{ doctor, doctor }

[delga]

So, my immune system has oviously been shot to hell because I have the worst cold. And this time, it actually IS a cold as opposed to just hayfever. Bleurgh.

Watched both Murphy's Law and House last night. The thing with British series isn't actually one thing, it's two. Firstly, the seasons temd to be six to ten episodes long which isn't long enough at all but can make for some pretty compelling drama within a short space of time. The second thing is that because the BBC doesn't have advertising, the series are a full hour long. Murphy's Law, this season, has had the feel of 24; not that it's about terrorists or anything like that but it's had the same quality of tension to it. I know I couldn't watch the series again. 24 is only around 45 mins. per episode and because the season is stretched out over 24 episodes, some of them aren't so tough as others. ALso, because of the three/four act format, you get ebbs and flows within each episode. So it's bloody tense but you get a break every now and then.

This is so NOT the case when you're watching Murphy's Law. Everything is all go, all the time and even when there's nothing actually happening on screen, even when things are winding down, they're still so taut. This isn't a feature that's specific to seaosn 3, either. Last year, in the case with the girl who was hiding as a nun, the ending to that was terrific (and I mean that in the more archaic sense of the word). It left me unsetlled, disturbed. But the next week swung around and all was levity again. Season 3 has been hardcore from start to finish and this is where the difference between British and American TV really hits home because all six episodes we're packed to the brim with feeling. We don't have nine months to play out a story; it's six months in six weeks (six hours) and it's one thing after another, bam bam bam. You don't get a chance to take a breath and it's actually quite difficult to watch at times. I'd never be able to sit with the series and watch it in one go. never. I'll admit, it wasn't what I tuned in for but after a while, I began to like it for what it was, as opposed to what I wanted it to be. Brilliant acting by all the cast, epecially James Nesbitt; also, fantastic storylines that always keep you guessing. Applause also to the directors, especially whoever shot the finale because it was so well cut and put together. Just wow.

House is still going strong. The bay-illness epidemic is always one that is difficult to do, I think, because it's so emotionally raw and writers can fuck it up by playing on the public sphere in that way. What I mean is, they might expect the audience to have an emotional reaction and so don't crank it up - or crank it up too much. House managed to avoid that, managed to keep it's tone. I dislike Cameron's character. Not greatly, but enough. I think the writers are trying too hard to make her an interesting female persona and it's a ridiculous position to take because why focus on her as opposed to the other two? The only reason I can think of is that she has breasts and god, if that IS the reason, well fuck you very much. Woman gets over-emotional over baby-death. Wow, there's a surprise. But why can't men? That annoyed me somewhat but I pushed it aside (these things only become rant-worthy when I actually start ranting). I have only one more thing to say: lady? House was more sympathetic to you at the end of that episode than I was so give the attitude a rest. Obviously we're all now supposed to speculate whether or not all her emotional insecurity comes from the fact that she lost a baby and we're supposed to speculate how old she is and who the father of the baby was and if she was disowned and if this is why she's now a doctor and ENOUGH. Jesus. Blatant manipulation of the audience is tired. Please trust our intelligence a little more than that.

The ethical issues brought up in the episode were tacitly handled and the side plot with the pregnant woman? "You have a parasite. but it's ok. You will give this parasite a name, dress it in clothes and like it." Hee. Also, I loved it when Cuddy cut off the med student's tie. Bwah! Other high moments included House running away from the pregnant woman, the whole 'mono' gag and House waking Chase by throwing a tome at him. Hehehe. Yes, I'm sadistic and cruel.