TV

Olivia Wilde says goodbye to Thirteen and “House”

Thirteen has left the building. Or, well, is going to leave the building really soon. Olivia Wilde will say her final goodbye to Princeton-Plainsboro on next week’s House.

Since joining the show during its fourth season in October 2007, Wilde has played the enigmatic, bisexual Dr. Remy Hadley, better known as Thirteen. Her character has had a hell of a ride during those four seasons her character has lived up to her unlucky nickname and faced everything from being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease to going to prison, helping her brother commit euthanasia and getting taken hostage, having her colleague commit suicide to sleeping with Foreman (well, I thought it was a bad thing).

Wilde took an extended leave for much of last season as well to go be a movie star. She returned for the last six episodes of Season 7. But now that the show has returned, all of House’s team is gone on account of him being in prison for a year and all. But she comes back, with the rest of the old team, to meet the new team of Dr. Jessica Adams (Odette Annable) and Dr. Dr. Chi Park (Charlyne Yi). Man, you don’t know how much I wish the three of them were House’s new diagnostic team.

Thirteen’s sexuality has largely been an undercurrent on the show. It adds to her mystery, though is seen largely only in glimpses. Back in season five, the show tackled her sexuality in the episode “Lucky Thirteen,” which stars with her getting it on with women she picked up at the bar. But her same-sex hookups are shown largely as a sign of her reckless behavior as a result of her recent Huntington’s diagnosis. Since then there have been references, and she did do that body shot off a stripper once. Ah, good times.

I take my own personal pride in having called Thirteen’s sexuality long before the show revealed or even hinted at it based solely on her suspenders. What can I say, I have excellent fictional character gaydar. But the show has only given her one long-term relationship, and that was the snoozer known as Foreteen. I admit I stopped watching seasons ago, tiring of waiting for the moment each episode where House squints into the distance and then saves the patient’s life. But I’ve always had a soft spot for Thirteen and, of course, Wilde.

In an interview with E! News, the actress was extremely gracious about her time on the show.

It’s been an extraordinary time on the show for me. My work has gotten so much better from being on the show and learning from Hugh and all the other actors and our amazing writing staff. It’s a strange feeling thinking I won’t be coming here every morning, but all I feel is gratitude for the opportunities they’ve given me. My film career is thanks to House.

Series star Hugh Laurie was equally gracious back about her work on the series. He said while there’s great sadness at her leaving the show, no one was surprised given her career and talents.

Everybody here wishes her the absolute best of luck in all the exciting opportunities she has ahead of her. But it’s very sad because she’s a wonderful person to work with. Very, very bright. Very, very hard working. Extremely funny. Basically [she is] much, much nicer than someone like Olivia Wilde needs to be. And I think you know what I’m saying. In this world and particularly in this town people blessed in that way have a sort of margin of behavior. And Olivia is a real delight to be around and we will miss her very, very much.

So, will you be sad to see Thirteen leave? Do you think she was a worthy addition to the canon of LGBT TV characters? Is your TV weeping at the thought of not having Wilde on it weekly? Discuss.

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