House — Episode 4 (Season 8): “Risky Business”
House acted like a real bastard in tonight’s episode. If you like that, then you’ll probably enjoy it. If you enjoy coherent medicine or decent mysteries, then you’d better just skip it
Local businessman Thad Barton is cleaning up his yard when he suddenly develops micropsia (a condition where everything appears small or far away). He is admitted to House’s service. The initial differential diagnosis includes JBE (Japanese B encephalitis, a vaccine-preventable disease), central serous retinopathy, atropine poisoning, or thyrotoxicosis (high levels of thyroid hormones in the blood causing hyperthyroid symptoms). House decides the latter is the most likely, and is just about to start the patient on PTU (propylthiouracil, a drug used to treat hyperthyroidism) when Barton reports he is no longer seeing things appear small, but now things are appearing larger than they should. To House, this suggests that Barton has Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, which House explains as a type of atypical migraine.
A short time later, Barton develops severe respiratory distress and hemoptysis. Angiography reveals a hemorrhagic site in his left lower lobe. The differential diagnosis now consists of hyperviscosity syndrome (blood that is thicker than normal), Factor V Leiden deficiency (a genetic condition that causes blood to clot more easily), or myelodysplasia. House tells the team to give Barton activated protein C. According to the team, it will cause a life threatening reaction if he has either Leiden or myelodysplasia (but a different life threatening reaction in each case); House realizes this and wants to give it so they can figure out which diagnosis Barton has. However, instead of the expected life threatening complications, he develops a brief episode of itching. Adams now proposes that Barton has cancer caused by HTLV-1 infection, which his late wife also had and it caused her lymphoma. House agrees with her theory and starts the patient on radiation therapy. Unfortunately, during his first radiation treatment, he develops chest tightness and a rising heart rate. Adams thinks he’s having a heart attack, but the troponin (a blood test for heart attacks) and EKG are equivocal (meaning “maybe yes, maybe no”). House wants an echocardiogram on the patient (to look for areas of abnormal heart wall motion, a sign of a past heart attack), but the patient’s heart is beating too rapidly for the test. Adams is able to get a cardiac catheterization which is normal. The team next proceeds to look at an EP study (electrophysiology study, a test of the electrical “wiring” of the heart), but Barton’s blood oxygenation suddenly drops in the middle of the test for no reason.
House consults a neurologist who suggests the patient has normal pressure hydrocephalus. Park disagrees and thinks the symptoms suggest autonomic dysregulation. She wants to do a tilt table test to prove her diagnosis, but the other neurologist tells her that the patient will slip into a coma if he has normal pressure hydrocephalus. Park proceeds with the test anyway, and Barton falls into a coma. House considers this a fluke and never thought the patient had normal pressure hydrocephalus. He now wonders if the patient might have hepatic encephalopathy, but a liver biopsy is normal. His team suggests Eastern equine encephalitis or loa loa disease, but a glance at an orthopedic x-ray gives House his Eureka! moment of the week. He diagnoses the patient with hyperviscosity syndrome caused by the increased number of antibodies in his blood because of his rheumatoid arthritis. A quick plasmapheresis treatment and the patient miraculously wakes up.
As usual, major complaints are in red, modest complaints are in blue, and nit-picking ones in green:
Another episode where the team goes straight to treating cancer with radiation therapy, without ever confirming the patient has cancer, let alone what type of cancer it is. The situation is even worse in this episode as no HTLV-1 related condition is treated with radiotherapy.
Similarly, House plans on treating the patient with PTU, despite having no proof the patient actually is hyperthyroid – an easy test to check. PTU is not a benign drug.
So, the patients tachycardia makes getting an echocardiogram impossible (reasonable, if the heart is beating too fast, then it’s damn near impossible to get a good reading on the echo), but yet they are still able to perform a cardiac catheterization, where the same issue would apply – even more so because it is an invasive test with definitive risks, unlike echocardiography.
Apparently no one thought to give a medicine to correct the tachycardia.
Lots of handwaving* with this episode:
What caused the oxygen desaturization? (frantic handwaving – thick blood!)
What caused the heart attack> (more handwaving – thick blood!)
What caused the coma? What did it have to do with the tilt table. And why did it miraculously correct with plasmapheresis?
*My term for when the writers try to distract you so you never notice the patient’s symptoms don’t match the diagnosis.
A migraine is just one possible cause of Alice in Wonderland syndrome; there are others.
House is right to belittle Andrews suggestion of normal pressure hydrocephalus – it doesn’t fit the case at all. But then again, Park’s suggestion is no better.
Ironically, between the time this episode was filmed and broadcast, Xigris (Activated Protein C) has been withdrawn from the market.
This week’s medical mystery was modestly interesting, at least compared to last episode. I give it a B. The final solution fit, but was blindingly obvious — at least it would have been, had the writers been playing fair. Holding out the fact that the patient had rheumatoid arthritis — much different than your standard degenerative arthritis — was clearly intentional. The fact that they had to hide this fact that should have been provided from the very beginning shows that they knew how weak the mystery was. I give it a B for realism, but knock it down to a D for cheating. The medicine this week bad. Missing repeated clots and bleeds. Dropping inconvenient symptoms. Radiating the patient. I give it a D+. Without more Wilson, the soap opera never rose above average: C.
The review of the previous episode of House
A list of all prior House reviews
October 31st, 2011 at 11:56 pm
An interesting episode that had a few echo’s of good episode’s of yesteryear..
WTF is up with Foreman’s newfound sense of entitled morality? Since WHEN did he become goody-goody all of a sudden, ESPECIALLY given his “less than stellar” past and upbringing…. You’d think he’d be a little less “Carltonesque” in his ability to kiss the boards ass for being made DoM when he was so eminently UNqualified for the position… unless you count ambition in which case Foreman would be OVER qualified for the job… lol
Was it me or did the Ortho MedTech come off as an @$$ when challenging House to the “Battle of Practical Jokes”…? The Crack about “I’ll MAYBE get suspended but YOU’ll go back to prison” seemed very mean spirited and downright petty..neener…neener….neener :p
I realize that House has not endeared himself to anyone left at PPTH over the last 8 years but ‘cmon.. that just seemed like an out of place thing to hear someone say, even if it’s House they’re saying it to…. Maybe I/we aren’t used to seeing people so blatantly hostile about him and his style of Medicine but did people REALLY grow a set of balls about House during his “time off” that are big enough for them to trash him with impunity? That whole scene felt like it was bolted on to add an emotional undercurrent to an otherwise unnecessary moment in what to me is for the most part (in spite of the high points already mentioned) a pretty average ‘meh’ episode at best.
I’m glad the Producers seem to have wrapped up the whole Park v. Adams v. House angle… Park’s only slightly less annoying this week and it felt good to see House messing with her with a vengence..
Does the last large check from House playing the stock market REALLY mean that Chase & Taub are REALLY coming back?? I hope so.
House was in rare form as always, and when they turn Hugh loose on a scene watching him act is like watching Merlin cast a spell… it harkensback to the days of seasons past when House was House and everyone else was….idiots.. :D
November 1st, 2011 at 12:00 am
Official Comment
Almost neglected to mention this little tidbit: Did Foreman forget that he is a neurologist? He had to call in the nearly-drunk Andrews because he couldn’t find another neurologist — what about himself?
November 1st, 2011 at 12:16 am
I too was laughing at that scene when Foreman explains away the ‘drinking on the job’ scenario. I was sitting there scratching my head going.. uh.. YOU are a neurologist. Apparently when you become dean of medicine your other specialties go away.
