House — Episode 15 (Season 7): “Bombshells”
An…interesting…episode with two patients: a depressed teen-age boy with a bleeding problem, and Cuddy. There were some clever moments (for instance, now I really want to see Hugh Laurie’s take on the emcee from Cabaret
I. Ryan
Ryan is a 16 year-old adolescent who is admitted to the hospital after spitting up blood during a pick-up basketball game. His pulmonary and GI work-ups were negative, so he is admitted to House’s team for evaluation. Initial concerns include vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation), bronchiectasis (chronic airway damage and scarring), inhaled particles, or angiodysplasia (abnormal blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract). House favors the latter, so he has the patient swallow a special camera to look for angiodysplasia. The study is negative. Meanwhile, Taub confronts Ryan about cutting, given the healing cuts on his abdomen. Ryan denies the cutting, telling Taub the wounds are from a skateboarding injury. Taub then points out that Ryan has many of the signs and symptoms of depression, which Ryan ultimately admits to. He also admits to smoking marijuana, which Taub thinks may have been contaminated with lead or formaldehyde, leading to the Ryan’s symptoms. A lead level is checked (and apparently normal, as it is never mentioned again).
Ryan now has developed some red spots — small hemorrhages — in his eyes. This is his second bleeding-related symptom, so the team now considers an acquired coagulopathy or a Staph infection. House thinks the infection is more likely, so Ryan is started on Nafcillin (a good anti-Staph antibiotic). Despite the new treatment, Ryan’s symptoms worsen. He starts seeing blood in his urine, and a subsequent kidney scan reveals a mass of some sort. The differential diagnosis now consists of antiphospholipid syndrome or a heroin-induced nephropathy (kidney damage caused by heroin use). To House, the first seems the more logical choice, so Ryan is started on plasmapheresis. Taub and Foreman search Ryan’s home and find no illegal drugs, but do find that he has defaced his yearbook with threats to kill half his class. The two return to the hospital when they learn Ryan’s right arm has gone numb. Foreman now suspects that instead of a bleeding problem, Ryan actually has a clotting problem. He gets an angiogram of the brain and sure enough, it shows a clot. Ryan is started on Streptokinase (a thrombolytic, or “clot busting” drug), but doesn’t improve. The team decides to proceed with an embolectomy — advancing a catheter into the arteries of the brain to remove the clot — but the clot disintegrates in the middle of the procedure just as Foreman reaches it. To complicate the situation, Taub has found videos of Ryan’s that show him detonating pipe bombs while making threatening comments. He is unsure who in authority, if anyone, he should tell.
Ryan continues to get worse. Out of nowhere, he’s now in a coma, on a mechanical ventilator, and his liver is failing. Because House is obsessing over Cuddy, the team is on their own and looking at such diagnoses as AIP (acute intermittent porphyria) and fucosidosis (an inherited enzyme deficiency) before settling on type II citrullinemia (another enzyme deficiency — in the case of type II citrullinemia, almost entirely exclusive to Japanese patients). They start him on sodium benzoate to treat the suspected high ammonia levels (which would be easy to test for, hint, hint). Across the hospital, House is having a conversation with Cuddy when he has his Eureka! moment. He realized that Ryan has a Staph abscess, and while the antibiotics given earlier treated the bacteria in the blood, they did not reach the ones still protected in the abscess. Taub takes it a step further and realizes that the likely source of the abscess is the pipe bombs Ryan had been making, and the cuts on his abdomen are shrapnel wounds, not skateboarding injuries. Some PVC fragments got in his body, picking up Staph along the way, and developed into abscesses. Apparently these abscesses now are somehow breaking apart, and sending septic clots throughout the body, causing all Ryan’s other symptoms. After some surgery to open the abscesses and remove the shrapnel, and loads more antibiotics, Ryan should be good as new — physically.
II. Cuddy
Out of the blue one morning, Cuddy sees blood in her urine. Next thing that morning, she has a cystoscopy performed, which shows nothing abnormal. She proceeds to a renal (kidney) ultrasound — performed by Wilson (who is apparently an ultrasound tech and radiologist in addition to being the New Jersey’s top oncologist) – which shows a mass in her kidney. A biopsy of the mass is obtained, but it is inconclusive. Further radiology shows enhancing lesions in her lungs, which makes everyone suspicious for metastasized renal cancer. Now she definitely needs a surgical biopsy. The mass is removed and turns out to be a benign oncocytoma. The masses in her lungs? Those were an allergic reaction the antibiotics she was on. All’s well that end’s well — physically.
As usual, major complaints are in red, modest complaints are in blue, and nit-picking ones in green:
Except for a rare condition or two that combine clotting and bleeding (DIC — disseminated intravascular coagulation, comes to mind), clotting disorders and bleeding disorders are distinct entities and very different (and you’ll notice they never tested for DIC or anything similar). Bleeding disorders do not present as clotting disorders and vice versa.
Streptokinase is a first generation thrombolytic — in a cutting edge hospital, why would Foreman choose to use it instead of a newer agent, especially when he is a Neurologist and should know streptokinase has been shown not to be beneficial (and thus not approved) for use in strokes.
Contraindications to the use of streptokinase include recent bleeding problems. Ryan has a condition which has caused at least three unexplained bleeding episodes, and now they want to give him a drug which will likely cause him to bleed more? It’s not an absolute contraindication, just a relative one, but still, they should have at least mentioned it, or gone straight to the embolectomy.
If streptokinase doesn’t work, you don’t just “increase the dose.”
Taub is correct that most PVC — unless specially treated — will not show up on x-ray or CT scan. However, the abscesses themselves still should.
The PVC would, however, show up on ultrasound.
I’m unclear how the abscess is breaking apart enough to cause clots elsewhere in the body. If it is walled off enough to prevent antibiotics from reaching it, it shouldn’t be breaking up into the blood stream.
Cuddy’s sleeping pill label read “Zolpidem, 200MG.” Zolpidem is better known as Ambien — the maximum dose of which is 10MG. She is taking twenty times the maximum dose (and no, it doesn’t come in 200mg capsules — only in 5 and 10MG pills).
Antiphospholipid Syndrome is a clotting disorder, not a bleeding disorder.
For the first time all season, they never checked blood cultures?
Ryan is so depressed he’s playing pick-up basketball games?
Plasmapheresis is not the first-line treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome.
This week’s medical mystery started a little bland, but picked up speed, but then they started throwing everything at it (out of nowhere a coma! And liver failure!). I give it a B-. The final solution was a stretch and the writers are trying to have it both ways: the abscesses are walled off and protected from the body, but no they’re causing problems in the body — everywhere! I give it a C-. The medicine was sloppy (confusing a clotting and a bleeding disorder?) and conveniently neglected tests they’ve run in every other single episode. It also earns a C-. The soap opera was certainly inventive, which I give them credit for. It also advanced the overall plot, which I appreciate. I give it a B+.
