by Richard Gadsden
House decided to tackle asexuals in a recent episode. It didn’t do a very good job.
So, I have to admit, I don’t actually watch House. I used to be a big fan, but Dr. House’s constant jackassery eventually became too much for me and I had to stop. And, while I am an avid TV-watcher, once I drop a show, it’s pretty much dead to me. So, by now, I’ve missed a solid two seasons of the show. But when I heard they’d done an asexuality episode, I decided to drop in at Princeton-Plainsboro (the fictional hospital where the show is set) to see just what was going on.
The asexual storyline is the B-plot of episode 9 of season 8, entitled “Better Half.” We’re introduced to a woman being examined by Dr. Wilson, House’s heterosexual life partner best friend, who assures the doctor that she can’t be pregnant because her form of birth control is infallible. Wilson asks if she and her husband are celibate, to which the woman responds, “Celibacy’s a choice, this is our orientation. We’re both asexual.” Confused, Wilson stares at the forms in his hand and says, “I’m not sure what box to check here…”
So far, so good. The episode successfully introduced asexuality as a sexual orientation, differentiated it from celibacy, and portrayed the confusion most people experience when first exposed to the identity. As an introduction to this little known identity, the first few minutes of the episode actually do a great job establishing what asexuality is.