November 1st, 2011 at 12:39 am
I think House’s antics have gotten worse, starting when he drove his car into Cuddy’s house (excepting the prison episode, where ee was trying to survive by whatever means necessary). He did some pretty outrageous stuff previously, but there was an underlying reason behind them. He just seems more mean-spirited than previously.
Maybe it’s just me, but the “I’ll… maybe get suspended, and… you’ll go back to prison” remark seemed to be the sort of thing that House has been asking for (and left him without a response).
November 1st, 2011 at 6:15 am
So the reset button has now been fully pushed. Bit of a disappointment, but not a surprise. With Foreman and Thirteen gone (from the team), I guess we’ll have a four-person team again. Or, Park could go away forever. That’d be okay, too. It’ll be somewhat interesting to have Chase and Taub thrown back in the mix, I suppose. Still no title sequence.
November 1st, 2011 at 7:17 am
Forgive my density, but could someone explain the Eureka! moment? How does looking at an X-ray = a diagnosis of thick blood?
November 1st, 2011 at 7:47 am
His daughter did actually mention arthritis in the teaser when he was pulling down his effigy from the tree.
November 1st, 2011 at 7:58 am
Official Comment
Jeff,
Yes, but rheumatoid arthritis is completely different from the standard run-of-the-mill arthritis that was implied. Just having an autoimmune disease like RA shifts the differential diagnosis substantially, and, depending on how it is treated, most of the modern RA drugs also affect the likely diagnoses.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:01 am
Buddwing, it was the Y shape of the joint replacement that reminded house of the Y shaped antibodies.
I was a bit confused at Foreman and the not a neurologist, unless he happened to be out of town or drunk himself.
I loved the bit with the orthopedics department, plaster casting his entire office was pretty sweet.
I like the interactions with Park and House. She seems to have the same strong streak of amorality that defines House. Someone he doesn’t have to corrupt.
The Arthritis was mentioned in passing by the daughter in the opening scene. I don’t think they mentioned the type.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:09 am
@Jeff – she mentioned “arthritis,” not “rheumatoid arthritis,” which is Scott’s operative point:
“Holding out the fact that the patient had rheumatoid arthritis — much different than your standard degenerative arthritis — was clearly intentional.”
November 1st, 2011 at 8:10 am
I swear that official comment wasn’t there when I posted mine! Didn’t mean to step on any toes.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:20 am
as confusing as the medicine was, i thought the ending was quite interesting.
House was nice to Dr. Adam after he almost correctly deduced her problems, letting her vent her anger by trashing the orthopedics department. of course he gets to enjoy the sight of it being trashed, but he was seemed genuinely nice.
really miss House’s whiteboard full of symptoms.
by the way, love your reviews. :D
November 1st, 2011 at 8:30 am
I bet there aren’t many points this week. Unless someone said RA or hyperthyroidism in their guesses.
I wondered if this year they would pull out the stops and go for really weird diagnoses. But not cheating like this episode. I”m guessing that House did know about the RA all along? That would be really disappointing. Wish he would have found out just before his ahhha moment.
I believe they are trying to harken back to the old days. They need the old writers and the old medical consultants to do that, though. I, too, thought that Foreman was a neurologist, so why did he have to call in a drunk one? And he was only suspended without pay for two weeks for that? Seems like that was a slap on the wrist for such negligence. And I also agree with the comment about Foreman’s new found super integrity. Those kinds of little things really annoy me.
So are we going to start having clinic patients again? That should be fun.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:53 am
Official Comment
MrBuddwing:
The Y-shape of the hip replacement shown on the x-ray reminded House of the Y-shape of antibody molecules.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:58 am
Thanks for the explanation, Dr. Scott.
As for the “But Foreman’s a neurologist, too!” reaction – yes, that crossed my mind. But when you’re in administration, I guess you’re not supposed to get caught up in individual cases – although that never stopped Cuddy.
November 1st, 2011 at 9:11 am
Yeah, Foreman calling in a drunk neurologist to stand in during a surgery seems like, well…. BEGGING to get sued, fired, fined and otherwise hugely smacked down.
On another note, I realize that House may not be the greatest with his money as he’s pretty carefree with it in some respects and no doubt his malpractice premiums are stratospheric but it strikes me as odd that he’d be portrayed as being so strapped for cash. Unless he wanted to borrow the money from people just so he wouldn’t have to use his own?
Him creating the rift between the daughter and her father seemed a bit over the line for House. I didn’t like the “department needs funding” sub-plot the last few episodes. Seems to me it would have made more sense if House had gotten his department and position back through some other means. Which is why I hate this “House in prison, committing a violent criminal act” plot that’s happened since last season.
What happened to the brilliant, world-famous, diagnostician who even had the respect from his peers for his medical prowess? It seems like a lot of that is gone or heavily ruined by this stupid prison BS.
I thought maybe that what Foreman did would’ve also knocked him down from Dean of Medicine and would have had him having to beg for his job back with House after a new Dean came in who respects House’s medical knowledge and clout and gave House the department back.
November 1st, 2011 at 9:44 am
I liked this episode, House acting like a bastard is one of my best reasons to watch this show. Really hope to see Taub and Chase in the next episodes…and a better House/Wilson stuff, of course
November 1st, 2011 at 10:03 am
I did find this episode much more amusing than any “House” episode for a while, between House grabbing Foreman’s butt and “I have hepatitis”. “She got it from me”, not to mention finding all his stuff in casts.
I interpret Foreman’s moral turn as reaction to all that time spent with House – he doesn’t want to be a second House. Note that he refers to Park having already spent too much time with House.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:14 am
I just wanted to mention that Adams did the tilt table test, not Park.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:51 am
House and Wilson are a really good gay couple. I like this episode.Adams is beautiful. I really hope Chase and Taub
can be here in the next episode.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:29 am
The medicine was pretty bad even by fantasy House standards but I felt the soap opera was pretty good. House played everyone perfectly, getting them to do his wishes whether they knew it or not while both competing and helping Park and Adams. Park going into seek Wilson’s help was great. You could just see the “I’ve been in your shoes and worse a thousand times already” look in Wilson’s face when Park was discussing it with him. I hope theres a lot of character interaction between everyone. We should get to see Taub and Chase respond to the two ladies… which is gonna result in Chase hitting on Adams and both the men staring blankly at Park and probably finding her annoying but also possibly enjoying her sharp wit used against House.
The whole “sign here now please” seemed a little unHouse-like… or at least he would have done a rant on human behavior in previous seasons instead of begging but insider trading to make money back for the department? Very much House-like.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:38 am
I agree with Ledasmom, I laughed numerous times during this episode and if they are going to give us poor diagnostics, then atleast let me laugh.
I think Foreman’s stand as DoM is good. It being the last season it’s a different take if House has to use other means than the same “run over Cuddy and get what I want” method. Foreman knowing House dosed his last patient and all the tricks he uses will hopefully bring something to this dynamic that we never had with Cuddy. Just as long as we don’t get a 9 to 5 episdoe with Foreman.
I also like Park. I think her demeanor is fitting and she has quirks that are interesting (atleast in respect to telling a story). Without these oddities she’s boring like Adams. Adams’ character is there for pure looks, Park’s character I think brings atleast something.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:39 am
It’s long befor I will watch this episode, but if House’s a bastard, I will watch it despite the meds.
November 1st, 2011 at 12:07 pm
As soon as somebody (preferably a physician) heard the word “arthritis,” they should have clarified that it was, in fact, RA and narrowed the parameters of their investigation. Bad, BAD medicine.
