1x01: Pilot

Just started watching this show after denying its existence for awhile--I was addicted to too many shows already; I didn't need another one. Then I saw half an episode from the fourth season and got myself totally hooked. So now I'm starting from the beginning and writing reviews as I go...

I love Hugh Laurie! Funny, funny, funny guy, and an amazing actor. I think the first thing I saw him in was Sense and Sensibility. He was also wonderful in the Blackadder series with Rowan Atkinson.

I also love Robert Sean Leonard. Even though he was one of the poorer actors in Much Ado About Nothing. He looks all grown up now! And it looks like he's had acting lessons! ;-)

Nice line: "When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras." I can't tell you how many times I've heard my instructors say that!

Good first episode. I liked the limp, and the explanation for it. I liked the characters and the casting. I liked the music and the look of the show. A little thin, but I know they find these characters eventually, and I'm betting it's sooner rather than later. Also, it's just the pilot. Of course it feels thin. A third of it had to be straight, unadulterated exposition!

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1x02: Paternity


This episode was a Funny-Line-O-Rama. Hysterical! While the actual medical issue wasn't too interesting or entertaining, at least the characters and dialogue were great.

Funny line: "Perseverance does not equal worthiness. Next time you want to get my attention, wear something fun. Low-rider jeans are hot."

Another funny line: "What are you doing back here? Patient?" "No, hooker. Went to my office instead of my home." And the follow-up jab at Dr. Cuddy: "How's your hooker doing?" "How sweet of you to ask. Funny story--she was going to be a hospital administrator, but she hated having to screw people like that."

While Hugh Laurie has a fantastic American accent the majority of the time, he lost it in a couple words here and there during this episode. Between those and the extremely British hat he was wearing at the lacrosse game in the final moments, he looked very English in this episode.

Speaking of House watching the lacrosse game, this doesn't seem like him. I think at this early stage they were still trying to make him somewhat lovable and redeemable, but hadn't figured out a good way to do it yet.

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1x03 Occam's Razor

Love the line: "We've been here long enough to have Stockholm syndrome." (If you don't know what it is, read about it, it's interesting and makes the line extremely funny.)

I want to know the back story on Chase.

I love that House is now paging Dr. Cuddy for every boring patient. Lovely and passive aggressive.

Funny line: "You want to bet on the health of a patient?" "Why not? You think it's bad luck?"

Lisa Edelstein's head looks too big for her body. Hasn't she played a transvestite before? Why do I remember her as a transexual or something?

I'd like to take a moment and express my deep love and admiration for Bryan Singer. Why I love him: House MD, Superman Returns, X-Men, X2, Apt Pupil and The Usual Suspects. Awesome director.

Funny exchange: "Beauty often seduces us on the road to truth." "And triteness often kicks us in the ***."

When they go in for the exploratory emergency surgery, Cameron's hair is in a ponytail, hanging down her back from underneath a short hair cap. In the real world, her hair would be up under a bigger cap.

Whoa! I never knew colchicine had so many massive side effects in high doses. I knew it caused nausea and vomiting in high doses, but not the rest of those crazy things. I have a lot of patients who have taken it. Good thing they all take it for good reason, and follow the dosage instructions!

I love that "One (Is The Loneliest Number)" is the song playing as House finds the correct pill and proves himself right. Good song, and perfect usage of it!

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1x04: Maternity

Cute, considering two episodes ago we had "Paternity".

Funny line: "If you want, I can get you a key to the oncology lounge. We're getting TiVo."

Dr. Cuddy's hair is awful, as is her green suit. I actually never like her clothing. Do they dress this character inappropriately on purpose?

For all you budding infectious disease doctors out there, remember what House said: Vanco covers MRSA and Aztreonam covers VRE, pseudomonas, and H. influenza. But both can cause kidney failure. Class dismissed for the day.

The moment after the first baby's death when Cameron tries to get out telling the parents was very well done. Hugh's look and delivery of his line were pitch-perfect: "Make sure she does her job." Just quiet and cold.

I like that Dr. Cuddy was in on the brainstorming and helped out with suggestions. Makes me like her more.

Poor Cameron. The hints at her back story were good, well done, but I'm hoping they flesh this out more and this is just an initial peek at her past. If they never mention this again, I'm going to be sorely disappointed.

I like that House asked about Cameron in the elevator. This is the kind of humanizing touch that works well for his character, not going and watching patients' lacrosse games.

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1x05: Damned If You Do

Contact Derm Nun is Juliet from Lost! Elizabeth Mitchell. Very nice to see you, Elizabeth! And nice job. I just can't get on board with that awful wig.