The review of the previous episode of House
A list of all prior House reviews
March 7th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
An interesting attempt at something different. Which is my way of saying, What a disaster!
It made me want to say: Make up your minds! Two plot lines, one of which was occasionally interrupted with half-baked surrealistic dream sequences, none of which made any sense, either in terms of content or context.
Even if we buy into the notion that it was Cuddy’s subconscious at work, and that she dreams in terms of situation comedies, 50s family comedies, not to mention Butch Cassidy *and* the Sundance Kid, what was House’s “Night of the Living Dead” spoof doing there?
The thing is, they’ve pulled this sort of weirdness before, much more successfully – House imagining Cuddy as a pole dancer in “House’s Head” was a delightfully loopy example.
I think featuring a PotW was a mistake, and that the whole episode should have been solely about Cuddy, just as “No Reason,” the Season 2 closer, was all about House. “No Reason,” which was one big crescendoing nightmare, worked. This was a neither fish nor fowl, self-indulgent mess.
IMHO.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Called the breakup in last week’s comments. Next week’s episode looks like it’s probably going to be medicine-light.
Can someone simply be “allergic to antibiotics” like House suggested after the singing/dancing dream?
What about Wilson’s technique for the ultrasound? I just had a renal ultrasound done last week, and the only time I was lying on my bad was to look at my bladder (the sonographer had me urinate and then more images with me lying on my back). When she actually went for images of my kidneys, I was lying on my side, and she squirted the gel almost all the way up to my armpits. Surely another excuse to get Lisa Edelstein shirtless could have been taken :p
March 7th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Didn’t they make the Ambien mistake in a previous episode of House–that you pointed out then as well?
March 7th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
lying on my back*
March 7th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
In seasons 1 thru 4, the writers were in love with methotrexate. For the past few years their sweetheart drug of choice has been streptokinase. In every case, both drugs were inappropriately prescribed.
The good news (at least temporarily, that is) is that “Huddies” the world over are weeping copious tears tonight. Awwww!!
Too bad these halcion days (no pun intended, really) of non-Huddy episodes won’t last long.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
How fun this episode was, rife with Cuddy’s / House’s dream references! For starters, there was a non-specific zombie apocalypse flick: the first time we’ve watched House use a shotgun instead of scathing sarcasm to blow his team away. There was the ‘Cabaret’ reference (cited by Scott above) and an Alamo-esque standoff (a specific movie reference, perhaps?). This was rounded off with the ‘Leave It to Beaver’ bit and what I assume was a ‘Two-And-A-Half Men’ spin-off, complete with a junkie male lead (zing).
Regarding the suspected “cutting” scars, how in the world could pipe-bomb-propelled PVC shrapnel have caused a half-dozen, nearly foot long scars on the abdomen without, say, eviscerating the patient?
March 7th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I’m just glad I wasn’t the only one thinking of Cabaret.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
I love the way this episode played out because House has always been so clearly a narcissist and addict. I love this show because of his limitations, and the fact that the writers don’t pull (TOO many) punches on how that would affect his relationships. IMO this was a great episode… he _truly_ can’t change. If he jumps off the balcony next week I’ll be both disappointed that the show is gone and satisfied that it stayed true to the end.
Also I loved Cuddy getting her ‘aha’ moment in a Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid dream. :)
March 7th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Now we know that when the zombie apocalypse hits Princeton, House is going to opt to shoot zombie M3 before shooting zombie Taub, given the opportunity to shoot zombie Taub first.
The implications of this discovery are an exercise for the reader to determine.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
@Jay If you had to choose which zombie would be the bigger threat would you really choose out of shape Taub over young and vibrent M3?
March 8th, 2011 at 12:12 am
This was an awesome episode. Zombies, bombs, and a dance routine by Hugh Laurie! And Huddy is over!!! Back to Vouse (Vicodin/House)
I do have 2 issues with this episode though.
1) If a kid is blowing up bombs and threatening kids, you sure as hell should report him to the police. That was just dumb, Taub.
2) I’m worried that House is becoming more like Grey’s Anatomy every day. The writers are trying to incorporate more soap opera and less procedural medicine. I don’t get why.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:23 am
So we’re back to square one, with House alone and on Vicodin. I’m still trying to decide if that’s a good thing or not. I’ll have to see where they go from here before I pass final judgment.
I wasn’t that impressed with the dream sequences. They seemed to come completely out of left field and really did nothing to advance the plot.
I liked how Taub initially felt enamored to the kid, then didn.’t
Chase did some flirting with Cuddy this episode, and I actually wouldn’t mind seeing where they’d go with that.
Man, this is rambling. I’ll shut up now.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:30 am
“Can someone simply be “allergic to antibiotics” like House suggested…”
I don’t think so. Whenever they give the patient “antibiotics” on House, it’s usually several different broad-spectrum antibiotics together. It’s most likely just ONE of the several antibiotics used, but it would be hard to tell without testing which one caused the allergic reaction.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:41 am
I just have to say that not only was this the best episode this season, it is probably the best episode in a few years. I think that the writers were really on the ball for a change.
Through all the drama and weird concepts and bad medicine what we got back after all the drama and the heartbreak was House.
He is back. Really back.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:41 am
When the kid started spitting up blood, I was hoping it would be my long awaited VHF episode. Not to be though. Otherwise not the worst episode ever, but definitely not the best.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:08 am
The Two and a Half Men dream was a total dud. I liked the zombie nightmare and the singing/dancing dream, though. The Western movie and the Leave it to Beaver dream were a little too short to really form an opinion.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:41 am
@Scott: I think PVC would show up on MRI though.
It seems we just might get our old House back, Vicodin and all. (And if the Season Seven cast list is correct, there might be a surprise appearance by Jenn Morrison as Cameron) I think 13 is back in the next episode too.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:50 am
I wonder how House will supply his Vicodin habit, if that is where he is heading back to. Obviously he will not get any from Wilson or Cuddy, and we’ve seen before (the episodes with Detective Tritter) that it is impossible to acquire narcotics from another hospital.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:27 am
Well, I knew last week was heading towards them breaking up, I did not see it happening this way or for this reason.
Still, House should be a lot more interesting now he’s back on the pills and more bitter than ever; can’t wait.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:50 am
I’m unclear how the abscess is breaking apart enough to cause clots elsewhere in the body. If it is walled off enough to prevent antibiotics from reaching it, it shouldn’t be breaking up into the blood stream.
