One Of Houses Best Episodes Feels Very Weird In Hindsight And I Think I Know Why

“Wilson’s Heart” is one of my favorite House episodes, but there are a few things about it that make it feel very awkward in hindsight. Amber and Wilson’s relationship was as surprising to House as it was to the audience. The fact that there was a time jump between the moment House fired Amber and the reveal of her relationship with Wilson also added to how surprising it was. House finds out Wilson and Amber are dating in season 4, episode 11, only two episodes after Amber was fired and the competition was wrapped up.

House changed a lot in season 4 with the introduction of a new team following the existence of Cameron, Chase, and Foreman, the last of whom eventually rejoined House as a peer rather than a subordinate. House’s competition to pick a new team was incredibly entertaining and made what could have been a difficult transition work surprisingly well. However, I felt like the latter half of the season was quite rushed, especially when it came to Wilson and Amber’s relationship. This made the events of "House’s Head" and “Wilson’s Heart” feel somewhat strange and not very earned.

Amber & Wilson’s Rushed Relationship Was Likely Due To The 2007-08 Writers Strike

House Season 4 Was Cut Short Due To The Writers Strike

House season 4 had 16 episodes instead of the usual 24 because of the 2007-08 Writers Strike. House was one of many TV shows that had their seasons cut short during the strikes, with other examples including Prison Break, Heroes, Breaking Bad, and Lost. While House’s case-of-the-week formula meant that the show could work just fine with fewer episodes than usual, Amber’s storyline was greatly affected. While there is no confirmation of what House season 4 would have looked like with 24 episodes, I assume Amber and Wilson’s relationship would have been better developed.

The pairing of Wilson and Amber was a surprising decision in itself, although Wilson’s complicated love life had always been an important part of the show. We only get a couple of episodes in which Amber and Wilson are dating before "House’s Head" and “Wilson’s Heart”, meaning there was not enough time to buy them as a couple. Most of the scenes involving Wilson and Amber are actually about House and how he perceives their relationship, including an entire episode in which House and Amber are trying to figure out Wilson’s custody.

“Wilson’s Heart” Works Better If You Ignore How Rushed Amber & Wilson’s Relationship Was

Everything Happened Too Fast Between Wilson And Amber

Amber’s death is one of the most tragic House moments. That said, I believe “Wilson’s Heart” would have been an even better episode if we had spent more time with those two together. It’s very strange how Amber had no family at all to make decisions on her behalf after the accident, leaving Wilson to make the call to turn off her life support. While very well acted and scored, the scene in which Wilson wakes up Amber only to turn off her life support in front of her feels very awkward.

Amber and Wilson were only together for four months, yet we are asked to believe that Wilson was the only meaningful relationship in her life at that point and the only person who would experience her death as something devastating. Amber’s character has little to no agency during the events of "House’s Head" and “Wilson’s Heart”, which makes it seem like the only purpose of her death was to create a dramatic moment that would affect Wilson and House for seasons to come. The episode is more about Wilson than it’s about Amber.

House Season 4 Having More Episodes Would Have Made Amber’s Story Much Better

Most Of Amber And Wilson’s Relationship Happened Offscreen

I’m confident that a 24-episode season would have made “Wilson’s Heart” a much more impactful episode. Wilson and Amber made for an interesting couple, especially given how much of a third-wheel House was, but everything happened too fast. We don’t even know exactly how and when their relationship started. House season 4 tells us that Wilson cares greatly about Amber and that they complete each other but doesn’t actually show it. The interactions between Amber, Wilson, and House were great but enough to make that couple believable enough ahead of the finale.

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Fleshing out Amber and Wilson’s relationship would have also made House season 5 better. When season 5 begins, Wilson and House are estranged, and it feels like their relationship will never be the same again. Given how little time we spent with Wilson and Amber, the former’s reaction to her death doesn’t come off as natural as it should have. Granted, Wilson could become attached to people very fast, so it wasn’t out of character for him to behave like that. Still, I cannot help but imagine what House season 4 would have looked like with 24 episodes.

House is a medical mystery drama in which the villain is typically a difficult-to-diagnose medical malady. It follows Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), a world-renowned disabled diagnostician with a notorious substance abuse issue. With his team of world-class doctors, House has built a reputation as one of the most brilliant doctors in the world - an especially impressive feat when taking into account that he rarely actually sees his patients.

Release Date November 16, 2004

Seasons 8

Network FOX

Showrunner David Shore