I love that House freaked Cameron out with his "Candy canes? Are you mocking me?"

House at Christmas. I didn't even have to watch the episode to know there would be lots of funnies...

House prescribed cigarettes to Santa?

In unrelated news, Dr. Lisa Cuddy still has no neck.

The tea was slightly obvious... When the sister told House she didn't need water because she had tea and the the follow-up offer of said tea by Chase and it was obviously important.

Now I really want to know what the test was that Chase failed to make him leave seminary school.

Man, this episode is predictable. The minute she said she was on every birth control known to man, I figured she had a left-over IUD.

Funny line: "I'm a doctor. My wife's used to being alone." pause "I don't want to talk about it." "Neither do I."

It was so sweet to see House smile while eating Chinese with Wilson. And I love that he plays the piano.

Out of everyone on this show, Foreman is definitely the one I believe would dress up as Santa for the kids in the hospital wards.

What did Cameron get House for Christmas?

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1x06: The Socratic Method

As implausible as the 15 year old son taking that many detailed notes about his schizophrenic mom was, I liked him a lot. It was an interesting pair of patients this week. I also like that House was immediately taken with him. And that actor was amazing, really impressive for a kid so young.

Funny line: "And if it weren't for Newton we'd be bouncing off the ceiling." "Dodging chainsaws no doubt."

So when is House's birthday exactly? Sometime soon after Christmas, but when exactly? And speaking of birthdays, today is one of my friends' 26th! Happy Birthday, old man.

Another funny line: "Oh god, you're upset about something, aren't you? You're going to open up to me now..."

Yet another funny line, or rather, pair of lines: "Good morning, Dr. Cuddy. I love your outfit. It says I'm professional, and yet still a woman. Actually, it kind of screams that second part." "Yeah, and your big cane is really subtle." I agree with you, House. Cuddy needs to dress less provocatively.

House and Cameron have a lot of pretty cute scenes together. Am I sensing a thing?

Aww... Poor House. Very sweet and poignant moment as he plays the piano in the dark, alone, and melts into the Happy Birthday song.

The English actor pretending to be an American, pretending to be British. Very funny. This little bit was probably one of my very favorite moments of the whole episode.

Porphyria... they're crazy about this differential diagnosis. How long until they have a patient who actually has this?

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1x07: Fidelity

I love the Regina Spektor song of the same name. I can play it on the guitar.

Like Dominic Purcell? He plays Ed, the husband in this episode. Wanna see more of him? Check out Prison Break or Blade 3 (watch this anyway--Ryan Reynolds has abs for days).

House reads Portuguese?

I love House's explanation for pulling Cameron's medical records. "You coughed the other day. I was concerned."

The fact that the sweet, caring, dependable, responsible doctor Wilson is the guy with several wives and girlfriends to boot is hysterical, and yet I really like that they wrote that aspect into his character. Makes him more human, and much more three-dimensional and interesting.

I'm impressed with how gentle and sweet House was with Cameron during the centrifuge calibration scene. Aww. They're cute.

I want Cameron's coat from the final scene. So cute.

Oh! The best friend! She had an affair with her husband's best friend! That's cold.

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1x08: Poison

Why does House immediately question every doctor's motives when presented with an interesting new case? He seems to start every episode by asking why he should take on this new case and dismissing it as something simple. Hasn't he learned by now that the cases picked are always challenging, worthwhile, and interesting, and that Foreman, Cameron, and Chase are always looking out for the patient when they bring someone to House?

Why did they switch to a transparent white board? Not that I'm complaining, it looks very cool on camera, but it's very tough to read in real life, and I don't know anyone who actually uses one.

House reminds the patient of Ashton Kutcher? Oh, this is hysterical.

Funny line: "I'm Australian." "You put the queen on your money. You're British."

Oh, there's Cameron's great coat again. Love it.

Wilson's dramatic poetry reading was so funny!

The bus driver is Andy Milder, Dean on Weeds.

Does House ever lose a patient? Will one of his cases ever die before he can figure out the disease and proper treatment?

Nice southern accent, Chase.

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1x09: DNR

Brandy! And Harry Lennix! Hello special guest stars! I love Harry in The Matrix, even though the movie itself bugs me quite a bit. I liked the first one, but 2 and 3 faltered pretty badly off course.

I think the girly, fashion-statement cut of Cameron's white coat compared to her two male counterparts is amusing. I want one like that, actually, even though it's pretty unnecessary and would get me teased like crazy. Looks good on her.

Funny switch-up with Foreman taking point and House having to ride shotgun.

