House Arrest

Today's blog is all about addiction - specifically addiction to certain TV shows. Since losing the power of the laptop around seven months ago, I've been at a loss when it comes to filling in the evenings. I've always followed a few TV shows, but never so much that it interfered with my online time. Since losing the laptop, however, TV shows began to take over, and what used to be a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours a week has turned into "OMG I have to watch it or I'll die!"

It's really bad. I never used to be like this, but now I'm suddenly at the mercy of the tube. It's astonishing how quickly I have become accustomed to keeping up with so many shows. There's something to watch almost every day, and some days there is the dubious honor of being able to watch the latest episodes on several shows. Imagine that!

I like a few British shows (though I steer clear of the soaps), but it's really American TV that has enslaved me. There are plenty of shows to choose from, and I have quite a lot that I tune into. (This is where the PC comes in handy too - TV streaming has saved me from having to wait a looong time before the shows arrive over here in Wales, and since I have become obsessed with so many, waiting just isn't an option).

Seeing as several TV shows have taken me over, I thought it was fitting that I blog about them once in a while, and to start off, I thought I'd go with House M.D. - very fitting when you think about it. I have an addiction to American TV, and the main character of this show has a fairly heavy addiction to something himself.

I think most people will have heard of this show, even if they haven't seen it, so I won't go into any in depth rambling about it. What I will say is that the main reason I started watching this show was because of Hugh Laurie. I've been a fan of this guy since way back when - he's pretty big over in Britain as a comedy actor - and I was curious to see him in this more serious role. It took a couple of episodes to become hooked, but it wasn't long before I was captured.

Hugh Laurie is amazing. When I think of him in his Blackadder days, I am astonished that he can play such a completely different character in House and get away with it. There aren't many actors who can cross-genre in that way, it's just not done. Hugh makes it look easy. Not to mention the fact that I think he does a pretty good American accent (although I'm no expert). It's got so that whenever I watch re-runs of Blackadder, I actually think he sounds strange speaking with a British accent. (By the by, if nobody knows what I am talking about when I mention Blackadder, I highly recommend it. It's not on the same level as Monty Python, but I can guarantee you'll laugh your socks off, particularly the second and third seasons. Hugh's Prince Regent is wonderfully funny).

Anyway, back to House M.D. It's a brilliant show, no question. Sometimes I think it tries to be a little too clever, but mostly I think it's great entertainment. Even the hubby enjoys it, and we have great fun every week shouting out 'Lupus!' and 'Encephalitis!' whenever the team are trying to diagnose their current patient. OK, it's predictable - we already know that the patient will be diagnosed wrongly at least three times, and will be on the verge of death before Greg House suddenly spots the answer in something random like a locker, but we don't watch it with the expectation of something new every week. We watch it so that we can laugh our heads off at Hugh Laurie's excellent performance. There aren't many actors who could have gotten away with portraying a vicodin-addicted, socially inept, sarcastic and highly bitter doctor (apparently Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy) was up for the part - thank the lord he didn't get it!), but Hugh pulls it off and manages to grab our sympathy too.

Every episode has a few new 'Houseisms', and while in the real word we know that these things could never be said (unless you wanted to get beaten up pretty badly), it's because House is so wonderfully non-PC that we love him. He's the sort of person you'd never want to speak to you in his disparaging way, but would love to eavesdrop on when he's talking about someone else. (Or maybe that's just me...*shifty*)

And you know, for an older guy, Hugh Laurie's not bad in the mojo stakes either. I think he's much better looking now that he's aged. (Of course, he's not up there with Aragorn, but who is? *snorts*)

So there we have it, a quick ramble on just one of the TV shows that keeps me glued to the tube fairly frequently these days. I'm shooting off now as I have this weeks' episodes of Supernatural and Grey's to catch up with....

Oh dear. I'm so doomed.