Squeamishness and Tolerance

I’m still on the first season of House, and I’m finding it fascinating. I’ve never liked medical dramas before, so it’s a good thing that House isn’t one; it’s a cop show more akin to Law & Order. The police just happen to be wearing scrubs and lab coats! I should have figured this out sooner, given that I started watching it because of the Sherlock Holmes-ness.

Despite my enjoyment, I’ve found myself being grossed-out by some of the surgery scenes. I can handle most of them, but anything having to do with eyeballs freaks me out. This morning I’m watching the eleventh episode of the first season, and I was verbally reassuring myself that I wasn’t going to spontaneously explode into vomit the entire needle-in-the-eyeball scene.

Why did I watch it, then? Because it’s important, in my opinion, to build a tolerance to that which scares you. Should you go out and be a masochist? Of course not, but you should try to face your fears. There’s one hideously uncomfortable scene in Brothers and Sisters’ third season involving Scotty’s parents, Kevin, Robert and Kitty. Between the lies and the politics and the aggressiveness of Scotty’s parents, it just rubs me raw. I have to pause the scene multiple times just to collect myself.

I still watch it, however. Brothers & Sisters is my favorite television show, and it’s a huge part of Kevin’s third season character development. I hate it, but it’s also important to face your fears and grow more comfortable with them. They should always unnerve you, but try not to let them take over your life decisions.

Bury Your Lesbians

On the TVTropes wiki, there is a page titled “Bury Your Gays.” In short, it’s about how homosexuals on television get the short end of the stick, usually resulting in death. Examples include Lost, Supernatural and, as I’ll explain, House.

I’ve just started watching House; my last episode watched was the fourth. So, I was watching and enjoying it (besides from the utter terror of every surgery scene), and was happy when there was a lesbian couple. Like, woah! Lesbians! On television!

And then their baby died. The baby of the straight couple that caused the illness of the episode got to keep their baby. Granted, the straight couple didn’t know that they were the cause, but still. Screw you, House. It’s not like it’s expensive, awkward and painful to figure out which mother gets to have a child and then raise it, while potentially not even being married due to Christian fanatics.

I’ll still watch House, but know that I’m pretty miffed.