November 1st, 2011 at 1:36 pm
This is season 7 quality on the whole. Hope they can get out of this mess soon
November 1st, 2011 at 2:02 pm
So calling in a drunk neurologist only results in two weeks’ docked pay, even if the patient isn’t harmed? Would Foreman have been fired in the real world?
November 1st, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Has anyone mentioned that Dr. Adams repeatedly said over the last two episodes that she doesn’t work for House, yet she has been allowed to practice medicine at PPTH?
November 1st, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Isn’t calling factor V Leiden “Factor V Leiden deficiency” wrong? Because factor V (the normal kind) is called proaccelerin and basically if a person doesn’t have factor V Leiden, he/she would be normal because factor V Leiden is the pathological variant of proaccelerin.
November 1st, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Hello Scott! Your reviews are great, I’m a medical student and I’m constantly checking them. I really miss the action in the first seasons of House when the medicine was better done and the mistakes were minor. In this season medicine is just to be there and the soap opera gets me bored. I wish I could see more interesting cases on House just like they were before. To me it seems that their goal is just to make another season, no matter how good/bad it is.
Greetings from Romania!
November 1st, 2011 at 4:06 pm
relle: If you’re looking for that level of accuracy, you won’t find it in post-Huddy House.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:31 pm
That damn liver biopsy….the bunny husband just had one and he was flat on his back for over an hour with a heavy weight on the biopsy site. Of course if the coma patient is really out, he wouldn’t move, but still, don’t they put pressure on the site to prevent bleeding, don’t they use an ultrasound to guide the needle, and for FMS sake don’t they at least put a bandaid on?
Sloppy medicine and I think their medical advisor needs to wake up.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:45 pm
About that “isn’t Foreman a neurologist?” question I kept asking myself LOL (because if not what the HELL has he been doing on the team all these years?) I chalk it up to what House said years back about the Dean of Medicine not being a real doctor LOL. I suppose when Foreman got the job he didn’t have to be a doctor anymore. Frankly I think his administrating skills already suck, he should stick to what he knows.
Park and Adams are so dry in character they’re going to wither up and blow away. God I hope so. Is this the best they can do? And please, putting the oh so young Odette Annable in tight dresses showing a little cleavage and letting her nipples show, letting her hair down and fall all over the place, and oh yeah trying to get House to do more clinic duty so he can be more human, does not make her Cuddy, hell it does NOT even make her Cuddy-LIGHT! Who hired this woman? These women?
That part at the end floored me. Part of me thinks that maybe House was trying to help Adams get over her anger so she doesn’t make he mistake of bottling it up like he has done so many years and like he did last season. Part of me wonders if this was even in the minds of the writers, or were they just portraying House as an evil son of a bitch having fun watching Adams make a violent mess out of things in that ortho lab. I really don’t know because I really don’t know what in hell direction they are trying to send Gregory House.
I was also a little annoyed (and posted so on other sites today) that in “Charity Case” House told his patient he was healthy for choosing his family over giving away the money, but in this episode he convinced the POTW to choose the money over the family.
House has always been an ass but he’s never been outright mean just because he could be. The few times he was nasty, it was due to his pain—remember when he told Cuddy she would suck as a mother? He was going through detox. So it bothers me now that he’s seemingly NOT in pain like he once was and yet he’s being really mean. I don’t get it. This isn’t the House we once knew.
If Shore tells us that House is changing I’m going to go ballistic because for 7 damn years we’ve been told people don’t change. Every damn time House tried to change for the better, TPTB reigned in the character. This unexplained nastiness makes no sense.
Also, this whole prison thing tainted House’s character. I hate the idea they turned him into a psycho last season’s finale, I hate that he was in prison, I hate that he’s on parole and wearing an ankle bracelet…I just hate it. I hate it because THEY CHANGED HIM. TPTB took a misogynistic misanthropic brilliant genius son of a bitch–a guy we really loved and turned him into a criminal with no feelings (not that we can see though the eyes told a lot in the first two episodes) and as much as I LOVE HUGH and LOVE the character HOUSE he isn’t the same anymore. Where’s that side of him that made him annoying but lovable, that made us FEEL his pain, that made us CHEER him on against Vogler, Tritter and every other adversary and challenge he faced?
Where’s the House we once couldn’t get enough of? This House needs to be redeemed, he needs to heal, he needs to face his demons, all this while being a misanthropic pain in the ass, that does not have to change that part of him. But damnit, give me back the House that makes me laugh, cry, and feel for him and all he’s been through. IMO House can’t be redeemed without Cuddy and he can’t get what he really wants out of life until he’s able to face his inner demons. So many unexplored opportunities, missed chances for powerful episodes that could have been done years ago.
I miss the old cast, I miss the old Greg House, Lisa Cuddy and James Wilson. I miss the old writers who made the stories so great. I miss my show.
November 1st, 2011 at 6:46 pm
@scott I can totally see forman thinking that as “Dean of Medicine” he is too good to be doing regular work. He’s always been more arrogent and ambitious than house.
November 1st, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Question: Why is it that “extra clinic hours” is such a powerful bargaining chip for House? I understand Cuddy wanted House to work in the Clinic because it would supposedly teach House how to have a better bedside manner, but surely Foreman would know better than that. In any event, after eight years I would imagine that ANYBODY would have been disabused of the notion that working in the clinic would improve House’s people skills.
If I were Foreman, I would want to keep House as far away from the Clinic as possible.
November 1st, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Bill: I like seeing him doing clinic hours because they never fail to crack me up. I’d love an episode of nothing BUT clinic cases.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:06 pm
@Bill: between House corrupting his employees, not filling out any paperwork, and taking shortcuts when practicing medicine, Foreman probably wants House as far away from a real case as possible.
But everyone else, you’re missing the point. This is one of the few shows on TV that still has some good themes hidden behind the plots. So, the medicine is sloppy. Ok, there are some chronological mistakes. But the bigger idea is that this show actually looks at human nature and questions all of us to a point where we begin to question ourselves.
Any way you dice it, it’s a good show.
November 1st, 2011 at 8:20 pm
The drunk neurologist didn’t do the procedure. Park did. I read the scenario as something Foreman learned from his time with House. He risked his job and reputation to save the patient. He knew Park could do it and was the patient’s only hope. A typical administrator would do the “right” thing and let the patient die.
I thought the subtext of “covering or risking one’s butt” dovetailed nicely with Park’s case. …Foreman informing the board of his actions before it leaked out, the drunk taking sensitivity training, doing the tilt table test, House buying stock futures…
November 1st, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Am I the only one to have noticed that the episode title was also a movie that made Tom Cruise famous?
Wow. .. Oddball here: I *loved* this episode!
Bulgarian woman to Bogey, in “Casablanca”: “What kind of a man is Captain Renault?”
Bogey (Rick): “He’s the same as any other man, only more so.”
The analogy: After House got neutered by Cuddy, and after they had milked her dry (no pun on her mammary capabilities), ran through the possibilities of Team #1 in three years, ran through the possibilities of Team #2 over the next three or four, the show was looking dead in Season 7.
So they canned most of the old characters, did a 180 with Foreman – subordinate to boss, but I KNEW House would still screw with F — didn’t you? — 4man isn’t about to send H back to jail, giving up a valuable asset – brought a couple of new people on board who had their own quirks, and — ta da —
‘House was the same as House used to be, only more so”.
(Finally made it back to the analogy to Casablanca). He screws with patients, his staff, other doctors, other employees (ortho lab), plays mind games so convoluted that I need to watch it again and make a flow chart. The final to Wilson: “Winning a bet with you is much more valuable than winning one with Park” — explained it all, but — whew!
