Lisa Cuddy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lisa Cuddy
Lucas Douglas
ChildrenRachel Cuddy (adoptive)

Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the dean of medicine of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. Cuddy quit her job after the events of season seven's finale "Moving On".

Storylines

Cuddy's job title in House is Dean of Medicine and Hospital Administrator.[1] She is Jewish,[2] and has a mother and one sister; her father is dead.[3] She began dreaming of becoming a doctor when she was 12, graduated from medical school at age 25 as second best in her class, and became the first female and second youngest Dean of Medicine at the age of 32 (she was actually 29 but she added three years to her age in order to seem more mature to the Selection Committee).[4] Cuddy attended the University of Michigan, where she first met Gregory House (Hugh Laurie),[4] and with whom she shared a one-night stand.[5]

After hiring House to run the hospital's Diagnostics Department, Cuddy began setting aside $50,000 a year from the hospital's budget for potential legal expenses.

perjures herself in court to cover up his wrongdoing.[1]

Cuddy questions whether House has a

Under My Skin", Cuddy helps House detox from Vicodin; and the two sleep together.[19] In the following episode, the Season 5 finale "Both Sides Now", this is revealed to have been a hallucination on House's part: in reality, he spent the evening alone and is suffering from psychiatric problems as a result of Vicodin and emotional trauma.[20]

Throughout Season 6, Cuddy is busy with her adopted daughter and is in a relationship with a private investigator, Lucas, who was hired by House to spy on Wilson at the start of Season 5. She cared for House after he goes through rehab for Vicodin. After sensing romantic feelings from House, Cuddy tells House that she would like to be friends; but he refuses, quoting that is the "last thing he wants". In the Season 6 finale "

fat embolism
, caused by the amputation. With the pain he is dealing with, Hanna's death, and what Cuddy said to him earlier, when House arrives home he rips the bathroom mirror off the wall to get his stash of Vicodin. As he gets ready to take the pills, Cuddy arrives just in time. She reveals to him that even though she was moving on with her life she can't stop thinking about him. She broke off her engagement to Lucas and tells House that she loves him and they kiss. He asks her if he is hallucinating this and she asks if he took the Vicodin. He says no and drops the pills on the floor. They smile and kiss again.

Cuddy's relationship with House progressed throughout most of Season 7. In Episode 15, "Bombshells", Cuddy discovers blood in her urine. After several tests, Wilson finds a mass in Cuddy's kidney and schedules a biopsy to take place later in the episode. Further "imaging shows enhancing masses across multiple lobes of Cuddy's lungs",

Eric Foreman
eventually replacing her.

Characterization

Cuddy was created by executive producer

foil for House, who "doesn't take [his] nonsense and knows how to keep him in check — more or less."[25] The Washington Post's Tom Shales has deemed Cuddy House's "nagging nemesis", whose role is "to make House miserable".[26] Discussing Cuddy's characterization in terms of her relationship with House, Edelstein has opined:

I think that she very much loves House and also lives vicariously through him, because she's a very smart woman who was very successful as a doctor and has a great job and a wonderful position, but also has had less and less to do with the actual practice of medicine as the years have gone by. So I think she's excited by what he does and how he does it and deeply frustrated by him at the same time.[27]

Co-executive producer Garrett Lerner has praised Edelstein's versatility in the role when asked to summarize Cuddy, stating:

Lisa Edelstein can do absolutely anything, so, she's fantastic. You know, she can stand up to House, give it right back to him. She can be tender, she can be hurt, she can be strong...I think she's probably [the favorite character for] a lot of people I've talked to. It's a powerful role.[28]

Development

Edelstein picketed during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which halted the development of Cuddy and House's relationship.

During the early fourth season of House, Cuddy received reduced screen time as the show focused on House's new

2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, which delayed the remainder of the season.[25] Edelstein commented: "Cuddy won't be sleeping with House unless we get the writers back. So I'm out there picketing."[25] As a result of the strike, storylines involving Cuddy had to be pushed back into the show's fifth season, as the fourth season ran for a reduced number of episodes.[29]