This was even more confusing the second time I watched it. House says the abscess probably burst when the patient took a hard foul (so why was it ‘walled off’ at all?). Taub mentions that the “antibiotics attacked the infection, causing pieces to break off,” which doesn’t really clarify anything. And the graphic seems to imply that it was pieces of the PVC itself that were spread throughout the body, not clots or bacteria.
I still liked the episode overall, but I agree that this was unclear.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:16 am
Oh dear MrBuddWing, it seems you failed to grasp the significance of the dreams. Try watching again with the end in mind?
March 8th, 2011 at 4:25 am
Thoroughly enjoyed the soap opera, as it gives me hope that the writers have given up on this dreadful romance subplot (not much hope. But hope). And the dream sequences were great – I particularly enjoyed the zombies, and House saying “Good thing I brought my axe cane” – which turned into a shotgun cane and also had a flashlight. But apparently Cuddy gets much, much better stuff when being put under than anyone I know has ever had going under anaesthesia. If one could be guaranteed that sort of hallucination, people would be lining up for surgery.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:29 am
Hi
first time to write a comment but read your reviews since the end of season 6.
I have a question about what stood on Houses med bottle
“Hydrocod…” something. You can´t read the rest…
Because I think that House didn´t take Vicodin when he did visit Cuddy. I m no fan of the couple thingy but I think House got mistaken so many times around the last two or three seasons, when he wants to do something good everyone seems to think he just does it for himself… So I don´t think he took the vicodin before he visted Cuddy… He just is very upset Cuddy thinks he did… That she seemed to have had doubts all the way along… And I think Cuddy is the ass in this episode for that.
So I just wanted to know what it says on his bottle because wouldn´t there be printed “Vicodin” or something so everyone knows for sure he is back on it? And what do you think, did he take it before visting Cuddy?
Sorry for my english.. It isn´t my fisrt languarge but I hope you understand what I mean.^^
March 8th, 2011 at 4:40 am
I loved the dream scenes–mainly because they showcased the enormous talents of Hugh Laurie. Did he not almost breathe the breaths of the actors he was taking off?
It was interesting to see Taub go through the process of thinking like House in his analysis of the case. I’ve grown to like M3. They must have had Taub on a box in some scenes with her. In some scenes she is taller than he is and in other close ups he almost is her height.
I am, however, fed up with the story about House and his failure to come up to a standard where he can have a semi decent relationship with someone. I hope the story arc has him coming out of this in a positive way and showing some growth…I have lost patience with the story.
March 8th, 2011 at 6:07 am
“Oh dear MrBuddWing, it seems you failed to grasp the significance of the dreams. Try watching again with the end in mind?”
I was thinking exactly the same, I thought (not a medical expert here) that Ambian was known to cause vivid dreaming and perhaps even sleep walking. The director made a point of showing us the bottle so it was relevent for something or other….
The same goes with house, if he was back on the opiates, then its also possible that they are messing with his dreams.
Perhaps the dreams had a medical subtext afterall….
March 8th, 2011 at 6:13 am
After the last scene I was screaming “Nooooooo!”. Poor House, I hope they can somehow straighten that up, because House without Cuddy will disintegrate into Vicodin…
Loved the cut-away dream scenes, especially “Two and a half men” one. Pie-eating contest jokes where great.
“Hey! Eating pie in here!”
March 8th, 2011 at 6:28 am
Kidney cancers aren’t biopsied. It’s too risky and the results produce a high percentage of false negatives. Once a mass is confirmed: first with ultrasound and then with a CT, it’s removed and biopsied. If cancerous, the docs cut until the margins are clear, or remove the whole kidney.
I wondered how the writers would get House to fall off the wagon and I think they did a great job. I didn’t expect it to be due to the threat of losing Cuddy forever. I hope we get to see Andre Braugher again. He’s one of my favorite House foils.
March 8th, 2011 at 6:30 am
The MRI in the musical sequence was wrong – left and right were not marked in the conventional positions (looking from the foot of the patient).
March 8th, 2011 at 7:02 am
Not the best episode by a long shot, but it certainly mixed it up and did as well as it could have for what it tried to do. the POTW was also as good as it could have been given that Cuddy was obviously the main story of the week.
Once again this episode proved just how much Hugh Laurie deserves an Emmy; the final scene when Cuddy breaks up with him is played perfectly by Laurie. The perfect amount of desperation and sadness comes through; unfortunately if he didn’t win for last season’s 2 amazing episodes, he’s unlikely to win this year either.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:54 am
I’m kinda torn on this one. Usually I’m a fan of the offbeat-type eps, but the PTOW did not engage me at all. I liked a lot of the dream sequences, but oddly enough, did not enjoy the one Cuddy had under anesthesia. Although it was awesome seeing Hugh Laurie dance and sing, overall, I found it off-putting.
That being said, could someone explain to me how her sister saying Rachel called her Ambien “candy” gave her the eureka moment that House is using again?
March 8th, 2011 at 8:04 am
@Sean
“If a kid is blowing up bombs and threatening kids, you sure as hell should report him to the police. That was just dumb, Taub.”
However, given the fact that he stole the main piece of evidence leading to the bomb making, etc. It can’t be used as evidence as it was obtained without warrant, nor was it obtained by the police. This alone could lead the case to be thrown out and some legal mishaps for Taub.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:09 am
they need to kill off Lisa cuddy’s character or i’m done with this Now CRAPPY SHOW!
March 8th, 2011 at 8:14 am
A brilliant episode with terrific dream sequences showing lots of imagination. Lots of laugh out loud humour as well (Taub asking for a cash tip after seeing House bribe a technician to get Cuddy’s early test results) and that devastating end with House falling apart after Cuddy bravely breaks up with him because he had to be high on Vicodin in order to visit her during her health scare.
I cannot recall a better episode. It certainly was good enough to be a blockbuster season ending show but I’m glad to read from some of you that the show is still on for next week. The interpersonal dramas clearly outweigh the inaccuracies in medical procedures although it is good to see a real doc make corrections for every program.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:50 am
@ KarenK: Cuddy had noticed that house was eating candy in all of her dreams/visions and didn’t know why until she realized that candy was her subconcious way to know that House wasn’t on “candy” he was on drugs. Which goes further to say that Cuddy knows that House at all costs will avoid pain and therefore will never fill that one void she’ll have which is to share everything with someone… b/c House will just run anytime there is a problem. I don’t think it’s necessarily about the drugs but that he’ll never be there for her.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:59 am
I enjoyed the show. Anytime Hugh gets to do more than act and showcase his many talents is a good thing for the show.
I think POTW sucked, but if it was all about Cuddy’s problem, then how would they be able to drag out the whole episode on House avoiding it while his team does…… what? So they needed something and threw this one in there.
