[Tyr Zalo Hawk]: 712.Essays.You Want A House With That Ad?

Half a dozen calculating faces stare out at you from the excitingly monochromatic green cover sleeve, the most prominent being that of Hugh Laurie, a man who, in this case, is affectionately known as House M.D. The design of the season four, four-disc box set of HouseM.D. might certainly simplistic at a first glance. You see the familiar faces of the main characters from seasons one through three all lined up in a row below the title, a row which is interrupted midway through by the full glory of Dr. Gregory House himself, who seems to be none too happy. The text is simple, all capital letters in white that only goes as far as to tell us that this is, in fact, the fourth season of this particular television series. There’s even a shiny table with notepads on it at the very bottom, giving a sense of realism to the otherwise obviously staged pose. As with any advertisement though, there’s more to it than originally meets the eye.
While his costars give us their looks from their portioned off section of the cover, House demands our attention with his imposing presence. His entire upper body stands in the foreground of the sleeve, leaning over a glossy table on casually fisted hands, dressed in his favorite suit, white t-shirt, and blue over-shirt, professionally unprofessional, just how his audience loves him. Out of the six characters we see, our hero House is the only character with any sort of recognizable emotion on his face. The others, with the exception of the female Chief of Medicine, Dr. Cuddy, all appear to be as cold as machines who gaze out at the world in observation, as if they’re waiting for you. However, House’s normally stoic, sarcastic nature seems to have been set aside for the cover of this season, replaced by an almost puppy-doggish look. The thin, slight frown, the wrinkled forehead, the big ears, all of it just seems so dejected; but it’s the eyes that get you. His deeply set and eternally steady blue-grey eyes have a sense of question in them that suggests a certain, unmistakable sadness in him. This isn’t a House we see often, and it draws us towards him because of that.
Once baited by House, the other five are given their own chance to lull the casual passerby into a potential purchase. Each and every set of eyes on the cover is set in just a way to catch yours, just so long as you’re looking at the cover. The design isn’t meant to show you a picture of something and hope you’ll like what you see. Instead, it gives off the impression that each of these faces is addressing you, talking to you, asking you to buy this box set in the split second before they come into focus; it’s sort of like being grabbed by the eyes and yanked into a discussion where you’re suddenly the only uninformed member, and must make your decision based on knowledge only the others have. If it weren’t for House’s dejected expression, and Cuddy’s charming smile, you’d feel alone, like you were just some experiment, but the pathos they add gives you some sort of comfort connection you’d otherwise miss out on.
In a society where we judge not only books, but people and products by their various covers, House’s 4th season DVD is certainly something. House grabs you on this cover the way he grabs you every episode, but it’s more than just him that makes any viewer consider this purchase. Every element works together to be the best they possibly can, and, well, it worked on me.

© Tyr Hawkaluk (2004-Present)