Cora, the personal assistant, is the crazy lady Elaine from the psychic show in Ghostbusters 2. You know, the one who claimed she'd been kidnapped by aliens in a hotel room in Paramus.

House has finally been sued! I was wondering how long it would take for this. Too bad it didn't actually come to anything. Looks like he's not going to learn any lesson this time.

You know, this is the prettiest hospital I've ever seen. I looks fantastic on camera.

Foreman and House's fight over "Marty's" teaching and treating style was well done. I haven't been overly impressed with Omar Epps so far in this series, but he did nicely here.

Mostly unimpressed with this episode.

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1x10: Histories

Pretty good episode, although I didn’t understand the patient connection with Foreman. And I’m not sure why every episode has to have a deep personal connection that resounds with one of the doctors. I’d be happy if they would just solve the puzzle and leave the emotional advancement to every couple episodes. Then again, I’ll really be impressed if the baby-sensitivity and the homeless-sensitivity Cameron and Foreman have exhibited is pieced together over a season or two by House, and the real answers not revealed for awhile, but eventually figure into a nice, meaty personal storyline. But for now it kind of bothers me. Especially when Foreman’s been the emotional center of the episode right up until the last three minutes when we find that it’s actually Wilson we should have been trying to figure out.

Funny line: “You’re giving two craps.” “The metric system always confuses me.”

Funnier line: “I don’t need to watch the OC, but it makes me happy.”

Think Victoria looks familiar? She’s the mom, Teri Bauer, from the first day on 24, played by Leslie Hope.

Why is House’s favorite diagnosis paraneoplastic syndrome? I’m surprised they haven’t decided it’s porphyria.

I love his interaction with the medical students. I like to think I’d stand up to his questions a little better than those two did. I might not know the answers, but I hope I would at least not look so deer-in-the-headlights.

I suppose this answers my question about whether or not House ever loses a patient despite being able to correctly diagnose them. Now, I want to see an episode where they can’t solve the puzzle and the patient dies. I want to see House’s reaction to actual failure. I think that would be a very interesting episode to watch.

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1x11: Detox

Hey! The blonde, Pam, is Amanda Seyfried, Lily from Veronica Mars, and one of the girls in Alpha Dog. And the boyfriend is Nicholas D'Agosto, the annoying flying boyfriend West on Heroes. I like his stint on House better.

This was a very interesting episode as far as the personal storyline was concerned (interesting medically, too, though). Cameron- and House-centric storylines are always interesting, and Wilson-centric ones are pretty good, too, but Foreman and Chase kind of bore me. The week without pills was an incredibly telling glimpse into House's character, much better than having him connect with that week's patient somehow.

What's the differential diagnosis for a hospital administrator with no neck?

Not just a funny exchange, this was a hysterical exchange: "She's hot so she's a hooker? What kind of pathetic logic is that?" "The envious, jealous, I-never-got-any-in-high-school kind of logic, hello?" "She's a legitimate masseuse. God, she's beautiful." "She's beautiful, so I should do it? What kind of pathetic logic is that?" "The envious, jealous, I'm married and I can't do anything logic--hello." I love the mirroring of the two statements. Actually, the whole scene was hilarious. Favorite of the episode. House's eyes lolling back at the hand rub was perfect.

Hugh, you're being British again: "If the ah-tery expands, the clot might move on its own." You do so well 99.9% of the time, I find a sort of sick delight in catching you when you slip up. ;-)

Nice line: "He's not going to fire you; he loves you." Score one for the Cameron/House Ship.

This is definitely Hugh's best performance so far. He always does the limp well, but playing a tough-as-nails character who is losing it and going through withdrawal symptoms without losing the essence of the character is awfully difficult. And he did it phenomenally. I felt so bad for him when he smashed his hand, and I liked how easily Wilson called him on the real reason for the trauma. I wish Cameron had gone in to help House with the cat necropsy, though, when she saw him shake.

Love how he contaminated the OR in order to stop the surgery. "There's no way we can continue the surgery now." "Ya think?"

That punch was so sad... The way House just slid pathetically down the wall was about as sad as watching someone step on their own glasses.

House and Wilson's confrontation at the end of the episode was well done by both parties--we see a lot of conflict and bickering on this show, but not much of this kind of deep-seeded concern coming out as a shouting match. House's emphasis with the cane was great, and it was nice to see someone call him on the fact that he's changed over the years since he began taking the Vicodin, and it was also nice to see him admit it without sarcasm. Kudos to both players.

Best episode so far.