Lately and especially after last show, I had been thinking of how House really had no problems left and he needed something to change to avoid the stale feeling the show has been getting. We all knew Huddy would end but I had wondered if and how they would be able to get Vicodin back.
I immediately thought at the end that it would be great if House was on Vicodin and solved three crazy cases in one week and realized he’s back to his genius self rather than the current guess and check system of diagnostics.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:16 am
House turning into Glee for five minutes? Not a fan.
Try telling me the show hasn’t jumped the shark now.
@ Ami: Vicodin is Hydrocodone + Acetaminophen. House is on Vicodin.
The idea that an opiate addict would relapse when he thinks his girlfriend is dying shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, especially a doctor. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad to see Huddy is over with, but I think Cuddy overreacted here.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Cuddy’s experience made this an uncomfortable episode for me to watch. My dad has a tumor as part of his renal system and he’ll be starting chemotherapy for it soon. Doctors think it started out as part of his ureter, and they hope a spot on his lung does not react to the chemo. If it does, that means the tumor has metastasized to the lung. So when House said “she’s dead” because he thought Cuddy’s tumor had metastasized, that stung. I enjoyed the episode because of the dream sequences, but the similarity with what my dad’s experiencing now was uncomfortable.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:22 am
@Zach: it isn’t about prosecuting the kid. It’s about putting the kid on the cop’s and school’s radar —getting him treatment and keeping him from hurting himself or others.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:23 am
@Hibbleton: It may be because my dad’s tumor is outside of his kidney and not inside, but they did do a needle biopsy. We asked about the risk of the needle spreading cancerous cells along the injection path. They said if it’s cancerous, they’ll use the same path to surgically remove the tumor, so any cancerous cells that the needle left behind would be removed then. The doctor who performed the needle biopsy said cancer cells get left behind in the biopsy track in less than 1% of cases.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Main problem here, with this episode? Couldn’t believe House would be worried about something as “trivial” as kidney cancer. I mean sure, usually it’s even pretty bad as far as cancers go. But come on, this is a world where they just “cure” scleroderma, lethal osteopethrotic disease, advanced amebic encephalitis and stage IV breast cancer, so long as it’s House’s patient. So now he’s worried because he’s found out Cuddy may have a tumor, even before the lung image? lol “okay”
Also, what’s the deal with backtracking on the House getting off drugs and the Cuddy thing? Those didn’t work out for the writers? Should their implications maybe either have been considered beforehand, or stuck with it and come up with something new once committed?
March 8th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Seemed unrealistic that Cuddy got panicky when she saw blood in her urine. Many women (especially sexually active ones) get urinary tract infections that are easily cured with antibiotics. Even if Cuddy has never had one, as a doctor she should be aware of the possibility and not immediately assume that it’s something serious. (That’s assuming Cuddy really is a doctor; they say she is but we’ve never seen much evidence.)
Apparently House needs to be addicted to something. Of the drugs he has tried — vicodin, methadone, and Cuddy — I think he was best off with methadone (episode 5-16 “The Softer Side”).
March 8th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Interesting show. I think I enjoyed it.
BTW, the Western dream was the end of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, with House as Paul Newman. The House version was very close to the movie, and as a fan of westerns, I say kudos.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Shark: Jumped.
House back on Vicodin? Not surprised (lazy writing)
Judgmental doctors: As usual (more lazy writing)
Musical dream sequences? Anyone who hadn’t seen the original Singing Detective on BBC might find that original. I did not. Although for a moment I thought Hugh might have made a good droog in A Clock-Work Orange, flinging his cane about and eyeballing the camera.
Only fun moment: Zombie Foreman straightening his tie.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:01 am
The one course adjustment they’ve made this season that I really like is that the team is performing like a team again–not just playing for time until House saves their bacon. I love M3 and I love the deepening of the Taub character. They all seem to be getting along just fine, whether House is MIA or not.
They really got the genre sitcoms down, right to their original looks and atmospheres. I didn’t think the Butch Cassidy sequence worked, but the rest were spot-on. It’s great to know what Hugh Laurie’s singing voice sounds like. I wish they had thrown in a reference to Jeeves and Wooster or Blackadder as well. More shark-jumping, por favor!
March 8th, 2011 at 10:14 am
I liked how Taub got to do the House thing in this episode – that is, explain how the whole staph/abcess thing worked.
I still don’t get Cuddy. I mean, she’s known House for how long? What, in their history makes her think he’s going to act any other way? She knew what he was like going in. Now she’s having issues with how he acts?
March 8th, 2011 at 10:15 am
@Yancy: First thing. Don’t give up hope. House’s pronouncement fits his pessimistic personality. It also provides a more dramatic effect for the show. Your father’s case is unique to him.
And the biopsy thing I wrote only applies to tumors or masses totally contained in the kidney sac. Actually, kidney cancers that haven’t spread outside the sac are very curable through surgery.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:16 am
@ Ami – Vicodin is a brand name, for a hydrocodone/acetaminophen blend of drugs. It’s got about a dozen names, actually. It was a vicodin bottle.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Does anyone else think House sent Cuddy the antibiotics, expecting her to be allergic so that she would appear to have malignant cancer and then he could bring the good news that she didn’t. A bit earlier he was sent off by Wilson saying it was his job to make her feel better.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Oh, dear, no. That was just dreadful. They really should have just hired hire Baz Luhrmann to direct a story about everyone accidentally taking Extasy or something.
Though I appreciated the actors throughout. They all do their jobs very well, even the poor woman saddled with the thankless task of playing Not-13. I quite liked the scene with Chase and Cuddy – that felt very authentic.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:41 am
@Zach
“However, given the fact that he stole the main piece of evidence leading to the bomb making, etc. It can’t be used as evidence as it was obtained without warrant, nor was it obtained by the police.”
You’re incorrect. Stolen evidence willingly given to the police can be used in court. The restrictions on warrant and whatnot are there to prevent police misconduct, not any other kid of conduct.
You are correct, however, that Taub could be equally prosecuted for theft and breaking and entering. Especially as the kid wouldn’t really have anything to lose at that point.
Another thing everybody (in the media) always gets wrong is when the culprit is released if the cops didn’t do the whole “you have a right to yadda-yadda” thing. That doesn’t automatically release you from all charges, only from any confession you may have made. The pipe-bombs and death threats still would be useable as evidence.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:29 am
What is The House Challenge and how do you play? I can only find the scoreboards and such, nothing about the rules or anything
March 8th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Official Comment
dasfonzie:
go here.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Thank you for clearing that up with the vicodin. ^^
March 8th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Best line of the show: “Good thing I brought my axe cane.”