When Edelstein heard she had to do a strip scene in the episode "House's Head", she called actress Sheila Kelley, wife of Richard Schiff (with whom Edelstein had worked previously on The West Wing and Relativity).[27] Kelley had worked on a movie about strippers long ago and Edelstein asked her for her advice on the choreography of the striptease.[27][30] On the episode itself, Edelstein commented: "It is very interesting what happens in the first half of the finale in terms of learning about how House sees people and getting the world from his point of view entirely".[27][30] Before the filming of the scene started, Edelstein showed the dance to Hugh Laurie, who, according to Edelstein, was "incredibly supportive, like a cheerleader".[31] Edelstein commented that after the scene was filmed she, "felt beautiful, and it ended up being a really lovely experience".[31]

Cuddy's desire for a baby paralleled Edelstein's personal life, with the actress explaining: "When the show started, I told the producers that at some point during the run of the show, if it was successful, that I was going to get pregnant one way or another. So they planted that seed in the character's story so it would be possible for me as a woman to experience that."[31] When Cuddy became a mother to Rachel in the show's fifth season, executive producer Katie Jacobs discussed the need for Cuddy to find a balance between her personal and professional life, as well as the impact motherhood would have on her relationship with House:

The tension and chemistry are still there. Neither one of them is actively fessing-up to looking for a relationship, but they are drawn to each other. None of the flirtatiousness is going to go away. The stakes are very high for them. The attraction is still there. We are absolutely going to continue that. It's real and it's palpable. And it's who they are.[32]

Cuddy had a difficult relationship with her mother (played by Candice Bergen) after her father passed away. Although they are cordial, they tend to hide things from each other: Cuddy had misgivings about House meeting her mother for a long time; her mother hid an affair she was having for five years.

"Huddy"

The relationship between House and Cuddy is known by the

portmanteau term "Huddy".[33] Cuddy has what USA Today's Peter Johnson terms a "cat-and-mouse" relationship with House.[34] Edelstein has described it as "a really complicated, adult relationship",[25] explaining: "These are people who have very full lives and lots of responsibilities that perhaps conflict with their feelings for each other."[25] The actress "would love for them to have a [romantic] relationship, because it could be as complicated as the rest of their relationship",[34] however, she is unsure how it would affect the dynamics of the show.[34] Jacobs commented at the end of the show's third season: "I can't see them pairing them in a permanent fashion. But they are close; they have gone through a lot together. Might there be a moment of weakness in which the two might explore their chemistry? Maybe."[34] Questioned at the end of the fourth season on whether Cuddy and House would ever consummate their relationship on-screen, Jacobs responded: "there is heat and chemistry between them and I never want to see that go away because that is the essence of their relationship. [...] we'll never ignore [their chemistry] because, as I said, it's the very essence of them. She wouldn't forgive him over and over again if he wasn't so brilliant in her eyes, clearly she's got a soft spot for him. And he has one for her. You will continue to see that."[35] Prior to the beginning of the fifth season, series creator David Shore discussed his intention to further the relationship between the two, as: "If House is capable of any relationship with anyone, it's Cuddy. We can't have them dancing around forever."[36] Following the fifth season revelation that House had hallucinated a physical relationship with Cuddy, Shore commented on the storyline's continuation into the sixth season: "it would be dishonest to just let that disappear. Obviously House has feelings for her. Even though the love affair didn't happen, in House's mind it did."[37] Edelstein does not know whether the two characters will eventually end up together, however believes that the combination of frustration and love Cuddy feels for House "makes for a very interesting relationship",[31] as: "there's a great deal of admiration and respect, and also an incredible amount of annoyance and frustration, which is like how most relationships are in your life."[31] At the very end of the sixth-season finale, "Help Me", House and Cuddy appear to have entered a romantic relationship. In the closing minutes of the episode, House came very close to relapsing and taking Vicodin once again, at which point Cuddy entered to tell him that she had ended her relationship with Lucas. She professed her love for House, which led to them kissing briefly. A close-up shot of their clasped hands was the closing shot of the episode, as well as the season. The relationship later ends in the season 7 episode; "Bombshells
".

