The relationship between House and Cuddy has been coming, and in season seven it is here. Many have complained about the writer's not doing justice to the relationship. And that is where I strongly disagree. The writers have created a character from season 1 who has been damaged beyond repair. Every relationship with any woman, whether it be Stacy, or even Cameron, has failed. I don't think it could have been more in character the way everything played out this year. Who really expected the relationship between House and Cuddy to be all kisses and hugs? Knowing what you do about the character, you know that this is incredible growth: the act of trying to be with her. But, there is only so much our damaged doc can offer. Whether or not that is enough is something I'll let you watch and see.

(up above is spoiler free, down below is the review for those who have seen the season. If you haven't I suggest reading the above paragraph and stopping)

Let's get into the fabric of this season. It is all about change, all about House trying to be happy. In the first episode "what now" he tells Cuddy they shouldn't be together because he'll eventually do something to make her leave him. In different words it's what he says to Stacy before breaking it off with her in season 2. He knows he is damaged. He knows that anyone who gets close to him will eventually leave. Cuddy becomes an exception to this rule... for 15 episodes, and then like everyone else leaves him.
I blame Cuddy for what ultimately ends the season. She kept pushing House to let out his feelings, even after (in many ways) she tore out what was left of his heart. No one can say that House wasn't trying in the relationship. He was trying a lot harder than Cuddy. The fact that she ended it over one slip up shows that she never really wanted it to begin with. She took advantage of him in his most vulnerable state, and went for something she didn't fully want. I feel she was lucky that she only lost part of her house because of it. A lot worse could have happened. House was not House driving that car up her yard and through her dining room. That House was years of anger manifesting, possessing him to do something he never would have done otherwise.
As a huge fan of the show, I feel a need to defend the negative reviews. If you are a casual viewer, go back to the beginning and start this incredible story from the pilot on. Let me talk about the negative reviews. Critics and fans alike attack the ending of the season, saying "House could have killed Rachel. He didn't know where she was, and for that reason I find the character now unwatchable," or "House has jumped many sharks, but this is the biggest" which by the way is the most overused term in the world. It's an argument with some weight to it. But, I have a better one. As I said above, in that moment it was the anger manifesting. That wasn't the House of season 1 or even earlier season 7. That was a House trying to pick up the pieces of what was left of his life, only to have them knocked out of his hands over and over again. In many ways I think that's the point of the ending of the season. He has gone too far. He has cut ties with everyone close. If he returns, won't he do time in jail? Won't he lose his medical license?
To answer those questions, I'll say this. I have absolute faith in these writers to take us to the next point in House's journey. It will be realistic, in character, and must watch tv. According to Hugh Laurie, season 8 is probably the final season. Why would you jump ship now? See it to the end. Maybe you'll appreciate the show for what it's always been: nothing short of amazing.

Update: I just saw a pre release screener of episode one of series 8 of HOUSE. I sat there stunned afterwards. It was totally different from anything I was expecting. Hugh Laurie does his usual outstanding acting job. Every other cast member is someone new because he is serving out a prison sentence. I'm not sure what this is. Is it a dream or a psychotic break due to more drug ingestion? I have no idea. It seems fairly real but I'm just not sure. It seems weird that not even Wilson visits him. I know a lot of viewers are not tuning in for season 8 because season 7 was so bizarre, especially the ending. If you are one of these viewers, you may want to reconsider that position.

My original review, filed before above rant:

I am a fan of this show from day one. I am a Hugh Laurie fan from back when no one knew who he was, when he was playing Bertie Wooster with his comedy partner Stephen Fry as Jeeves. Big a fan as I am though, I have to say the quality has been all over the map this season. If you asked me whether to buy it, I'd say "maybe" and caution you that the whole thing might be no more than 3.5 stars.

I still think he is the best thing in the show. There is no one else even close to giving him a run for the money. No one else has his range. His supporting cast varies in how much one can stand of them. Taub's "problems" for me this season have been a real turn off. His problems are all self created and he whines about them constantly. The other three supporting doctors en suite score a little higher with, surprisingly, the new one, Amber Tamblyn, scoring the best. The other two just don't have much to work with this season and overall come off a bit blah.

Faring much better than the team are both Cuddy and Wilson. I enjoyed both of their roles this season. Cuddy tries to handle House as her boyfriend and her mother as a patient. Some of the best episodes are with these two, with Candace Bergen as the mother going to head to toe with House. Wilson is back on the singles market after more problems on the romance front. He and House are well cut out for one another as they are both disasters when it comes to women. For entirely different reasons they wreck up but they are disasters nonetheless. I know many people HATE this aspect of the show but frankly I give the writers credit for trying to explore and get underneath a real problem for many doctors: the inability to form lasting marriages.

Many of the cases are not interesting this season. In fact, often when they went to work on their cases I found myself rooting around for something else to keep me occupied until the show got interesting again. Perhaps the cases got so esoteric and remotely plausible that I had about as much interest in them as House (hardly any). House is often out of the office doing something else while the team has to phone him for advice. I can understand why he is bored with the whole thing but the problem is that the viewer shouldn't be!

House has some very cute episodes with Rachel and the school Rachel aspires to attend. I didn't expect to enjoy those but I did. This was yet another example of House being better outside of the hospital.

All of these shows have a natural cycle and it could be that everyone is just running out of something interesting to do with these characters. Seven years is a long time to last in series network tv. It could be that the well is just running dry creatively and there is not much creative life left in the show.

The very last episode of this season was the best one. In it, Hugh Laurie conveys a moment of sheer distilled rage with absolute mastery. It is triggered by devastating emotional loss which he conveys almost wordlessly. No one else in the cast is capable of this kind of acting which is why he remains the whole show.

I'm a HUGE House fan, I own all the seasons and I never miss the show on T.V. I realize that this season was a little different than past seasons, but its because House and Cuddy were dating and they had to show House's "softer side". You know the writers had this coming for us, they had to creatively show House as himself, as well as someone who actually cares about something or someone. I feel for the storyline of season 7, they did an awesome job. House is still an ass, the relationship kept the storyline interesting, and the patient cases were still interesting mysteries. The only thing I would suggest about this show is give House more clinic duty! That part always cracks me up. I don't believe this season has gone downhill at all, especially when you see the season finale!