*This* was the House we know and loved. Screw the medicine, they exhausted that long ago. It’s about people, and how House reads and manipulates them all, playing all against each other.
I hated the huge plot hole that Cuddy was *both* DoM (of the affiliated med school, I presume?) *and* Hospital Administrator, two separate jobs that each are at *least* full-time. My local hospital, with no Med School, has an Administrator, and I doubt that Admin works a second job at night. When someone I knew was admitted to a teaching hospital, the Dean of the med school was not the Admin of the hospital. For Cuddy to do both *and* have “patients of her own” (”All In”, S2:17: GI-bleeding kid @ Hospital charity poker game, the two-aspirin-and-call-me-in-the-morning pt. of Cuddy’s, who is saved when House sneaks off…) … and Dr. Scott has never called this huge running plot hole. No, Foreman shouldn’t take a case, because he doesn’t know if it will be over that evening, thus compromising his administrative duties. *Finally* the writers recognize that (even if only to suit the plot).
He shouldn’t let a drunken doctor on duty either, but it sets up House beautifully, which is the whole purpose of the show — after seven years, doesn’t anyone get that? ;-D
The anti-”Political Correctness” has always been welcome. Park can stay there for the next ten years IMHO, simply for explaining what I (a financial professional) have been trying to explain to people in the Real World: In poor countries, working in a factory is a much better option for a child than doing farm labor from dawn to dusk outdoors.
Child labor in fact has been the norm throughout human history; capitalism and technology have created exceptions. It isn’t ended by laws; it ends when technology and capitalism make one man’s work so productive that he can support an entire family. The UK went through a period of intense use of child labor at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and so did the US. When the assembly line enabled Henry Ford to pay workers USD $5/day — a huge increase, and far more than farm work paid — then fathers didn’t need to send children to work. And what employer would hire a 10-year-old if there’s an ample supply of healthy 20-year-olds willing and able to do the work?
When China becomes affluent enough, they won’t need child labor. Park’s one sentence: “It was the best option she had” cannot be changed by wishful thinking, and I’m surprised and pleased that the generally-Leftist writers and execs let her make this point.
Those who find Adams dry (also no pun intended) should look at the complete change of heart she had in prison, risking her career to stick to her diagnosis and test (regardless of whether medically sound), becoming, in effect, Housian. She plays mind games with Park about gifts in 8.3. Yeah, she back-tracked a bit in this episode, but since Dr. Scott congratulated the writers for having House be Holmes-ian in defining her in prison by her shoes, locket, etc. why no congrats on House coming very close to diagnosing her earrings, dress, and 15 minutes of tardiness — then letting her ventilate it all at the end, becoming indeed human — and also winning the Ortho War for House? She has promise as a character, and so does Park.
Looking forward to the Shirts-and-Skins 2-on-2 M/F of the future Team. (I hope the ladies are the Skins, LOL.)
And that is *my* Polite Dissent to those who didn’t like this episode.
November 1st, 2011 at 11:43 pm
@Elle.
I’m confused about that too. They can’t just let anyone with a medical license walk in off the street and practice medicine, there’s crazy amounts of liability and paperwork involved.
There’s no way they’d let her just hang out there and help House unless there was a major catastrophe.
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:03 am
I’m actually starting to look forward to the weekly TOMMY TURTLE RANT. You’re like a hyper-caffeinated snark-meister with vag-itch (or the male equivalent?).
I think I’m in lust.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am
what the hell
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:57 am
the medical was okay. not a doctor can’t comment much. the soap opera is A-. the whole thing on House is evil to Park just to save her job is showing he care.
And House seems like.to borrow money and steal the return back. Been few occasions he has returning Wilson money.
And ya. about the Foreman, isn’t he is a super great nuerologist? but Dr. Chase usually did the Brain surgery lol.
And Dr. Park is interesting.
November 2nd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
This show has one more season of contractual obligation to fill out, and that’s what they’re doing. Medicine? They don’t need no steenkin’ medicine. People watch to see the mind games and however they set those up is good enough for Ratings Work. Hugh Laurie is now on the production team and has sufficient clout to at least keep his own character interesting. Unlike the others he always has Mother England to go back to with her ample theatre work opportunities. So long and thanks for all the money.
November 2nd, 2011 at 2:59 pm
I would like to mock Tommy Turtle, but I’m too bored to care. House is now ordinary, and sometimes, not even that. Watch, delete, and move forward.
November 2nd, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Ennui, thy name is RAK.
November 2nd, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Medicine sucked in this episode esp when Adams n Park tell house that they have Hepatitis C n he leaves the burger I mean come on any school kid would know that Hepatitis A spreads by oro fecal route. Hep C is parentral i.e. through blood only.
Luved the soap esp the last scene.
November 2nd, 2011 at 3:47 pm
really?would house hit the orthopedician for doing his job?a possible response to this question is that i am talking about a guy who drove his car into his bosse’s house.but,didn’t he know that this should propably send him back to jail?poor way to solve a medical mystery..and even poorer episode..apart of the second episode with the lung transplant this season really sucks until now.they have to come up with better ideas and more intriguing plots for the last season of a series which in its early begginings made america proud and made an exception of all the other rubbish series.is it that difficult for writers to air an episode like one of 1-3 season?
November 2nd, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Tommy Turtle is so RIGHT!!!
November 2nd, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Why is Hugh L. most often the first to respond? Having to trawl through his banalities and overuse of the caps lock is exceptionally tedious. Also feels like I’m reading a 12 year old’s thoughts.
Not posted before, but Scott, when will you accept that House moved away from being medicine first soap second a long time ago. One could argue that your site should possibly have become obsolete, because it’s seems futile to keep justifying the poor medicine over and over (and obviously tiring).
The worst thing however, is your inability to pick out the good soap parts. This episode was incredibly well written and funny, soap wise. Starting with a bang; the “you’re fired” immediately after the bet with Park. The delivery of Laurie is as good as it gets. The blackmail in Chinese, views on patriotism, techniques to win the bet: that Foreman ass grab, the recording of Park in the clinic, the tilt table/bust in on the hearing) and explanation of betting with House from Wilson. Superb writing and delivery. Also the analysis of Adams’s persona, the awkward meeting in Andrews’ office:
House (addressing Andrews): “cute butt huh?”
Adams: “can we go now”
House: “what you really want to turn your back on this guy?”
Great ending as well, with House still perceiving conclusions to Adams’ mood. You always complain not enough Wilson, but he was dispersed perfectly in this episode.
Grading the soap a C for this episode really tells me you ought to give up on the show. I think you’ve become morbid over the constant poor medicine, which is affecting your overall enjoyment.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:05 pm
@ Epic Bitchery:
Yes, the first name “Tommy” is indeed indicative of the Y chromosome. No jock-itch ATM, but thank you for asking. :) Non-GMO-cornstarch is a good preventive (I hate that they said “preventative” in this episode — no such word, except by acceptance of millions of misuses.)
No caffeine (or anything else) needed. I’ve written professionally, both non-fiction and comedy (and acted, still getting residuals, but enough about me ;). 534 song parodies posted on the Web. Since our gracious host kindly allows us to link our signatures to our web sites, the above post to which you responded was linked to a medically-related parody, and this one, to another. (My first post at this site, which I discovered only this year, was linked to a parody of the late Michael Jackson’s “Ben”, called “House”, and it was about — d’oh. xD) If you go to any of them and click the author name-link at the top of the parody, you get to the entire catalog of 433 songs. (101 more co-written with a partner; will work that link in somewhere.)
