Kozlovic outlined 25 requirements/characteristics for a Christ-like figure in The Structural Characteristics of the Cinematic Christ. Gregory House, though an atheist, is the figure in this series.
1. Tangible - Dr. House is addicted to pain killers, consistently insults his patients and has recently been jailed for criminal acts; yet he is considered the messiah of medicine.
2. Central - The show is named after him.
3. Outsider - He is symbolically crucified throughout the series by doctors, patients, administration and the authorities because of his controversial insights and actions. He is also an outspoken atheist.
4. Divinely Sourced and Tasked - House was shot in the leg about 10 years prior to the series began. This life-altering incident may have facilitated his determination to become such an influential doctor.
5. Alter Egos - House has his Athiest ego which is relentless and unwelcoming. As seen here:
But House also has a vulnerable and more welcoming side which viewers rarely see:
6. Special Normal - Dr. House comes off as a very rude and relentless doctor yet his talent subtly and quietly portrayed. Not only his medical expertise but also his musical talents:
7. Twelve Associates - This is the most interesting relation between House and Christ. House's associates are his understudies which make up his team of doctors. This concept is advanced through the introduction of the new doctor who was interestingly named Thirteen. Thirteen is considered House’s go-to doctor. One of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples was the thirteenth disciple, Mary Magdalene. Further enhancing this implicit reference is the fact that Thirteen, like Mary Magdalene, is very mysterious and it is eventually revealed that she is a bisexual whereas Mary Magdalene was very peculiar as well and was labeled a prostitute during her time.
9. Betrayer Associate - Lisa Cuddy, Houses' former boss and love interest is seen as his betrayer. She is the reason he goes to Jail and is persecuted many times.
10. Sexually Identified Woman - The Mary Magdalene figure is romantically Lisa Cuddy and figuratively, Thirteen.
12. Decisive Death and Resurrection - House's symbolic death and resurrection is seen through his struggle to recover from getting shot.
13. Triumphalism - The Triumph is experienced each episode when House's controversial ways allow him to cure patients.
14. Service to "Lesser" - House's patients, usually of a certain faith, are saved by him even though many times he disagrees with their religious beliefs.
15. Willing Sacrifice - House sacrifices his job daily because his controversial techniques mean life or death for the patients.
16. Innocent - He is consistently persecuted by medical tribunals and even police but ultimately pulls through to continue practicing.
20. Simplicity - House is the genius of all doctors.
23. Blue Eyes
House did not aptly fit into the following categories: Jesus Age, Pointing Prophet, Cruciform Pose, Cross Associations, Miracles & Signs, Poverty, Jesus Garb, Holy Explanations and JC Initials. I find that these categories are more explicit characteristics of a Christ-like figure. Seeing as House is an atheist, it would be too cheesy and would not be consistent with teh sophistication of the series for House to portray these explicit characteristics.
There are, however, explicit references to religion within the series. Check out two interesting episodes of house: Unfaithful and House vs God. In Unfaithful, House deals with a priest who has a hallucination that he saw Jesus. The ending, like religion, is left up to the interpretation of viewers. In “House vs. God”, Dr. House is confronted with a fifteen-year old faith healer who refuses to be treated for a tumour because he believes that God meant for the tumour to be there. House declares his disdain for religion when he says “Isn’t it interesting that religious behaviour is so close to being crazy that we can’t tell them apart?”
I'm excited to see how this series ends. Will House come out as a closet-Christian?
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