And am I just old, or was anybody else expecting to see an “All That Jazz” takeoff once the dream sequences started (”It’s showtime, folks!”)?
March 8th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
@Yancy: Your father has my prayers, as do you.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
That was almost as bad as the previous episode. Even though this show jumped the shark a long time ago, the hilarious irony for me was they actually showed those two guys with shark fins on their hats. Congrats! A new low!
March 8th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Wow, lots of hate for the dream sequences. All of them struck me as very spot-on homages and a clever bit of window dressing for an episode that ended on a sour note — whatever a person’s feelings on the relationship, seeing it end as it did was a kick in the teeth (if you’re capable of empathizing with the characters).
I cannot help but be amused by an earlier comment about the Two-and-a-Half Men bit being a dud: it was — and that’s what made it so perfect, as it was lampooning the trite, formulaic, lowest-common-denominator show.
March 8th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
“I’m unclear how the abscess is breaking apart enough to cause clots elsewhere in the body. If it is walled off enough to prevent antibiotics from reaching it, it shouldn’t be breaking up into the blood stream”
Taub said when the antibiotics attacked the abscess, pieces of the PVC break into the blood stream, some pieces went to his liver and one lodged in his brain and dissolved when foreman touched it.
March 8th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
I hated the flashbacks. It just shows how bored the writers are with writing for the show.
They did Pulp Fiction and a ton of other movie references in another episode. It’s a little excessive at this point and sorta breaks up the cohesion of the show. Is House trying to be a live action Family Guy all of a sudden?
and how can anyone not see that House isn’t as formulaic, trite, and lowest-common-denominator show in its own right (when comparing it to Two and a Half Men). The only difference between the two shows is Hugh Laurie isn’t bottled up in a mansion with his two Goddesses screaming nonsense all day long as a publicity stunt.
The problem with the Butch Cassidy segment off the episode is that they f*cked up the reference by not saying the famous line before attacking the Bolivians, “For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble!”
Even Stargate Universe made a reference to that Butch Cassidy line in the episode “Time” and nailed it ten times better without needing the Bolivian scenery… and that show is written in crayon compared to most other shows on television.
Why didn’t they do a scene with Butch and Etta and the “Raindrops are falling on my head” bit? Did they really think the audience was too stupid to be able to identify with anything except the end of the movie?
March 8th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
“Cuddy had noticed that house was eating candy in all of her dreams/visions and didn’t know why until she realized that candy was her subconcious way to know that House wasn’t on “candy” he was on drugs.”
Well. House was supposedly only on drugs when he met her at the hospital – that’s after three of the dream sequences, so rather than signalling to her that he had taken Vicodin already, I think this was her subconscious – as she says – telling her that House wouldn’t be able to manage without drugs. As far as I could tell, she realised that he was on Vicodin because Rachel called pills “candy” – this implies to me that House took pills in front of Rachel.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Someone mentioned an expection of All That Jazz–but that’s exactly what we got in the singing and dancing routine (though I’m not dismissing the reference to Cabaret). The dream sequence was like Fosse’s dream during his heart surgery, wasn’t it? And the fitting aspect was the Fosse, like House, was on drugs (I thought that was part of why Cuddy made the connection, that and the reference in the Leave It to Beaver sequence to “candy” that’s a secret between daughter and daddy). I thought a lot of the dialogue and minor exchanges between the assistants was clever and sharp. Too bad the medicine was sloppy, because the writing was fairly tight.
March 8th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
I know that some people here are anxious to hear my ranting but I had a dreadfull day myself (and I just found out that one of my patients – the cutest old lady who was battleing colon cancer for 8 years now finally passed away last month – she was a brave soul and I always pointed her out as an example of a person that will outlive even me) That combined with the Huddy meltdown in a heartbeat kind of sunk my ship. I’ll post…something tomorrow. Good night folks (10x Lorne)
March 8th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
I think the candy references in the Cuddy dream sequences was her subconscious telling her that all was not well, but it was something she was too afraid to face. In House’s dreams, he is not eating candy or anything else. In the final musical dream sequence there was a look of horror on Cuddy’s face when she was being dragged by House’s candy cane. That the candy signified “pills” was brought home to her by her sister’s comment about Rachel calling them candy. I don’t think that House ever took pills in front of Rachel, or that he was high on vicodin prior to this episode. But all this was foreshadowed by the end of last week’s episode in which House could only handle his patient’s death by drinking (or blaming his love for Cuddy, a truly disgusting thing to say to her IMO). He needs chemicals to face pain. Only he can solve this problem.
March 8th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I was so tired last night that throughout “House,” I kept falling asleep and waking up. So imagine what watching this episode was like for me. Surreal in the extreme. I need to re-watch.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
@ Corvus Actually the scene between Cuddy and Chase was very in-authentic. Sure, in season 1 or 2 he revealed he used to be a seminarian (studying to be a Catholic priest) but he’s hardly acted anything like one since then, especially given all the promiscuity he’s been featured in this season. To have him offer to quote 1 Corinthians was completely out of character. Cleverly, even though Cuddy declined, he ended up getting it in anyway, “Love hopes all things” (1 Cor 13:7)
March 8th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
@ Joel Kazoo
Concerning the flirting between Chase and Cuddy, I remember one of the first promo shots of the cast for season 7 where we can see Chase touching Thirteen’s shoulder… since I heard she was coming back in one of the upcoming episodes, I guess the Aussie charmer might have another object of flirtatious ambition :)
I liked the episode, I thought the dream sequences were fun and I’m damn excited to see where they are going from now with House popping Vicodin again… is anything known about a renewal of the show for a 8th season?
March 8th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Slide show of the most ridiculous patients/cases on “House” –
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/house/house_most_ridiculous_patients.php
March 8th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
If I remember correctly, 13 should be back within two or three episodes.Especially since the season only has about ten or so episodes to go, and 13 needs some airtime.
March 8th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
@KarenK
“That being said, could someone explain to me how her sister saying Rachel called her Ambien “candy” gave her the eureka moment that House is using again?”
Oh, that one was easy, I spotted it as quickly as Cuddy did.
Here’s how it breaks down:
1) Why would Rachel think of pills as candy?
2) Who can you think of that Cuddy knows, who Rachel might see taking a pill?
3) Who do you know who, when caught taking a pill by Rachel, would say anything at all to avoid Cuddy knowing that he’s been taking a pill?
4) Who in Rachel’s life would be so utterly irresponsible as to tell a kid that a pill is candy? – Given that every doctor, & most parents are aware that kids die all the time from thinking that pills are candy.
5) If Rachel catches House taking a pill, what kind of pill do you think it’d be?
March 8th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
#
@DMata:
“Taub said when the antibiotics attacked the abscess, pieces of the PVC break into the blood stream, some pieces went to his liver and one lodged in his brain and dissolved when foreman touched it.”