Need to say something else about this episode so that the post isn’t all O/T. (and say something that was omitted because the first rant met Dorothy Parker’s zinger, “You have delighted us long enough.” ;-D) …. Posters are yelling at Foreman for calling in a Dr. who’d had “a few glasses of wine”. In the episode cited in the first rant, “All In” (2:17), Cuddy has been drinking heavily all night (according to House; she’s certainly been drinking somewhat), yet eventually goes up to attend to ‘her” pt. (House tells the pt. that Cuddy has been knocking back Mai Tais.) In “House Divided” (5:22), Cuddy calls them all in from Chase’s bachelor party, and while she tries to sober them up (IV fluids?) and gives them breath mints, they all clearly had had far more than this neuro’s “few glasses of wine”. They were stinking drunk.
Medically- or procedurally-correct for 4Man to call him in? In the Real World, no. In Houseland, been done before, several times, and Dr. Scott didn’t think that it was noteworthy. Another: Stoned neuro in “Now What”, 7:1, where Dr. S. said “…the episode proved what I have always suspected: stoned neurosurgeons are comedy gold.”
In closing, +10 for paraphrasing Hamlet (Act I, Scene 2) in the course of zinging RAK. xoxoxo
I’m a big fan of the Dane of Pain, having parodied his famous soliloquy half a dozen times or more. You can search the catalog by original song (poem) being parodied; in this case, look for “Shakespeare”.
If someone’s noticed Your Humble, Over-Caffeinated Servant writing about economics (MBA), medicine, law (nailed the goof on House going to a hard-core prison, later confirmed by the poster whose cousin worked in a county prison in NJ, and that a 1-yr 1st-timer like House would go straight to minimum-security, not the psychos and gangbangers), classical literature (not just W. S.; also parodied Homer, Dante… ), etc. — you’ll understand why I empathize with House’s polymathy.
If you have a vag, itchy or not, yes, I return the lust. (and parodied Lennon’s “Imagine” as “In Vagin’ “). Single, smart, funny, but looks are closer to Taub’s than to House’s. But as we all know, women aren’t so shallow as men, and hence, not so focused on looks — yeah, *right*. (sigh). … well, thanks for the post, and I’ll try not to disappoint next week, and to get the rant in on Monday night.
And what RicamanDan said, especially “Would you turn your butt…” ROFLMAO at that scene.
November 2nd, 2011 at 11:15 pm
@Riceman Dan: Far be it for me to pick a fight, as I am the Soul of Tolerance; however, you DID notice (sorry about the indiscriminate use of ALL CAPS) that this site is known as “Polite Dissent: Medical Reviews of House, M.D.,” did you not?
It is never a good idea to piss off your host in his own house (no pun intended), you pedantic philistine.
November 3rd, 2011 at 3:19 am
Well that was a wiff of…smelly old air. We do have old House back the one from seasons 1-3. He did screw with his employees for the sheer fun of it (but to help them as well!). After all it was his “Housesque” medlling that SAVED Park’s job (if she just turned to the board with that prewritten speach and stupid arrogant behavior there would have been great chance of “fired!” insetad of “Please, please don’t fire me! OK little girl :)” Hillarious! Wilson was into the “prank”: double hillarious! It was so convoluted and twisted that we all almost missed it: Classic, classic House! And what about Adams? YOU are angry! Let it out! No, no, no do not go to a shrink! I mean litterally let it out! While I watch! Fuuunnnny! I practically bursted couple of times durring the episode and Hugh Laurie was ON FIRE! I am sorry but I completely dissagree with our host here: the opera was a solid A-! Why the minus? BECAUSE WE FRIKKING NEED MORE WILSON! Gosh to think that he managed to blackmail Fox for his salary and they are not milking him enough? Idiots! At least we will have Chase back (YEY!) and Taub as well (yey!) That out to be fun to watch. I think that the medical mistery was extremely intriguing (and I’m pretty sure micropsia is a symptom they have never shown not only on House but on any medical show I have watched – ever!) and the solution was… well I’ll have to agree with Scot that it was downright dissapointing. They mentioned Hyperviscosity syndrom at the very beginning – and they never explained why it was discarded. I give C for the sollution because it could explain most of the symptoms but not all of them and NO it cannot explain the progression of the symptoms OR why they kept comming or going.
Here is a direct quote from wikipedia which might explain why the writers desided to use that desease or those symptoms:
Hyperviscosity syndrome is a group of symptoms triggered by increase in the viscosity of the blood. Symptoms of high blood viscosity include spontaneous bleeding from mucous membranes, visual disturbances due to retinopathy, and neurologic symptoms ranging from headache and vertigo to seizures and coma.
See? Pretty much all the symptoms are there. The tachycardia or the Heart attack-like condition might be there too (well both could be caused by thick blood. Still what the hell was wtrong with his heart? micro-infarction? transient ischemic attack with no real muscle tissue death? Why did it go away?). And again diirrect quote from wikipedia about the treatment:
Plasmapheresis may be used to decrease viscosity in the case of myeloma, whereas leukapheresis or phlebotomy may be employed in a leukemic or polycythemic crisis, respectively. Blood transfusions should be used with caution as they can increase serum viscosity. Hydration is a temporizing measure to employ while preparing pheresis. Even after treatment, the condition will recur unless the underlying disorder is treated.
Now do not get me wrong I am not praising the writers. The medicine was terrible (I rate it D- or may be even F). STOP RADIATING PEOPLE! that alone is enought to downgrade the medicine to F. Also what kind of tachicardia was there and how did you treat it? Never mentioned. What was that mistery medcine that House prescribed about the Alice in wonderland syndrom? What happened with the Protein C tretment? I was expecting the patient to start bleeding from every orrifice after that but they never mentioned it again. WHAt did they do about the lung bleed? How come the patient was presenting new symptoms left and right but always seemd pretty much healthy when he was talking? And oh yeah the comma – let us assume that the hyperviscosity syndrome was causing it – why did it misraculously resolve after the plasmapheresis? I think the patient would be at least dizzy and disoriented after beein shipped to Neverland for 2 days. And oh Yeah the Liver explanation that was trown way back in the episode “Locked in” – you cannot have hepatic encephalopathy without any God Damn Symptoms! Do I need to list them again? Google them if you want!
So A- for the mistery, C for the solution (make that C- because a good history would have revealed the RA and would have made the whole finding Nemo thing unnessesary) D- for the medicine and a good A- for the soap! And I am itching for the next episode so well done! The whole going back to basis thing I thing will have to major consequences for House as a whole: The old fans of the show will be able to enjoy it again and will love it again. However any new viewers will have hard time understanding it…. I do not think the rating will rise even slightly anymore. But it will be a good show to watch to the ned! (Fingers crossed!)
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:27 am
Last episode was exhausting to follow. House’s relationship with his team is ambivalent. Dr. Park with an expression of Bambi, “please do not fire me” perhaps saved the day at the end.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:14 am
@ RicemanDan:
Hey, no need to hate, if you dont like what I and the others have to say then dont let the door hit ya on the way out my friend…..
