Web ‘Superbrain’ Predicts ‘House’ Plot Surprise
by S.T. Karnick
Last week’s episode of the Fox Network medical-mystery series House included a Big Event meant to shock the show’s viewers and send the story line in an interesting new direction, as one of the main characters of the series was killed. As it happens, the show’s fans figured out exactly who it would be, several days in advance of the program’s airing, as the kind of public conversation the Internet makes so easy enabled a mass pooling of information and instant critiquing of same.
This almost instantaneous accumulation and processing of information makes the web something of a superbrain. Yes, figuring out the plot twists of television shows may not be the most productive use of people’s time and brainpower, but this somewhat frivolous achievement does indicate the impressive potential of the Internet as a mass information processing tool.
This capability makes the Internet simultaneously a potential source of astonishing public benefits and the most powerful generator of nonsense ever created.
An interesting side note (plot spoiler follows): Entertainment Weekly revealed the morning after the show aired that Kal Penn, who played the character who died in the episode, will be leaving the show to join the Obama administration as associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.
I have no idea what that particular agency is, but I’m quite sure it’s a good deal less useful than an entertaining TV mystery series.
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69 Comments
The singularity of the internet approaches. Might as well embrace it and give it a cute name like…Skynet?
Skynet! My God, has anyone notified Sarah Connor?
We seem to get faster intel on the internet than the CIA has ever been capable of. Maybe we should just eliminate the CIA which is at all times beholden to the administration in DC, and just rely on the internet. The intel we get from the internet won't be any crazier than some of the stuff the CIA has come up with over the years. And then we may finally get the truth on Roswell (I'm kidding).
As a "House" fan and occasional reader of spoilers, I have to say, the network made it pretty darned easy. Releasing a video of an on-set April Fool's prank with Kal Penn very clearly missing? Way to hide your secrets, there, Fox.
Ha, yes, thanks to the internet, Kutner's death was no surprise to me. I kinda wish it had been – it's rare for a TV show to surprise anyone – but it's my own darned fault for looking into spoilers.
I do think it's funny, though, they kept his new government job secret until after the show aired.
The Sarah Conners Chronicles without any warning or advertisement killed off a main character on a Friday. A few days later the producers posted online a video of an April fools joke they played on the cast, including the actor who played the dead character
So let's see, the character is dead but the actor is still there filming….hmmmmm Call me less than surprised when he turned back up on the show.
Better stock up on your phased plasma rifles. They'll be going fast.
Since you can count the number of "House" episodes I've seen on a single hand of a shop class accident victim, it is humanly impossible for me to care less.
Truth! You can't handle the truth! (Sorry, I couldn't resist…)
You're forgiven.
You're forgiven.
I was somehow caught off guard on this one. I had no idea a very special episode was coming up, so it was a shocking development.
My secret? I never watch commercials or the end credits of any show. (Sorry, advertisers and key grips.)
Dammit opus.
Hawk we already have the truth about Roswell? An alien space craft crashed in the desert and little aliens were found, right?
I enjoy House, and Kutner was a good replacement for Cameron, House’s conscience. The internet is more reliable than the MSM, and regularly scoops the press.
Shhh! People are listening, and we don't want them to know the truth is out there.
The internet is our collective subconscious expressing itself in digital form. It's a window into every corner of our minds. Man we're a bunch jerks.
The truth is that nothing happened. Your people found nothing. Go about your business human.
Just what you see, pal.
Oh $hit, sorry Hawk! Does this mean I’ll loose my position with The Wheelbarrow Beer Syndicate?
Naw. Just a demotion. But look at the upside. Andrew finally, albeit accidentally, admitted that our green and gray friends are in charge of the legal profession.
See comment to StanH, Argblatu, or whatever your space name is.
"…White House Office of Public Liaison..I have no idea what that particular agency is…"
It's just down the hall from the Office of President Elect.
What you don't realize is that this is the second major character death in <21 episodes…at this rate, House should be dead in a few years.
It had to come out eventually. No one was buying the "lawyers are people too" thing.
Call me Ishmael Seven.
I always avoid looking up anything related to shows that I watch for fear of getting these spoilers. Unfortunately, too often, that's not enough.
Yahoo ruined the Olympics for me by putting poorly-written, obvious teasers on their front page: "American Breaks Swimming Record" and "American Gymnasts Upset Over Loss." Gee, I wonder what happened.
How about Infiltrator Seven?
Not if they keep recruiting self-loathing students for him, traeblain.