Not possible. PVC can’t break down like that in the body. Taub was referring to the pus in the abscesses, which is still kind of unlikely, but not totally unreasonable, IMO.
Various people have said that if the abscesses are walled off, protecting them from the antibiotics in the bloodstream, then they can’t discharge into the blood stream, but I can imagine a scenario where it could happen. Imagine one or more abscesses where the infection is generating enough pus that the pressure within the abscess is greater than the pressure from the blood vessels. The abscess would be releasing pus into the bloodstream, but the blood containing the antibiotics wouldn’t be able to enter the abscess.
March 8th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I have to say that House as a recovering addict should not be drinking. Generally, 12-step programs and rehabs suggest strongly that drinking is a bad idea. He either has to learn to deal with emotions or drown them out using another drug. I called relapse last week with the drinking to deal with emotions, and I think this is a very realistic portrayal of the struggles an addict would have when they choose to pick and choose their drug of choice.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
ctually the scene between Cuddy and Chase was very in-authentic. Sure, in season 1 or 2 he revealed he used to be a seminarian (studying to be a Catholic priest) but he’s hardly acted anything like one since then, especially given all the promiscuity he’s been featured in this season.
Respectfully disagree. Yes, Chase has certainly gone off the deep end after his divorce from Cameron, but his displays of faith in earlier episodes were quite touching, and a welcome contrast to House’s atheism.
I think of the thoughtful conversation Chase had with the nun in “Damned If You Do,” or the way Chase prayed aloud over the body of a baby he was about to autopsy, or the way Chase kept score in “House vs. God.”
A more recent Chase religious moment came in the fourth season episode “Don’t Ever Change” in which a convert to Judaism, married for the first time at age 40, wants to postpone exploratory surgery so she can celebrate Shabbat with her new husband on schedule; it’s Chase (during his time away from House’s team) who notes that according to the Bible, Joshua got God to stop the sun, and suggests doing the same thing – “And by God,” Chase says to House, “I of course mean you.”
March 8th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
This was episode 15 House has never had more than 24 episodes in a season that I can remember.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
There will be 23 episodes this year. Pills look like candy to a toddler. This does NOT prove that House was popping them in front of Rachel. She might also have seen her mother take pills, no?
March 9th, 2011 at 12:09 am
Oh my oh my…WHere do I start? How about with the fact that whatever the writers and producers do some people here keep on slamming them. Huddy is auful! Stop it! This show is no good now with Huddy gone. They jumped the shark! Make up your mind please! Or stop watching if you hate the show! The medicine:
1. The antibiotics allergie explanation was kind of clever – allergic granulomas are a type of allergic reaction that can mislead people on imaging studies especially if they are looking for something else. Good medicine here. However I have to ask – why was Cuddy on antibiotics and how on earth can a 43 years old woman not now what kind of hypersensitivity reactions she has? Especially with antibiotics – the most common medical allergen after local anestetics. That part was a strech.
2. Pus form an abcess cannot get into the bloodstream period. It can get into adjascent places of the abcess (and most abcesses our days are diffused and cannot hide so to speak – as a result of the general use of antybiotics the bacteria are more resistant now which is why pus collections tend to be more diffuse and big and well symptomatic). Speaking of wich who did the phisical on the poor kind and did not notice and abcess in the abdomen? This stuff is felt very well – as soon as you aply pressure on the pus the patient says “ouch it hurt” and you fell the collection. If it was deeper under the muscles of the abdomen I thing it would have given the kid fever and all the other symptoms of an infection (do I have to mention them again? Elevated white count, red warm and tightened skin on top of the collection…that kind of thing where were they?
3. I’ll just repeat myself here and say that a simple blood work WITH a good phisical examination would have just given the answer stairght away.
4. If it was possible for a chunk of pus to get to the brain arteries (it isn’t) the kid would have a lot more “brain” symptoms than numbness in the arm. Hell he would be delirious from the brain inflamation and the meningeal symptoms
5. May be I just missed it but did they mention fever as a symptom at all here?
As for Cuddy (and Huddy) I already said in a previous post here that my father may he rest in peace was an alcoholic. He stopped and relapsed so many times during my childhood and teenage years that I practically lost coun and I also lost believe that he could ever change. An addict is an addict. And what House himself said once is absolutely truth: If an alcoholic never drank for the rest of his life he just didn’t live long enough. So House’s relapse shouldn’t of surprised me but it did – the writers did a good job here. I have to say that this episode along wiht my misfortunes at work made me lose my sleep fort he night – so it must have been a good episode. I somehow doubt this is the ned of Huddy though. The reaction of Cuddy on House relapsing was so… deadly. She jumped over the small stuff nad hit the nerve of the problem immidiatly. Good stuff from Lisa Edelstein too. All in all it was a good episode in fact the drama was so good that I almost cried”Nooo!” at the end when I saw House gulping the pills again. It’s not over…not yet. And we will have good TV untill the end of the season!
March 9th, 2011 at 3:19 am
I think that all of these people saying that the show has “jumped the shark” just like using the expression without truly knowing what it is.
That being said, this episode seems to be an effort to bring the show back to the type of format of the first few seasons. The dream sequences don’t seem so far out of this world that the show’s reputation is irreparably damaged.
Exploring uncharted territory with the sequences? Maybe so. Lazy writing? I don’t really think that’s a fair assessment. It’s a way to introduce another story arc. With all the comments I’ve seen on here so far, it seems like these writers are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. You don’t like Huddy, you don’t like the present format, but you don’t like taking the necessary steps to bring back the misanthropic House that you miss so much.
The inconsistencies in that argument are completely frustrating.
March 9th, 2011 at 7:01 am
First of all excuse my english, (I am from Spain)
How credible is that House and all the members of his team instantly know the treatment for any conceivable disease or medical condition??.
I can accept that more or less they can come up with all the conditions, pathologies or syndromes a patient can have (there would be no show if the couldn’t); but the treatments too?? without ever consult a medical guide, look in a medical book, vademecum or something similar? not even once??
It is my understanding, ( please a doctor correct me if I am wrong); that even a specialist does not know by memory all the possible treatments for all the conditions in his field; that would be insane!!!.
Then we have to believe that House and his team know all the treatments (medicines, drugs) for all the conditions…that, I think, is impossible…
March 9th, 2011 at 8:29 am
@Pedro: House’s team is supposed to be composed of the cream of the crop; the geniuses among geniuses with House being the smartest one of all. It isn’t necessary that they all know how to treat every possible disease. Only one of the group has to know any particular disease, along with its symptoms, and its cure. That’s why House has a team.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Thanks everyone – I missed all the candy references in Cuddy’s dream sequences.
