Weird.

That seems like a really irrational setup, Eric.

Is House always this medically challenged?

And how would having someone who never drank be useful for such a test to drink. That doesn't even make sense.

OK Matt. It sounds like you don't watch House. I only watch it once in a while, so I am no expert.

House is a bit of a renegade doctor who is an expert at diagnosing strange diseases and such. He is also quite a jerk, and treats people badly (sometimes in amusing ways). So in this episode he is in the midst of choosing a new staff from about 30 aplicants. And in the middle of this a patient comes to him wanting to know what is wrong with her, but she does not want anyone to find out. Whe wants to be an astronaut, and if NASA found out that would be the end of her dream.

House takes the case but his supervisor finds out and puts a stop to it. So he wants to run tests without running tests. They suspect there might be something wrong with her liver, but can't test for it under these conditions. So they try to come up with a liver test they can do 'under the table'.

This episode was kind of lame in my opinion, but the Mormon doctor kept my interest.

As far as the test, I think they wanted a frequent drinker, an occasional drinker, and a non-drinker to participate along with the patient as a control group (with good livers). In order to compare results with the patient they suspect has a liver problem.

The episode was not as interesting to me as the fact that they had a black Mormon doctor who said the church was progressive when it comes to racial equality, and was willing to drink if it might save someones life (or at least help them be healthy).

The setup was far fetched I think. I don't think there would be a real situation that you would have to test a non-drinker against a suspected drinker. I'm not a Doctor though so what do I know.

In the name of science and medicine I'm not convinced this type of partaking is a violation of the Word of Wisdom. The WoW covers illicit drugs as well. If you are taking Vicadin for pain prescribed by a Doctor that is not a violation, but if you are taking Vicadin for recreational purposes that is a violation. Maybe I am more liberal in my beliefs there. Knowing House the comment about giving up on his principles so easily I read as just another of his rude jabs at his coworkers.

That's my take.

A) The comment about giving up on principles doesn't really address the concept of a hierarchy of principles or the concept of Faith's relationship to principles. (If the prohet told you to drink a beer, would you do it?)

B) The idea that they wouldn't be able to run tests the normal way without "the superviser" knowing about it is really stupid.

C) The idea that a person who has never had a drink reacting differently than a person who rarely drinks is stupid.

However, I mainly like the idea of a black mormon doctor who is willing to cross lines to uphold higher principles. If they are willing to flesh him out more as a character and not cheapen him by House causing him to apostatize, then I'd say he has great potential.

and no, I've never seen House. I have a 4 year old girl and a 5 month old girl. I get to watch Scooby Doo, Barbie, and Ariel...

My thoughts here:
http://millennialstar.org/index.php/2007/10/03/mormon_character_on_that_house_tv_show

My beef with House is that it is emotional slapstick.
With traditional vaudeville type slapstick there is a lot of physical humor where the players generate "humor" by laughing at someone who falls down, gets poked in the eye, pie in the face, etc. (Think Three Stooges.) We laugh at the unexpected event, even when it gets played out so often it becomes very, very expected. (How many times did Rob Petrie trip over the furnature in his house on the Dick Van Dyke show??)
With House, instead of having people fall down or get hurt physically, the whole premise of the show is to generate humor by assaulting the emotionally. We laugh / groan as this self absorbed drug addicted doctor spews virulent words and actions on everyone in his path. He behaves in a manner that would be considered illegal in most work places, but with a wink wink all that is disregarded, because that's just the way he is. The seemingly intelligent professional characters put up with it because House happens to be a brilliant diagnostician. His comments to his direct supervisor are blatant sexual harassment in nature. His treatment of both his subordinates and peers are beyond tactless. He's just plain mean. He routinely violates ethics regulations (sneaking in to take a peek at a therapist's session notes to see what his ex-wife has talked about in sessions and then manipulates his interations with her based on that confidential information is just one example.) Oh yeah, har har, that is so funny.
My husband loves the show and watches it quite often. I am occasionally intrigued by a story line until once more the lead character crosses all lines of willful suspension of disbelief. Sadly, there ARE people in positions of power who are allowed to cross lines based on their value to the bureaucracies they work for. But no medical facility I know of would tolerate this. But hey - this is tevision folks, we can forgo the rules of reality.
I don't mind having a dose of the impossible in what I watch. I LOVE Farscape, and that's not terribly reality based, now is it? But I object to any programming which seems to suggest such blatantly dreadful values "if you are smart enough you don't have to follow rules of common decency. It's funny to treat people badly."
As for the LDS Doctor storyline - I missed this particular episode. It will be interesting to see if it was a one time blip or if they carry it on any further.
However, the whole premise of the plot described doesn't make sense.
Still, the question - would you drink / do something else "against the commandments" if doing so would solve a problem or help someone else - brings up an interesting issue. What sort of circumstances would it take to shake us from walking our talk?

