House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]Get ready for a full dose of medical mysteries with 21 episodes of the riveting drama series House. Hugh Laurie is joined by James Earl Jones (Star Wars) Laura Prepon (That ?70s Show) and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum) in guest appearances as he returns to his Golden Globe®-winning and Primetime Emmy® Award-nominated role as Dr. Gregory House. In this brilliant sixth season House finds himself in an uncomfortable position?away from the examination room. As he works to regain his license and his life his coworkers deal with the staff shakeups moral dilemmas and their own tricky relationships with House. And when House returns more obstinate than ever Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital will never be the same again.Starring: Hugh Laurie Lisa Edelstein Omar Epps Robert Sean Leonard Jesse Spencer Jennifer Morrison
Rating:  List Price: $ 74.98 Price: $ 47.99 Related Blu-Ray Products |
(out of 13 reviews)
Review by Tess Clare for House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]
Rating:
**possible spoilers**
Season 5 of the series House ended memorably with a well-edited contrast: family and friends at warm wedding vs. Wilson watching the broken doctor as he checked himself into a hospital on a cold and gray day. Season 6 starts off with House (Hugh Laurie) in treatment for his vicodin addiction, an addiction which had fueled a series of devastating (yet revealing) hallucinations. Viewers know how House treats “normal” people (that is to say, not with warm and fuzzy feelings) and in the beginning of Season 6 they are treated to House interacting with “abnormal” people. House, ever the equal opportunity offender, does not seem too changed by his stint in Mayfield hospital. Andre Braugher (of “Homicide”) was well cast as House’s experienced, nothing-shocks-him therapist, able to go head-to-head with House, and there is a guest role by Franka Potente (“Run Lola Run”) as a beautiful visitor to the hospital with whom House has a brief relationship with.
The writers are able to take House out of his comfort zone, surround him with multi-dimensional characters, and still have House stand out. Don’t expect any blatant epiphanies in therapy for House about why he is the way he is. Is it the pain, is it the drugs, his relationship with is father, is it the curse of being a genius? There are no resolutions to go back into the “real world,” settle down and live happily ever after. Thank goodness!
The epiphanies are of course saved for the hospital, when House returns to work. He gradually becomes more confident in his ability to solve cases. Even after five previous seasons, the writers are able to come up with all new cases and all new characters for House to read right through.
That being said, Season 6 delves more of the personal lives of the characters than prior seasons: Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) as she balances being a mom, with a love life, and with the demands of her job; Cuddy and House; Taub (Peter Jacobson) and his wife, Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) and Foreman (Omar Epps), Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and House (some of the best dialogue from the show still occurs between those two), Wilson and his ex-wife. Of particular note, Dr. Chase (played by Jesse Spencer) finally gets some great story lines dealing with secrets, morality and ethics (which the show has always been great at raising discussions about). By Season 6, Robert Chase is no longer the doctor who always tries to stay on House’s good side, or agree with House, or play it safe. In past seasons, it was Foreman who had to gain independence from House. In Season 6, Cuddy struggles with it, Taub struggles with it, Wilson starts to and Dr. Chase definitely does, but with severe professional and personal consequences. Of course, there was also the strawberry body butter incident(season 5). Gotta love the variety in the show!
In past seasons, there has been at least one reference (that I can recall) to a patient who died while under House’s care. In Season 6, viewers witness other patients not making it. When it happens to House or his team, there will be and were huge ramifications.
Overall, another great season for House. Even after five seasons, Hugh Laurie is able to make House a multi-dimensional character, capable of stinging one-liners but also of conveying internal trauma. How he could not have won every Emmy and golden globe since House was on the air is beyond me. Don’t award committees love drug addicts, people pulling off accents, and people in mental institutions? It’s the trifecta!
Regarding the famed House/Cuddy relationship, I was probably in the minority by not being too keen on the idea, I thought it might get too “Grey’s Anatomy” if you’ll pardon the other medical show reference. However, the writers managed (who knows how) to put an original spin on their relationship, it is certainly kept far from the soap opera-ish realm of workplace romances, probably because the characters involved both have complex motivations. It will be interesting to see if House and Cuddy can make it, and in any case, it at least won’t be a television cliché.
