LaurieLover Problem is I don't think people have had a good think about Season 6. We all know House is Brilliant and a Medical Marvel, but that's not all he is. And that goes for the people around him too. These are just a small part of what I got. Taub - Realised that he enjoyed the challanges of Diagnostic Medicine no matter how much it terrified him. Success is not just about lots of money and a flashy lifestyle. Also he loves his wife, and no ,it may not be as exciting as he would like, but he wants to make her happy. Chase - People are attracted to him not just because he is a smart young DR, but because he is very attractive. People are shallow. Love hurts and so does loosing that love. And House can take a punch !! Foreman - Well I don't really know about him. I suppose he realises that he is needed and deserves to be there. He is more like House than he is comfortable admitting. He can get on with his ex without to much drama and he was an ass for firing her. 13 - She seems to have let the rest get a little closer to her. She is not so guarded and secretive. And she too loves being part of the team. She is also the only one that has realised that House is a Romantic. Wilson - He does actually have a whole department to run, he is not just there to balance out all the crazy stuff House gets up to. Also he is fiercely loyal and protective of House. Case in point - Taking him in after his release from Mayfield and out bidding Cuddy for the Condo just because she hurt his friend. Cuddy - She is one busy woman, with a very demanding job, yet she is still able to deal with all the mayhem House causes on a daily basis. She waited so long for House, she was in love with him and all she got was hurt. She still loves him but has decided that getting on with life is her best defence against him. She knows she has to deal with him and does it as well as she always did. Just now she won't be drawn into his madness. She feels guilt for hurting him, and I think slowly realises that no matter who she is with House is always going to be the dominant male in her life. Slowly with every confrontation she understands and accepts that she wants him just as much as he wants her. HOUSE - Dr Blue Eyes learns that he CAN live without drugs. He IS going to have pain for the rest of his life but that he can handle it. He can open up to people and try to have normal relationships (Lydia) even if then don't work, the drugs did nothing for his ability as a Dr. He learns that he is a magician in the kitchen and that he cannot or rather will not give up on Cuddy. He is fonder of his team that he will admit. Love Hurts especially when you loose the one thing you have secretly always wanted. He enjoys what he does and his friendships are very important (protecting Wilson from himself at the Medical Conf.) but not from Cuddy, her he wants just for himself. Life is not always fair. He might have made the wrong descision about his leg. "I Love You" has never sounded quite that good. Oh and Chase throws one hellava punch. So now that we know them all just a little. We see how they have grown and who they are, know their individual fields of expertise we can appreciate their collective Medical skill. I was getting bored with the same old pattern. Patient comes in, House is flummoxed and frustrated, patient is put through a battery of dangerous and often unnecessary tests, the arguing, fighting, flirting and insults and EUREKA !!!! He solves it in the dying minutes.......

bluehue @wendus..thanks for the info. Knowledge is power. @laurielover..thanks too for your insightful follow-up..great job.

Salvation_Girl I think that people didnt actually hate season 5 and 6, but some people just started whining and flooding the internet with pessimistic comments, just like with the "funs dont like 13" matter. And as for the press, its in their nature not to love a thing if they can help it.

LizzieE01 @LaurieLover - I' with you re: peeling the layers of House's posse and, yes, the overall pattern was getting boring. In fact, you could probably take bets on when we would see the "light bulb moment" appear (especially noticeable when you watch the Saturday Bravo House marathons). That being said however, I still get the feeling that this season (primarily after Known Unknowns) was a filler of sorts...a necessary progression but stretched out over too many episodes, especially since (apparently) Huddy was always the end game. In retrospect then, I get the writer's dilemma and actually think they did a credible job of revealing nuggets in each episode that set the stage for the finale. @wendus92 - I'm thinking that those ratings are kind of like unemployment figures...they don't include those that have stopped watching (or looking for work). So, I'm not surprised because House viewers are nothing if not loyal, but those figures (except for 5 to 9...I give it a 9.2) do reflect my take on the filler episodes. @Salvation_Girl - I think there is a great divide between those who want the show House be procedural and the man House to remain a solitary tortured genius (like a "character" on USA Network) and those who want both the show and man to grow and evolve. I'm with the latter and, thus, am content with the the progression of both but it's those who champion the dark side that seem to be the "haters".