Reception

In 2005, Edelstein won the

LA Times wrote: "The Avid Viewer was also happy to see the seeds of a romantic relationship between House and Cuddy being sown — that had to be part of the show's original bible because really, who else could survive a romantic relationship with House now that Sela Ward's gone?"[39] McNamara has opined that a romantic relationship between the two "makes perfect sense", as "she is the only one who seems able to accept House as he is, to give almost as good as she gets and to let most of his barbs fall where they may. How Edelstein can play this in a believable way is the point where acting moves from skill to art."[40] When the show underwent a change of format at the beginning of the fourth series, McNamara commented positively on the changing dynamic in Cuddy's relationship with House, noting:

gone is the increasingly dull and unbelievable tension between him and Cuddy. (As subordinate/boss, that is. The sexual tension, one hopes, is still in there somewhere.) Cuddy is done trying to squelch him; now she is just shooting for managed chaos. Which is so much more fun because it revolves more around the medicine and less around all the personal pathos of the staff.[41]

However, as USA Today's Robert Bianco noted, when Cuddy and House finally began a physical relationship, in what later transpired to be a hallucination sequence, "It started a firestorm among fans who hated the change in the relationship".[42] Following the pair's first screen kiss, IGN reviewer James Chamberlin opined that the event was "kind of awkward" and "just didn't feel right to me".[43] With regards to Cuddy's season five storylines as a whole, Chamberlin commented: "Cuddy's interest in becoming a mother was something I enjoyed. [..] This plot contained some heart-wrenching moments, particularly when Cuddy had to a take on the case as both a doctor and a potential mother in "Joy."[44] The New York Times's Lisa Belkin has also praised Cuddy's motherhood storyline, citing her as one of few examples of good parenting on television.[45]

Discussing the numerous

jump-the-shark moment, but a bungee-jumping-the-Arctic moment.[46]

Her conclusion is that:

House refuses to buy into the myth that a good woman can save an ornery jerk, and the finale made it clear what a dope you were to even think the show would try. It doesn't want to appease the woman who wants to appease her Harlequin Romance self. It wants to appease anyone who gets ticked off when a romantic comedy shows an accomplished woman in a skirt suit giving it all up for a jobless, slovenly idiot. The House-Cuddy attraction isn't an attraction of opposites. It's an attraction between two highly intelligent workaholics, two people too interesting for anyone else but ultimately unfit for each other—no matter how pathetically we'd like it to be otherwise.[33]

Mike Hale for The New York Times has praised Edelstein's performance as Cuddy in comedic situations, writing:

Lisa Edelstein may not be the funniest performer around, but she is without a doubt the best sport in American television: every week the writers of House find new ways to embarrass her and her character, Dr. Cuddy, who is engaged in an excruciating mating dance with Hugh Laurie's Dr. House. Ms. Edelstein somehow manages to maintain her dignity while playing a 40-something dean of medicine who acts like a teenage girl.[47]

The fourth season scene in which Cuddy did a pole dance was very positively received by critics,[48][49] Mary McNamara stated that these scenes "in three minutes earned back the price of TiVo".[50] James Chamberlin stated that he never expected Edelstein to do a strip tease, although he had hoped it.[51]

Lisa Cuddy was elected TV's Most Crushworthy Female Doctor over Remy "Thirteen" Hadley in a poll held by Zap2it.[52]

