Well, Gregory House went out with a bang. Sort of. Tonight, FOX aired the series finale of their medical series, House. Titled “Everybody Dies,” the finale was directed by series creator and executive producer David Shore.
House premiered November 16, 2004, to modest ratings but eventually became a hit. In addition to some great ratings, House drew four Emmy nominations for best drama and six for star Hugh Laurie.
The ratings have been in decline for awhile so it was decided that, after eight seasons and 177 episodes, it was time to say goodbye to the curmudgeonly genius physician.
Many suspected that House would die in the final episode and they were right, mostly. Last week, Wilson and House were making plans to spend Wilson’s last five months on Earth together. Those plans were scuttled by the discovery of the hockey tickets that House stole. It seems his parole has been revoked and the grumpy doc will be spending the next six months in jail instead.
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House is so despondent over the situation that he’s committing suicide in a burning building. While there, he’s “visited” by several characters from the show’s past — courtesy of several special actor cameos. In their own ways, they tell him that his life is worth living and he ultimately agrees. As he tries to leave, the floor collapses and he dies.
At his funeral, a distraught Wilson starts to deliver a thoughtful eulogy but can’t contain his ranting, calling his fallen friend a selfish jerk. He’s interrupted by a cellphone noise that turns out to be coming from his own pocket — and a cellphone that wasn’t his own. The text message tells him to shut up.
We next see Wilson incredulously meeting a very-alive House, simply sitting on some city steps. House has faked his death and left a corpse in his place (after switching dental records). Wilson tells him that he’s throwing away everything by doing this but the good doctor thinks it’s worth it to spend the next five months with his best friend.
We see the rest of the characters happily going about their lives. Chase has become the head of the department. Foreman finds House’s hospital badge slipped under his end table, realizes what it means, and smiles. House and Wilson, riding motorcycles depart on the open road, into the sunset, together.
What do you think? Was this a fitting end to House? Are you glad that House didn’t die? Did they miss anything? Was Cuddy’s absence a big deal?
Here’s a more complete synopsis of the last episode of House.
Image courtesy FOX.
I have seen a number of reviews that have asked how House switched the dental records. Don’t forget that he had disappeared for two days, and had the cooperation of the person he was switching with, namely his patient. I don’t know how the logistics would work, but he would at least have known who the guy’s dentist was.
The overdose and the fire were done on purpose. The guy had only a short time to live anyway.
fantastic ending i was very happy with the finale could not ask for more
Where is the Logic in having House end his career in such a way that he can’t return even though he is alive. Financially speaking without any identification or access to funds, how is House supposed to exist after Wilson is gone? Did House clear out his bank accounts before he got himself declared Dead? How did he get a new cellphone if his id would have shown that he is dead if he tried to get a new phone but then again he probably stole it. How about his Vicadin, will he steal it or will Wilson be giving… Read more »
What did I think? I didn’t buy it. He “changed the dental records?” What dental records? His dentist happened to be the same as a patient he wasn’t expecting to die? How did he even get the other person’s records?
It was a cop out solution for the writers.
Missed Cuddy, fitting ending
“four Emmy nominations for best drama and six for star Hugh Laurie”
And how in the heck didn’t they win one considering the quality of that show versus the more typical bubblegum garbage on TeeVee?
I have watched every show for the last 8 years and loved them all. I loved the ending. Awesome writing.
I love how they brought back as many former cast members as they could. I love that each visited House as he lay possibly dying. I love that Wilson was real at the funeral. And most of all that he and House got to ride off into the sunset together, leaving the posibility of a House tv movie or something if it is ever called for. Right now the actors on the show didn’t want to do it any more. And they had kind of snarled up House’s life with the whole jail hanging over his head thing. They were… Read more »
I felt dissatisfied after the finale, partly because the one storyline I hadn’t cared for over the 8 years was the channeling of Amber, and this technique dominated the finale. I’d also felt uncertain if House was really alive at the end or if Wilson was dreaming, or perhaps they both were dead. Watching it again this afternoon on the VCR, some things were clearer but the conclusion was still ambiguous. Was Foreman’s smile when he found the ID badge, for example, because he realized House must be alive, or just a recognition of House’s ongoing presence. I would like… Read more »
House and Wilson riding off together was i thought a good way to end the show without viewers having to watch wilson die an house colapse because of it, they wanted viewers to remember the characters in a positive way and even though they had thought about killing wilson they didnt think viewers wanted to see a loved character die. The idea with foreman finding the id was that hes smart enough to figure out house was still alive because when they left to look for house it wasnt there.
