We’ve come a long way, baby! Since last year’s Top Nine Huddy list, House and Cuddy have actually had on-screen non-hallucinatory sex, said “I love you” and have managed to make the show even more riveting. A job well done, House powers that be! This time last year, we were clinging to stripper fantasies, mixed messages and one real kiss in season 5’s “Joy.” This year, we better show some appreciation for getting the real deal and as such, I’ve designed an updated Huddy Top 10 Moments list highlighting moments from last December to where we currently are in House.
10. Episode: “Small Sacrifices”
Category: Complimentary House
Moment: When House sees Cuddy in her dress and tells her she is simply stunning, my heart melts a little, and it’s clear Cuddy’s does as well. They dance together even while their relationship is strained, demonstrating their staying power. It doesn’t hurt that in this moment, both House and Cuddy are in formal wear, which enhances any scene between the two of them. The song, “Shark in the Water” by VV Brown perfectly explains the state of their relationship. The lyrics, “Wouldn’t cause you any harm/Just want you in my arms/…I can’t help myself” say it all. Despite the lies House told Cuddy and the elephant in the room or shark in the water, they can’t help but be together.
9. Episode: “Selfish”
Category: Comedy
Moment: It was clear since “Both Sides Now” that Wilson would need some serious proof to actually believe his two good friends were now in a relationship. He fell hard for it last time without question, and willed himself not to be fooled again. Fortunately for Wilson, House was very willing to provide ample proof of their new relationship. The scene in which House and Cuddy convince Wilson that they are in a relationship may have been more about Wilson and House, but it was too strong of a scene not to include on this list. Notable lines from House include, “And she didn’t even ask me to cough!” said with a twinkle in his eye, and to Cuddy, “I think you straightened out my limp a little!”
8. Episode: “Unwritten”
Category: Relationships
Moment: House and Cuddy were at the beginning stages of their relationship in this episode, and House was terrified because he was actually happy. When a man who is all about logic and reason looks ahead and sees that his future is unwritten, of course it’s scary. What’s scarier than that is when he realized he and Cuddy don’t like the same things! Gasp! Fortunately, Cuddy reassures him that commonalities are boring and that their uncommon qualities and relationship are unique and exciting. We think it is too.
7. Episode: “Small Sacrifices”
Category: Banter
Moment: Throughout this whole episode, it’s House’s goal to prove that Cuddy uses lies in her own life so he can feel better about his own lying. When they banter about her turning 45, er, 43, House calls her on her lie and she steps up to the plate and reminds him that her lie wasn’t to him, but to human resources. This scene could easily have been from another season, because the sparks between these two characters were always there and their banter is one of the reasons they are such a fun couple to watch. Doesn’t hurt that Cuddy looks gorgeous throughout the argument. For all the worrying everyone did about Moonlighting syndrome (resolving sexual tension equaling death), it’s scenes like this that remind me that the writers know what they’re doing.
6. Episode: “Now What?”
Category: Romance
Moment: The episode “Now What?” is really the ultimate Huddy episode. When Cuddy and House are kissing, they could have easily made their way to the bed on their own. Instead, House picks Cuddy up. Why? Obviously this wasn’t comfortable for him since he has a very painful leg injury. When House picked Cuddy up, it meant a lot of things. One, being that he needed her in his arms. Two, that he, for once, was rescuing her in a way, instead of the other way around. And three, it was painfully romantic. On the screener, you can hear Cuddy kiss his neck right before he laid her down on the bed. She does this at the end of the episode as well. The episode opened and closed with intimacy. No complaints here.
5. Episode: “Now What?”
Category: Sex
Moment: When Cuddy and House finally have sex, it’s not shown in a terribly long scene, but what we do see is a nice payoff for all the unresolved sexual tension that has been built up over six seasons of flirting, fondling and fighting. Consider the sexual tension resolved. Several times over.
4. Episode: “Help Me”
Category: Vulnerable Confession
Moment: One of the most painfully honest moments of House was when House was tasked with trying to convince his patient to choose leg amputation when he could never do it himself. In front of Cuddy, this led to House coming forward with some strong conclusions about how he’s conducted his own life up to that very moment. He says he’s in pain every day and that he made the wrong choice. Relieving Cuddy of the guilt she had most likely held until that point about her role in his chronic pain, this scene was so effective because even though House is the only one speaking, we understand all three perspectives with clarity. This confession led directly to Cuddy leaving Lucas later in the episode and coming to see House.
3. Episode: “Now What?”
Category: Deflections
Moment: I was tempted to put this moment at number one since it was such a perfectly Housian moment, but opted to put it toward the top of my list. While Cuddy and House are playing some variation of Boggle during “the morning after,” Cuddy sees love and House doesn’t. When prompted by Cuddy to profess his obvious love for her in words, House deflects with the perfect retort: “I lobe you.” Almost there, but not quite. In other words, perfectly House.
2. Episode: “Now What?”
Category: Love
Moment: In the last few minutes of “Now What?” House tells Cuddy their relationship won’t work; he’ll be cruel to her, and he won’t be able to be what she deserves. Rather than quitting their relationship before it starts, Cuddy reassures him that she doesn’t want him to change. Stunned into silence, House sits in thought briefly before grabbing her hand right before she leaves and telling her what us fans have known since day one, “I love you.” Laurie’s delivery had to be filled with fear, desire and vulnerability. He hasn’t made a confession like this since Stacy was around, and he’s taking a huge risk in telling someone how he feels. The look on Cuddy’s face spells relief and pure joy.
1. Episode: “Help Me”
Category: Vulnerable Confession
Moment: Maybe you’re wondering why I picked this moment over House telling Cuddy he loves her. To me, Cuddy was always the wild card. We know how House feels. He may be subtle in the way he expresses his feelings, but they are clear. Whereas with Cuddy, I never understood why she could go for a guy like Lucas even if the writers wanted us to see him as someone reliable and smart. He was never even comparable to House and it was a hard sell. The last four minutes of “Help Me” showed us that Cuddy had been fighting her feelings for House for a long time and finally confirmed what we had hoped was true, that she really does love him and want to be with him. It also made me see season 6 in a more favorable light. After the finale last year, I vowed that if “Help Me” was the last episode of House and the series ended there, I would be satisfied. I was surprised, grateful and thrilled that the show opted to take a new direction.
Honorable Mentions:
1. Episode: “The Choice”
When House told Cuddy the last thing he wanted from her was friendship.
2. Episode: “5 to 9”
House and Cuddy speaking as two adults in Cuddy’s car was great in juxtaposition to Lucas’ bumbling teenager approach to every crisis in the day.
3. Episode: “Massage Therapy”
Cuddy refuses to get cable and in exchange has to promise House they can have more sex.
4. Episode: “Small Sacrifices”
When Cuddy is putting on her red dress for a rehearsal dinner.
5. Episode: “A Pox on Our House”
House is in isolation and Cuddy is as close to him as possible without being inside with him. Also when we hear her heels against the tiles, showing us how urgent and important she views House’s plight.
6. Episode: “Unwritten”
Cuddy asks House what he’s been so busy doing and he replies, “you.”
Did your favorite moment make the list? Let me know in the comments below!
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