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1x12: Sports Medicine

I knew going into this episode that there was little to no chance that it could beat the last episode, and I was right. Not to say it was a particularly bad episode, just that it wasn't as good as 1x11. That said, this one was pretty awesome. We had some really nice House character moments.

Great guest stars again this week: Scott Foley (from Scrubs, The Unit, Felicity), Meredith Monroe (from Dawson's Creek), Art LaFleur (T'ish Magev from Angel, among a zillion other things), and the director in the initial scene is none other than Bryan Singer himself.

I love Cameron's immediate inclination to offer House the money he asked for. They're cute. And House asked her to go to the monster truck thing! He seemed so vulnerable for about 45 seconds there. I can't decide whether it was adorable, or unnerving, or both.

Ouch. What a choice. You can kill your husband by not giving him a kidney, or you can kill your child in order to donate the organ.

House's jealous confrontation of Wilson in the hallway over Wilson's fib about his Friday night plans was wonderful! "Or are we breaking up?" Wilson should know House is much too smart to not catch him in the lie. And wow, that must really burn, your serial-groom of a best friend blowing you off to have dinner with your ex-wife. Ouch.

Aw. House looked so awkward as she hugged him in the hallway. I'm almost surprised he let her, although I suppose pushing her away would have confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he--in fact--has no soul.

Oh, that scared me for a moment--I thought Cameron and Chase were having dinner together alone... I'm much happier with the idea of Cameron and House than Cameron and Chase. Don't know why; just am. I also love the fact that House starts eating the drug rep's food without so much as a pause.

And my last little moment of big-F'ing-grin shippiness comes in the final 45 seconds of the episode: "That was amazing!" "I'm telling you: the Grave Digger never disappoints." "You ever been married?" "Well now, let's not ruin a lovely night out by getting personal." pause "I lived with someone for awhile." pause "You going to finish that?" Sharing cotton candy, non-sarcastic answers to personal questions after putting up only the most superficial of fights... Okay, so I do know why Chase and Cameron bother me... I guess I have to concede that I'm a fan of a different pairing... :-)

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1x13: Cursed

Gabe is Daryl Sabara from Spy Kids! He looks so much bigger in this episode (2005), and he looks all grown up now! I think he did a really decent job in this episode. Never easy for kids and teens to manage all the physical acting that goes with faking symptoms.

Continuing with the cool guest stars this week we have Nestor Carbonell as Jeffrey, the dad. We've seen him as Richard on Lost, as well as Luis on Suddenly Susan. He's also in the upcoming The Dark Knight as the mayor. He's lovely. Another Lost alum this week is the mom, Sarah, played by Tracy Middendorf, who also played Bonnie, keeper of the Looking Glass station. She's also been on Angel.

I love how House drags Wilson away from a patient to gossip about Chase. And speaking of Chase, I'm never really thrilled with an episode based around him. This one isn't an exception. I liked the medical storyline, and I liked House's reaction to the personal Chase storyline, but the Chase-and-daddy storyline itself bothered me. I just wasn't interested, and neither turned in note-worthy performances. Dr. Chase Sr. is Patrick Bauchau, also seen on Alias, 24, Carnivale, The Dead Zone, and a bunch of movies.

The only part of the Chase-Daddy!Chase stuff I liked was House's interference with them. He's so horribly nosey, picking at scabs and prodding them together just to see what happens. I love it. And it's not even as if he's trying to do good by the two of them, get them on speaking terms again, he's just experimenting with how far he can push both of them, and what the mental effects might be. He looks down-right giddy every time he messes with one or the other.

So, will House tell Chase he knew about his dad's condition after he dies and Chase finds out he had terminal lung cancer when he came to visit?

Funny exchange: "Oh, this is where I give you advice and pretend you're going to listen to it. I like this part. Did Rowan ask you not to tell?" "I promised I wouldn't. My fingers were crossed, though, so I'm wide open." "I was wrong! This is the musing-out-loud part, do I actually need to be here?"

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1x14: Control


I liked the opening get-to-know-you. Sarah Clarke is fun to watch; I've loved her since Nina Myers on 24. (One of my favorite scenes from that show was her interrogation scene in the second season with Jack.)

Cameron's negotiation tactics were cute.

Oh, Vogler's obnoxious. Not a good guy. I do love Chi McBride, though. The character's nasty, but Chi plays him very well. I love his voice, I could listen to him talk all day.

Funny exchange: "I need you to wear your lab coat." "I need two days of outrageous sex with someone obscenely younger than you. Like, half your age."

I love that the example House comes up with for why Vogler wants respect is an attempt to sleep with Cameron. Jealous much?