Making his only real friend Wilson fatally ill was the only thing I can think of that could justify the character House as we knew him throwing away his entire career in an unselfish act that proved that House valued that friendship even more than he valued his own life, a factor that was enough to change House’s entire character. The only way to show that sacrifice and character change which would have been even more direct would have been for House to somehow give up his actual physical life for Wilson, but that would have been too depressing as… Read more »
Don’t over-complicate and think too much of it, because it’s a finale, NOT “Inception”, so slow yo roll grandma.
OK. I don’t get it. First of all, I was angry that Cuddy didn’t show up. Am I the only one who thinks that House and Wilson were both dead when they went off into the sunset? Many of the trees looked artificial and the lighting was different. It was, however, a sad event in my life. I will miss House, and I think the last episode was provocative. So were Wilson and House gay and not yet out (even to themselves)?
They werent dead. They had already shown house escaping earlier. He wasnt as close as he looked to the falling beam it was an optical illusion. At houses funeral wilson went off because he was hurt and scared. I think the end looked different because they actually shot outside without artificial lighting which they didnt do very often. Lisa eddlestein was willing to do the show but wasnt available to do it on the shows schedule, at least thats what i heard.
Yeah, the scenery was different, I”ll give you that, but only because it looked like it was shot outside the United States, but I don’t think they were both dead. They’re NOT gay, and haven’t you heard the term “bromance” before? Wilson is House’s best friend, and only friend.
I was also bothered that Cuddy didn’t show up to the funeral. Sure, House drove his car through her house, but she can’t stay bitter forever.
Great final episode. The writers should be congratulated for a job well done and well thought out. It not only reviewed the characters, it also left a lasting thought.
GREAT ENDING, JUST I WISH WILSON WASNT DYING…..
Me, too, but as I point out above, it was the only thing I can think of that would realistically justify the unselfish choice House made which proved that, unlike Wilson was beginning to go on about in his eulogy, he WASN’T an unredeemable a**.
Glad it’s gone. the show outlived its usefulness
House has been my fav show for past 8 years and it is truly the best show in my books. But i think it was better to end it while it was still on the top as the last two seasons had been lacking the spark. Missed Cuddy in the last episode and she should have been there. As a fan i will miss the serise and it’s true to life charactets specially the friendship of house and willson. Thank you for all the team of house for all the memorabke moments.
I too was a devoted fan for many years, but I guess it was time to move on. There were some really big holes for me in the finale. At first glance, it didn’t look like House was in the building to fake his death. that looked like it just happened, to me. And if it just happened, how did the phone get into Wilson’s pocket? How did House know Wilson was speaking at that moment? And how did he change the dental records of the drug addict? Those dental records would have been at his dentist’s office. If House… Read more »
What im about to say is the way i interpreted things from an interview with one of the writers. House didnt plan it the way he eventually did it. The drug addict had offered earlier to take the blame for the prank that would get his bail revoked. House was feeling bad for himself and went to get high with the guy. when the guy died and house escaped he took his chance. House was gone for hours before they identified the body. He had time to switch the records and how he got the phone in wilsons pocket i… Read more »
House is really crafty, don’t underestimate him. He’s both a genius and a street-smart, and this is his best friend you’re talking about, and his only friend, in other words, he knows Wilson like the back of his hand. It would be safe to assume that House loves Wilson more than he loves his own mother.