2 hour opener was the best House episode YET and I've seen them all so far!!! A real redemption themed episode that really had an uplifting feel to it despite the depressing setting in a nut house.



The acting was amazing on all fronts especially from the guest stars. The gags were funny and witty as always. I look forward to the new season as long as the writers don't change Dr.House too much as it really is a successful formula even after 5 seasons.



Franka P who played Marie in The Bourne Idendity and Supremecy was cool to see also.

House, over the course of five Season's, has churned out some truly excellent episodes. Lots of the have been near perfect, whilst others have been just that. The dynamic writing, brilliant acting, and superb directing makes this show already great. This episode is a perfect example of that, and ranks up there now in my top 3 episodes, with "Three Stories" and "No Reason".



House's breakdown was a brilliant plot twist, and the writers didn't disappoint with this episode. I loved the beginning sequence with House detoxing off vicodin- it was a very different feel to the episode. Hugh Laurie gave such a brilliant performance during this. I have to admit, I thought that sequence would last longer, but I was more that happy with what they did next- I thought Dr Nolan treating him in the new ward was brilliant, and it was very amusing and typical of House to act out- I loved seeing him try to cause havoc. It also showed House caring about other human beings- for example, FreedomMaster, Alvi, and Lydia. It was great seeing his interactions with them, as opposed to his team back at the hospital. What was heartbreaking was seeing him admit he is broken, and how he requests help. I thought that was the highlight of the performance.



House's road to recovery is great to see, but it is also refreshing (and here, credit must again go to the writers) to see how House is still himself, ever if he isn't embittered by the vicodin. I have watched every House episode countless of times (except Season 5, which I haven't got on box-set as of yet), and it seems to me House is more like his Season 1-2 version of himself at the end of this episode, rather than the darker, nastier version he has become. I think that is a positive turn.



Overall, there were too many brilliant scenes to list in this episode- all I can recommend is to watch it, and be blown away by the storyline, and the acting of not just Hugh, but the rest of the supporting cast.

Solid episode! Season 5's finale finished strongly, leaving us wanting more and wanting answers. This episode satisfied both for me. The first few minutes of the episode was pretty shibby, House with a new haircut, showing his reaction to no pills and so on. One of the things I liked most about this episode the hospital itself and how it looked



For me, it looked boxed in, creepy and perfecto for the people it had inside. I think for a mental hospital look, they nailed it. Alvie was good inclusion for the episode, kept House going. And well, was good to see House 'open' up, sure a babe loved and left him but House is loosening the shackles and experiencing life, for good or for worst This episode succeeded in what it intended to do. Give answers and point the show in slightly newer direction. Things will never be the same again right? Sure it could have done rounded off a few minor edges but all in all, an AMAZING opener

great great episode this show really needed a change and this 2 hour episode gave it exactly that it worked to only see house a little bit of wilson and a bunch of new characters because it felt fresh . especially thanks to doctor nolan he was a great nemesis to house and also a great friend i hope he stays for a few episodes because house on therapy is very interesting . i hope this is a sign of how season 6 will be cause so far it seems just awesome .

heres for a wonderfull season of house

I loved the finale last year, and I was eagerly looking forward to this next chapter. I enjoyed the beginning of the episode. Using his powers of perception to irritate the other patients and annoy the doctors is classic House. And I understand the need for him to "get over" his issues about the way he interacts with people. I trust the writers to know how to handle the character, and I know this is all part of the constant evolution all good television characters have to go through. It just didn't feel organic. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing him smile as much as he did toward the end of the episode. I'll definitely keep watching, but hopefully he won't start behaving TOO MUCH out of character.

Even thou the last season ended in tears this new episode "broken" gave us a new and unexpected perspective of House's personality . . . despite the fact that he deals with his addiction his usual way we are amazed to discover the sensitive side to the bitter genius that is House. This episode/movie leaves us wondering if Greg changed . . . if things actually changed. We are looking forward to see if House is really capable to quit his addiction and come back to work. I can't wait to find out what will happen next . . . .

I wonder how this episode with divide fans of house. I have been watching since the beginning and i believe although its great show every week something needed to change. The problem how can you change house and i think "broken" did this very well. While the whole scenario of the Psychiatric Hospital fell down near the end the character arc for house in this was fantastic. After watching this seasons opener i have new hope for house and interest in where the writers take him emotionaly this time around. A much needed reboot for one of the best shows around

Hugh Laurie's emotional range as an actor makes this a stand out episode. Laurie managed to take Dr. House from a broken man to one worthy of redemption with humor and style. While this episode is not without major flaws, it does give us hope that perhaps House is able to walk out of Mayfield with a tiny piece of happiness. Aside from the powerful detox scenes, most of what followed was nothing short of a watered down version of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. House resists therapy, House acts like a child, House tries to manipulate the staff, staff says no to House. In short, the typical behavioral pattern we'd expect from House.



