House: 5 to 9

Earlier this season an entire episode of House was devoted to showing viewers life from Wilson's perspective. It was refreshing, compelling and allowed Robert Sean Leonard to have the spotlight after being somewhat wasted in a minor supporting role for several years. This week, Lisa Edelstein's Dr. Cuddy got the same treatment and while it wasn't quite as interesting (or deserved), the result was still an above-average episode.

On the one hand, I want to let "5 to 9" stand on its own merits rather than compare it to the clearly superior "Wilson", but on the other hand it's practically required when the two episodes are aired within striking distance of one another. I'm going to attempt to juggle both sides in my review, if only because I think this episode was a lot stronger than an hour devoted to House's most sketchy character should have been.

The premise of "5 to 9" is literally a day in the life of Dr. Lisa Cuddy, head administrator for the Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. In short order, she's a single mom who constantly has too much on her plate and is surrounded by people who not only don't appreciate that fact but also often hinder her at every turn. Despite all of these obstacles, the episode goes out of its way to depict Cuddy as being capable, professional and even essential.

But that's the rub, isn't it? For the rest of the series she hasn't seemed all that essential, nor has she come off as the calm, collected hardass this episode goes out of its way to depict her. Cuddy has been whatever the plot needed her to be at the time. If that happens to be a temperamental child, a machine that mass produces the word "No" or an unnecessary love object, then so be it. That's the biggest difference between Cuddy and Wilson. The latter has been more or less consistent throughout the entire series.

It was easy to root for Cuddy in this episode because all of her obstacles were unambiguously bad. She has to fight the smarmy boy's club of an insurance agency, a bitchy nurse who has been stealing from the pharmacy to supply a meth lab and a bumbling boyfriend who is about a half step from a sitcom dad. There's no reason to believe that Cuddy won't come out on top. It's not like House with his patients. Some of them, despite his best efforts, still die. Cuddy's problems have larger implications for the world of the show. Of course she's going to get what she wants from the insurance people. The alternative is the bankruptcy of the hospital.

Best Moment: Though the insurance company guys were as flat as characters come, I'm glad at least one medical show on TV attempted to comment on the screwed up nature of the health insurance industry.

Notes: Lucas sucks. That is all.

Episode Rating: 3.5/5- "5 to 9" was well-paced and none of it really lingered on non-essential moments. Lisa Edelstein proved that she can carry an entire episode, even if she'll never be asked to do that again. Still, I'm not sure this episode was necessary and the uniformly happy ending just doesn't fit on this series. A scrambling writing staff on their best day is still a scrambling writing staff.