An entertaining look at a Yale undergrad who’s figuring out how to maximize the dining hall’s capabilities: for instance, young Zach Marks manages to cook up chicken satay with the common college staples and a microwave – and, in between extracurricular activities and his inclination to be an urban planner, he pulled off a roast pig party in his freshman year. Oh, my…
Colleague and I went to Thomas Beisl, an Austrian cuisine bistro across the street from BAM. Cool place – food was terrific for pretty good prices (in the $20-$40) range. NY Times review said it was delicious. I had the weiner schnitzel (breaded and fried pork cutlets, an Austrian national food – link presented for purposes of edifying those who – like I was – wasn’t sure what exactly was schnitzel) and for dessert – cheese strudel in vanilla sauce. Mmm. Yummy! Plus, as BAM didn’t have a performance, not crowded at all. Ambiance was good; staff was nice; bathroom – clean (I take that into consideration, really).
Okay, well, I’m a sucker for fried food anyway, and now I can see why schnitzel’s a loved food…
Tuesday’s “House” – an odd episode. On the one hand, I wanted to feel it was powerful, but I thought the rape victim patient was irritating (House being the last person to help a rape victim – and, honestly, isn’t he or his hospital obligated by law to treat this far more seriously than they did – was a rape counselor even available? Victim was so traumatized that she had lost all rationale – telling House she wanted to talk, but didn’t know what to talk about – except about the rape – and doesn’t know why she still wanted him as her doctor, when she clearly didn’t even want him touching her after he confirmed she had an STD and realized that she was a rape victim; her only reason for wanting to keep him as her doctor? Because she could tell he had been hurt too. Aww. Total manipulator – she was brutalized and wanted to regain control – or so House’s team determined – by asserting she wanted House as her doctor). For more than one moment, I thought she was a figment of House’s imagination to get him to work out his internal demons (since drug rehab was a complete failure for him).
House – actor Hugh Laurie brilliant as ever – was as a touch irritating in his constant refusal to change. I wasn’t entirely surprised by the revelation of his abusive childhood and who his abuser was; but I’m getting tired of how he won’t … change. Perhaps that’s how it is – he is a character who simply won’t change, because he has been too angry over how his past was and how he knows the power of lies – hell, I think he lies to himself or is just too damn honest – after awhile, things blur and you just can’t quite tell with House – oh, and he had his stroke in his leg and he lost the love of his life and he was shot last season, and life just plain sucks.
Dr. Cameron is another irritation, as she got saddled with yet another cancer-dying patient. Yes, we know she can’t handle people who die (why is she a doctor – uh, oh, well) and she is constantly reminded of how her husband died of cancer too. Dr. Foreman needs some lines (after all, like House, he’s had his own traumatic thing – and I think he was in denial about it). Dr. Chase had the closest thing to suggesting the right thing: informing House that there may not be the right answer to treating this victim. Well, leave it to a guy who might still have a moral compass and was going to be a priest to try to say something nice.
Personally, I enjoy the show most when they move towards the ensemble feeling and less of the obvious burden on Hugh Laurie – House and Wilson are fun to watch (come on – it’s Robert Sean Leonard as Wilson – he has acting chops!); and the younger doctors jousting with each other and House – can we get more of that again, pretty please?
Hell, I’ll even take the evil Vogel back. Vogel was evil for the sake of being evil – he enjoyed being the boss from hell. Vogel the character was a total contrast from the role Chi McBride played on “Boston Public” – the high school principal with the greatest of intentions (well, I stuck with Boston Public only during the first season and a half, so perhaps I’m wrong). I didn’t quite care for the detective character that David Morse played – Morse was a great actor, but his character strained belief as this season’s villain – I mean, if there’s a poster boy for police corruption, that was Det. Tritter. His evilness wasn’t as fun or as excusable as Vogel’s evilness.
And a final mention: the passing of Olympic medalist C.K. Yang.