Housecreator David Shore recently debunked the popular theory that Wilson was hallucinating House in the final minutes of “Everybody Dies,” yet that theory never really made sense and didn’t even need to be debunked.House’s first episode is turning 20 years old,but some fan theories and debates about the show feel as relevant today as they were two decades ago.Househas a complicated legacy, with some seasons being much better than others. One of the most controversial aspects of the show was its ending, withHouse’s series finale still being a topic of debate 12 years later.
Midway throughHouse’s final season, we learn that Wilson is dying from cancer and only has a few more months to leave.In “Everybody Dies,” House faces a life-or-death situation,during which he has visions of important people in his life before getting up and escaping the fire. House would then fake his death by making everyone believe he died in the fire – there was even a funeral. However, a popular theory argued thatHouse did die in the series finale, yet that Wilson was hallucinating his friend in the final minutes of the episode.
Wilson Hallucinating House Never Made Sense & Misses The Point Of The Finale
“Everybody Dies” Was About House Choosing To Live
When discussing the merits of this theory withEW,David Shore said that, while there is nothing in the finale that necessarily contradicts it, having Wilson hallucinating House was never their intention with “Everybody Dies.”Shore noted how, once a TV show is out, everyone can have their interpretation of what is happening on screen. That said, it’s clear that House actually dying and appearing as a hallucination for Wilson was never in the cards – in fact, this theory completely misses the point of theHousefinale.
But that was an interpretation that I did not have in mind, but it’s not inconsistent with anything. We wanted that form of a happy ending. The show was never about simple happy endings, but it was about finding moments of it here and there. I used two songs in the finale and both of them were kind of contrary messages as he drove off, and I think that says a lot about what we were trying to do with the show.
The scene in whichHouse is faced with ghosts from his pastas he ponders whether he wants to keep living was the culmination of eight seasons in which House would rarely confront his fears. Between the fallout of his relationship with Cuddy and Wilson only having six months to live, it seemed like there was no House to keep going. And yet, during the fire, House concluded that life was worth it, perhaps even after Wilson was gone. Ignoring this for a mind-blowing theory about Wilson hallucinating House just doesn’t work.
House Choosing To Live And Being With Wilson Was The Show’s Version Of A Happy Ending
House Would Never Have A Traditional Happy Ending
It was always difficult to imagineHousehaving a happy ending – whatever that would mean for a show where the main character spent eight years in pain and losing people around him. The strongest, perhaps only stable relationship inHousewas that of Gregory House and James Wilson, even though they had their problems too. This is whyit made sense forHouse’s final season to focus so much on Wilson, albeit due to a tragic reason. House would never get a fairy tale ending, and that became clear once Wilson revealed his cancer diagnosis.
It’s sad to think that House had to watch Wilson die, but at least the finale itself ends on a somewhat positive note.
However, this didn’t mean thatHousewould have to have a somber, devasting finale. In fact,House choosing to live and faking his death so that he would get to spend the next five or six months with Wilson was as close to a happy ending as this show could get.House was willing to let go of everything – including his career – to be with Wilson during his friends’ final months, which is the selfless and most caring thing he ever did on the show. None of that would matter if Wilson was just hallucinating.
House’s Series Finale Was Never Meant To Have A “Gotcha” Moment
House Was Known For Surprising Twists, But The Finale Didn’t Need It
Housewas a clever show and would often have some shocking twists. This includes, for example, House finally realizing that the mysterious woman from the bus crash was actually Amber – a reveal that made for one of the best scenes in the series if not the best.House’s “gotcha” moments and plot twists trace back to the first season with thefan-favorite episode “Three Stories,”at the end of which we learn that the case study was House himself. Therefore, it’s no surprise thatmany went intoHouse’s series finale waiting for some kind of twist.
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Perhaps the real twist in “Everybody Dies” was House making it out of it alive and getting to go on a final road trip with Wilson. It’s sad to think that House had to watch Wilson die, but at least the finale itself ends on a somewhat positive note. What happens to House after Wilson dies is impossible to say, although the events of the finaleHousesuggest that Hugh Laurie’s character was ready to move forward even after losing his only friend.
House
Cast
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.
