I'm very curious as to a potential major change in House's character. You don't often see that in TV anymore.

Can they afford to have a major change in his personality? They're selling the show on him being an asshole.

Admittedly, it's a big reason why I don't watch, but isn't it a draw for fans?

Admittedly, it's a big reason why I don't watch, but isn't it a draw for fans?

I don't think most people watch it to see House be mean and rude. That said, he's not going to turn into Marcus Welby, M.D., and we'll find out how much is the pain and the drugs and how much is truly himself.

edit: There's an episode from the second season (I think) where we see House before the leg damage, and he's pretty short-tempered and suffer-no-fools then.

It's pretty well established that he was a jerk before the leg, isn't it?

I hope the crazy goes deeper than a drug-induced psychotic break.

I guess I can't imagine just tolerating his rudeness, because I hate it so much, so I assume people must actually like it to weather it.

But that's what makes horse races.

From discussions I remember he was two different ways when not in pain, right? After the injury--once on/after ketamine, and one other time? So who knows?

From a patient point of view, I wouldn't mind his rudeness if he could fix the problem. Hell, he could stroll around in a witch doctor's outfit and use a rattle, if I was one of his patients and he fixed me.

His co-workers often don't put up with his rudeness, and occasionally will smack him down enough so he notices and tries to behave. And sometimes there are moments when he shows genuine compassion, though he always seems to regret having witnesses to those.

The stories he and Wilson tell about what they get up to show he isn't always a bitch.

It seems as if he's written as a cold-hearted bastard who doesn't care about people, just puzzles, but Laurie manages to play him as more human - he does care under all that somewhere, but he needs the shielding of rude and inappropriate out-lashings. Whose craft all that is actually due to, I don't know, of course, but that is my impression. And I think it's the combination that I find appealing.

Oh, right, there was that time when I forget what he was doing as a treatment but he thought it was making him too nice so he stopped. I have no belief that the character will really change, though.

I will keep watching, fwtw.

I stopped watching House after the end of the previous season, because I thought Amber's death was unnecessary, and cruel all around, to the viewer, to Wilson, and even to House, who felt immensely guilty about it. She was good for Wilson, and she was a good character - the stories that could have been, with the AmberWilsonHouse triad, could have been great. I felt much the same way about last season's suicide. I caught a couple episodes from last season just because they were on when the tv was on. I may try tonight's premiere and see how I feel about the show now. The whole hullaballoo about House being addicted to painkillers has always bothered me - he's in PAIN. He'll have to take painkillers the rest of his life just to function normally, so what's the difference if he's addicted or not? Managing the pain is more important. (YMMV. My point of view comes from watching a friend suffer for years because no one would give her enough meds to stop the pain, because they were afraid she'd become an addict.)

Well, he's based on Sherlock Holmes and Holmes was a rude guy himself. I don't mind the rudeness, since it's usually smart and funny. I wouldn't care for it from an actual human being--doctor or no. I would TOLERATE it from someone if they were, say, saving my life, but I certainly wouldn't enjoy it.

Yeah, he's not wrong all the time either. Sometimes it's not him being a bastard...sometimes it's more like "Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass." Although when he wants to stick the knife in and jiggle it, he can even hurt Cuddy, which in general, I'd say is tough to do. And, sometimes, my friend worries a lot about whether she does the right thing? So she rather enjoys House's knack with a burn. And I think Laurie has Piven's gift for being able to say appalling things and being sort of loveable, down deep.

I enjoy the burns when they are clever without caring that they are mean, not so much when they are mean without caring if they are clever.