Doctor Drama
- Thread starter Lord Raine
- Start date
Forgive the necro, but I'm going to get my opinion out and good. But first, the reasoning behind my choice:
In terms of physical combat: Cox is built like a hockey player, isn't a drug addict and doesn't need a cane to get around. He could quite handily yank away House's cane, beat the living shit out of him, and then treat him.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of medical skill: House certainly has an edge in diagnosis. There's no denying he is extremely good at what he does, latching onto rare diseases and ailments and usually being right because those are the symptoms he's seeing. He even participates in surgery.
Dr. Cox is good, but not that good. His department is internal medicine and he sticks with it, not performing surgery himself or anything else like it. He didn't catch the fact that an organ donor had rabies until the three people who received her organs developed complications (in the fifth season episode "My Lunch"). For his son, he went to Sacred Heart's best resident pediatrician, Dr. Norris.
Final Diagnosis: House
In terms of education: Both went to Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Cox graduated (it is unknown what his class ranking was). Dr. House went until graduate school, after which he was caught cheating and kicked out. He subsequently went to the University of Michigan to finish up his PhD.
Final Diagnosis: Cox, for either not cheating or not getting caught cheating.
In terms of childhood: Both were abused as children by their parents. Cox by his alcoholic father while his mother watched, House by his father. House was a military brat and traveled the world with his Marine Corps pilot father: House later avoids his parents entirely.
Cox's family is from Pittsburgh, is Irish-American, and it is implied that Cox killed his parents and later danced on the grave of his father. I'd say they're both losers in this category, though the sadistic part of my mind has to root for Dr. Cox for his revenge. It's almost Shakespearean in how he becomes a healer and ends the lives of his parents.
Final Diagnosis: Tie
In terms of bedside manner: Dr. House avoids meeting his patients as long as he possibly can, and has utterly no sympathy for them. His trademark quote, "Patients lie", sums up his attitude perfectly, though in at least one case he has given a hypochondriac patient a drug that would make them suffer horrible symptoms if they had a life-threatening ailment, and would kill them if they were simply simulating the ailment for attention. In another episode, a patient hallucinates House cutting off her head with a large butcher knife and the viewer is utterly unsurprised at this development. Simply put, House is a bastard to everyone.
Dr. Cox is sarcastic, snarky and caustic to patients whom he feels are suffering the results of their own stupidity. He is, at best, businesslike with most of his patients, reasoning he is healing their bodies and not being paid to do anything else. He usually relies on other doctors or nurses, such as J.D., to lift the spirits of the patients, but has demonstrated real sympathy for most of those under his care and is aiming to stop their suffering. On occasion, he connects with patients, even befriending a few. The loss of the three patients in "My Lunch", particularly the last one, hits Cox hard, to the point he shows up for work drunk the next day. Simply put, Cox may be sarcastic, but at least he meets with you upfront. And you can get the pleasure of him mocking his students while he's there.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of personal relationships: House belittles and toys with the emotions of his underlings, and has a rocky friendship (at best) with Wilson, whom he quietly admits is his best friend. House has never been married, but has had at least one serious romantic relationship with Stacy Warner, a constitutional lawyer whom he almost reconciles with years later but tells to "go back to her husband", which devastates her. His relationship with his boss, Lisa Cuddy, has romantic tension and as of Season 6 they are trying to work through their feelings for eachother. This does not stop House from giving Cuddy his usual level of grief though. Essentially, House refuses to have a "mature" relationship with anyone due to his cynicism.