Would you do it for a million bucks?
Would you do it to save a life?
Would you do it on a dare?
Would you do it to avoid making a big scene?

When I was in Fiji I was invited into the home of some local village people who offered me tea. I did not quibble over "well, is this herbal tea or the regular kind?" I did not use it as a "teaching moment", about the word of wisdom. I just drank the tea and thanked them for their hospitality as I sat cross legged on the woven grass mat on the floor and ate some octopus concoction they were serving.

Had they offered me alchohol I would have declined. But is one more against the word of wisdom than the other?

I think we all have some commandments that we are rock solid determined to keep and some that we kinda sorta keep so long as it is convenient. (Just look at all those "good Mormons" who drive over the speed limit on the way to the temple even though we say we believe in honoring, sustaining and upholding the law.)

I enjoy House and I really liked the new LDS character that they are using this year. I think that he will be a good playoff on House. If you watch the show regularly you would notice that it does deal with such issues of faith, inner peace, ethics and other topics. House is always having run ins with religious people or bouts with faith. He is seemingly having inner battles with a God who he does not believe in, but finds that he cannot get away from the faith of others. Usually those who have a faith in God come away stronger and House seems to come away more confused and defeated from the encounters. Little by little such encounters seem to leave a mark on him.
Sure he is rude, and angry, but the show really tries to show the pain and consequences of his own behavior as he tries to escape the misery that he is in. I think that the LDS character will be a great counterpart to him, something that the show has attempted at times before but never with a permanent character. Although the drinking aspect was a little far fetched, his character was very honest and really had a work ethic that many of the other candidates did not display.

So... I work in a hospital lab, and the medical science on House is absolute junk. (No, I'm not a doctor, but when you work in the lab sometimes the doctors ask you what tests to run, wink wink.) I've only seen seven episodes or so but out of those there's only one or two that I don't remember rolling eyes over their science. Did I mention I work in a *veterinary* hospital lab and the science is still so bad I can tell?

I liked the one where he had the run-in with "I'm a doctor who works with TB in developing countries, but I'm not Paul Farmer" and ended up looking like a total toerag. I think it worked for him. : )

PS, there are not one but two Drs. House at our hospital (husband wife). Was I a little bit subconsciously nervous when calling each one with results the first time time? Yeah-huh.

Dom:

I agree that the whole thing is far-fetched. I also agree that many principles in the WoW, are not absolutes in all situations. And House is a jer anyway.

MattW:

A) House's point seemed to be that religious people are not rational, which is why they are religious. He is not used to a Rational Theology - like ours.

B) I do not know about hospital administration, and if doctors are able to run MRI's and the like with no questions asked.

C) That would be my guess to.

I do look forward to seeing if this character stays and how he develops.

Ivan:

Feel free to use our comments section as free advertising. :)

Belladona:

I think your take on the House show is probably about right. It is interesting that the show is as popular as it is with House being such a jerk. And I agree that the message - if you are funny and talented enough you can get away with anything - is a bad message to send. The whole heiarchy of morals is an interesting topic.

Adam:

I do hope they keep this character, that would be very interesting.

Sarah:

I always wondered about this, if doctors roll their eyes at some of the diagnosic twists and turns of the show. For medical dopes like me, they can get away with a lot.

