Cuddy reacts to House’s clinic antics with some childishness of her own. She replaces House’s Vicodin with laxatives. Wilson catches her in the act and admonishes her for stooping to House’s level. All she needs to do is make some small concession to House to make him think that he has won. This scene is revealing in the fact that Cuddy defers to Wilson, suggesting that he is at least on equal footing with her, and when dealing with House, perhaps the superior, dominant person. The plan doesn’t work however. House sees through Cuddy’s concession and tells her that he knew about her switching his Vicodin. He warns her that he may have switched her birth control for something else. (This is my one continuity complaint about the episode – I did not know that Cuddy had given up on her bid to become pregnant.)

Thirteen and Cole go off in search of the patient’s car in order to get his real name and some clues about him. The rest of the team goes through the treatment and diagnosis process, with the patient reflecting the personality of each of the team members treating him. Amber is first, and the patient points out that while she doesn’t care that the others don’t like her, she feels she has to be right or she isn’t really anything. While doing an ultrasound of the patient’s liver, Taub is reflected by the patient as being secretly attracted to Amber’s aggressive nature. Taub denies it at first, saying he’s married, but agrees that being aggressive is not always a bad thing. Taub cuts short the session when the ultrasound reveals a tumor.

While Brennan is sticking a needle in the patient’s liver, the patient picks up that Brennan is unhappy and bored with being in the hospital. Brennan withdraws a black fluid from the liver which he determines is pus that is caused by a fungus he saw when working with tsunami victims. He actually seemed happy to have found this exotic disease and realized that the patient is correct – working in the hospital is not fulfilling for him. He wants to go back to helping people who worry about not having clean drinking water. Brennan even tells House that he was going back to his overseas job, but House points out to him that his fiancée might not like it. After talking to his girlfriend, Brennan decides to stay. (I personally feel sorry for him and I’m afraid his upcoming marriage will be doomed if he chooses to kill his own dream and bury his feelings about it.)