So embarrassing when you look at the wrong limb. But so easy to do! I've done that, on my radiology rotation. Oops, x-ray'd the wrong foot. Get back in here, we've got to do it again! (I only did it once, though, and I think--I hope--I've learned my lesson.)

Just figured it out! I remember Cuddy being a man because Lisa Edelstein played a transsexual on Ally McBeal. I knew I remembered something like that...

Sad exchange: "They like you. Everyone likes you." "Do you? I have to know." "No." I'm just going to dismiss that and decide that this was House's Day O' Lies.

House's Air Piano at the end was hysterical. But that final scene means Chase turned House in... And Vogler's thinly veiled threat to fire Cuddy or Wilson was creepy. But I like it--makes House responsible to someone other than himself. Let's see what he does with this?

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1x15: Mob Rules

The mob? I wasn't so sure about this one. The mob doesn't seem to fit into House's world.

The threat in the elevator was pretty creepy. Bust see, still, I don't think the mob fits nicely into House's world. The mob is a little too Godfather, a little too made-for-TV-movie-starring-someone-from-Th­e-S­opr­ano­s.

Cameron admitting to Chase she likes House? Cute, but oddly placed in my opinion. I liked the follow up "Cameron's my girl..." "I'd release him." Ouch, House, don't play with her. And good for you, Cameron, standing up to him and giving your straight medical opinion with such unabashed force.

Another interesting exchange: "Why is her test better than mine?" "Because she's cuter." House! What did I say about teasing Cameron?

Very funny: House kicking Foreman off the team to instill fear in the rest of the hospital staff. I also loved House and Wilson justifying keeping the car.

Whoa, Chase got slapped! He took it really well. I mean, Jesse took it well. But Bill Arnello really bothered me after the first couple minutes. I loved the effect he had on the team members, but really disliked the character himself.

Telling exchange: "Does it hurt when you're with House? Little pain in the tummy, but it sort of feels good, too?" "I don't have the right to show interest in someone?" "You absolutely do. And I absolutely have the right to make fun of you for it."

I'd like to say again how great Hugh is at that limp. I wonder how long he worked on it to develop it before beginning the character? It never wavers. Very nice, Hugh.

So the homosexual mobster was a twist I actually didn't see coming. Very nice. Then again, I'm extraordinarily gullible.

Fire who?

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1x16: Heavy

I would like to repeat my closing sentiment from last House episode review: Fire who? I would have thought Foreman would be the one recommending they take a cutthroat stance.

I like House's suggested solution of sexually harassing each member of his team in order to keep them on staff to avoid lawsuits: grab Cameron's ***, "call Foreman a spade, and Chase... well, I'll grab his ***, too."

The fat suit around Jennifer's face was pretty good, all things considered. Still wasn't perfect.

The ovarian tumor woman cracked me up. The only problem: benign tumors can degenerate into a malignancy. Wilson should never have told her that the tumor couldn't kill her. It could.

"Why would you support someone who screws up?" "[...] because I'm not an angry misanthropic son-of-a-bitch." I was proud of Cameron for not making that conversation about her feelings for House, but then she went right back to him and acted like a first year intern with a crush on her mentor.

I like that House wears athletic shoes with his business casual work clothes. But in the Cameron's-clothes column, no doctor wears white pants to work. No way those stay clean through the day.

Chase needs to get fired. That's my opinion. And I hope Cuddy has major regret over this. She's totally bitten off more than she can chew with this guy.

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1x17: Role Model

Joe Morton! Law & Order, Smallville, The X-Files, The Astronaut's Wife, Speed, Of Mice and Men, Executive Decision, T2: Judgement Day, and Forever Young among many, many others. The House MD version of Barack Obama.

And as the storyline progresses, I hate Vogler more and more!

Missy Crider: like her? Check these out: 24, CSI, Mulholland Dr., and bunches of other things. I wasn't too impressed by her storyline. Kind of bored me.

Funny: "Are you comparing me to God?" And the follow-up sweet moment: "I'm not going to crush you."

Funny exchange: "Why do you have to make everything so dramatic?" "Because I'm a very high strung little lap dog." Never thought I'd hear House bark like a shih-tsu.

Best moment of the episode: "Everybody lies, except politicians? House, I believe you're a romantic. You didn't just believe him, you believed in him. Wanna come over tonight and watch old movies and cry? Dr. Cameron's getting to you. I guess you can't be around that much niceness and not get any on you." "Is that why you haven't put the moves on her?" "What makes you think I haven't put the moves on her?" pause "Oh! Oh boy! We're in trouble!" I love the look on House's face during that pause. And good on ya, Wilson, going after House mercilessly for once, seeing a weakness and exploiting it. Nice. You should do this more often. Teasing looks good on you.

