Ep. 4x14 - "Living the Dream"

[beandelphiki]

House tonight:

Proving to me once and for all that I really, truly watch this show for Greg House/Hugh Laurie and no one else. I mean, Kutner's awesome, Thirteen was interesting tonight (I've decided I really do like her and the dynamic she has with House, which is NOT the same one he had with Cameron), and I'm always all about House and Wilson's relationship.

But ULTIMATELY, I just watch this show for House. They could get rid of all the other characters - yes, including Wilson - and I would still watch.

I know this now because the only other part of the show that I thought was REALLY important (i.e. Wilson) was not really there tonight. His scenes with House felt a bit forced, although as a fan I can write that off to him being distracted by his mattress dilemma.

But tonight the writers made Wilson/Amber a bit more believable, just for a while. We know their relationship must ultimately be doomed (if for no other reason than it's a sideplot that takes up a lot of air time), but it's clear to me that if he were truly into her, Amber would be good for Wilson. Because she's actually interested in seeing him being a whole, functional person rather than feeding off his dysfunctions in symbiotic self-destruction. If only for her own gain, but being with someone who only looks out for themself isn't new for Wilson. So I think she'd end up doing him good.

And well, damn the writers for actually making me root a little for Wilson/Amber, but I suppose that's their job. Still, it made clear to me that even without Wilson, House means as much to me as ever.

I loved the way he saw through Mr. I Can't Believe My Life Is A Soap Opera's bullshit and told it to him straight, even though it would mean the end of that character on his favourite show. ("Hope is for sissies.") Hugh Laurie is the most underestimated actor around, I swear. He's just utterly fucking brilliant (I can't say that enough), and I was grinning every moment he was onscreen.

Now. Back to Wilson and Amber for a second.

Why the hell can't RSL play straight men?

Because yeah, Wilson is SUPPOSED to be awkward in his relationship with Amber, I'm sure. But it's more than that. He never has any chemistry with any female co-star that I've seen, even if he has it in spades with the male ones. Watching him make out with a female character feels off and icky and wrong...like watching someone make out with their sister.

I could blame it on being such a H/W fan. Except that I've seen a video clip of him in a theatre performance (I sadly can't even remember which one...basically he was obsessed with a black woman, and it was period), and while I LOVED the female character his was meant to be seducing, I couldn't buy his eagerness to bang her. I cringed, actually. It felt fake.

And so then, I COULD blame it on his actually not being as good an actor as we've been told he is, and that I've been believing he is...

...Except I've also seen clips of him in The Invention of Love (playing a gay character), and he was totally brilliant in that.

So, uh, what gives? Is he so socially awkward with women in real life that he can't keep his nerves from affecting things in his performances? Is he SO monogamous to any female he's currently with that he can't, figuratively, "get it up," with female costars? Or is he just a repressed my-being-in-theatre-proves-nothing homosexual, a bit Ryan Seacrest?

Because you really have to wonder.

Comments

[hry2007.livejournal.com]

I think part of it is that Wilson is not compatible with women and dates them to make them happy (which we saw tonight, when he wasn't the one to cheat in his marriage with Julie, when Bonnie described him as worried about what the woman wants (but not himself), the affair with Grace, etc). Sex with women isn't just to be normal, closeted, conformist for him. It's a tool to make people happy, and Wilson wants to make women happy because he sees it as the right thing to do, being a gentleman.

But yeah. I'm pretty baffled at RSL's inability to bring sexy back. I don't think him and Gaby even have chemistry. Maybe he's asexual? Because, I mean, most gay people I know can fake or even feel at least a little short-term chemistry with other sexes. Also, Gaby's been in Israel/Germany the past few years, and they've been long distance most their relationship, and I'm not trying to judge, but it looks like a very poorly constructed beard. Like an Abe Lincoln beard you'd wear for Halloween. Obvious.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just thinking...if he's asexual, why does he seem to have chemistry with male co-stars, then? It's just strange, I don't know. I mean, when people are generally non-homophobic and casual about sexuality, I prefer to take their word for it if they say they're straight. Some people just make it very difficult to believe.

"Homina, homina, homina," you know.

And ABE LINCOLN BEARD. I'm going to be repeating that.

[euclase.livejournal.com]

Watching him make out with a female character feels off and icky and wrong...like watching someone make out with their sister.

I totally got the same feeling watching tonight's episode.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it seems a lot of people feel that way.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

We saw him in "Tape," where he's supposed to be straight, I think, and he was totally slashing with the other male lead. No chemistry whatsoever with the female lead.

It's in his blood I think. Maybe he's just bi, but leaning, and has hung out with theatre majors so much that they've rubbed off on him.

I mean, there are some incredibly sensitive guys who are straight. I've met a few, and I really liked them. I mean, I never asked or anything, but I know they were married and had kids and all, and never flirted with me or anything. Kind of a litmus test for me is that... straight guys don't talk to me. Seriously. So if a guy is a good friend, and likes to talk to me and hang out and joke with me, then there's something different about them.

Like RSL, they just present as straight, but they have extremely fluid chemistry, and don't usually seem to have that overwhelming chemistry towards women that you sometimes see. I mean, Johnny Depp is attractive to a lot of gay guys, but he has incredible chemistry with women. Ditto with all the major stars you can think of: Cruise, Pitt, Clooney, Damon, DiCaprio, etc. A totally different chemistry than Leonard. You just can't see his... lust, outwardly, towards women. You can't see the intense concern, the concentration on women that you see with other guys. There's a kind of focus that straight guys have towards women... like no one else is in the room, or no one else matters at that point. It's like... they're not thinking of anything else than her. With RSl, and of course I didn't see any of the recent episodes, but I did see that movie and all, but with him, you get the idea that he is thinking of something else. Maybe he's thinking about his technique, or acting, or if he left the iron on. When he looks at House, you get the idea that he's not. He's thinking about House.

Still, I mean, the way Hollywood is people can be anything they want and be accepted, so I'd say no, probably not gay, but could be if he wanted to.

[beandelphiki.livejournal.com]

There's a kind of focus that straight guys have towards women... like no one else is in the room, or no one else matters at that point. It's like... they're not thinking of anything else than her.

YES, EXACTLY. And um, gay guys are the same way towards other guys (including straight ones). Just something I noticed years ago. I have no verdict to give on bi men, because I don't personally know any offline that I know of.

But, uh, glad someone else sees this sort of...defining energy. It's awfully hard to describe. But it's really crucial, somehow. Completely affects how men treat both women and each other.

When he looks at House, you get the idea that he's not. He's thinking about House.

Yes. It's like he's always calculating what House thinks, how House feels, what House wants, what House needs. Whether or not he acts on that in that moment (maybe he's too busy or pissed or whatever to act on what House wants), he's focused on that automatically.

It's not there with female characters. So...odd.

[siegeengine.livejournal.com]

I have no verdict to give on bi men

bi people in general tend to act that way toward people they are interested in, whatever their gender.