House, M.D.: Season Two
|
List Price: Our Price: $19.99 You Save: $19.99 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.24 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of House, M.D.: Season Two
Movie Review: House, M.D. - Season Two
Summary: 5 Stars
The first season of "House, M.D." introduced us to a sardonic, pill-popping (though brilliant) doctor named Gregory House, who (along with his medical team) in each episode would take on baffling cases and tried to solve the mysterious illnesses that their patients would come down with. The medical mysteries continue with season two of "House, M.D.", which I think is just as superb as season one. Many of the great qualities that were displayed in the first season are back in the second season: excellent writing, exceptional directing, and terrific acting by the cast.
Hugh Laurie returns in his career defining role as Dr. House, an individual who's very good at his job but not very good at being nice to anyone (including his team). Laurie is the whole show here, but he has the great support of an extremely talented supporting cast. Lisa Edelstein (Dr. Cuddy), Omar Epps (Dr. Foreman), Robert Sean Leonard (Dr. Wilson), Jennifer Morrison (Dr. Cameron), and Jesse Spencer (Dr. Chase) are all back as well, with at least one welcome addition to the cast for part of season two. Two time Emmy award winning actress Sela Ward ("Sisters", "Once and Again") was introduced at the end of season one as House's ex-girlfriend Stacy Warner, who asked House to treat her husband who came down with a mysterious illness (which he eventually cured). In the final episode of season one, Dr. Cuddy wanted to hire Stacy to become the hospital lawyer, though first asking House for his permission. He agreed and in season two we get to see much of Stacy as House tries to not only deal with his patients and his incredibly sore leg, but also deal with his relationship with Stacy in spite of the fact that she's currently married. This was a terrific storyline to the show as well as intriguing, as you wonder what's going to happen between these two people. There's great chemistry between Laurie and Ward in their scenes together and the two play off each other wonderfully.
Even though Hugh Laurie is the main star of "House, M.D.", the supporting actors got a chance to show off their acting chops in season two. Omar Epps gives a powerful performance in the two part episode titled Euphoria, in which Dr. Foreman comes down with an illness that House and his other team members frantically try to find a cure for. Jesse Spencer shines in the episode The Mistake, in which Dr. Chase comes under fire from the hospital board after making a fatal error that leads to the death of a patient. Sela Ward also does some strong acting in this same episode as Stacy tries to help Chase in telling him on what he should say at the disciplinary hearing. And Jennifer Morrison does a good job in the episode Hunting, where Dr. Cameron fears that she might have contracted AIDS after an AIDS patient that she treats accidentally coughs blood over her.
Though "House, M.D." is a drama series, the show has its share of funny moments as the humor level went up a few notches in season two. Most of the laughs come from the insanely things that House says to everyone, but that's not all. Some of the truly funniest moments include: House allowing Wilson to come live with him and their living arrangements start to backfire almost from the start; House, Wilson, and Cuddy enjoying a night of gambling at their hospital benefit; House catching a mouse at Stacy's place, then decides to keep it by bringing it to the hospital; and the laugh out loud moment of season two is when House breaks the news to a Chinese woman who only speaks Mandarin that her teenage daughter is pregnant. (Yes, he breaks the news to her speaking in Mandarin!)
While there are plenty of laughs on "House, M.D.", there are also plenty of disturbing images that might be too intense for some viewers. This is especially true of the last episode of season two: No Reason. Even though the primary storyline of this episode revolves around House getting shot by the husband of a former patient and realizing that the pain in his leg is starting to go away, there's the secondary storyline that revolves around a patient with a very bad tongue infection. I must warn you, what this patient goes through is extremely tough to watch. If you haven't seen this episode yet and you're reading this now, please take my warning seriously. There are a couple of extremely graphic moments that may be too much for some people. By the end of this episode I was in shock at what I had seen. During the first two seasons, "House, M.D." has had its share of graphically disturbing moments. But the No Reason episode is by far the most hard to watch episode to date.
