To quote a wise beer commercial...

True.

Every time I watch this episode, even though I know how it turns out, it physically hurts to watch the phone scene. How Hugh Laurie has not won an Emmy is beyond me.

Anyhow, I think that scene is the first wide open glimpse we've had of House's tortured soul and you can see why he hides it from all around him. All of these threats (chronic pain, threat of jail and loss of his medical license, friends who doubt his pain and his genius) are pretty much always present in House's day to day life.

House has learned to deflect and hide from them for the most part and even distract himself at times. He has learned the rules and how to play the game in his little world but suddenly, Tritter steps into the picture and the rules change. Tritter doesn't play by the rules of House's world. This pushes House off balance and amplifies the pushing from all sides that already exsists. It's like the vase on a table. Fine as long as everything around is stays the same but once and outside element enters and bumps the table it is the beginning of the end. The vase wobbles and with no support or steadying hand it will fall and break. That steadying hand should have been Wilson. And in Wilson's mind, that is what he was doing. Unfortunately, in House's mind, Wilson just pulled the rug out from under him.

And now we see what I also love about this episode; what it reveals about Wilson and his relationship with House. RSL does a fantastic job of conveying Wilson's desperation. His desire to save House from himself is so strong because he truly cares about House. He's not trying to make House a better person, he's just trying to save him. Yes, it is Wilson's pathology to care or need the needy but I never get the impression that he is doing this for any benefit to himself (As Cameron insinuates).

He knows House's pride will never allow him to make a deal but he believes that House would take an out if one were presented. Almost immediately he realizes that he has underestimated that pride but it's too late. All through the episode he is trying to save House. From jail, from losing his medical license, from his addiction, from the terrible mistake he (Wilson) has made. As with Hugh's performance, RSL does nothing overt or over the top and yet conveys that desperation and heartbreak flawlessly.

Really, all around strong performances by everyone in this episode. A stand out episode in a stand out series.

And as always, a great review!

Thank you Barbara, a great review as always , spot on with this analysis I thought, always gives me the same heartbreak feeling for the man when I watch it ,was this episode put foreward for the Emmys ....I agree rtlemurs , this should have been enough on its own to get an Emmy, everyone was fantastic in this episode , one of the most compelling hours of tv in a decade ..

The phone scene is very painful for me to watch, but atlas hugh is a magnet. Barbara I love your wonderful reviews. Hugh Laurie I bow to your talents!

This episode shows what happens when a co-dependent relationship is pushed to the s_it or get off the pot scenario. House is Peter Pan-he won't grow up. Wilson is his Wendy-he wants to cure all of House's ills for him. The reverse situation also exists, but it is not as relevant to this episode.

As long as their relationship was based on simple situations, it satisfied each of them. When pushed past that point, the mutual trust collapsed. They started to question each other's motives in a way that belied what had been.

Who was responsible for the Tritter situation in the first place? Was it the way House treated Tritter in the clinic, and his subsequent behavior? Was it Wilson's refusal to write Rxs for pain meds for House in Meaning? Was it House when he forged Rxs? Was it Wilson trying to make judgements about how much and which medication House should take, saying he understood the pain House was having but really didn't? Each time Wilson did something to help House, House blamed him more. The blame keeps going back and forth between House and Wilson, and this is where their relationship breaks down.

House thinks Wilson is responsible for all of his trouble with Tritter. Then, when Wilson made the deal, House couldn't recognize that Wilson was trying to help him. (House never found out that Wilson was going to sacrifice himself to help him by refusing to testify.) Wilson, who felt he was making some progress in the past with his lectures to House, ran up against a brick wall that he did not believe existed; House's pride and determination went well past what Wilson ever expected. When he made the deal, he believed he could make House see that he had Wendied House out of a horrible situation, that his attempts to help House had been successful beyond even his own
imagination. When confronted by a belligerent House, he was stunned at House's refusal, scenes acted briliantly by RSL.

As Wilson watched House's desperate methods of medicating himself, he realized he couldn't Wendy House out of his troubles, and he turned to tough love. Even that didn't work. He realized that only House could help himself. Wilson saw the depths House had to fall to, and at the lowest point, Wilson finally gave up. He could have put House in the hospital when he found him passed out on the floor, but he didn't want to make it any easier for House.

When everyone else piled on, House had no support, and he couldn't weasel himself out of his situation. Not only did Tritter outsmart him, Tritter got the whole gang to go along with him. House had finally run up against someone who's will was stonger than his.

Cameron's lecture to Wilson about Wilson's motives was a low point in the episode, a scene that was absolutely unnessary and did nothing for her character's benefit. Her motives were never followed up; her tirade was unjustified based on her prior relationship with Wilson in the past.

No one can deny that Hugh Laurie is brilliant. His nuanced acting is what draws people to him. (It is has sadly been lacking this season due only to the writing.) This is what makes people watch episodes over and over. You can't take your eyes off of him. He is entrancing.

I truly believe he did not win the Emmy this season because he is British. With so much press this season about how Hugh was responsible for the "British invasion" of actors who have taken starring roles away from American actors, the voters got gun shy. With the onslaught of reality shows, the number of roles for American actors has diminished. I believe that if Hugh had won, the perception that British actors were acceptable would have further dimished roles for American actors. He had already won the SAG award, where many of the same actors who vote for the Emmy had already awarded him, but that was before the press about the "British invasion." When James Spader won, even he was shocked. I think Hugh should have submitted Merry Little Christmas for Emmy consideration; Half Wit should have won it for him anyway. I don't believe any actor in Hollywood has not seen more than one episode of House; they read the critical reviews, they know that Hugh has been highly praised everywhere. Everyone knows he deserved the Emmy.

This episode had everything that makes House grest. Each episode is a gift, one that we can treasure forever.

rtlemurs,marie and denise--thanks (as always) for you kind words. As I said, that scene simply blows me away. No, according to what I know, Hugh did not submit MLC to the Emmy people (I think he submitted Half-Wit).

Great news about his winning a third GG nomination this year. And wonderful that the show also got a nomination when most network shows were completely passed over.

Sue--Totally agree with you about how HL's acting just draws you in like a magnet. I'm not entirely sure I agree with your very well argued assessment of House's relationships with people. I don't think House is Peter Pan. I think part of him doesn't want to grow up, and I think that's probably because he didn't have much of a childhood, given what we know about him.

Although we get the impression that he was pretty grouchy before the Stacy betrayal, I think we also get the impression that his pain and disability have fundamentally changed him (exacerbated by long-term use of pain killers and the emotional toll of Stacy's betrayal).

True, try as he might, Wilson can't change House. But he keeps trying. However well intentioned he is, his constant attempts at manipulation, his sanctimoniousness and self-righteousness have had the effect of dismissive of House's legitimate need for pain relief.

What a powerful episode this was. You are so very correct!

barbara