Overall: 8.0
A bit cliched, but still enjoyable.
Plot Synopsis:
The official recap can be found here.
The Skinny:
On Chicago Hope, I believe they called it the "CHIPS" regimen: "Cocaine, Hawaii, Intoxication, Parties, and Sex." But whichever term you use for it, the idea that a terminal patient should hop onto the merry-go-round of Epicurean delights before he dies is pretty old. Just once, I'd like to see a television show in which a dying individual decides to spend his last few months on a spiritual pilgrimage. And it doesn't even have to be an explicitly Christian and/or Catholic pilgrimage. Said character can retreat to an Indian ashram for all I care. As long as alternative responses to a death sentence are acknowledged, I'll be happy.
That being said, I like how Wilson's odyssey ends with his realization that meaningless sensual pleasure is just that -- meaningless. And I also like that, once again, House steps in as a good friend and openly admits that he is the chief beneficiary of Wilson's beta-male selflessness. Because the entire plot ends with that scene on the bus, I can forgive its somewhat unoriginal construction.
Meanwhile, this episode also offers an interesting - and necessary - storyline for Chase -- though a part of me wonders why the writers waited so long to tackle that particular issue. I've never found Chase to be a morally admirable character, but I do believe him to be the most talented of the three original "ducklings." The fact that he hasn't moved on has been the giant pink elephant in the room for at least the past four seasons. But hey -- now is as good a time as any to give the guy the send-off he deserves.
Writing: 7.5
It's not an especially creative script, but it is solid.
Acting: 8.5
The acting doesn't quite rise to last week's level, but we're still seeing nice work -- especially from Robert Sean Leonard.
Message: 8.0
Up to a point, David Shore's insistence that "people don't change" is right. You can't just turn your life around on a dime. Course corrections, when they do occur, are laborious affairs.
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