In spite of all the disturbing elements that this show puts on display, "House, M.D." is a terrific show. For season two, it received its first Emmy nomination as Best Drama Series. But where was Hugh Laurie's nomination for Best Actor? Everybody said that he was snubbed, and boy they were right. But I'm sure he'll be back nominated next year. On the bright side, he won a Golden Globe earlier this year for season two, which was well deserved. And if the show continues to get stronger with each season, I think some of the supporting cast members will be honored too as well as possible nods for its writing and directing which it so much deserves.
"House, M.D." is the medical show to watch! Season three has just started and I'm dying to see what's in store for Dr. House and company this year.
Movie Review: Best season so far of this fine medical drama...
Summary: 5 Stars
...and I might add medical comedy too. Part of House's appeal is that nobody since Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry is this tough, is such a professional purist who is allowed to continue practicing that profession for more than ten minutes, and last but not least has such funny one liner remarks.
House is rude to his patients and avoids them whenever possible, but part of what makes him repugnant to almost everyone around him is that he is about the search for pure truth, and superficial niceties have no place in his life. He doesn't wear a lab coat, and he sports tennis shoes and a scruffy beard. Thus when he does actually talk to the patients he lays it on the line and expects them to do the same. However, they almost always lie to him, something that he says he expects and one reason he avoids contact with them in the first place.
So why would such a rude unkempt character be so popular among viewers? Possibly it could be because as a nation we are sick of being lied to in every aspect of our lives by blow-dried poll-tested representatives of large corporate interests who are only interested in image, profit, and covering their backsides, and House is the antithesis of all of this.
This particular season has some superb episodes. Several said they did not care for the arc with House's ex-girlfriend Stacy Warner, now married to a man with all of the s ex appeal of the Staypuffed Marshmallow Man, and who is still unable to walk while recovering from an illness that House treated him for at the end of season one. I personally liked the arc because it showed the side of House that was capable of love. Stacy has already made the admission to House that he was "the one guy" for her, but that there was no room in House's life for her and there was room for her in her husband's life. This sets up the possibility that House and Stacy may reunite. First, however, House has to find out the absolute truth of Stacy's relationship with her husband - and what House does to get that information costs him dearly when Stacy finds out. House does make a new friend this season - a rat living in Stacy's attic whom he names "Steve McQueen".
As for the individual cases, they are interesting as always, but there are three episodes that really stand out. Two of them consist of the two-parter "Euphoria" in which Foreman is infected with a deadly disease that is of unknown origin and an unknown method of transmission. It turns out that Foreman, who is the most similar to House of any of his assistants, is different from House in one key way. He is willing to use any means necessary to preserve his life regardless of the possible future quality of that life. The final episode has House being shot by a disgruntled ex-patient. The big question left unanswered here is not so much will he survive, but will he be able to recover the use of his leg as a result of the shooting. You see, for Foreman the important issue is just staying alive, because he has no first-hand knowledge of life with chronic disability. House has been dragging around a useless but painful leg for five years now, and when the chips are down, for him just being alive isn't enough.
The extra features are spread out over the discs this season and include:
"An Evening with House" featurette
"It Could Be Lupus" featurette
Blooper reel
Alternate takes: the "Valley Girl" versions
Producer commentaries
The extra features here are better than the season one features, and I really enjoyed the commentary on the final episode "No Reason". Another improvement is that this season is spread out over six single-sided discs rather than the three dual-sided easily scratched discs of season one.
Movie Review: Our Favorite Cane Toting Doc is at it Again....
Summary: 5 Stars
Whose house...Greg's house! It is so easy to become addicted to this intense, character driven dramedy that showcases the amazing acting talent of this ensemble cast, led by the illustrious Hugh Laurie in the title role as Dr. Gregory House.
