House Fall 2009 Season Premier

I got hooked on watching "House" on Fox over the past year, and when I saw the previews for the season premier that aired on September 21, 2009 I got excited it was like my fascination with House was doubled, because not only was I going to get to watch something other than re-runs for awhile, but the season premier takes place with House in a state hospital initially to detox from vicadin, but throughout the show it was like I knew from a personal perspective what House was going through, having experience in the mental health system, I found I was relating closely to the storyline.

House starts out in detox and once he thinks he's accomplished his purpose for admitting himself, he informs the staff he is ready to leave, but ends up staying. His journey takes him down a road where he starts out trying to manipulate the system, playing games and scheming in an attempt to try and force the staff into not only discharging him, but also trying to convince the psychiatrist to write a letter of recommendation to allow him to return to practicing medicine himself. What House learns through his experiences ranges from connecting to others, allowing himself to be vulnerable instead of his typical guarded self, and that he truly does need help it was that moment where he realized he needed help that he realized he couldn't scheme his way out but that maybe he needed to get with the program so to speak and begin to do the work he needed to do to help himself with the guidance of the staff of the state hospital. The whole transformation in House was condensed into 2 hours, but I felt like it was relatively accurate in portraying the process that many folks go through as they enter a mental health facility for the first time and start out in a sort of denial phase which eventually they begin to realize that maybe they're wrong and they really do need help. Like House, there are thousands if not millions of people in the real world who are at various stages of their recovery from a mental illness. Everyone at their own point in their journey some may travel their road to recovery quickly taking a matter of weeks to realize maybe they do need help, while others either take years to reach that point or maybe never really get there. Having a mental illness isn't the end of the world, and as you can see by watching House, it's a process that requires an effort on the part of the person walking the path of recovery. Some things may come easy while others will take more effort, but just as House discovered, it is something that can't be accomplished by playing games or scheming it is something where you make a mistake you learn from it and you move on then repeat.

I feel that anyone could benefit from watching the season premier if they get a chance, if for no other reason than to get an idea of the process someone with a mental illness may go through on their road to recovery. As in real life though I feel that there is still more for House to learn and that discharge is more like a second chance to find his way to a better life. In real life sometimes discharge can be frightening other times it can be exciting some feel a sense of accomplishment others are just glad to be out I think in some ways all of these things were seen in House upon his discharge. I feel that while some things may not change in House other things may become very different in how he perceives the world around him and the way he interacts with it. I think that there is potential for his second chance in life to be exciting, but I also feel it will be rocky if they continue with a good portrayal of the mental health aspect. And yes, House gets what he wants in the end he just didn't get it in the way he initially thought he would.

In the closing scene a sign on the bus that House is getting on says, "Prepare for Success!" its an advertisement for something education based, but I think it sums up the place where House is at the end of the season premier. I give the premier 10 out of 10 stars on my own rating scale because of the transformation portrayed by House and the potential for more revelations as House finds his way back into the world he left when he admitted himself to the state hospital. For House fans it was great for those who hate the show yeah you probably won't change your view, but for those who haven't seen it may find its a good way to get hooked.