apophenic dreams.

Permalink

On Vicodin and Reichenbach: Deconstructing the motivations of Dr. Gregory House and Sherlock Holmes

behindtintedglass:

The lovely rinipanini once messaged me about the parallelism of House and Holmes and a possible discussion about their respective addictions and their continuous reliance on them, despite the harm it does to themselves and — most importantly — the people who care for them, particularly James Wilson and John Watson. Several days later, the equally lovely afrogeekgoddess shared with me her beautifully written post-Reichenbach fic which tackled John’s grief over Sherlock’s supposed death, and which got me to reflect on Sherlock’s possible reasons as to why he deliberately chose to not only leave John, but deceive him.

And then I remembered this story I’ve written years ago (under a different penname) in trying to understand why House seems to continuously choose the comfort of Vicodin rather than freely accept the friendship Wilson has been graciously offering him constantly, and without fail. The story takes place immediately after Season 2, before Tritter, Amber, Kutner, Mayfield, and Cuddy.

It’s interesting to revisit the story now because, from the perspective of “House, M.D.,” Gregory House’s motivations seem all the more real now, given that his belief has only been proven true again and again. And from the perspective of “Sherlock Holmes,” the words seem to echo with Sherlock’s character as well, as it seems to shed a certain light on Sherlock’s possible reasons for leaving and deceiving John at Reichenbach — and the reasons are not completely selfish as it seems.

As a writer, I do not claim to know or understand pain as some of you undoubtedly do. But I do know and understand the feeling of being protected from it, constantly, by someone who cares for me so stubbornly that the person would rather go through it alone, no matter how much I (selfishly) want to be with that person throughout the suffering.

In a way, I do understand what it’s like to be Dr. James Wilson and Dr. John Watson,

And that is why I wrote this. Because I am continuously trying to understand my own Dr. Gregory House and Sherlock Holmes.

—

The complications are simple, really. This is the only way House can protect Wilson. But then again… who is he really protecting?

Human beings are simple to understand. Pain is a bit more complicated.

—

“HYPOCRITE”

A House, M.D. Fanfiction

by shirotora-san

Read More

Permalink

behindtintedglass:

I recognized the quote even before I recognized the picture itself. And I suddenly remembered why.
I think one of the primary reasons why I had loved “House, M.D.” was precisely because, for quite some time, it was the only show that I felt had a distinct connection to and relevance with Sherlock Holmes, given that that the creator of the show, David Shore, openly admitted that Dr. Gregory House and Dr. James Wilson were patterned directly after Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. And it’s questions like these, posed by Dr. Remy Hadley/Thirteen, that spark the same questions I’d like to ask Sherlock Holmes himself.
There’s a hint of truth in what Thirteen is saying that I think is also applicable to Holmes. In “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” we hear Holmes saying:

“What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. Was ever such a dreary, dismal, unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-coloured houses. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers, Doctor, when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace, existence is commonplace, and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth.”

And in “The Sign of Four” Holmes has said to Dr. Watson:

“Do you know, Watson,” said he, “that it is one of the curses of a mind with a turn like mine that I must look at everything with reference to my own special subject. You look at these scattered houses, and you are impressed by their beauty. I look at them, and the only thought which comes to me is a feeling of their isolation and of the impunity with which crime may be committed there.”

Both House and Holmes have this jaded and twisted view of society, and it’s a belief that is not without solid basis, given their own experiences with people. For House, it’s the belief that “Everybody Lies.” In the same manner that Holmes immediately see the possible crime scene in any location, House immediately looks for the inevitable lie in everything his patients say.
In “Three Stories” he tells a whole auditorium full of aspiring doctors:

“It’s a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what. The weird thing about telling someone they’re dying is it tends to focus their priorities. You find out what matters to them. What they’re willing to die for. What they’re willing to lie for.”

And yet for some reason, we see both House and Holmes constantly seeking the contrary, even if they do so unconsciously. Daniel Bresson, one of House’s patients, even told him in “Unfaithful”:

“I don’t think you’re looking for someone to prove you right. I think you’re looking for someone to prove you wrong, to give you hope. You want to believe, don’t you?”

In many ways, both House’s and Holmes’ experiences with their respective clients and patients have only validated their pessimistic views. But I also think that, while their views don’t necessarily change over time, they’re… edited, to incorporate the little nuances of hope that they see in every solved crime, and in every recuperating patient.
Hope, after all, is what keeps them going.

Permalink