For some time prior to this season, House had gotten stuck in a bit of a rut as a series. Many (most) episodes followed a formula that had become predictable, and a bit stale, although the show was never anything less than eminently watchable, thanks in large part to Hugh Laurie's always wonderful portrayal of the good doctor himself. Laurie's performance was enough to carry the show, but it still wasn't achieving the greatness of earlier seasons.
But for this episode (more a self-contained TV movie) at least, the formula is gone. In fact, most of the familiar is gone. Outside of House himself, the only familiar face we see is Wilson's, and not for very long. The only piece remaining is Dr. Gregory House, M.D., brilliant diagnostician, genius, emotional Gordian knot, psychiatric patient. And if Hugh Laurie does not receive an Emmy for this performance come next year, then he has been robbed of what rightly belongs to him.
The very British Laurie has always sunken so fully into the role of House that most people are actually unaware that he ISN'T, in fact, American. And he has always lent a layered complexity to the character, given a hint of humanity to a character who could so easily become unlikable in the hands of any other actor. What we see here, thanks to a combination of some outstanding writing and some of the finest thespianism you're likely to see on TV, is the systematic peeling away of every piece of Gregory House's carefully polished armor. House has always had defenses: social antagonism, easy lies, an aloof demeanor. He's always had a way of lashing out to avoid letting anyone in. But in this episode, we finally get to witness a truly vulnerable House open himself up, and Laurie's execution is flawless. Laurie doesn't fall prey to the common mistake of overacting, either; when House's emotions bubble to the surface, they're always palpable but restrained.
Even with all these emotions being bandied about, the writers (and Laurie) never forget the slashing wit that is such a core piece of the character. And while we don't see most of the beloved secondary characters, the ones presented to us in and around Mayfield are always balanced carefully and never irritating, and I would in fact welcome some of them back for recurring roles. Andre Braugher's Dr. Nolan is especially good.
Emotionally moving, sharply written, exquisitely produced, and wonderfully acted all across the board, Broken is not only a return to form (but a striking departure from formula) for the somewhat flagging series, it is the single best episode of the series to date. I only hope season 6 can maintain this kind of momentum without slipping back into old habits.