Zombie Foreman straightening his tie – that was a nice touch.
I might have to watch this one again. I also got a Fosse vibe off of Cuddy’s anesthesia dream.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:57 am
@ ursus:
First of all, I actually saw the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie “Jumped the Shark”. Second of all I own the book by Jon Hein titled “Jump the Shark” and third and most important I have watched every episode of House and I can say with 100% confidence that it has jumped the shark.
This show used to be about an interesting and complex medical mystery with a little soap opera thrown in surrounding an interesting main character. Now it’s about a lot of poorly written soap opera and a very poorly and often incorrect medical problem and a boring main character.
Any time you start throwing in musical numbers on a TV show you should start reaching for the water skis.
For the great un-washed, try this: http://www.tvguide.com/jumptheshark
March 9th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Ok, Biff. Then we shouldn’t expect to see you in here anymore talking about how bad the show has become, right? To me, if someone thinks a show has JTS, then they should stop watching it and then complaining about it. Obviously you have every right to watch what you want, but then you should not come here and complain about something that you have now deemed a fail.
Meanwhile, I have seen every episode and still wait excitedly for the next one.
March 9th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Biff and everyone else, as far as I’m concerned, you are welcome to come back here and post your opinion of any episode from now ’til the end of the show. Reading Scott’s wonderful blog and all the great comments is more interesting to me if people feel free to express their honest reactions. As far as the writers being “damned if they do and damned if they don’t,” yes, that’s true if the goal is to please everyone. But, since that’s obviously impossible, they do the best they can and sometimes try new things, and some people like it and others don’t. I find it interesting to read a variety of reactions to each show. So everyone who feels inclined to share their opinion, please come back and please keep posting.
That said, man, this show has jumped the shark! :-)
D-r Bulgaria, I’m sorry to hear about your sweet lady patient passing away. Sending sympathy and condolences.
March 9th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Shark-jumping is underrated.
March 9th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Too many interesting and detailed comments over here, i’ll just post here to say a couple of things
1-Zombies in House…hilarious! Also loved the House- Wilson-Rachel old sitcom thing hehe
2-My God, Lisa Edelstein is getting hotter every day or what?!
Great blog, Scott:)
March 9th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Lisa Edelstein is the 40-to-50 hottest lady in the world. (Mariska Hargitay is a close 2nd place)
March 9th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
I couldn’t make up my mind this episode; the dream sequences were so jarringly bizarre and seemed to be in direct contrast to the seriousness/scariness of the Cuddy plot line, which might have been the point? Regardless, I loved them but they felt soooo out of place.
I still can’t believe the end, which is something I was almost hoping for at the beginning of the season but am now very sad with… all in all, I’m really enjoying the plot. It’ll be interesting to see where this ends up going.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I think the pill they use for Vicodin in the show is generic Tylenol from Costco… Thankfully he only takes 2 at a time max – hopefully they don’t have to re-shoot those scenes too many times – I’d be worried about his liver ;)
March 9th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Again, anybody can think what they want about the show and then post about it. I guess I just don’t see the point of someone who thinks this show has jumped the shark and is:
A) Still watching it after they say it has JTS
B) Coming on here to bash it
C) Watching it again
D) Affirming that the show has JTS
E) Repeating A – D
There is nothing constructive or insightful by posting these things. This is material best served on a TV show message board, not an intelligent forum that (is supposed to) discuss the medical aspects of the show.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Just wondering… even though I have seen all the House episodes, has there ever been an episode where one of the Dr’s treated someone based on a lab error or mistake? I was just reading about a lady that got a double mastectomy and as it turns out she didn’t have any cancer at all. The hospital simply got some biopsy slides mixed up. It’s actually an old story (from around 2003), but wouldn’t this make for an interesting episode?
March 10th, 2011 at 12:40 am
The dream sequences: Those that are complaining of the DREAMS beibg unrealistic do you dream at all? I am 33 years old and just a couple of months back after being swamped by the job and the difficult cases I had a dream of being a nee invincible dual wielding fighter/mage and being attacked by hordes of goblins in a labyrinth. Eventually they overwhelmed em and I woke up with a shout. Baldur’s Gate anyone? I have not played this thing from 10 years but I had a small discussion about it on coffee with a programmer friend. You think thats unrealistic too? Dreams stem directly from the subconsciousness and are always unrealistic. And everything is possible there including to know all the time that “God I must be dreaming” I give the soap opera in this episode a straight A and sorry but the show have not jumped the shark. If Chase was having sex with Cameron than Cuddy then 13 than M3 and if he was claiming that e loves her and is happy every time TAHN I would have said yes this medical drama have jumped the shark. Care to guess with medical show have done it alread? Hte chas writers there are obviously thinking yes more sex that keeps the ratings up. On call room shower you name it we have it. Even girl on girl!
March 10th, 2011 at 1:32 am
I was thrilled that we got an “inside the body” special effects segment this episode! First one of the season, I think. It was half over before I realized it was even happening, and then I excitedly yelled, “Hey, we’re seeing inside! Look!!”. I miss those bits; makes me remember the good old days.
March 10th, 2011 at 2:21 am
@AMVROSIO : Lisa Edelstein IS the hottest no doubt about that in the 40 to 50 cathegory. However I thing that the second place is tied between Kate Walsh and Elizabeth Mitchel. Mariska Hargitay comes closely after that.
March 10th, 2011 at 2:26 am
@ Lon – That’s happened several times, perhaps most memorably in season three’s “House Training.”
March 10th, 2011 at 4:41 am
@Hibbleton
But it is not just one team member, ALL the team members instantly know the treatment or drugs needed for EVERY condition (even very rare conditions); that is what I think it has no sense and I wanted to know in the real world how much of it can be true….
March 10th, 2011 at 7:08 am
@ Alexandra
I was under the impression that it wasn’t a lab mistake but more the fact that after autoimmune was not found, Foreman made the assumption that it had to be cancer?
March 10th, 2011 at 11:01 am
@Pedro: I can see why you think that after watching the show the last few years. Earlier there had been more of an emphasis on each member’s specialty. Cameron’s was infectious disease; Foreman’s was neurology. I’ve forgotten what Chase was. Sometimes House would turn to one of them and say; “you’re the blah blah expert, what is it!?” Now it does seem that they’re all experts in everything. (I don’t know what Taub is. He seems to have been a surgeon who turned to plastic surgery to make money but is now a diagnostician?)
In any case, you’d think that there’d be one nephrologist on the team. Other specialists have told me that they’re like super docs; they have to know everything.
