Summary
Cheekily titled “Everybody Dies,” theHouseseries finale remains incredibly divisive even 12 years after it premiered. Aftereight uneven seasons,Housewrapped up with an episode that pushed its titular character, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), to examine his life choices— and potential future — one last time, all while treating a patient with substance-use disorder (SUD). The 2012 finale came just shy of a decade afterHouse, M.D.premiered on Fox, capping off an impressive and hugely popular run for the misanthropic medical genius at the show’s center.
The medical drama built a reputation onHouse’s tried-and-true formula. Led by Dr. Gregory House, a team of Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital-based diagnosticians are tasked with diagnosing a patient with a dire-yet-obscure condition. Usually, the patient’s previous attempts to be diagnosed have resulted in their condition worsening. In many ways,House is Sherlock Holmes with a medical degree, though he’s more complicated than the average detective. With his dependence on pain medication, mountain of secrets, and penchant for making controversial statements, House is a singular — and truly unforgettable — TV character.
House’s Biggest Gamble Risked Ruining The Show (But Actually Saved It)
House season 4, one of the show’s best, took one massive risk that could have ruined the medical drama forever but ended up making it better.
House’s Series Finale Is One Of The Show’s Most Divisive Episodes
The Medical Drama Became Overly Sentimental & Melodramatic For Many Viewers
Over the course of its eight seasons and 177 episodes,Housechurned out some divisive entries, butthe series finale might be the most controversial among viewers. Given the show’s medical mystery premise, some ofHouse’s highest-rated episodes are the most tragicones. The House season 8 finale definitely straddles the line between fitting and overly sentimental. For some, later installments of the beloved series strayed toward being more melodramatic, taking away from the darker, more realist tone of the show’s earlier outings. However, some viewers foundHouse’s introspective finale to be a satisfying send-off for the character.
…later seasons ofHousehad become so thoroughly drenched in misery and tragedy that sitting through heavy episodes felt like a slog.
For the most part, critics panned theHouseseries finale. Instead of mining the darkness of life for thoughtful examination, later seasons ofHousehad become so thoroughly drenched in misery and tragedy that sitting through heavy episodes felt like a slog. To that end,The A.V. Clubdubbed “Everybody Dies” a “failure of ambition,” suggesting that the once clever and gripping medical drama had fizzled out long ago.Even the character of Gregory House, the kind of unlikable but extremely watchable anti-hero who’s navigating his vices, started to feel tiredtoward the end of the show’s run.
The Oldest House Mystery Was Never Settled By The Show
One old House, M.D. question was never settled by the show and is still argued about among fans almost 12 years after the medical drama ended.
What Happens In House’s Season 8 Finale
House Fakes His Own Death In The Series Finale
In theHouseseason 8 finale,the titular doctor wakes up next to a corpse in an abandoned building that’s slowly burning to the ground. As was common on the program, House begins to hallucinate colleagues from his past and grapples with his subconscious. Flashbacks show that House, who is facing a felony charge, was working on a case involving Oliver, a patient navigating a heroin addiction. Knowing that House was facing jail time, Oliver offered to take the fall for his doctor’s crimes, which House refused. In the present, that dead body lying in the burning building is Oliver’s.
Dental records indicate that one of the bodies recovered from the destroyed building is House’s…
Eventually, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and Foreman (Omar Epps) notice House’s absence from the hospital and track him down to the scene of the fire. Before anyone can rescue House, the building explodes. Dental records indicate that one of the bodies recovered from the destroyed building is House’s, so his former friends and colleagues organize a funeral for the late doctor. During the ceremony,Wilson receives a text from the still-alive House, who reveals that he faked his own deathwith Oliver’s help. As a result, House is able to live out Wilson’s terminal cancer diagnosis by his side.
This Running House Gag Was The Best Part Of Every Episode
House, M.D.’s episodes followed a very strict formula, but there is one segment of the show that always made for some unpredictable, great scenes.
Everything House’s Series Finale Got Right
Putting Wilson & House’s Relationship In The Spotlight Made Sense
Although it wasn’t one ofHouse’s best episodes, the series finale did boast some redeeming qualities. Namely,the finale put House and Wilson’s relationship front and center, which is an incredibly refreshing spin, even by today’s television standards. From the show’s pilot onward, the misanthropic Dr. House and the more compassionate Dr. Wilson, who heads up the Department of Oncology, are billed as an odd couple of sorts. Throughout the show’s run, it becomes clear that Wilson is House’s only tried-and-true friend. After Wilson is given six months to live in season 8, House is clearly shaken.
Even House’s decision to give up his career (and life) to spend time with the terminally ill Wilson is somewhat selfishly motivated.
Gregory House has never been a selfless character. Even House’s decision to give up his career (and life) to spend time with the terminally ill Wilson is somewhat selfishly motivated. After all,House was headed to jailagain, so faking his death helps him escape that fate. Nonetheless, centering House and Wilson’s relationship at the show’s conclusion was a commendable move. Of course,it would have likely landed better with more viewers had House’s story not strayed into fake-your-death melodrama, but the show’s intentions were good.
Dark House Theory Reveals What Happened After The Series Finale
What ultimately happened to House and his best friend after Wilson’s cancer diagnosis, House faking his death, and the ambiguous House season finale?
House Deserved A Better Finale Than What It Got
The House Series Finale Augmented The Show’s Biggest Problems
TheHouseseason finale augmented some of the series' biggest problems and pitfalls, leading to an episode that felt more melodramatic than satisfying. The once-groundbreaking medical drama used to be dark-yet-clever, trading in challenging topics, but always offering thrilling medical insight.AsHousewent on, it became bogged down by its own dark bend, supplementing sharp writing with tragedy after tragedy. Ultimately, not only did this angst become tiresome, but the constant tragedy took away from the show’s stakes, pushing the writers into a corner by the time theHouseseries finale happened.
All 8 seasons ofHouseare now streaming on Hulu.
House
House is a medical mystery drama in which the villain is typically a difficult-to-diagnose medical malady. It follows Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), a world-renowned disabled diagnostician with a notorious substance abuse issue. With his team of world-class doctors, House has built a reputation as one of the most brilliant doctors in the world - an especially impressive feat when taking into account that he rarely actually sees his patients.