Andre Braugher's performance as the equally broken Dr. Nolan added some much needed calm for House's off the wall personality. Nolan's calm yet passive approach with House was not what I expected but it was successful in finally getting House to realize that he wants to be less miserable and happier. One thing that I felt was kept consistent was House's view that people are puzzles. I loved the music box scene that finally got Lydia's sister-in-law to finally break her silence. The writers did a good job of showing us that House does have a heart.



The biggest weakness of the episode was skipping the important issues that brought House to Mayfield in the first place-guilt over Amber's death, the loss of his father, and Kutner's suicide. I felt that the writer's sugarcoated the real issues in favor of one's that were already obvious and easier to write about. The House/Lydia relationship was fairly interesting but I really felt the writers insulted my intelligence by making me believe that House actually thought that a married woman would leave her husband for him. This fiasco only reinforced to House that in his reality, happiness just isn't possible.



As a whole, the writers did manage to give us hope that just may be House walked out of Mayfield with a lost piece of himself. House will always remain a narcissistic, sarcastic, loveable jerk that will only change if he finds a logical reason to do so. Still, if House is able to be happy with himself, his hospital stay was worth it.

I liked the episode. I thought it was good; of course, good is not excelent... "excelent" used to be my impression on every House episode and I hope this will go back to normal.



Normally, every new season of this show arcs in a fantastic way; the twists are great because they are well thought, well developed and at the same time so in sync with character, story and... and... STYLE! I was disapointed to see an episode in which style changed so much, and rythim also... ok, ok, it was movie lenght but I don´t think that that is excuse to present something that seems writen by a total different team... Besides that, "excelent 'non-House style' episode".



... I´m not really addressing the changes in character here. Some people critized it but I think that was ok. I´ve seen House change from season 1 to now, of course, smalls changes, no human being changes so drasticatily and I don´t personally think that that's the issue with this "broken" episode. I'll consider it a "special" and be sure to enjoy the unique spice of the show in the next episodes.

Last season's episode had probably the biggest cliff hanger in all of T.V history. House checking in to a mental asylum. Seriously if you were a fan of House M.D. and watched more then 3 episodes then you would have never seen this coming. House is a fighter and has always been one. He chose jail over rehab, undermined an hospital board, and has never followed the rules. The day House would willingly go to a mental asylum would be the day when Spongebob Squarepants would exclaim his hate for children.



So as you can imagine i was anticipating how they would continue the story from then onwards. I had high expectations for this episode and. much like the Dark Night movie, it rose above them to be forever remembered in all oh television history. People complain about how the episode felt unreal, that the mental facility got better because of House and that House got better way too fast. Well, no one got better except that one girl who was in a vegetative-like state. She got better when she was able to play music again, via the music box. It snapped her back to conscious and cured her. Those type of things actually happen in real life. It's not that unreal. Second of all House didn't get better at all. His just stop taking his pills. He became happy because he started taking pills and by the end of the episode we learn that he is still sad and confused. He's not going to change, except for his addiction to vicodin, and he's still going to be the same House we know and love.



And for people who thought this episode felt way to different, and for that reason you hated it, then... you guys are morons. No one likes a show that feels the same after each episode. Everyone wants change in route from time to time, and the feel good ending was a great change from the depressing season last year (which was still pretty good).



Overall i liked this episode, it was new, entertaining, and made my day. I don't see how anyone can hate this episode, or why people thought this was really that bad. It was good, at least i think so, and i really don't care what anyone else thinks.

As House has worn on through the seasons, it's become clearer and clearer that the old formula was losing its charm. By season four, the medical mysteries were becoming more and more dubious, and season five invested far more in the character development arm in order to detract from this ongoing problem. The writers were clearly running out of innovative ideas. House was losing his mojo.



This première was an indication as to which direction the new season will take to revitalise the show. I'm with the producers in that I don't think that "classic" House would have survived another season, as much as we all knew and loved him. The medical aspects of this ep were dubious at best, and I certainly hope that it picks up once the season gets into swing, but I thought that this was a well-written and well-directed episode in terms of completely reshaping House for the new season. Die-hards for the House of old probably wouldn't have been fans, but the deliberate emotional nature to the episode and the huge bias towards character/plot development and away from the medical mystery (while not sustainable) made for a refreshing start to the season... although, Huddy wtf?!



