Elasmobranchological Vaulting

We’re preparing to return to being a family without broadcast or cable telelvision in a few weeks, but during the days that remain unto us we’ve fallen into an affection for Hugh Laurie’s House. Margaret used to be a fan of Quincy, Medical Examiner (for which I teased her mercilessly), and shows with detection themes appeal to the puzzle-solving imperative in all three of us. Throw in House’s irascible persona and Hugh Laurie’s acting skill, and we were easy targets.
 
And Monday night, we watched intently as the final episode of the season played out. I won’t comment on the particulars, since in this digital age some readers may have time-shifted the episode for later viewing, but we were captivated and moved as the hour’s developments played out.
 
That being said, Monday night (or more precisely, Tuesday morning) as I was lying awake in bed, it occurred to me to wonder whether House had not, alas, jumped the shark. Several aspects of the episode seemed to fit criteria for shark-jumping, and as I tossed and turned and sleepily ruminated, I recalled the earlier episode this season wherein House abducted his favorite soap opera star in order to treat his undiagnosed neurological affliction. That one seemed a paradigm example.
 
Then, to my utter delight, yesterday morning while Margaret and I were washing up and getting dressed, she turned to me and asked, “Do you think maybe House has jumped the shark?” Two minds, two hearts, in near-perfect harmony — what more could you ask? (Apart from a tauter, more plausibly creative plot vision for a well-acted TV medical drama.)

3 thoughts on “Elasmobranchological Vaulting

  1. Yes, I was wondering the same thing these last few episodes. Sad, as I’ve been a big fan of the series and of Mr. Laurie since his Blackadder days. Perhaps the writer’s strike caused some hemorrhaging in the frontal lobe…

  2. Yes, I’ve been thinking similar thoughts since fall, but especially since House returned this winter.

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