Dr. Cox was married, then subsequently divorced his wife Jordan Sullivan when he caught her having an affair with his medical intern Peter Fisher. They still had sex frequently though, and then firmly established a "married" relationship when Jordan became pregnant. Jordan informed Cox that the baby wasn't his, but Cox later found out that the child was his. He subsequently named the baby Jack and endeavored to be a good father for him and truly loves him, though he still treats his son rather like a drinking buddy. With the other residents and staff of Sacred Heart, Dr. Cox enjoys reminding them of how much better he is than they are, and belittles the younger doctors with nicknames such as "Agnes", "Barbie", "Gandhi", "Girl's Name", and others. He has little respect for Bob Kelso and other authority figures, though much of his rogue actions are designed to keep him looking like "the bad boy" of the hospital. His primary intent for his students, however, is for them to be good doctors, usually hidden behind a wall of disdain and mockery.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of humor: Dr. House's belittles everyone around him and being caustic, sarcastic and cynical. His jokes are always at someone's expense. He has a flare for the dramatic and breaks the rules, doing things that would get most real doctors fired on a fairly regular basis. Or put in jail. His utter lack of sympathy for his patients and his cold-hearted approach to medicine, treating it as a puzzle to be solved, is less amusing and more disquieting, especially in view of his popularity.
Dr. Cox also belittles the people around him and is caustic, sarcastic and makes funny nicknames for people. He too has a flare for the dramatic and does things that break the rules. However, few of his actions would warrant being fired or going to jail, save killing his parents if he in fact did it. There is also the fact that Scrubs is a "dramedy" in the first place, meaning the environment allows Dr. Cox to do more in terms of humor. That he has true empathy for the people around him makes his humor warmer and less potentially disturbing than House's.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
Total Scores: 5 for Cox, 1 for House, 1 Tie.
Conclusion: Dr. Cox, at least according to me, is the superior character. Others may enjoy watching House mock people, break into people's houses, save the day thanks to author's fiat by fiddling with a patient in unconventional ways that, at least according to real-life medicine, would kill them. Dr. Cox may be less skilled, but he is more realistic, more likable, and far more noble a man than Dr. House can claim to be while still being a sarcastic, cynical jerk.
Dr. House, in comparison, comes off as badly as CSI does compared to Law and Order: A shinier, flashier version of a good show with less substance and more "grimdark = REAL!", while misrepresenting the careers and jobs whose stories they tell. Real CSI investigators do not make arrests and often complain about things like showing up in court. Real doctors are restricted to one or two fields of study at most and do not switch people off and on in order to figure out how to cure them.
Thank you.
In terms of physical combat: Cox is built like a hockey player, isn't a drug addict and doesn't need a cane to get around. He could quite handily yank away House's cane, beat the living shit out of him, and then treat him.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of medical skill: House certainly has an edge in diagnosis. There's no denying he is extremely good at what he does, latching onto rare diseases and ailments and usually being right because those are the symptoms he's seeing. He even participates in surgery.
Dr. Cox is good, but not that good. His department is internal medicine and he sticks with it, not performing surgery himself or anything else like it. He didn't catch the fact that an organ donor had rabies until the three people who received her organs developed complications (in the fifth season episode "My Lunch"). For his son, he went to Sacred Heart's best resident pediatrician, Dr. Norris.
Final Diagnosis: House
In terms of education: Both went to Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Cox graduated (it is unknown what his class ranking was). Dr. House went until graduate school, after which he was caught cheating and kicked out. He subsequently went to the University of Michigan to finish up his PhD.
Final Diagnosis: Cox, for either not cheating or not getting caught cheating.
In terms of childhood: Both were abused as children by their parents. Cox by his alcoholic father while his mother watched, House by his father. House was a military brat and traveled the world with his Marine Corps pilot father: House later avoids his parents entirely.
Cox's family is from Pittsburgh, is Irish-American, and it is implied that Cox killed his parents and later danced on the grave of his father. I'd say they're both losers in this category, though the sadistic part of my mind has to root for Dr. Cox for his revenge. It's almost Shakespearean in how he becomes a healer and ends the lives of his parents.
Final Diagnosis: Tie
In terms of bedside manner: Dr. House avoids meeting his patients as long as he possibly can, and has utterly no sympathy for them. His trademark quote, "Patients lie", sums up his attitude perfectly, though in at least one case he has given a hypochondriac patient a drug that would make them suffer horrible symptoms if they had a life-threatening ailment, and would kill them if they were simply simulating the ailment for attention. In another episode, a patient hallucinates House cutting off her head with a large butcher knife and the viewer is utterly unsurprised at this development. Simply put, House is a bastard to everyone.