Everyone:

I am a bit surprised that nobody has addressed the explanation of the doctor as to why he is Mormon. This black doctor said that Mormonism is very progressive in their views on racial equality. If you read a couple of promenent Mormon blogs you would think we are terribly racist, or at least were in the past. Do we beat ourselves up unnecessarily regarding the priesthood ban and other things. Are we more progessiove on racial equality than we give ourselves credit for?

Keep in mind, House is based on Sherlock Holmes. And as Orson Scott Card mentions, Holmes was actually quite the jerk. Watson had to be the narrator of the tales, or else the stories would be insufferable as Holmes talked down to the readers.

House is more over the top than even Holmes, who was at least kept somewhat in check by Victorian manners.

I have a quote in my lit book from Nathaniel Hawthorne about Herman Melville that I think captures a deeper aspect of House's character that people might overlook as a possibility:

"Melville, as he always does, began to reason of Providence and futurity, and of everything that lies beyond human ken, and informed me that he had 'pretty much made up his mind to be annihilated'; but still he does not seem to rest in that anticipation; and, I think, will never rest until he gets hold of a definite belief. It is strange how he persists-- and has persisted ever since I knew him, and probably long before... He can neither believe, nor be comfortable in his unbelief; and he is too honest and courageous not to try to do one or the other."

Some may object to House being labelled as honest or courageous. But it would take a great deal of gall to be as brutally honest as Dr. House is with people.

I like his character. He says a lot of the things I wish I could say to people. I won't be absorbed in my own piety that I can't admit that. But I think his irreverence for religion and faith comes from something deeper than arrogance. If House is supposed to be Holmes, I have no doubt that religion is a most frustrating topic. House can't "figure out" religion like he can a medical diagnosis. He was right when he said that religion isn't for logical people. He has tried to logic his way into it, I'm sure, with no success. However, I think House (as a "doctor") can't accept that such precise internal mechanisms of the human body could be conceived by accident. And, like Melville, he will continue to act like he does until he is satisfied with an answer.

That a Mormon character would enter the situation is an interesting change. I saw the episode, and I noticed that one of House's colleagues said that House should probably hire people he can't stand. Keeping that in mind, he might actually hire the Mormon; the person who is content in his own belief, and has accomplished the one thing that House never could-- a functional belief system.

This thread got mentioned in the Salt Lake Tribune - just a quick reference, but cool nonetheless.

http://www.sltrib.com/entertainment/ci_7170299

I like House. It is one of my favorite shows. The fact that there is an LDS character on it makes me a little nervous. I live in Vegas, the melting pot, and there are many different people with many different views of Mormons. I just hope the writers do their research and don't put a negative spin on our religion on a TV show that millions watch and might believe that's how the church is. the fact that the LDS doctor drank shows lack of conviction and character, and makes him a hypocrite to the religion he professes. if one person, real or imagined, gives up values for whatever reason, the world sees us all that way. One bad example and everyone's at fault.

It makes me nervous to Mindy.

So far it seems he is just a source for House to tease with common jokes about polygamy and such.

So far the character seems like a good guy.

"A) The comment about giving up on principles doesn't really address the concept of a hierarchy of principles or the concept of Faith's relationship to principles. (If the prohet told you to drink a beer, would you do it?)"

I have no comment on this. It's merely an issue of opinion.

"B) The idea that they wouldn't be able to run tests the normal way without "the superviser" knowing about it is'' really stupid."

No its not, its the way hospitals work.

"C) The idea that a person who has never had a drink reacting differently than a person who rarely drinks is stupid."

Matt. I understand that your religious values hinder your logical reasoning, but 20 seconds on google or wikipedia would answer all of your questions. The body builds tolerance to alcohol the more it is consumed. Because she had -liver failure- she still needed to be compared to a series of drinkers for control values. It's basic science.

"However, I mainly like the idea of a black mormon doctor who is willing to cross lines to uphold higher principles. If they are willing to flesh him out more as a character and not cheapen him by House causing him to apostatize, then I'd say he has great potential."

The mormon doctor is fired before the end of the season.