Michael Tritter

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Michael Tritter
David Morse
In-universe information
OccupationPolice detective

Michael Tritter is a recurring fictional character in the

Vicodin addiction. Tritter turns people close to House against him and forces House to go to rehab. When the case ultimately comes to court, the judge sentences House to one night in jail, for contempt of court
, and to finish his rehabilitation, telling Tritter that she believes House is not the drug addict he tried to make him out to be.

The character was created as somebody who could go "toe-to-toe" with House.[1] Morse, who had never seen the show before, was unsure if he could portray the character, and was not impressed after familiarizing himself with the show. The excited reaction of his friends to the opportunity convinced him to take the role. Initial critical responses to the character were mostly positive, but critics later felt that the six-episode Tritter story arc became "boring".[2] Morse, though, was praised for his portrayal and received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in the episode "Finding Judas". Morse stated in a 2006 TV Guide interview that, although he had discussed it with writers of the show, bringing the character back on the show would be "practically impossible".[3]

Storyline

Tritter first appears in the episode "

Vicodin pills in his pocket.[4]

In the next episode, "

Son of Coma Guy" and "Whac-A-Mole", Tritter pressures Wilson and members of House's diagnostic team to testify against him, but they all refuse.[7][8][9] In "Finding Judas", Cuddy finds Tritter spending his day off looking through the hospital's log for evidence against House. She accuses him of not having a life and "personalizing every slight". Tritter responds that "nobody [at the hospital] is innocent", as everyone allows House to treat patients despite knowing of his Vicodin addiction and that it takes a police detective to uncover what the doctors are deliberately hiding. At the end of the episode, Wilson visits Tritter and indicates his willingness to testify.[10]

In "

Merry Little Christmas", Tritter and Wilson work out a deal to allow House to continue practicing medicine if he pleads guilty and spends two months in rehab. Meanwhile, House uses a dead patient's name to obtain Oxycodone pills as a Vicodin replacement drug, but nearly overdoses on the drug as he is unaccustomed to its effects. When he visits Tritter early the next morning to agree to the deal, Tritter says the deal is off, after going through the pharmacy's log and reading that House signed for a dead man's drugs.[11]

In the final days leading up to House's court case, House realizes the severity of the situation and finally apologizes to Tritter (episode "Words and Deeds"). When Tritter refuses to accept the apology, House goes into rehab, putting on a show for Tritter and the judge, but Tritter cites his experiences with addicts as evidence House has not changed. The judge tells Tritter that she does not believe House to be the drug dealer that Tritter tried to show him to be and orders Tritter to move on after House is exonerated due to Cuddy committing perjury. Just before the bailiff escorts House out of the courtroom, Tritter tells him: "Good luck. I hope I'm wrong about you."[12]

Personality

Tritter himself is essentially House without the sense of humor, but that doesn't make him any less right in his assessment of House as bully.

Alan Sepinwall[13]

The main antagonist of the third season,

manipulative streak when he forms a plan to coerce each member of House's team to testify separately in "Finding Judas".[20] Robert Bianco of USA Today described Tritter as an initially "legitimately, if belligerently, aggrieved adversary" character who later morphs into "some kind of insane supercop, tearing his way through the hospital and the Constitution at will".[21]

Creation and casting

David Morse, who portrayed Tritter, in 2005

The Tritter character was created as someone to go "toe-to-toe" with House.

Hack, for a guest-starring episode arc on the show.[1][3] According to Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News, Morse's earlier portrayals of "scary" cops (in 16 Blocks and Hack) helped him clinch the role.[22]

Morse was unfamiliar with the show. After watching several House episodes, he was surprised that the show had a strong audience with "[such] a total jerk" as the lead character.[1] It was not until Morse told a few long-time friends about the job offer that their enthusiastic reaction convinced him to take the role.[1][16][17] Katie Jacobs, executive producer of House, was impressed by Morse's performance.[17] In a 2006 TV Guide interview, Morse said that, although he discussed the possibility with House writers, it would be "practically impossible" to get the character to return in any later seasons.[3]

Reception

Initial responses to the character were mostly positive. Maureen Ryan of the

Lucas Douglas (Michael Weston).[14] Variety's Stuart Levine considered Tritter a "worthy foe" for House.[27]

However, the continued character arc increasingly bored critics. Staci Krause of IGN found the first few episodes of Season 3, in which House recovers from being shot, more interesting.[2] In a review of "Que Sera Sera", Entertainment Weekly's Michelle Kung noted that while David Morse is a fine actor, "his cop is so ridiculously one-note and revenge-bent that his scenes are often just excruciating to sit through."[28] In a review for "Fools for Love", Sara Morrison of Television Without Pity doubted that Tritter's revenge on House was worth his time and aggravation,[29] and later called the Tritter arc an "insane quest for ass-thermometer justice".[6] The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall stated that "pitting House against a comedy-impaired cop was both dull and not a fair fight".[30]

The show's fans had shown dislike for other antagonists with multi-episode guest-starring arcs, and critics suspected that Tritter's character would receive similar disdain.[31] The conclusion of the storyline, and Tritter's departure from the show, were described by USA Today critic Robert Bianco as a Christmas gift for fans of the show.[21] Morse jokingly stated after his departure that various fans had told him of their hate for Tritter after what the character had done to Dr. House.[1][32]

Morse, however, gained mainly positive responses to his portrayal of Tritter. The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall called Morse a "superb actor",

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series".[34][35] The award eventually went to John Goodman for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.[36]

References

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  4. ^ Blake, Peter; Platt, David (October 31, 2006). "Fools for Love". House. Season 3. Episode 5. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  5. ^ David, Shore; Moran, Thomas (November 7, 2006). "Que Sera Sera". House. Season 3. Episode 6. Fox Broadcasting Company.
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  7. ^ David, Shore; Egan, Doris (November 14, 2006). "Son of Coma Guy". House. Season 3. Episode 7. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  8. ^ M, Sara. "Suspended Disbelief". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
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  11. Merry Little Christmas". House, M.D.. Season 3. Episode 10. Fox. Television Without Pity Recap
  12. ^ Shore, David; Dick, Leonard (January 1, 2007). "Words and Deeds". House, M.D.. Season 3. Episode 11. Fox. Television Without Pity Recap
  13. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (November 1, 2006). "This is why they don't have many friends". What's Alan Watching. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Wheat, Alynda (September 12, 2008). "Who Annoyed Dr. House Most?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  15. ^ Ryan, Maureen (November 2, 2006). "Sweeps ahoy! Highlights of November's TV schedule". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
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  21. ^ a b Bianco, Robert (November 12, 2006). "What to Watch Tuesday". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  22. ^ Gray, Ellen (October 26, 2006). "David Morse makes a "House" call". Philadelphia Daily News.
  23. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (October 19, 2006). "Fall TV's best new characters". The Watcher, Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
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