Inspired by Insomnia

So, I’m a little behind on the tumblr explosion over the recent House episode, but I wanted to add my thoughts, and I wanted time to think them out.  So, if you can stomach another ‘asexual is angry at Fox’ post, bear with me. 

On a positive note, it’s not all bad.  There was a lot of accurate information there.  They made it clear that asexuality is not the same thing as celibacy.  They mentioned that we make up 1% of the population.   And let us not forget that this is the first time that an American show has addressed asexuality directly, which is an accomplishment in itself. 

 But of course there are so many things wrong with the episode that it’s questionable if we’ve gained any ground at all here.  If I had thought to watch it with the Asexy Troll bingo card infront of me, it probably would’ve gotten bingo a few times.  Hormones, childhood abuse, they must be lying, “Is she a giant pool of algae?”, “fugliness”,  “the only people who don’t want [sex] are either sick, dead, or lying”.   It was like all of my bad coming out experiences, all bundled up in an hour long episode of suck. 

Look, I understand that the writer started with good intentions, and got highjacked by the whole “House has to have a mystery to solve!” thing.  I’m not happy about it, but I get it.  One of the asexuals had to actually be sick, or there would be no mystery.   

But, in the last scene of this subplot, House says “You saved a man’s life, and of course corrected two people’s wildly screwed up world views”.  This was unnecessary.  What was even more unnecessary was Wilson’s passive acceptance of this.  And this is where I call bullshit on Fox’s “House needed to solve a mystery” excuse.  House could have easily still had his mystery, won his bet, and been the totally douchebag he’s expected to be without the entire subplot having to end on this statement.  With this statement, and Wilson’s agreement (who was the only character supporting the idea of asexuality), the whole tone of the episode turns from “House proves this patient is not asexual” to “House proves there are no asexuals”.