I was wondering how long it would take House to confront Chase, and I'm somewhat impressed with Chase's

Yet another cute exchange: "You like me. Why?" "That's kind of a sad question." "Just trying to figure you out. I'm not warm and fuzzy, and you're basically a stuffed animal made by grandma."

I liked that House mumbled through the first sentence of the speech and attempted to make a break for it. But I dislike how much of an *** Vogler is. He's trying to get someone fired just to prove a point to House, just to be the Alpha Male, and while I do think some of this behavior goes on in the real world, no-one is ever this malicious, right? I would hope not. There's no way the Chairman of the Board of a big hospital is this messed up... Right? I loved House's assessment of Vogler after returning to the podium, though, and am horrified to think what the repercussions for this will be... House is just one of those kids who gets told not to jump off of there, it's scary, and you'll hurt yourself, you're not allowed to jump from there because you won't be able to take it... And he goes and jumps, just because you told him not too, even if he understands he'll get hurt in the process. Mature, House.

I love that House is playing High Hopes on the piano in the final scene. The House-iest part of the song:

Once there was a silly old ram
Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam
No one could make that ram, scram
He kept buttin' that dam

House couldn't even look her in the eye as she left! They needed to put the brakes on this UST really fast, though, because it was

All in all, this episode's medical storylines kind of bored me.

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1x18: Babies and Bathwater


Funny line: "Sorry, I was up late. Internet porn."

I love that House's dream was a fantasy where he gets to tell Vogler he has cancer and order him an extra-hefty coffin, all while making him sit on a tiny chair.

Foreman and Chase's continuous bickering through this episode was awesome, and hysterical. Chase's spy game is bugging me like crazy, and these spats between Foreman and him lightened my cloudy outlook on him somewhat. Funny Foreman line: "Here, ***** ***** *****!" And followed by a funny Chase line: "Dogs can learn things, House can't." And the bantering fun continues with: "Don't see any signs of vasculitis, which is odd, because you're always right about everything." "Could be a different auto-immunity. Or you could bite me."

Poor Wilson looked so angry when he tried to warn House about the committee meeting. And speaking of the committee meeting, there has got to be a way for a Board to kick out a Hitler-ish leader. Kudos to Robert during his upbraiding of House while packing--Wilson is such a good friend, and House just wipes his shoes on him. Robert did wonderfully, really selling how desperate Wilson's life seems at that particular moment. At least House had the decency to look guilty and abashed.

Cuddy's right, "first Cameron, then Wilson," how many more careers and friends is House going to screw over before he's done being a petulant child?

It's a good thing Hugh is so tall, because it just wouldn't work to have Vogler and House in a shouting match with Chi being a giant and House being tiny. I mean, yes, there's a size difference, but at least they're within a few inches in height. Makes House seem a little less like the underdog and makes the fight seem a little more fair.

Medical continuity: House wouldn't be allowed to waltz into the OR without a cap or mask on like he did, and he wouldn't be able to go in there in street clothes under his gown--he wasn't in scrubs.

So sad... Baby starts breathing as mom dies...

Knew Vogler had to go pretty quickly. But they said they saved the whole team... What about Cameron? Can she come back now? And this means only bad things for Chase--now that he's not being protected anymore, House is going to make him jump through a lot of hoops. Or just fire him. One of the two.

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1x19: Kids

Nice fake out in the teaser, making us all think there was something wrong with the girl diving, then faking us out again and swinging us back over again to the girl after the guy with meningitis turns out to be a distraction.

House and Cameron's awkward make-up discussion was sweet. "Weird works for me." Ouch. Shutting the door in his face and audibly locking it. Personally, I wouldn't turn down an offer to have my great job back, I don't care how lovely I think my boss is, or how much he doesn't like me back.

Love that House set Chase to work on books and took him off active duty. I hope the punishment doesn't stop there, though. He deserves worse. I love that House has full intension to torture him for awhile.

House's interviewees cracked me up. The "dude" with the tattoo and female hairdo was funny, but the half-jewish girl was awesome. Her banter with House was hysterical, as was Wilson's reaction to all of it. "They were Prada." "They weren't Prada. You wouldn't know Prada if one stepped on your scrotum." I wish we could keep her around for an episode or two.