I'm glad they chose not to dwell on keeping House in the madhouse and got him out in the first episode and back to business. As for the episode, it was a good one-of-a-kind to bring in the new season but I hope to see Greg back to sleuthing around the place next week.

When I first sat down and watched this episode I did not know what to expect, House has this habit of creating brilliant season finales and then taking weeks to find its feet in a new season. Season Five was the most definitive proof of this, but the end of that season gave us the footing for a very intriguing start to season Six. And I must admit that not only was the ep able to keep the bar high from season five but made an even greater height by making the Season Six opener arguably the best episode of House ever.



Now most people that read the last statement would think that this is a rather drastic thing to write as there have been many brilliant eps over the five previous years. Some are even more entertaining than this one but none of them are as powerful or as gripping as this one was. Not to give away too much of the plot in this review, House kicks the drugs in a very intense opening montage. From here he is transfered to another ward in the hospital as the head of the hospital says he can't have his medical license back until he deems him to be in a proper state of mind. House of course resists and hope to gain his license back through duress or manipulation. Over this time he is forced to bond with the other patients, all with their own illnesses that need treating. Soon House sees that there is no way out of the ward with a medical license unless he actually seeks help. Along this path he makes many connections with the other patients as well as the doctors and one particular visitor to the ward.



The strength of this episode is that you are given time to connect with all the characters in the hospital, not just House. All the while this ep breaks the mould of the House formulae with a patient that can't be helped without him and his genius. This never happens, and there is no ducking back and forth from House to his team, it is all about him and his recovery. I am not kidding myself, I know this ep was a one off deal and the show will now turn back into its old self (which is fine by the way), but doesn't mean that this ep was any less brilliant, it could have been its own House film, every member of the cast and the crew for that matter held their own. This is the type of episode that should be a beakon to the network stations that this sort of thing can be done on primetime TV.

Excellent episode unlike no other that has come before it.



Like someone previously said, it did feel like a feature film and i loved every minute of it.



People are worried that the format of House is completely gonna change due to this episode but that is simply not gonna happen.



What has changed with House is that he has accepted that failures are lessons to be learned rather then excuses to punish himself.



This will lead to him having more of a social life outside of work and hopefully a bit of happiness for once.



He still showed in this episode that he will do what ever it takes to help the people in need regardless of the consequences, so i doubt his unorthodox and rebellious methods to save his patients is gonna change as that was never his jerk side, that was always his Human side and that is stronger then ever.



Long live House.

One thing I've feared about this show from the start is that it would quickly grow repetitive. How many times could they find something fresh to do within the confines of such a narrow formula? What's both a shocking and pleasant surprise is not only has the creative team consistently kept HOUSE interesting, but surprising as well. This is one show where you can never guess what's going to happen. Some twists and story arcs don't always work, but I admire the series for allowing its characters to grow and not always opt for the usually expected happy ending. It's also one of the most emotionally engaging shows I've ever seen. "Wilson's Heart" was, well, truly heartbreaking and it earned every tear. Now, with all that said, "Broken" was an excellent season opener, but I had a couple of problems. Forget about the radical departure in the show's structure. While definitely refreshing, it was incidental. That first hour was pure HOUSE, no matter the setting. It also proved that Hugh Laurie could carry this series with any ensemble cast (not to begrudge the excellent one he currently works with). The second hour is where the episode stumbles a bit. House becomes too vulnerable and the story turns a tad far-fetched. Sure, I can believe House could fall in love so easily, but everything happened way too fast. I expected him to stay in the hospital for more than one episode (though he may be back, who knows?) in order to explore his inner demons in a more thorough and convincing way. Those must have been really good meds for House to go from hopeless curmudgeon to freestyle rapper. And even House found it incredulous that some girl who's been silent in a near-catatonic state for so many years would suddenly snap out of it because of a music box (rehab or no rehab). Touching but trite. Now don't get me wrong. The entire episode was entertaining and makes me want to see where the writers take its premise as the season progresses. Hey, if I didn't like it, I certainly wouldn't have given the episode a 9.5. But what intrigued me at the end was that curious smile on his face. It made me wonder if House was really happy or was that just a cheshire grin, pleased with himself for finally figuring out a way to put one over on the hospital. Judging from clips for next week's episode, House looks and acts exactly like he always did. But we'll have to wait and see to be sure.