Reviewing Cameron
Does this team of writers have particular trouble making Cameron consistent?
In this blog, I will be writing about Dr. Allison Cameron, her relationship to the plot, her characterization, and the problems with her characterization.
First thing first – what are my credentials to write about this topic? I am a creative writing major at college. I am also not a Cameron/House shipper, though I have read one or two fan fictions with this ship. I do not know Jennifer Morrison (the actress that plays Cameron) from anything other than "House". I have been apart of the House online fandom since almost the beginning, which has allowed me to hear a lot of opinions on Cameron, opinions which have varied all along every inch of the scale, from love to hate. Personally, I have had my own varying opinions about the character, but I will get to that later in this post.
Okay, next thing's next, the disclaimer:
Disclaimer: This is only my opinion. I don’t own the character and don’t claim any authority of knowing her inside and out. When I criticize the character of Cameron, I am not speaking on Jennifer Morrison’s acting ability, which I’ve been impressed with actually. If I do speak to her acting ability, you will know.
Now that the official stuff is out of the way, the fun part :
Allison Cameron. Some love her. Some hate her. Some don’t care.
When I started my mailing list over at Yahoo Groups, I asked everyone (and still continue to ask them) “besides Dr. House, who is your favorite character?” My own very first response to this question was “Dr. Cameron”. Why? She had the most potential for development. As a writer, I viewed her as a catalyst to further complicating events.
Now that we’ve seen eight episodes into the second season, what’s my view on Dr. Cameron? I hate her. Dr. Cameron drives me nuts. However, now that the dating fiasco’s done, I cannot envision the show without her. I, as of now, do NOT want to see her leave.
Cameron’s character has been the most difficult on the show. Her character has probably caused the most uproar among the fans (with the exception of Dr. Chase and the infamous kiss). Why is this? My theory is that the writers couldn’t figure out how to write her. I still believe they have their problems, but I also think, as of “TB or Not TB”, they might finally be getting the hang of her.
In this blog, I will gradually review Cameron in past episodes and current episodes. I will talk about her, her characterization, the writer’s consistency with her, and, lastly, her role as a catalyst to some of the plots and to Dr. House’s own character. I will do my best to give my objective opinion as a writer, though I will probably sneak in a subjective opinion or two! tehehe
6 Comments:
cameron is hott
Hi! I'm interested to read your comments on the character of Alison Cameron in "House".
I'd like to make a few comments and tentative suggestions. Like you I was just captivated by the series and intrigued by the characterisation.
I'm a fiction writer and one of the reasons that Cameron's character is so difficult to pin down could be that originally she was introduced as a foil for House (himself a complex but definable character). She was possibly conceived as a little bland - a function rather than a real person. As the series went on, the character "took off". It happens to writers sometimes - it's as if the character develops a life of her own and the writer simply has to observe and record. A wise writer does this and doesn't ask too many questions. The result is something like a real person - possibly full of contradictions. I'm a novelist, not a TV writer, but it has happened to me, and I would imagine it happens even more so where you have the third dimension of seeing and hearing the words brought to life by an actor.
Just a theory...
Hi, Penny. Glad that you're stopping by.
I really like your theory. I started into this with the idea that they had a hard time getting use to Cameron. This is a different type of show and everyone is pretty much reacting to House. The writers and actors have to grapple with that, and, as you probably know, that's a hard task, especially considering you want to individualize each character. But I'm getting off into a tangent...
Back to your theory - I really do like it. I'm going to ponder it and try to add in thoughts on that when I examine different things about Cameron and the scenes she is in.
Thanks for your comment! I hope to hear more from you.
Later!
Laura
P.S. Sorry if this reply is a little confusing. It's been a long day.
I just saw your blog today. You might not be keeping it anymore. The latest House episode "All In", has a scene where all docs are in evening wear. House turns around to see Cameron and reacts. Thoughts? Are they working up to more House/Cameron relationship?
I’ve had to put my whole internet life on hold because of medical problems. I do plan to keep up with this blog but for the current time, I have to try to fix myself. (Ironically, for awhile, the doctors couldn’t even figure what was going on with me. I kept saying to everyone that I needed Dr. House.) I have three weeks left of school, so I am hoping this summer will bring me better medical results. So here is hoping I can start keeping the blog regularly this summer :)
Just so you know - "LauraForgotPassword" is me, the Reviewing Cameron blogger. I am too tired to e-mail bewarne for my password. I have no idea why, but I keep having a block on what my password is for this blog.
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