Ohh… It all makes sense now that’s why my attorney acts like that, thanks!
"Infiltrator"? I'm hurt. I would never infiltrate an organization, especially the world's largest wheelbarrow and beer syndicate!
If Fox didn't want the news getting out prematurely, they sure have a funny way of showing it – that wordless, OMG promo the week before had the fans nattering on the official House web page.
Naturally, I was curious, because House and Fringe are the only shows I watch so I went to the official page to see what others were saying.
Someone posted some links to some obscure and not so obscure interviews taken around the beginning of the season that hinted that someone was going to be committing suicide.
Combine that with that promo, and of course people are going to be alerted to TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT, OMG WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? A normal promo that says nothing wouldn't have raised any suspicions.
So yeah, got something you're intensely curious and fired up about? Know where there are others of similar bent? Hit the net, you're sure to arrive at the truth.
Finally it all makes sense! I always knew there was something alien about them. I promise I won't tell anyone, I swear!
Okay, can I be Moby One.
I remind you that you were invited. That was before we found out that you were not, shall we say, of this world? You are therefore an ex post facto infiltrator. But since I don't believe in bills of attainder, what are you offering to remain in the hierarchy? It better have something to do with kittens.
And you are welcome, Moby.
So why would you comment about it? Just curious.
"House" used to be a good show, but then the Lefty writers kinda went nuts and lost me (and I suspect a whole lot of other viewers).
Gregory House became a mean, nasty drug addict, something that would have had a real physician doing a stint in rehab which his license to practice under consideration,
Then he hired a PI to spy on his Fellows. Don't know what boob thought up that story line but it is as flimsy as rotting lace.
Then the funny looking actress with the dread disease (Huntington's Chorea, I think) started having flings with women she picked up in bars
The plastic surgeon decides to give up a lucrative plastic surgery career to become a flunkie for a druggie (something that ain't gonna happen in the real world).
When House was only a doc in pain trying to medicate and he played off Omar Epps, Sean Michael Leonard and Cameron and the guy, it was a good, interesting show, albeit often showed a distinct lack of medical knowledge by the writers – ALERT writers! Everyone admitted to the hospital DOES NOT arrest and/or have a seizure. Furthermore, Internists do not operate – it takes five years to be a general surgeon, seven to be a vascular surgeon, a similar amount of time to do neuro, cardiac surgery and/or plastic surgery. They are not about to let some boob with a drug problem take over their case no matter how smart he thinks he is.
Hugh Laurie who was very interesting at first, no is a bore and boor. Sean Michael Leonard is the only likable character in the series — or was six weeks ago when I canceled the TIVO on it.
I would say there is always the chance of firing them too…but we all know if they are only fired they either come back or get other jobs at that hospital so they can constantly be in the background.
Nothing else better to do.
That and the fact my comments are better than everybody else's and everybody should be required to read them.
Nothing else better to do.
That and the fact my comments are better than everybody else's and everybody should be required to read them.
That is irritating, isn't it.? They should leave already. I sort of lost interest in the show when it became overly predictable, and I liked the original gang. Having them hang out in the background to be used as occasional props for a sub-plot serves nobody well.
LOL! Moby One Kenobi.
No credit huh? Ok, how about all the kittens you can eat, Lawhawktune?
…..Don't worry, Obama will fix it
Dammit, now THAT was funny.
They got rid of the most boring, bland character that had only been there a short while and didn't warrant any emotional investment in the least.
Now this boring lil dry blinker is going to be the smiley face of the White House?
I'm yawning.
Help, people! Andrew's going postal on me. And I've always trusted him as much as I've ever trusted any lawyer.
PS: Did you notice there's been a slight improvement in links and Intense Debate e-mail responses? This is the fourth time in a row I've been able to go direct to a post from my e-mail.
PPS I can eat a LOT of kittens.
After reading 4 Chan, one finds it an obvious truism that the Internet has one hell of a massive id.
Incidentally, I strongly encourage you not to look them up. The stories on Fox News about "Anonymous" are excessively alarmist (hackers on steroids? puh-leeze), but that doesn't mean they haven't done anything contemptible.
Going postal? Hardly. I'm not paying for the postage on all those kittens.
There does seem to be an improvement. At this point, the comments usually come up right. And when they don't, I have been able to make them work by switching to last activity. I don't do the e-mail thing, so I don't know if that works or not.
Same here, except I do respond most often to Intense Debate e-mail notifications. There may be hope yet for them getting this site right finally. I find it's easier to respond via Intense Debate because I can do a simple delete when a response shows up from one of our nastier trolls without having to waste my time reading the silly and often obscene comment.
