Review
House ended with season 8, episode 22, but there was an earlier episode that would have worked better as the medical drama’s series finale. One of the greatest medical dramas ever, House ran for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012, ing the titular, misanthropic but brilliant, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) as he leads a team of diagnosticians in a hospital in New Jersey. Always circling under the surface of House’s unconventional and rude facade was a very real addiction to Vicodin. This struggle became a greater problem over the years until season 6.
It was in season 6 that House finally managed to conquer his problem with abusing medication, but then the series continued on for two more seasons. Season 8 of House took on a distinctly darker tone, a result of House’s friend, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), being diagnosed with cancer. Capped off by «Everybody Dies», the House series finale saw House and Wilson literally riding off into the sunset to make the most of Wilson’s last month. It was a controversial finale, and what’s more, the show already had a fitting wrap-up.
"Broken" Should Have Been House's Final Episode
By Season 8, We Had Learned All We Need To About Dr. Gregory House
The premiere of House season 6 is a two-part episode titled «Broken», which comes right after the shocking events of the season 5 finale, where House realizes just how bad his pill dependency has become. He’s driven to a psychiatric hospital, which is where we open in the season 6 premiere. House awakens in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, and, though he can check himself out at any time, Dr. Nolan (Andre Braugher) can refuse to sign a recommendation that he be allowed to practice medicine again, forcing House to play ball.
It’s an episode that gets to the heart of House’s addiction and forces him to confront his own feelings, fears, and assumptions. Though he begins the episode engaging in his usual anarchic and chaotic behavior, resisting the authority of the hospital, he comes to better understand himself and why he’s there. It’s a complete storyline for House, and though it doesn’t flashback to other moments in his life, the episode brings together everything that makes House «House», which is what a good series finale should aim for.
How "Broken" Perfectly Wraps Up House's Character Arc
House Overcomes His Addiction And Personal Issues
«Broken» would have been the perfect way to wrap up House’s character arc, and if House had ended then and there, it would have been a satisfying and meaningful conclusion for one of the greatest TV doctors ever. House certainly has an issue with drugs, but that’s not his only problem. The real crux of his issues stems from being unable to let anyone else into his life, leaving himself open to hurt. In «Broken», House confronts both his drug addiction problems by working with Dr. Nolan, and he confronts his issues with people.
It’s this personal growth and willingness to connect that convince Dr. Nolan that House is ready to return to work.
Lydia (Franka Potente) is a woman who visits her sister at the psychiatric hospital and whom House becomes smitten with, eventually making love to. It turns out that Lydia is married and has a child, and she decides she can’t be with House, wounding him. It’s this personal growth and willingness to connect that convinces Dr. Nolan that House is ready to return to work. It’s an important lesson that House has struggled to learn all series. Yes, letting people in can be painful, but it’s the only way to grow and move forward.
House's Series Finale Was Good, But "Broken" Would've Been A Better Ending
Broken Would Have Been A Smart And Satisfying Ending For The Show
The House series finale is a lot better in retrospect. It gets a lot of things right, and brings back characters and themes from the series in significant ways. House and Wilson get their happy ending, and the implication is that House has now built himself up enough that he won’t spiral when his friend is gone. However, «Broken» would have still made for a better ending to the series.
«Broken» is the first episode to have Hugh Laurie credited as an executive producer.
House is about House, and few episodes are more about the internal turmoil of the doctor than «Broken». It would have been a meaningful and satisfying conclusion for the character. He would have ended the series overcoming both his drug addiction and his personal struggles that have hounded him all series long, and it would have been an organic, believable way to explore that change.