Hmm. This date between House and Cameron is going to have to go horribly. And might I add it's terribly inappropriate of her to demand this as a condition of her returning to work. It's forced. I like it when the UST is unfurled a little more gradually than this. This is stepping into near fanfic territory. Could be done well, but could end up being very bizarre. Wish they'd not had Cameron completely confess her feelings. It doesn't work as well when characters do this.

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1x20: Love Hurts

This show has the best guest stars! Seriously, how did they get so many good ones in their very first season? John Cho, from Harold and Kumar (and yes, I've seen that Kal Penn eventually becomes a regular on the series in the fourth season), as well as Ugly Betty and the American Pie movies. Funny guy, but I've never seen him show any real dramatic acting chops. Oh, and he'll also be in this fall's Star Trek (!).

Continuing with the Wilson-gets-to-mercilessly-taunt-House arc, I love the examination of the businessman who doesn't want to go back to work, and the conversation they all have about why Cameron came back. Wilson's immediate "yes!" in response to the patient's question of whether House likes her was fantastic. House, you can't lie to Wilson! I also loved the patient's assessment that if House didn't "do" her, he was gay. The cherry on the top of this scene comes as Wilson and the patient chant "...sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" as House leaves the treatment room.

Great line: "You gave the guy a stroke?"

Another great line: "Dr. Cameron! I'd appreciate it if you kept the terms of your new contract to yourself. Don't want everyone else clamoring for the same perks." House actually looked somewhat frantic right there. Nice job, Cameron, you've managed to make him come completely unglued. Or at least, as unglued as House gets. Fabulous that she immediately spilled the beans to Foreman and Chase.

Yet another great line: "You're on my naughty list. Sorry, no leather stethescope this Christmas." Glad another member of the team has something slightly embarrassing to get harassed about this episode to take some of the heat off of Cameron and her House Date.

Oh lord, they totally missed an opportunity there. When Cuddy corned House after he asked for a Viagra refill... come on, that's prime joke territory there! Have the pharmacist hand the bottle back to House, give him a wink, and say, "Here you go. Little blue pills, as requested. Our little secret." Cuddy's expression would have rocked, and House would've been hysterical as he sputtered that they were for a patient and not for him...

Funny line: "House isn't going to hand you anything. You want him? You're going to have to take him--jump him." I also like that in this scene Cameron refers to Sherlock Holmes.

Everyone seems so incredibly concerned about House and Cameron's date, and yet everyone is worried for a different reason. Some think it'll destroy Cameron, some think she'll fall for him even more, some think House will end up getting hurt--this last one being spelled out wonderfully in Wilson's scene with Cameron. And the fact that Wilson comes over to House's apartment to help him get ready for the date? So cute. I think you can really tell these two are friends off-set as well, they have such great chemistry together.

So, a moment to discuss Wilson: I think this character is one of the funnier one on this show. I think second only to House himself. Sweet, good, responsible, smart, a wonderful doctor, baby face... and then you find out he has several failed marriages, hits on every female in the hospital, cheats on his significant other like it's his second job, and gives House advice on "panty-peeler" moves and offers him condoms. Enough to give you whiplash, and yet it all works wonderfully. And all done with fabulous delivery by Robert Sean Leonard.

Confession: this is being typed while the episode is paused at 31 minutes and 44 seconds. When House went to the fridge and pulled out the corsage I got so bothered I paused the episode and had to get up and walk away. All the while ranting. This makes him way too sad, way too dorky, this makes you feel awful for him. Obviously this date was going to go badly, and true, I haven't even watched that part yet, but now I have a general idea of how they're going to write this screwed up little evening, and it would be a lot better if they just fought, and bickered, and Cameron could realize he's just that much of an ***, and they can go back into work, spit at each other for a week, and move on with the diagnosing. This is just going to be uncomfortably awkward. I don't even want to watch.

Wow. Hugh is fantastic at looking like a fish out of water. I imagine it takes a decent amount of courage to look that uncomfortable and vulnerable as an actor. Good job. Made me squirm right along with you.

Small problem I had with how badly the date went was that they've been out together before and it wasn't a problem. They went to a monster truck show and had a lovely time, and I'm sure there was small talk there. Sure, House pointed out that one wasn't a date, while this one was a date by the nature of the agreement, but I still think the two of them would have been slightly more at ease with each other. And I feel slightly cheated that we never got to see the end of that date, or any more than 3.5 minutes of it at all.

Amazing little monologue: "You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. That's why you married a man who was dying of cancer. You don't love, you need. And now that your husband is dead, you're looking for your new charity case. That's why you're going out with me. I'm twice your age, I'm not great looking, I'm not charming, I'm not even nice. What I am is what you need. I'm damaged."