Follow Dr. House as he and his team of diagnosticians work round the clock to solve bizarre medical mysteries. Each episode brings a new and exciting medical challenge for our favorite TV docs to puzzle through. After suffering muscle death in his right leg, House experiences chronic pain (for which he regularly pops the narcotic painkiller Vicodin like they were tic-tacs), and manages to get around using a cane (which has become one of his trade-mark accessories). His constant pain, plus many other mitigating factors, make House a sarcastic, cranky, angry-with-the-world kind of man. Unfortunately for those who have to withstand his nasty demeanor, House is also a brilliant diagnostician, and an astute observor of human behavior (even going so far as to recommend to a patient whose skin has turned orange that he stop eating so many carrots, and get a good lawyer. When the patient asked why he'd need a lawyer, House unapolegetically told the man that if his wife hasn't noticed that her husband has turned a radioactive shade of orange, she's probably cheating on him and therefore distracted).
Hugh Laurie's comedic turn as the cranky Dr. House is pure genius. He is the major reason this show has taken off as it has. Laurie snagged the role by filming an audition tape with a hand-held camera in a tiny, dirty bathroom. Laurie was filming on location for his movie Flight of the Phoenix (Widescreen Edition) when he heard about the role. Not wanting to miss out, he filmed an audition tape, and mailed it to the show's creators.
If you don't already own House, M.D. - Season One, purchase it immediately, along with this incredible season 2 set. As far as the asthetics of the set itself, I find that I like the way Season 2 is set up. Season 1 contained three discs, the type that have two sides to them so that when you are ready to watch the rest of the episodes you just flip the disc over. Season 2 contains six individual discs, three of which offer some pretty fun special features.
Included in the special features are a couple alternate scenes in which Dr. Cuddy and Dr. Cameron do the same dialogue in a bubbly California valley girl dialect (it's pretty funny). There is also a compilation from all the episodes in which the doctors are doing their "differential diagnosis" and the auto-immune disease Lupus is thrown out as a suggestion (if you pay attention, you'll notice that the term Lupus is used often, even though there has yet to be a single episode where Lupus was the correct diagnosis). My favorite special feature would be the montage of the many goof-ups, slip-of-the-tongues, forgotten lines, made-up lines (often perpetrated by Hugh Laurie), and just general hilarity.
Bottom line, while House's mantra is "everybody lies", it's no lie that this show is amazing, and well worth the purchase of the season box sets.
"House" airs on FOX on Tuesdays at 8:00 Central/Standard.
Movie Review: House M.D: Season 2 of the best medical drama on television releases on DVD Aug 22...,
Summary: 5 Stars
After ER, Chicago Hope, and dozens of other medical dramas, how many really good stories could be left? Turns out, quite a few if done in the right way with an excellent cast. House M.D. breathes new life into the hospital drama by adding a dash of CSI type sleuthing with a stellar cast, led by Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House and also starring Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer, and Robert Sean Leonard.
Dr. Gregory House is an incredibly unusual doctor. He dislikes patients, is partially crippled by a muscular disorder, pops Vicodin like they are tic-tacs, and is addicted to reruns of General Hospital. He would rather read a medical journal or hide out in the OB/GYN lounge than deal with a patient. His true purpose in life is leading a team of young doctors in diagnosing the usually rare and fatal maladies that baffle most doctors. Here House is part Sherlock Holmes and part Gil Grissom. He assembles the puzzle, often failing to get the pieces right, until finally the solution is arrived at. In the meantime he runs rampant across the hospital, badgering or simply bullying his way into getting what he needs to try and help the patient. His bedside manner is not pleasant, in fact House is a jerk because being a jerk is the fastest way to get patients healthy.
Season 2 started off a bit slow overall as a subplot about House and his ex-girlfriend Stacy (Sela Ward) takes up too much screen time, but once she departs the season picks up dramatically. There is quite a bit of character growth for the staff: Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) still holds a bit of a torch for House but moves on to other and more risky things, Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) has difficulty dealing with the death of his father and still doubts his own abilities at times, and Dr. Foreman (Omar Epps) discovers that he is willing to step on others to ensure his own success, and that sometimes tragedy strikes closest to home. Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) and Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) get some great screen time, becoming more three-dimensional and much more interesting, and we learn quite a deal more about House and the skeletons in his closet that make him tick.