House would think of you as and call you an idiot but I for some reason just cant set my sights even that high when refering to you…
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:08 am
well, everyone has their own opinion. I like this episodes. but not so my much on the POW . thanks Scott for this sub site
November 3rd, 2011 at 12:41 pm
@ RicemanDan: I have to say I partially agree with you pal: Our host does not seem to enjoy the show that much anymore. Neither do I btw but I am still trying to give my two pennies on both the medicine and the Soap. And as U can see I gave the soap A-, so I also agree that the episode ws hillarious and performed in the best House traditions. That being said I also have to say that your remarcs are byond rude. Insulting to both this Blog and a person that U do not know (I tend not to cathegoriz people who I meet online for one main reason: One cannot trully know someone from the web. That is the beauty of it.) Insulting is henceforth tastless to say the least.
November 3rd, 2011 at 1:07 pm
As far as i know hepatitis c does not infect through foodstuff. But using the same cocain tube, can be a cause. Big difference there.
November 3rd, 2011 at 5:01 pm
@Jessica – Thank you for saving me from having to type that rant. I feel exactly the same. I actually waited until Wednesday to watch it this week – I think that’s a first. I miss my show and the worst part is that last season left such a bad taste in my mouth that I can’t even go back and watch old episodes and enjoy them any more. (sigh)
November 3rd, 2011 at 5:02 pm
I do hope this is the last season – I still get enjoyment from the episodes, but I see that generally arcing downward, and I don’t want to be strung along now that the thrill is gone.
In this week’s ending, I was a bit amazed that Adams, knowing what she does about House, would be so foolish as to accept his word that “everything’s been paid for”. Being the $@#hole he’s turned into, if he had decided not to hire her then letting her destroy herself by destroying the ortho lab is just what I’d expect from him. it would even have been amusing, if I still had any sympathy for House’s character.
He’s always been a bastard, but a bastard with a mission that went beyond himself. Now, the patients are just more pawns.
November 3rd, 2011 at 5:24 pm
@ Tommy Turtle fan:
TUVM. Sorry, your post must also have been awaiting moderation when I submitted my second one.
@ Epic Bitchery:
+5 more for alliterative, acerbic aspersions @ RicemanDan.
Oh, and add computer and Internet security to the resumé. ;)
Agree that the site is *medical reviews*, although admittedly, Dr. S. does grade non-medical aspects as well. I still like to know the medical errors. It’s interesting, and often confirms my (layman’s) knowledge and reactions.
It seems the errors weren’t so egregious in S 1 and 2, then started to worsen as the show was peaking in S3 and 4, probably because they were focusing more on character interaction than on strict medical mystery, and also because — really — just how many rare and mysterious diseases are there, which can be diagnosed only by one genius on the entire planet? (Or even in New Jersey. ;)
Dr. S. didn’t start itemizing errors until some time in S4. Before that, they were just prose at the end of the medical narrative. The color-coded list (love that!) started in S5.
I finally realized that the writers had set themselves a nigh-impossible bar, met it fairly well for a while, then made the show about the characters, while trying to keep up the mystery. The fact that they brought new writers on board in S6 and S7 tells me that the dozen or so hard-core, long-term writers were running out of ideas.
@ Dr. Scott:
Care to try writing an episode yourself? — seriously. You have creds as an M. D., so even a story line or synopsis would probably get a look. No need to do the entire teleplay — many episodes have “story” credit for one (or more) writer, and “teleplay” (script) credit for a different writer(s). If you don’t want to do all the dialogue, they’ll flesh it out (unintentional pun, but I’ll go with it.)
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
It is fun to do medical reviews of the medical reviews.
:-)
@ bulgaria
It was explicitly mentioned that the hyperviscosity was not due to increased proteins or increased cell count. That is reason enough to discard the hyperviscosity hypothesis in most cases. (Normal lipids should have been mentioned for completeness.) The hyperviscosity was caused by abnormal protein *shapes*, i.e. antibodies sticking to each other as immune complexes.
@scott
I looked it up. Cases of hyperviscosity due to immune-complex formation are very rare in the presence of normal protein levels. Thus, making the diagnosis of hyperviscosity is far from “blindingly obvious,” even knowing that rheumatoid arthritis was present.
Re: arthritis—-
It looks we all assumed that the arthritis was osteoarthritis. I was surprised at the end, and maybe felt cheated, but ultimately had to laugh. “Everybody lies.” The writers didn’t lie to us — we lied to ourselves! Brilliant!
Re: hepatitis C—
Yup, hepatitis A is classically transmitted by food, whereas C is not. Even so, I would not share a toothbrush with someone who has hepC, and I would not share their hamburger either. Would you bet your liver on narrow definitions of “classic”? Love your liver, and it will love you. :-)
@bulgaria
Radiating people — yeah, uncool.
@scott
The echo looked for abnormally moving wall segments, but the cardiac cath would have looked at the coronary arteries. I don’t think that’s a problem even at a high heart rate. We’ve sent less-than-rate-controlled afib patients for urgent cath, and there was a never a statement like “be sure the heart rate is less than X before cath.” They probably would not have done a left ventricle shot, though.
@–many–
I would never let a Dean do a procedure on me, because very few see patients routinely and are therefore certainly rusty on their manual skills. I think they said in an earlier episode that Foreman has been Dean for a year. The hands forget a lot in that time.
@bulgaria
Quoting wikipedia is lazy.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:52 pm
RicemanDan: I think the reason Scott (and those of us who are in the medical profession here) started watching the show in the first place was that I had an interesting premise, and decent medicine. The premise is worn out, and the medicine is Grey’s Anatomy level now. I’ve not even watched this episode yet and don’t intend to. In fact, I’ve been screening episodes here for awhile now.
By the way, my bad episode antidote for this week was “Euphoria” (both parts, this episode was that bad)
November 4th, 2011 at 12:12 am
I seem to have misspelled my own name in post dated November 3rd, 2011 at 5:24 pm.
http://www.politedissent.com/archives/8146#comment-1124421
Too much caffeine, or not enough? lol. … and try typing with flippers instead of hands. ;)
If that can be fixed (you have the e-mail address as proof that it’s I), please do. If not, not.
@ MODERATOR: TECHNICAL SUGGESTION:
(sorry for shouting; needed to get Mod attention)
At another forum I sometimes browse that allows posting without formal registration, but with (non-published) e-mail, after X number of non-spam, legit posts, there’s a “trust level”, and such posters can then have their posts appear immediately, without awaiting moderation. Of course, if such a user does then post spam, obscenity, etc., they can be warned, have their trust revoked (back to moderation), or banned if necessary.
Just a thought that would make real-time interactions with the other more-or-less regular posters more timely and on-topic. Thanks for considering.
November 4th, 2011 at 1:28 am
Re:Foreman being the neurologist
In foreman’s defense, not all neurologist are interventional neuroradiology trained…although every member of the team has done every single catheter or none catheter interventional procedure under the sun, including himself…so I guess I don’t see why not.
November 4th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Excuse the pun. What? You haven’t said anything yet. I Touched a few nerves (excuse the pun). So many excuse the puns, why hasn’t anyone acronym’d it?
I’m glad to have given TT’s initial post a read, after initially skipping it:
“He shouldn’t let a drunken doctor on duty either, but it sets up House beautifully, which is the whole purpose of the show — after seven years, doesn’t anyone get that?” ;-D (Tommy Turtle quote)
Perfect! Everyone should read this before unleashing pointless nit-picking. Also Interesting that TT’s most significant point holds the fewest words (just a thought). But by far the most enjoyable contributions on here (though makes me depressed over my far inferior vocab and expressionistic style).
House putting on the safety specs at the end to spectate (ETP). A firm “in your face (or eye [ETP]) to the worst of all nit-pickings: “why aren’t they wearing safety glasses in surgery”, blah blah blah!!!