Perfect music choice at the end of the episode.

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1x21: Three Stories

This episode was fantastic! House's mental depiction of his team members was very revealing of House himself, while his dealings with Stacy brought some pathos into the episode, and the diagnostics lecture injected some humor. And all of this in a very different format from what we're used to--flashing from scene to scene, odd cuts, exaggerations and weird camera angles. Made the episode very interesting to watch. This goes on my favorites list with 1x11. Congrats, House, you've impressed me enough to warrant the ascension of another episode to the GoldenGait Episode Trophy Case.

Oh, no, first episode after Cameron and House's date and in waltzes Stacy. Bad timing. Or rather, perfect timing if you're writing an angsty TV drama. Nicely done, writers and producers.

Stacy: of course House's ex is gorgeous. Wouldn't expect anything different. And I believe that's the first time we've ever heard him called Greg. Sounds so... foreign.

Oh, poor House. His "No, I'm not too busy. But I'm not sure I want him to live." line was heartbreaking. Hugh did a great job here changing his entire demeanor when he saw Stacy. Like she was the one person who can instantly take the wind out of his sails.

Love that Carmen Electra actually guest starred as herself. Made the episode so much more fun.

I didn't know the story of House's leg at all when I first began watching this show. But the similarity of dress between patient 3 and House in the fantasy sequence tipped me off immediately. I hope they did this on purpose, because if they were hoping it would take the audience longer to figure it out, they failed.

Cute Wilson line: "She doesn't hate you, she loves you. She just...can't...stand...to be around you."

Funny geeky line: "Luckily it's been well established that time is not a fixed construct."

I loved how personal House got with his story, getting super-angry as the students failed to cure the House!Patient in theory. Cameron's "consult" during the lecture was great, too, giving away the answer, and I like that one by one the whole team migrated in to the lecture hall to watch their boss speak, followed by Wilson. I also like that Wilson takes this public, somewhat safer opportunity to ask House something that I'm sure he's been wanting to ask since it happened. This actually might be the first time he's ever heard House tell the story in this kind of detail.

Wow. Okay, I usually type along as I watch the episode, pausing when I need to get a complete thought out, which is why my reviews generally go in the order of events in the episode and why I sometimes suggest something at the beginning that later happens or is resolved later in the hour. With this episode, once it's established that the 3rd leg pain patient was House, I completely forgot to write the review. No pausing, no typing, I just watched. Awesome episode, completely sucked me in. I had to go back and rewatch to remember what I wanted to say...

Hugh's tearful performance when House insists he keep his leg was heartwrenching.

Where was Wilson in all of this? We know Wilson's been his friend since before the infarct--been Stacy's friend--and if his friends were going through this, wouldn't he have come in to visit or help?

Nice that he ends the episode being indirectly called an idiot by a student, and caving on treating Stacy's husband. And he referred to himself as Greg in the voicemail... still sounds weird.

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1x22: Honeymoon

Oh, it just doesn't get any better than the House, Stacy, and Mark's three-way date, the alpha-male posturing, and the finale of House drugging him in order to get him to the hospital. Lovely. I can already tell I'm going to love this episode.

I want Cameron's gray suit outfit.

Funny line: "Stop looking at the suspiciously empty bottle and look at the screen."

Funnier line: "You're a Peeping Tom spying on your ex."

Cameron's puppy-dog inquiry to Stacy about House's infarct and Stacy's immediate understanding of Cameron's feelings for House was well done. These women are very interesting together.

Great exchange: "Hide up on the roof like you always do." "I haven't been up here in five years." Ouch. Stacy, looks like you're the only one who makes him need to decompress on the roof. Poor House--his hug on the roof with Stacy looked quite normal and comfortable. Never seen House seem so okay with personal contact. And then that pitiful confession that House doesn't know whether he wants Stacy or wants her to suffer.

What did I say in my earlier review? Huh? I knew there was going to be an actual patient with porphyria. They liked throwing it out as a differential way too much to not use it for someone.

Boy, Stacy is a piece of work. I understand she wants the best for the men in her life, but she needs to quit sneaking treatment on people. House was right to snap at her about it. Then again, it's nice to see him passively agree with Stacy by forcing Mark to accept the test.

Again, where was Wilson when this was going down? I want to see his interaction with Stacy. At least long enough for them to say hi in the hallway.

I loved the moment of Cameron watching House watching Stacy and Mark. And good lord, Stacy's not over House. I don't think she should have told him, though. That's not fair.

Oh, of course, House's ex gets to come work at the hospital. Set up some conflict for next season. But that's pretty contrived.

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