Saturday, March 5, 2011

Watching a medical Drama with an MD

My dad is here at my facility. Right now we are watching "House" episodes. My dad deosn't like any TV program set in a hospital or medical facility. He dislikes "House" with an intensity most people would reserve for terrorists or mass murderers. I try to tell my dad that "House" isn't really about hospitals and medicine; the medical setting is merely a backdrop. My dad says it wouldn't matter, and he would detest "House" just as much if it was a detective drama or a reality show highlighting the sex habits of little people.

As I told Matt in the "comments" section following my last post, my dad is seated between me and the girl who is in love with everyone's father. Right now she's leaning her head against his shoulder. That's probably as much contact as he'll allow. If she gets any more aggressive, he'll think of a reason he needs to get up and move. The other fathers who visit are so freakedout by her that she never gets to shake their hands, much less to rest her head against their shoulders. I don't think my mom has anything to worry about at this point in time, which is a good thing. It would be humiliating to tell people that my dad met my stepmother while he was visiting me in the psych ward of a hospital.

My dad feels the need to to point out that "House" is unrealistic. Duh! It's a TV drama. When I want realistic, accurate information on a given topic, the firts place I look is not usually at a TV drama series. It's entertainment. It doesn't entertain my dad, although if I were a doctor, no TV medical drama would be my go-to source of merriment or escape, as I would feel the need to distance myself from the environment in which I worked. I do think my dad derives some pleasure, and thus some entertainment value, in ruining the show for others by pointing out to other viewers lucky enough to be in his presence the inconsistencies and inaccuracies as he sees them. Right now he's totally going off on how stupid the writers of "House" were for having the title character almost off himself by sticking a knife in an electrical socket, not to intentially commit suicide but, rather, to have a near-death experience. I hope my dad doesn't think it was his expertise as an MD that gave him the particular insight needed to make that call. i like the show, and even I though "House" jumped the shark with that one.

Later tonight my dad will play his guitar in my room to help me fall asleep. Some of the other inmates will probably end up in the room, but my dad will only let them stay if they are quiet because he doesn't want them to keep me awake or to wake me up as I'm drifting off to sleep. I hope Electra doesn't come in to hear my dad play his guitar because I may not be awake for long to chaperone. I really wish Chairman Mao would come back to the hospital. Electra likes him almost as much as she likes my dad, and his presence might distract her at least a bit. I'm not a psychiatrist and, as such, am probably not qualified to comment on the respective states of mental health of my fellow inmates, but I think Electra needs more help than she can ever receive here. I'd recommend a lobotomy.

5 comments:

  1. And the actor who plays Dr House... does he do a good American accent, seeing as he is really British? Or is a a bit naff?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Or is it a bit naff, I meant...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matt, Hugh Laurie actually does a very credible American accent. We in the U. S. tend to be so America-centric (some of us are bona fide stupid in addition to being america-centric) if we do not watch ourselves in that we think everyone should talk as we do. My brother Matthew, who is, I admit, more than a bit thick-skulled, saw Hugh Laurie on some talk show after having seen him on "House." Hugh Laurie was, predictably, speaking with a British accent. Natthew said the accent was totally phony because he CAN speak with an American accent, and if you CAN speak with an American accent, that IS your normal accent; anything else is pretense. My mother tried to reason with him for about fifteen minutes, but finally threw her hands in the air and walked out.

    There's an Aussie in the "House" cast, who plays an Aussie character. In one episode, Hugh Laurie referred to the Aussie character as a Brit. The character told Dr. House that he was Australian, not British. Dr. House said, "You have the Queen on your money. You're a Brit." I love his character's irreverence for everything. It's a good thing that I was never actually Mormon, because I value all things irreverent.

    For the record, my dad thinks Hugh Laurie is a good actor. He thinks the character of Gregory House as the writers invented him is too unrealistic no matter who gets stuck in the role. I don't agree with the latter part of my dad's assertion. Who would watch Indiana Jones if they had to believe everything the character said or did?

    ReplyDelete
  4. You'll have to check on Youtube for Fry and Laurie, and share it with your brother

    Here's one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nTmSu6v0LA&feature=relmfu

    ReplyDelete