Dr. Cox is sarcastic, snarky and caustic to patients whom he feels are suffering the results of their own stupidity. He is, at best, businesslike with most of his patients, reasoning he is healing their bodies and not being paid to do anything else. He usually relies on other doctors or nurses, such as J.D., to lift the spirits of the patients, but has demonstrated real sympathy for most of those under his care and is aiming to stop their suffering. On occasion, he connects with patients, even befriending a few. The loss of the three patients in "My Lunch", particularly the last one, hits Cox hard, to the point he shows up for work drunk the next day. Simply put, Cox may be sarcastic, but at least he meets with you upfront. And you can get the pleasure of him mocking his students while he's there.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of personal relationships: House belittles and toys with the emotions of his underlings, and has a rocky friendship (at best) with Wilson, whom he quietly admits is his best friend. House has never been married, but has had at least one serious romantic relationship with Stacy Warner, a constitutional lawyer whom he almost reconciles with years later but tells to "go back to her husband", which devastates her. His relationship with his boss, Lisa Cuddy, has romantic tension and as of Season 6 they are trying to work through their feelings for eachother. This does not stop House from giving Cuddy his usual level of grief though. Essentially, House refuses to have a "mature" relationship with anyone due to his cynicism.
Dr. Cox was married, then subsequently divorced his wife Jordan Sullivan when he caught her having an affair with his medical intern Peter Fisher. They still had sex frequently though, and then firmly established a "married" relationship when Jordan became pregnant. Jordan informed Cox that the baby wasn't his, but Cox later found out that the child was his. He subsequently named the baby Jack and endeavored to be a good father for him and truly loves him, though he still treats his son rather like a drinking buddy. With the other residents and staff of Sacred Heart, Dr. Cox enjoys reminding them of how much better he is than they are, and belittles the younger doctors with nicknames such as "Agnes", "Barbie", "Gandhi", "Girl's Name", and others. He has little respect for Bob Kelso and other authority figures, though much of his rogue actions are designed to keep him looking like "the bad boy" of the hospital. His primary intent for his students, however, is for them to be good doctors, usually hidden behind a wall of disdain and mockery.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
In terms of humor: Dr. House's belittles everyone around him and being caustic, sarcastic and cynical. His jokes are always at someone's expense. He has a flare for the dramatic and breaks the rules, doing things that would get most real doctors fired on a fairly regular basis. Or put in jail. His utter lack of sympathy for his patients and his cold-hearted approach to medicine, treating it as a puzzle to be solved, is less amusing and more disquieting, especially in view of his popularity.
Dr. Cox also belittles the people around him and is caustic, sarcastic and makes funny nicknames for people. He too has a flare for the dramatic and does things that break the rules. However, few of his actions would warrant being fired or going to jail, save killing his parents if he in fact did it. There is also the fact that Scrubs is a "dramedy" in the first place, meaning the environment allows Dr. Cox to do more in terms of humor. That he has true empathy for the people around him makes his humor warmer and less potentially disturbing than House's.
Final Diagnosis: Cox
Total Scores: 5 for Cox, 1 for House, 1 Tie.
Conclusion: Dr. Cox, at least according to me, is the superior character. Others may enjoy watching House mock people, break into people's houses, save the day thanks to author's fiat by fiddling with a patient in unconventional ways that, at least according to real-life medicine, would kill them. Dr. Cox may be less skilled, but he is more realistic, more likable, and far more noble a man than Dr. House can claim to be while still being a sarcastic, cynical jerk.
Dr. House, in comparison, comes off as badly as CSI does compared to Law and Order: A shinier, flashier version of a good show with less substance and more "grimdark = REAL!", while misrepresenting the careers and jobs whose stories they tell. Real CSI investigators do not make arrests and often complain about things like showing up in court. Real doctors are restricted to one or two fields of study at most and do not switch people off and on in order to figure out how to cure them.
Thank you.