House fans have come to expect changes in House’s team each season finale and true to form, Season 6 does not deviate as one cast member seems to be departing.
Bravo once again! Bravo!
Review by Sherry Porubcansky for House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]
Rating:
Anyone who cares about great writing – hopefully, we’ve all gotten over the loss of Aaron Sorkin for The West Wing – well, okay, nobody’s reached his level – but I continue to be fascinated by this character. Thanks to the writers for delivering intricate character pieces within the “okay, first scene, somebody’s going to contract a mysterious illness right NOW’ basic setup – this show could so easily have sunk to one-trick pony oblivion but for the writing and the amazing acting from Hugh Laurie. If you’ve ever seen him on a talk show and been surprised at his all-too-humble personality, you’re not alone. He transforms himself into this tortured, brilliant, loving and lovable character. He’s acerbic. Brilliant. Sarcastic. Brutally truthful. Hilarious (but you never laugh at this character, only with him). And yes, tortured – by the pain in his leg and, of course, his heart. As I look over the episodes from this season, I’m thinking of one more reason to give it my highest recommendation: if you or anyone you know ever goes into therapy, watch this season. I’ve never seen such a terrific depiction of what therapy is at its best. Ever. And I’ve had many therapists, two of whom had the ability to make me see my world from a different angle, with different eyes. That’s a pitifully inadequate description, so buy this season of House and measure any therapy against what you see in this television show. It really is superlative TV.
Review by carol irvin for House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]
Rating:
If you are interested in watching a character develop other than Hugh Laurie as House, stop right now. The round robin of supporting doctors continues and the only ones for sure who remain constants on the series are Wilson, Cuddy and Forman. These are the only characters you can count on seeing week in and week out. They are all dwarfed by House as the lead too. These other three do pretty well with him but still, if Hugh Laurie suddenly quit, I very much doubt you’d have a show called Forman or Wilson or Cuddy. The show would be DOA.
So realizing that House is more than ever the whole show, how is it? If you have always loved House the character, and I have, it is better than ever, because House is better than ever as a character. Hugh Laurie gives it his all in every single episode. Perhaps the opening two episodes are the strongest he’s ever done where he is in a mental hospital, first detoxing and then dealing with his breaks from reality leading to his complete mental breakdown. Laurie covers House’s stint as a mental patient in true virtuoso form. Then he has to pick up practicing medicine again back at the hospital so we start in with new episodes with his new patients. These remain the same strong dramas as before. He has dramas with his doctors too, all different ones with Wilson, Cuddy and Forman being the only constants. If you want to see any other particular doctor, it is simply the luck of the draw on which episode you play to get that character.
Review by Fred for House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]
Rating:
Pre-ordering highly anticipated DVD’s can be harmful to your financial health. With the current price matching between retailers and e-tailers the price is likely to drop drastically a few days after release. Case in point: “Mad Men” season 3, pre-odered by me from Amazon for $28.99 had dropped to $17.99 in a price match with Target before my DVD’s had even arrived.
Review by F. Jury for House, M.D.: Season Six [Blu-ray]
Rating:
House seems incapable of putting on a bad season. However in my opinion this is the weakest one yet. This season was less about medical mysteries and more soap opera. The first two episodes barely feature any of the main characters other then House. This absurdity of what House has been through and does and still manages to be employed, have insurance, etc, has risen to levels of absurdity. That brilliant doctors in their ownright would except intern level type positions, that are supposed to be short term, and continuing working with the world’s biggest ass, stretches the imagination.
The show consistantly swapping supporting characters is damaging the show. It’s not clear season to season or even mid season who will be fired or back working for House again. Its difficult to grow and like the characters when you can’t count on them being there. Clearly the show is built around House, but failing to build up his supporting cast and making them expendable is probably a mistake.
That said this season still had some good episodes and House remains one of the best scripted shows on television.