I find the writers constantly evoke meaningful issues/ideas, such as in this episode: the child-labour and why we are patriotic bits. Another reason to watch House. The medicine, for me, even as a biology graduate, can do what it likes. I was medically interested in early seasons and this site was then invaluable, but now, I’m just not bothered and prefer to relax to House and WIlson perform like comic pros.
I also didn’t want to insult Scott. I’m sure it rolls right off with all the praise he gets; just had to shout about the soap being a C. As Dr Bulgaria’s post effectively highlights – the complex inter-winding plots and delivery, esp with House’s amazing burst into Park’s hearing being ironic, interpolated neatly by Wilson.
For those who want this to be the last season, I just don’t understand. How are you justifying this? It’s just a band-wagon and brain-washing scenario. I enjoyed this episode as much as any before it, so why would I want it to stop? Shows commissioned on ratings like House have no credibility in terms of writing as a series, i.e,. overall plots/story. We’re not watching The Wire here, (ahhhh The Wire).
November 4th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
@Riceman Dan: For my edification, please give me three other examples where “House, M.D.” evoked a debate of “meaningful issues/ideas.” I ask this with all sincerity, because I have (for the past three years, that is) considered the collective thinking of the writing staff of this show to be more along the lines of “shock and awe,” rather than a philosophy of spirited debate of anything “meaningful.” And please don’t cite the obvious “Dibala” episode(s); that’s too on point.
November 4th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Epic Bitchery. I just laughed out loud at the name. Didn’t make the connection with this site before (but then, you did point out my ignorance).
Hard to pin point 3 examples without a comprehensive list of episodes, or good memory (makes me wonder why I bother watching anything at all if I can’t remember it!). House is particularly hard to remember, because of its repetitive technique. From the patients never ending changing symptoms always solved with 5mins left, to the complicated humour-based story-lines producing the best of House.
How about: “Rules are just helpful guidelines for stupid people who can’t make up their own minds”.
What a great/thoughtful quote and it’s a bit of a premise for the show/how House thinks. A reason why I like is so much. I cannot stand pen-pushing rule followers in western society/systems. I asked a cashier for recommended wines local to place I cycled through in New Zealand. I picked a pricy-ish one, lined up and she then asked me for ID. Denying my EU/UK driving licence due to store policy, I said: “my passport is at the bottom of my bag attached to my bicycle. Would you really like me to get it”? She said yes, so I sighed, put the wine back and told her she’ll be embarrassed when she goes home tonight and thinks of this. I’m 29yrs old. Just an example off the top of my head, but speaks volumes to me. Imagine what House would have done!
The episode with the pro cyclist was interesting as I regular watch the tour de france and cycle, though not competitively as I don’t take steroids or excess blood (the writers understood that most people realise they take drugs, but it’s the extent/levels which are important). More a personal one I expect you couldn’t relate with….moving on!
The pornstar couple? Lots of meaningful visions in that one. I wonder why that one springs to mind. BRB.
November 4th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Reading this blog is like recovering a suppressed memory under hypnosis. More and more posts from the past reveal themselves each time through.
November 4th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
@ RicemanDan:
“Also Interesting that TT’s most significant point holds the fewest words.”
It’s a lifelong character flaw. ;) … but it *is* hard to defend child labor in one sentence, lol.
“But by far the most enjoyable contributions on here”
Aw, shucks …. (green turtle blushes to red — rarely seen!)
“(though makes me depressed over my far inferior vocab and expressionistic style).”
As said, have done professional writing, editing, proofreading, and copy-editing; tutored kids grades 4-12 in SAT and ACT prep, math, general studies, including English. Got a head start by learning to read at age three, and haven’t shut up since. [/self-mockery]. It hasn’t always been easy — click my sig in this post.
@ Epic Bitchery:
Genuine issues? The biggest and most fundamental of the series (1:21, “Three Stories”): Stacy violating what she knew to be House’s wishes regarding his treatment, the debate among the med students (the Asian girl got it right, and I expected her to show up on House’s staff after graduation), Cuddy bullying Stacy into violating what C. too knew to be House’s wishes — of course, if they don’t, he either gets better or dies, and there’s no series. But what a great bunch of ethical issues!
1:9 “DNR” … Violating DNR orders?
2:14 “Sex Kills” – Dr. Scott quote: “Anyway, it was an interesting episode that dealt more with ethics than medicine.”
3:3 “Informed Consent”, the validity and necessity of which is questioned by the PotW, finally changing goody-goody Cameron’s attitude.
4:2 “The Right Stuff” – keeping medical treatment hidden, falsifying records, esp. for an astronautical candidate.
4:14: “Living The Dream” — Kidnapping someone who doesn’t want you to treat him? Drugging him so he can’t leave and will believe that he’s sick and let you treat him? Two felonies already …
The whole S5 thing with 4Man finding out 13 is on placebo. This whole thing was ludicrous, kind of like Cuddy and House treating Cuddy’s mother, but F-man had a definite dilemma (of his own making, to be sure).
5:16 “The Softer Side” — should the parents have told their child about his genetic mosaicism?
5:17: “The Social Contract” — what if we all told the truth to each other? (This web site notwithstanding, LOL)
5:20 “Simple Explanation” — see the House-Cameron discussion of the pt. likely to die in the OR, and the ethical dilemmas caused by Pt.1 and Pt.2
6:8 “Ignorance is Bliss” — “He decides to go back on the dextromethorphan though because he’d rather be dumb and happy than intelligent and alone.” (I know a little of how he feels. xD) Is ignorance really bliss? Not as simple as it seems.
Enough?
@ RicemanDan: Other than the one paragraph to EB, I tried to use shorter sentences and paragraphs. Any better? ;)
November 5th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@CalendarDog: Agreed. They did have reasons enough to scratch the hyperviscosity syndrome at the beginning. However that also downgrades the soap a bit because it’s kind of out of character: (House NEVER discards a cool idea just because it’s not “normally” presented with……. write whatever you want here.) So the conversation must have been: “Hyperviscosity syndrome!” “No proteins and RBC are normal…” “That’s not enough to rule it out! The patient has arthritis may be it’s antibody provoked…” . Of course that would require either Foreman of old (season 1-3 before he became such a high strung pompous wuss) or Chase or Kutner to be present so that he may disagree with House just to spite him :)
November 5th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
@CalendarDog: I quote Wikipedia cause I am pretty sure that quoting Quintessence is kind of expensive :) And I am but a poor Bulgarian Dentist. That would change soon though (hopefully). Also the explanations there are more readable by ordinary people. What I found funny about this quote however is that it practically highlight the “spine” of the medical mistery in this episode. Kind of like the writers took the idea right from there (and may be they do who knows? For all we know they might be snatching ideas from thsi blog as well :) They would if they are smart :):):)
November 6th, 2011 at 2:13 am
Neither a medical nor a soap comment, but did anyone else notice the music used for the open and close? Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken”. This was the singer who (in)famously had a high-profile conversion to Islam (quite literally – he took the name “Yusuf Islam”). And the airing of the episode comes shortly before the highly significant Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha. Coincidence? I think not. The House writers and producers clearly have a subtle and wicked sense of humour (as if we needed further proof of that). :)
November 6th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
@Tommy Turtle, my posts appear immediately. Maybe Dr. Scott has seen that I play well with others. :)
November 7th, 2011 at 2:18 am
@TT: No, not only not enough, but not on point. Pretty much all of your examples have to do with medical ethics, and this show only pulls them out when they require a plot device. And please do not cite “Three Stories.” There is so much wrong with that particular episode from a medicolegal standpoint (not to mention a purely MEDICAL perspective: Dr. Cuddy really IS the worst doctor in television history), it doesn’t even come close to standing up to debate.