The 2nd season set contains 24 episodes, with the best coming towards the end of the season, several featurettes, and at least one commentary according to the tvshowsondvd guys. Top episodes include Sex Kills, All In, Sleeping Dogs Lie, House vs God, and the brilliant two-parter Euphoria, which showcases some phenomenal acting by Epps, Morrison, and Laurie. The writing is particularly fresh, original, and inspired, and the cast seems to thrive on the energy. Some of the incredible guest stars include LL Cool J, Ron Livingston(Office Space), Alanna Ubach(Legally Blonde), Cynthia Nixon(SATC), Greg Grunberg(Alias), Samantha Mathis(Pump up the Volume), Michelle Trachtenberg(Buffy), Elias Koteas(Traffic), Charles S. Dutton(Threshold), Michelle Clunie(Queer as Folk), and D.B Sweeney(The Cutting Edge). Improving on a great rookie season is difficult, but House M.D. succeeds brilliantly. Pick up your copy today. Highly Recommended.
A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO
Movie Review: "Do I have to spell it out for you?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Dr. House is back for round 2 and hasn't lost any of the punch! Hugh Laurie, Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer, Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, and Lisa Edelstein reprise their memorable roles in Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital for more medical mysteries and interhospital relational issues.
A great concern for any sequel or season 2 is "Can they pull off the success of the first movie/season?" The answer for House is a big, confident "YES!" The addition of Stacy, House's ex-girlfriend, adds a unique dimension to the hospital, one that I thought wouldn't work. Through Stacy (and House's pursuance of his now-married former girlfriend), we are able to see that House truly can love, does love, wants to love, but is afraid of love. The scenes with House and Stacy are well done, vibrant, and impactful. Definitely no naptime here!
Other episodes (such as Euphoria and The Mistake) give us glimpses into the lives of House's team members, Drs. Cameron, Chase, and Foreman. Through these episodes, we see their strengths, their weaknesses, their families, and why they became doctors in the first place.
If you think for one moment that the writers will pull back and get lazy and let their characters slip, think twice. The characters are just as vibrant as in Season 1, the drama just as moving, the mysteries as puzzling and House's humor just as funny and piercing.
Again, if you have a faint stomach or are sensitive to sexuality in shows, this might not be for you...
Add the absolutely amazing season finale that will make you wonder what does and doesn't exist, and this is definitely not a season to be missed. Add this to your Christmas list and hope Santa thinks you've been good this year! A must have to anyone's DVD collection!
EPISODE GUIDE:
"Acceptance" - A death row inmate develops symptoms and House jumps to take on the case. You get to see how Cameron hates to face the facts, lives in eternal hope, and believes that everyone should make an impact in the world. 4.5/5
"Autopsy" - A young cancer patient is experiencing symptoms...but the team can't seem to find what is wrong. I love how House questions this young girl's bravery and the hug. 5/5
"Humpty Dumpty" - A young man falls of Cuddy's roof and is unable to breath. We get to see more of Lisa's character, how guilty she feels, and how she will do anything to remedy her mistake...which may prove detrimental! 4.5/5
"TB or Not TB" - A famous TB doctor exhibits TB symptoms, but House is sure it isn't TB. I love seeing House irate at this man, to see Cameron think this doctor is the next best thing to Wonder Bread. 4.5/5
"Daddy's Boy" - A recent college grad experiences shock like symptoms. Excellent episode, with the father-son relationship of the patient giving an interesting contrast to House's relationship with his parents. 5/5
"Spin" - A cyclist collapses while on a race...and it's drugs! Cameron gets up in arms about his lying to his fans, about his drug usage. 4.5/5
Brought to you by
*C.S. Light*