Pardon the Interruption: House 6:12 - Moving the Chains

Overall Rating: 7.0

Amusing prank-related side-plot, semi-interesting soap opera plot involving Foreman...but...certainly not a truly eye-catching episode.

Cut for spoilers.



Plot Synopsis:

PotW: A Junior College football star arrives at PPTH after a sudden attack of rage during a practice in front of pro scouts. Blah blah blah fifty-billion medical theories from steroid abuse to lymphoma to PFO to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to cryoglobulenemia to a final diagnosis of paraneoplastic syndrome brought on by a rare foot-based melanoma blah blah blah. Sorry...the medicine stopped being interesting to me quite a while ago. The point of the PotW is to insight personal drama (a revelation, an aggravation, a change, whatever) in one of his/her doctors. This week's patient makes a passionate appeal to Foreman on the virtues of sacrificing and taking big risks to take care of one's family, which dovetails with the soap opera of the week.

Soap: House notifies Foreman that his brother is being released from prison and needs to be picked up. Even after insisting that Foreman do this, House gets the brush off, which evidently fascinates him, because soon thereafter, House arranges for Marcus to have a job as his personal bitch...er...assistant. He claims it is just to screw with Foreman and get information he can use to his advantage, but this is fairly ambiguous as Wilson gleefully points out. When House goes too far and brings Foreman's recently dead mother into the office (metaphorically, of course), Marcus quits and storms out. After spending the entire episode rebuffing his brother thanks to years of him turning on his own family and disappointing their mother time and time again, Foreman gets some words of wisdom from the PotW and seeks out his brother, offering him a place to stay until he gets back on his feet.

Side Plot: Meanwhile, House and Wilson appear to be exchanging pranks following a disagreement over Wilson's personal bathtub (and House's desire to use said bathtub). Wilson finds an opossum in the tub, then House, while using the tub the next day, attempts to get out and pulls the grab rail he just recently installed out of the wall, cutting his face. Finally, after WIlson and House decide that it's an external party screwing with both of them, they are on the lookout for an intruder when their fire safety sprinklers go off and completely flood the place, destroying everything of value. First, House blames Cuddy, then a series of other names are theorized including Foreman, but it turns out Lucas is the guilty party as he proudly announces after tripping House in the cafeteria. Lucas claims victory and superiority and threatens to tell Cuddy it was House and Wilson that outbid her on her dream condo if they retaliate. House decides against escalating the feud to protect Cuddy. Wilson sees this as another minor step forward for House.

Clinic Patient: House also treats an army grunt who is looking to escape a fourth deployment to Iraq because his wife is pregnant. House repeatedly insists that he take responsibility for his career choice and do as he's told (a little surprising coming from House, to be honest), flippantly suggesting alternative ways to get himself off the force several times - all of which the patient actually does, to House's evident dismay. He goes so far as to not only shoot himself in the foot, but allow an infection from the injury to spread to the entire foot so that it may be amputated at the ankle.

Writing: 7.0

The script feels somewhat slapped together this week. They make an effort to make us care about the patient of the week as his story relates to Foreman's, but that winds up feeling a little too convenient. The rest of the script is just fluff - admittedly entertaining fluff as the highlights will reveal. It's hardly the kind of script that induces emmy performances from the cast or lingers in your mind.

Acting: 7.0

I have to be honest...I can't really think of much to say here...I was impressed with House's reactions to the clinic patient, and I enjoyed the scene where he accused Cuddy of being the prankster, but...there wasn't much to work with in this episode. Even Marcus was only "meh" in terms of acting chops.

Message: 7.0

Bonus points for House telling the soldier to do his duty, whether he liked taking that risk or not. The show's focus on family is also a plus - and a part of modern society that is sadly slipping away. Again though...the show is primarily fluff, so don't expect a lot of deep commentary tonight.

Highlights:

WILSON: What are you doing?
HOUSE: Canoeing. I seem to be taking on water. (pause for Wilson to look annoyed - LOL)
WILSON: Use your own bathroom!
HOUSE: There's no canoe in there. My leg hurts. Taking a bath makes it feel better.
WILSON: This is not OK. This is my bedroom, and I don't want you coming and going whenever you want!
HOUSE: You're the one who had to have this condo...maybe next time you should consider factors like two full bathrooms...instead of just the thrill of outbidding Cuddy.
WILSON: The man who signs the lease...gets to pick the bathrooms. Stay out of mine!
HOUSE: Well then you owe me thirty-seven bucks for the grab rail I installed! (LOL)

ARMY GUY: Hey come on, man! I waited an extra hour just to make sure I'd get you!
HOUSE: Why?
ARMY GUY: I saw you limping out there. Vietnam?
HOUSE: (angrily) Viet...?? How old do you think I am?! (LOL)
ARMY GUY: I don't know...Vietnam aged?
HOUSE: Well in my day, the real deserters had the stones to run off to Canada or shoot themselves in the foot. They didn't come whining to three clinics for a doctor's note. Now go home, hug your wife, tell her to get a babysitter. You'll be back in time to video the kid's first steps. (good for you, House!)

HOUSE: I don't need to see the scan. I can tell by your puppy-dog eyes that the scan came back negative. Are you going to say it or should I?
TAUB: (dryly) You were right about the steroids. You're a genius!
HOUSE: Next time with feeling. (LOL)

FOREMAN: Our patient could have a PFO.
HOUSE: Well naturally you think it's a urinary issue.
FOREMAN: A PFO is not a urinary issue...it's a heart issue.
HOUSE: Oh it is? Well naturally you think it's not a urinary issue. You're so embarrassed by your own past urinary issues, you don't dare broach the subject. (beat...Foreman glares at his brother)
FOREMAN: I did not...wet...the bed! I spilled a drink! (the other ducklings giggle...ROTFL)
HOUSE: We're not buying it, Eric. We never bought it. (LOL!!)

HOUSE: Hey...I don't care where an idea comes from as long as it makes sense...and embarrasses someone. (hee)

WILSON: Your motives always run deeper than simple fun.
HOUSE: I want to learn more about a colleague of mine so that I can humiliate and destroy him if and when I need to. Knowledge is power.
WILSON: Not buying it.
HOUSE: OK...why don't you tell me my real evil plan.
WILSON: I don't think there is an evil plan. You regret not having a better relationship with your family and you don't want to see Foreman go down the same road. I think you're...being nice!
HOUSE: Oh shut up! You can't accuse me of loosing an opossum in your bathroom and underhanded niceness in the same visit. (ROTFL!)
WILSON: Then I'll come back.
CHASE: The treadmill test was a bust. The guy is in incredible shape. We couldn't get his heart rate over 150.
WILSON: Your boss is secretly a very nice man. (LOL)

HOUSE: Flat head screwdriver.
WILSON: And then I would say...
HOUSE: This is not a game. It's proof that you didn't rig that grab rail to make me fall.
WILSON: I already have proof of that...the fact that I didn't do it.
HOUSE: I can't go on that. But I can go on the fact that I had to borrow one from Nora to install the thing. We only have a Phillips head.
WILSON: So...
HOUSE: So...I got one from Nora in a completely successful attempt to see her bra-less.
WILSON: Wait..whoa whoa whoa! (LOL!!)
HOUSE: You didn't have the tool to sabotage the grab rail.
WILSON: Bra-less like...under a sweater or like...uh...(BWAHAHAHA!! Typical man...)