My point is that, although pretty much any and all TV medical dramas are going to touch on many of these issues, House and Co. operate so far outside the law that any ethical dilemma is usually a result of their own folly, as opposed to an honest presentation via the POTW: prevarication, out-and-out dishonesty, theft, drug diversion, false imprisonment, assault AND battery, etc… Need I go on? (Not to mention just plain writer’s stupidity: “Robo-tripping?” Oh, puh-leeeze! )
In truth, this particular episode was probably the first I have seen in quite some time that actually presented a more balanced perspective of an “issue,” any issue, in light of the arguments presented by Drs. Adams and Park, and this particular concern was not one of House’s own making.
I suppose I should have been more specific in my request. I’ve spent the past 35 years as a health care provider and the “medical issues” to which you refer are not so problematic as this television show would have you believe; in fact, the “rules” are very cut-and-dried. (At this time, please reread Riceman Dan’s appropriated, yet appropriate, quote regarding “Rules.” However, the problem with House is that he changes the rules to suit his game.)
Sorry to disagree with you, Old Son, but I don’t watch House because I’ve a yearning for intellectual depth every Monday night at 8. I watch because, as divined by the underappreciated, yet awe-inspiring, truth-seeking twosome known as Levi-Strauss, Hugh Laurie’s ass really POPS in his 501’s.
November 7th, 2011 at 3:14 am
@Epic Bitchery: Seriously? 3 Examples? Hmmmm I’ll give you 3 episode titles that by themselfs give enough food for thought…. House is now 90% about characters and dilemas and pretty much HEAVY ethical and philosfic stuff. How can you miss it? It’s fun to watch and sometimes silly but also TRUTH. That is what is keeping the ratings up (well that and Mr Laurie of course). Here goes:
Dying Changes Everything
The Greater Good
The Social Contract
Don’t ever Change
Instant Karma
oh Yeah :) Simple Explanation? How about this for debate of “meaningful issues/ideas.”?!? :)
November 7th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
@ Elle:
“@Tommy Turtle, my posts appear immediately. Maybe Dr. Scott has seen that I play well with others. :)”
Guilty as charged. Another lifelong character flaw. Which is why I empathize with Dr. H. And give an advance mass apology for the many toes stepped on, past, present, and future.
TMI: I found out about the show only because a friend recommended it, saying I’ d like the main character, and if I were an MD (Heaven help you all!), I’d be like him.
@ Dr. B and EB: Cool! Like watching Cameron and 13 have a pillow fight! ;-D
@ Episode 5 of this season, whose board isn’t up yet:
No comment. Sorry to disappoint.
IOW, it wasn’t worthy of comment.
(Hmm… technically, that’s a comment.) OK – Repetitive, predictable, and the Old Guard–Avant Garde interplay was underwhelming. I had a dozen cool ideas of what they might do with it. They didn’t do much.
As for this writer’s previous comment that Adams’ character has promise: :Yes, and they threw it away. It looks like she’s going to be M^6. (that’s M3^2, read either as Masters the Movie, or Masters (twice as) Square(d)
@ Mod: Can you take the part from “Episode 5″ to the end and post it under the same creds when the board is ready for 8.5? … didn’t think so. Well, like Ahnold, guess I’ll be baack.
Cheers all.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:09 am
Just a note as to the comment made in passing by Director David (Thad Burton (Michael Nouri)), as noted in Wiki[edia, Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd. was a Japanese construction company and was the world's oldest continuously ongoing independent company, operating for over 1,400 years until it was absorbed as a subsidiary of another larger construction company. Headquartered in Osaka, the once family-owned construction company traced its origins to 578 when one of the engineers whom Prince Shōtoku brought from Baekje to Japan to build the Buddhist temple Shitennō-ji decided to start his own business. Over the centuries, Kongō Gumi participated in the construction of many famous buildings, including the 16th century Osaka Castle.
A 10-foot 17th-century scroll traces the 40 generations back to the company's start. As with many distinguished Japanese families, sons-in-law often joined the clan and took the Kongō family name. Thus, through the years, the line has continued through either a son or a daughter.
The company fell on hard times and went into liquidation in January 2006. Its assets were purchased by Takamatsu Corporation.[1][2] Before its liquidation, it had over 100 employees and annual revenue of ¥7.5 billion ($70 million) in 2005; it still specialized in building Buddhist temples. The last president was Masakazu Kongō, the 40th Kongō to lead the firm. As of December 2006, Kongō Gumi continues to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Takamatsu.
November 11th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
@ Elle:
“@Tommy Turtle, my posts appear immediately. Maybe Dr. Scott has seen that I play well with others. :)”
Judging by a post I just made at Episode 8:5, I’ve been promoted. ;-D
@ QT[(-i)(log(-1))] :
“Neither a medical nor a soap comment, but did anyone else notice the music used for the open and close? Cat Stevens’ “Morning Has Broken”?”
Yes, definitely, and I pointed out a slightly different connection to the friend with whom I was watching the episode:
The song is intended as a beautiful ballad to the new day. Yet the PotW comes out of his house on the “morning” after Halloween, and finds not only the usual papering of his house, but protest signs and himself hanged in effigy (a small town about an hour from Plainsboro, LOL ;). His morning is definitely “broken”.
At the end, we learn that Adams has just signed the divorce papers, *and* been officially hired by House. (He takes the lab coat off of the skeleton and graciously puts it on her. I assume this is a common ritual in the Real World when a new Dr. is hired? If not, it was a cool moment anyway.) So she is indeed starting “a new day”, or as the cliché says, “the first day of the rest of her (new) life”.
Followed by: House inviting her to ventilate her anger at the cheating ex by handing her a baseball bat, saying that “Go ahead, it’s all bought and paid for”, and her smashing the contents of the *former* ortho lab that had been House’s convference/DDx room, (which he paid for with his stock trading on funds borrowed from her and others). So “broken” takes on a less metaphorical aspect here, as in the beginning of the show: She’s broken the ties to her past, but also literally broken everything in the lab.
I’m glad you mentioned that, and that I could offer that explanation. Didn’t know of the holiday — and definitely agree that
“The House writers and producers clearly have a subtle and wicked sense of humour (as if we needed further proof of that).”
…. but it fit the action in the episode very well, with the irony typical of the show.
I hope Stevens’/Islam’s conversion was to the peaceful side, and not to the side with Pres. M.A. building nukes. Some commentary on that in my sig. (non-commercial link).
November 12th, 2011 at 9:01 am
We will know for sure that this is the final season if, in the season finale, PPTH implements a patient intake form that includes a medical history, with questions such as “Do you have rheumatoid arthritis?” After which, PPTH will not need 5 doctors repeatedly misdiagnosing one case per week.
November 13th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Just thought I would mention, in the very beginning of the episode, his daughter mentions his RA, and he replies, “I can clean up my own lawn.”
November 13th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Re-read your article. Sorry about that!
January 24th, 2012 at 8:29 am
I haven’t even read the review, but I’m at Park’s hearing, and two things:
- I really, really hate Park’s voice, which in turn makes me loathe her. It’s so high and moany the speakers actually crackle sometimes. She actually whines beyond the range of the microphones.
- House acts like a real arsehole here. This is the first time I feel nothing like contempt for him. He should be promptly thrown back in jail.
January 24th, 2012 at 8:48 am
Oh, but I really liked the “giant balls of medicine” line, along with Hugh’s acting.
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