I’m a huge fan of House, an hour-long show on Fox about a sarcastic, crippled doctor who downs bottles of painkillers and also manages to save at least one life every episode. As a demonstration of fan loyalty, I bought a cane from a party shop that I brandish at each House viewing. After two painful weeks of waiting, a new episode is set to air next Tuesday. Luckily, I came across some fresh House material online:

House, MD spoof on MadTV – this hilarious clip is actually a great primer for those who’ve never watched the show

Hugh Laurie: a real Renaissance man – the man who plays Dr. Gregory House seems to be quite a talent. He’s British, a self-deprecating comedian, a published novelist, and a talented pianist. Also winner of two Golden Globe awards for best actor, TV drama.

(added 1/30) ‘House’ Already Strong, Gets a Boost – even the New York Times has jumped on the House bandwagon, calling it the “the strongest scripted hour that Fox has to offer” and recounting the show’s rise to success from near-cancellation a few years ago.

And though hardly related, I thought of House as I read a New Yorker excerpt (works as its own short story) of Ian McEwan’s novel Saturday, about a brain surgeon whose run-in with shady characters leads to consequences for his family (I ordered the novel online today):

…there remains in a portion of his thoughts a droning, pedestrian diagnostician who notes poor self-control, emotional lability, explosive temper, suggestive of reduced levels of gaba and excessive glutamate among the appropriate binding sites on striatal neurons. There is much in human affairs that can be accounted for at the level of the complex molecule. Who could ever reckon up the damage done to love and friendship and all hopes of happiness by a surfeit or depletion of this or that neurotransmitter?

I imagine House would make a similar medical observation if confronted by a dangerous aggressor exhibiting small physical quirks. There’s something very cool-headed and respectable about a person whose mind seems to stay focused on his practice even during moments of extreme personal stress. Don’t think those doctors on that ABC show would know anything about that.