References

  1. ^ a b Daniel Sackheim (director); Leonard Dick (writer) (2007-01-09). "Words and Deeds". House. Season 3. Episode 11. Fox.
  2. Unfaithful". House. Season 5. Episode 15. Fox
    .
  3. Adverse Events". House. Season 5. Episode 3. Fox
    .
  4. ^ a b Dan Attias (director); Matt Witten (writer) (2005-09-27). "Humpty Dumpty". House. Season 2. Episode 3. Fox.
  5. Top Secret". House. Season 3. Episode 16. Fox
    .
  6. DNR". House. Season 1. Episode 9. Fox
    .
  7. Babies & Bathwater". House. Season 1. Episode 18. Fox
    .
  8. Forever". House. Season 2. Episode 22. Fox
    .
  9. ^ Martha Mitchell (director); John Mankiewicz & Lawrence Kaplow (teleplay); Charles M. Duncan & John Mankiewicz (story) (2006-05-16). "Who's Your Daddy?". House. Season 2. Episode 23. Fox.
  10. ^ Deran Sarafian (director); Sara Hess (writer) (2006-11-28). "Finding Judas". House. Season 3. Episode 09. Fox.
  11. Insensitive". House. Season 3. Episode 14. Fox
    .
  12. Act Your Age". House. Season 3. Episode 19. Fox
    .
  13. House Training". House. Season 3. Episode 20. Fox
    .
  14. ^ Greg Yaitanes (director); Liz Friedman & Sara Hess (writers) (2008-10-21). "Lucky Thirteen". House. Season 5. Episode 5. Fox.
  15. Joy". House. Season 5. Episode 6. Fox
    .
  16. Let Them Eat Cake". House. Season 5. Episode 10. Fox
    .
  17. Joy to the World". House. Season 5. Episode 11. Fox
    .
  18. Big Baby". House. Season 5. Episode 13. Fox
    .
  19. Under My Skin". House. Season 5. Episode 23. Fox
    .
  20. ^ Greg Yaitanes (director); David Shore & Doris Egan (writers) (2009-05-11). "Both Sides Now". House. Season 5. Episode 24. Fox.
  21. ^ a b "FOX Broadcasting Company - House TV Show - House TV Series - House Episode Guide". Archived from the original on 2011-04-24. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
  22. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55022-803-8
    .
  23. ^ a b Burana, Lily (May 29, 2007). "Stalking Dr. House". Salon.com. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  24. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (November 16, 2004). "With Terminal Witticism, Even Cancer Can Be Fun". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Hämmerling Smith, Nina (November 20, 2007). "Lisa Edelstein Spills Hot House Secrets". TV Guide. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  26. ^ a b Shales, Tom (November 16, 2004). "'House': Watching Is the Best Medicine". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  27. ^ a b c d Fienberg, Daniel (May 11, 2008). "Interview: Lisa Edelstein Does a 'House' Call". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  28. ^ M, Sara (October 26, 2006). "You get to basically be an ass on paper and channel your twelve-year-old self". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  29. ^ Keveney, Bill (February 28, 2008). "How TV's hottest shows are getting back on track". USA Today Company. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  30. ^ a b "Houses Stripper Fantasy Finale". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Studios Inc. May 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  31. ^
    Dos Santos, Kristin & Reesman, Bryan (June 12, 2008). "Lisa Edelstein Plays House, Huddy and Lap Dances". E!. Retrieved 2008-10-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  32. ^ Barnett, Barbara (January 17, 2009). "A Conversation with House, MD Executive Producer Katie Jacobs". Blogcritics. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  33. ^ a b c d Bellafante, Ginia (May 11, 2009). "'House': Never Give a Sucker a Happy Ending". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  34. ^ a b c d Johnson, Peter (May 29, 2007). "'House' gets a dose of staff shake-ups for next season". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  35. ^ Ghosh, Korbi (May 19, 2008). "Are House and Amber Hooking Up? E.P. Katie Jacobs Speaks". Zap2it. Archived from the original on January 4, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  36. ^ Reinstein, Mara; Andersson, Eric (September 8, 2008). "TV's Fall Favourites". Us Weekly. Wenner Media. p. 69.
  37. ^ Rudolph, Ileane (May 19, 2009). "Finale Questions Answered". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  38. ^ "2005 10th Annual SATELLITE Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  39. ^ McNamara, Mary (March 16, 2007). "'House': Over the top?". LA Times. Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  40. ^ McNamara, Mary (April 18, 2007). "'House' uninterrupted: A crackling pleasure". LA Times. Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
  41. ^ McNamara, Mary (October 31, 2007). "'House': Whole lot of shakin' goin' on!". LA Times. Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  42. ^ Bianco, Robert (May 21, 2009). "Season finale frenzy: 'House'". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  43. ^ Chamberlin, James (October 29, 2008). "House: "Joy" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  44. ^ Chamberlin, James (May 19, 2009). "House: Season 5 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  45. ^ Belkin, Lisa (February 17, 2009). "Why Are There No Good Parents on TV?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  46. ^ a b c Bellafante, Ginia (May 12, 2009). "The Finale of 'House': About Last Night ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  47. ^ Hale, Mike (December 21, 2008). "The Week Ahead – Dec. 21-Dec. 27". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  48. ^ Santiago, Rosario (May 19, 2008). "Part 2 of 'House' Season Finale Airs Tonight". BuddyTV. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  49. ^ Paff, Jessica (May 12, 2008). "'House' Crashing realities". Zap2it. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  50. ^ McNarma, Mary (May 13, 2008). "'House': What goes on inside that good doctor's head?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  51. ^ Chamberlin, James (May 13, 2008). "House: "House's Head" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  52. ^ Carina Adly MacKenzie. "TV's Most Crushworthy Doctor (Female)". Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Cuddy&oldid=1210896527"