HOUSE Recap: Whatever It Takes

What an interesting episode of HOUSE last night. I can’t say that I loved it.  There were some really great moments, but on the whole it felt a little ‘off’ to me.  I personally think HOUSE is on an immensely gratifying creative streak this season, but I wasn’t head over heels for last night’s episode.  Gregory House was taken out of his natural surroundings and it seemed just wrong. But let’s not get crazy here, I still enjoyed last night’s ep, probably one of the funniest of the season, just not as much as I normally do.

Last night’s medical mystery involved a race car driver who was suffering from seizures, and as often happens House and his team were assigned the case.  But unfortunately for the patient, Dr. House wasn’t around to tend to her.  Being the bad ass that he is, House was whisked off by the CIA to help with a case of a spy who was suffering from symptoms of poisoning.  And with House gone it was Foreman left to run the team.

Since the start of this season I have repeatedly expressed my opinion that HOUSE was a stronger show without Cameron, Chase and Foreman.  Last night’s episode only made me stronger in my beliefs. Left to run the team, Foreman proved to be arrogant and weak and really showed that he isn’t the right guy to be running a Diagnostics team.  Being a team member, perhaps, but running the team…uh uh. Not to say that Foreman isn’t a great doctor or that he was wrong in his initial diagnosis, because he’s not and he wasn’t, but his inability to garner respect from him team made difficult to watch.

Over at Langley, Dr. House diagnosed, misdiagnosed, treated and mistreated (in more ways than one) a CIA spy all while flirting with Samira Terzi, a hot CIA doctor played by Michael Michele. In between putting the moves on Terzi and trying to land her in bed by offering her a job (“I have an opening…on my penis”) on his staff,  House saves the day (surprise surprise) and the patient lives.  I prefer to see House practice at Princeton Plainsboro where people are accustomed to his questionable demeanor and tactics.  Having House be House at the CIA facilities made it almost uncomfortable to watch. The best part of having House at Langley was the fact that no one would believe him. Not Foreman, not Cuddy, and not Wilson (until House made him call Langely himself). And in an episode stuffed with great one liners, this one had me laughing out loud.

“They have a satellite aimed directly into Cuddy’s vagina. I told them chances of invasion are slim to none.”
Back at the hospital, House’s team (run by Foreman) are running a muck all in the name of winning points with House. Doctors are treating multiple diseases and not telling each other.  The patient is left hurting and with no trust in her doctors. And in the end, the chaos results in Brennan poisoning the patient and altering lab results to make it seem like she has polio and then subsequently “curing” it using Vitamin C, a method tested back in the 50’s before the funding for the polio cure lost funding.  Why? Although his tactics were despicable, his intentions were noble. Brennan hoped to have his “cure” published  in a medical journal which would then in turn reignite the funding for research to cure polio.  Brennan has spent most of his life as a doctor in third world countries where the polio vaccine isn’t readily available and thought he could use this case to make a point.  Yeah, no such luck.  House forces him to quit the team and then makes moves to have him arrested.  So to say Brennan’s moves backfired is an understatement.

In the end, House tries to explain the days events to Cuddy but she’s too concerned with him missing clinic hours to really care.  Dude, there has to be something to hold over this man besides clinic hours…come on already!! They flirt, she gets turned on and House leaves.  Outside the hospital in none other than Dr. Terzi who says she takes Dr. House up on his offer…not not to partake in sexual antics, but to join his team.  Uh oh.  Did House perhaps to mention that he was only offering to get her into bed?

Don’t get too used to seeing the relationship with Terzi and House play out.  Or the impact her presence has on the other doctors vying for a spot on his penis staff (and this includes Cuddy).  With the writers strike, I doubt we’ll be able to see any of it play out.

Anyone else watch HOUSE last night?  I have a feeling I might be the only one that didn’t dig it as I normally do.