March 10th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
@pedro (from SPain) The answer is a bit boggy here. On one side most of the doctors know a lot about treatment in general – for example they know that tretment for Lupus is steroids and methotrexate, along with other imune supression drugs. However dosages, specific treatment courses, type of antibiotic best used for a certain infection that kind of stuff we need to check the books. On House they do always know because it is TV :) A GP for example has a very widened but very non specific knowledge on drugs prescribed for say heart conditions like high blood pressure meds for example. He knows what goes where so to speak. However you need a cardiologists to studie your case to find the best course of action. Specialties exist for a reason :). I am suprised you did not mention Chase the jack of all who performes all kind of surgeries all the time :):):)
March 10th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I’m with “All That Jazz” reference. Hospital, allegedly dying patient, “Get happy, get ready” = “Bye, bye life”. Cabaret wasn’t that surrealistic.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
@Hibbleton. Good day sick people I am d-r Gregory House I am one of the tree doctros that are staffing this clinic today. I am a board sertified diagnostician with a double specialty in nephrology and infectious deseases.
Shame on you man to forget this memorable tirade from the pilot. No wonder House knows it all than :):):)
Foreman: Neurology
13: Internal medicine
Taub: Plastic Surgery
Chase: Intensive medicine/surgery
Cameron: Imunology
Cutner: Rehabilitation/sports medicine
Cuddy: Endocrinology
Wilson: Oncology
Amber: Intervenous radiology
And you call yourself a House fan :):):):)
March 10th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Thanks everybody for making me feel so good about expressing my opinion. Can I take the target off my back now?
March 10th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
I don’t think House has “Jumped the Shark” Biff. But they are struggling to keep us entertained, and some of it works better than other bits.
This show was mildly interesting, and some of the visuals in the “stoned” sections were cool.
Some people thought it was Hugh Laurie doing the singing – maybe, but it was lip-sync’d on the show. Could have been anybody.
March 10th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
@Zach : Yes, I meant an episode where someone messes up not from a misdiagnosis or anything, but from a standpoint of simply botching a test or making a physical mistake.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
You would think they’d make less mistakes about urine color with House having studied nephrology.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Hugh Lauris and Lisa Edelstein both did their own singing. It may have been lip-synced a la Glee, but it was them, and it sounded like them too. Remember HL is a fine musician and recall the karioki (sp?) bar incident with HL, OE and JS, all singing.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:35 pm
That should be Laurie, not Lauris! Sorry.
March 11th, 2011 at 1:44 am
Wow. Carol Burnett jumped the shark on her very first show.
March 11th, 2011 at 1:54 am
Chase is actually an emergency medicine specialist (which is almost the same as intensive) but hmmm he is also an all specialist sugeon as well so WTH :):):)
March 11th, 2011 at 4:56 am
Thanks, D-r B. At least I got the nephrology part right, sort of. I usually don’t think of Cuddy as a real doctor. When she starts diagnosing I start cringing. In any case, your list should be posted as a sticky in the margin of this site.
March 11th, 2011 at 9:16 am
Awww, how can you bash an episode that includes the epic line: “Good thing I brought my cane axe!”
March 11th, 2011 at 9:53 am
I thought it was the greatest episode since the old days.
March 11th, 2011 at 10:03 am
@KarenK
“That being said, could someone explain to me how her sister saying Rachel called her Ambien “candy” gave her the eureka moment that House is using again?”
Because Cuddy had been dreaming of House eating “candy” and when she heard the word candy associated with pills she put 2 and 2 together and realised House was back on the V.
March 11th, 2011 at 10:45 am
Even better lines:
Cuddy: My urethra is not for public entertainment
House: But it is good time adjacent.
March 11th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Dr. B – Not to quibble, and I know that English is not your first language (and believe me, your English is a thousand times better than my Bulgarian could ever be), but Amber’s specialty was Interventional Radiology. “Intervenous radiology” would be something totally different. ;-)
March 11th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
About the relative height of Martha Masters AKA M3 to her castmates: I suspect in some scenes when they don’t show M3’s feet she is wearing comfortable shoes and that’s why she looks different heights at different times. Wardrobe on House is big on the female doctors wearing stripper heels on the job. Not very realistic as doctors are fully aware of the pain and damage heels this high inflict on the human foot. Amber Tamblyn is reported to be around 5′6″ so this would make her 5′10″ or taller when wearing these shoes.
March 11th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
@John H: 10x dude. Sure intervenous actually means something else entirely. I think when I first wrote her description on House wiki her specialty was listed as: Interventional Radiologist. Transforming that with my poor gramar obviously could have gone better. But than again written English was never my forte (nor was written french). By the way I am a FRENCH language school graduate – english is a secondary language to me. But now I have mastered it way more than french. How life twists a man……
March 11th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
http://community.livejournal.com/house_cuddy/2816427.html
Warning: this video might be offensive to some: “Hitler finds out that House and Cuddy broke up”. It’s for broken-hearted Huddies like myself, and it’s hilarious!
March 11th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Oh hey House, I know you’re popping pills again because you’re afraid of pain, so I’m going to break up and cause you some pain. kthxbai.
Who breaks up that amicably anyway? There is usually screaming involved.
I think the dreams were total filler. How money did they blow on those? Gotta do something with the medical animation budget they’ve been letting sit for the last 4 seasons I guess.
March 11th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
I wanted to add, I enjoy the medical reviews, thank you. As for the soap opera, I am glad Huddy is over and looking forward to more Holmes/Watson (House/Wilson).
March 11th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
RAK – thanks for the Der Untergang parody. LOL.
IMO the show is getting rather depressing – why can’t they let House be happy w/the woman he loves????
Seems to me Cuddy turned her back on House too quickly.
As far as ‘jumping the shark’ – at least House is NOT another cop/lawyer/courtroom show – That entire genre has jumped the shark!!!!
March 11th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
@RAK: Dude you’re a genius! I do not know where this video came from but it says what I think so well! GY, BS you are f****ing with us again! Bring the tar and feathers! Hang them! Drown them Quater them! Or best yet since this i not bad enough – tie them to a chare and make them watch Grey’s anatomy back nad forth untill they strat to puke! That will teach them!
March 12th, 2011 at 10:43 am
@anon.: re doctor heels. I had two doctors who wore stripper heels attending me in the hospital and they were smoking hot ladies. So I find it plausible that Cuddy, et al, wear unhealthy shoes. I also visited one at her private practice afterwards and she was wearing the rattiest looking flat moccasins I’ve ever seen. I think that In a hospital setting which is traditionally dominated by male doctors, a few extra inches of height can make a women feel more empowered.
March 12th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
I don’t have any sort of degree in medicine, but couldn’t there be some pieces of PVC close enough to blood or lymph vessels to allow effects throughout the body, while others were so far away that they stayed put?