O.K. Andrew, that was simply too good an opening to resist for a lawyer joke:
The devil visited a lawyer's office and made him an offer: "I'll increase
your income five-fold", said the devil, "your partners will love you,
your clients will respect you, you'll have four months of vacation each
year, and live to be a hundred.
All I require in return is that your wife's soul, your childrens' souls and
their childrens' souls rot in hell for all eternity."
The lawyer thought for a moment: "What's the catch?" he asked.
Unless the statistics I read were erroneous, studies indicate that our collective subconscious spends about %99.7 of its internet time downloading porn.
That seems to indicate that we're a bunch of…horny…jerks.
P.S. those studies in question were funded by the "stimulus" package (insert sound of rimshot and cymbal).
I would be perfectly willing to to remain a loyal viewer even if it should morph into: "House, Zombie M.D."
This is disturbing guys, my attorney is also a good friend, hmm… I bet he’s friends with everybody, a lawyer trick perhaps. I’m beginning to question my own humanity an invasion of the body snatchers type of thing except this time sponsored by the ABA dear god we’re screwed.
I think I would be MORE likely to remain a loyal viewer of that show! There really are too few Undead Americans represented on prime-time television. Some one should dig up Al Gore and give him something to do.
Which one? There are three in the phone book.
So, what of the P.C. police? They just killed off the ONLY Indian doctor on the show (and NO Asian doctors anywhere in the hospital? Talk about NOT being in touch with reality). Now it's a bunch of whiteys and Omar Epps.
What's next?
My money is on a new, mouthy Hispanic doctor who is flamboyantly in touch with his heritage…and other men.
Although I've been a huge Hugh Laurie fan since his BLACKADDER days, his House character has become so abrasive, and the plots so formulaic that I've not even checked in this season. Same thing happened a few years ago with LOST.
Well, according to the trailer for the next show (2 weeks from tonight), Amber (who died) is coming back as a dream or hallucination so anything is possible in the land of TV
Kumar is going to have the shiniest chair in D.C.!
"…the most powerful generator of nonsense ever created."
A memorable phrase, Mr. Karnick. Cheers to you.
I'm experiencing the same thing. Canceled the TIVO on both series; "Lost" because it's so convoluted as to be boring and "House" because Laurie's character is a rude, boorish, nasty druggie who looks like he needs a bath. Even more disturbing is how little the writers know about medicine and the behavior of medical people.
Laurie's character would NOT be allowed to practice at any hospital due to threat of malpractice suits WHICH THE PATIENT WOULD WIN!
I'm experiencing the same thing. Canceled the TIVO on both series; "Lost" because it's so convoluted as to be boring and "House" because Laurie's character is a rude, boorish, nasty druggie who looks like he needs a bath. Even more disturbing is how little the writers know about medicine and the behavior of medical people.
Laurie's character would NOT be allowed to practice at any hospital due to threat of malpractice suits WHICH THE PATIENT WOULD WIN!
House was originally a fascinating character study, but as you point out "development" has now taken the character way past the point of credulity.
It would be good to see Hugh Laurie get another venue. His Bertie Wooster was priceless.
Oh yeah, Kutner was a GREAT replacement for Cameron! Except immature, totally NOT hot, and suicidal. Oh, and a man. I'm sorry, but I'd rather watch Cameron read the phone book all day than listen to Kutner say anything at all.
Strong point, ha.
That's funny, I had to scour my brain to figure out who the other "major" character was who died. Amber wasn't a major character. All plots points have to do with putting House in emotional danger by destabilizing his relationships to the few key people in his life who actually matter to him, i.e. Wilson and maybe someday Cuddy. Everyone else is jetsam potential (or is it flotsam?). The writers, IMO do a GREAT job realizing what the show is actually about sticking to that, as soon as they deviate from that and start caring about characters as characters in and of themselves, it's going to be a mess. They did a great job making Amber's death usher in the emotional cliffhanger — what will Wilson do to House? And they did a passable job making Kutner's suicide about messing with House's confidence in his own ability to notice anomalies and predict outcomes. Only passable because I don't actually believe Kutner would have killed himself and I don't buy the excuse they came up with — "he hid from everybody", but, because the episode wasn't actually about Kutner, but about House's inability to predict his suicide, it doesn't bother me so much.
None of the things you've mentioned have managed to turn me off the show yet. I'm still into it.
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