(Warning: spoilers for the episode that aired Feb. 14)
Wow. This qualifies as the least newsy newsflash ever, but that House is one messed up dude. And … eew. This week’s episode demonstrates why I sometimes question my squeamish self’s sanity for being attracted to medical shows. Maggots covering a burn patient’s body? I guess I didn’t really need to eat or sleep anyway.
I may not be the only one requiring a psych consult, as House does a good impersonation of a crazy man in "Distractions" while still, irrationally, appearing almost rational. Of course if you need a live subject for an unethical test to prove your medical school nemesis wrong, you have no choice but to experiment on yourself. Of course if you need to induce a migraine, you should take nitroglycerin. Then when you need to get rid of the migraine – because oh, yeah, the patient of the week needs some attention – of course you should take LSD to cure it and then anti-depressants to counteract the LSD. It all makes sense. If you squint.
The med school nemesis is Dr. Weber (Dan Butler, Frasier), whose questionable migraine prevention breakthrough House is determined to prove wrong. House has been academically stalking the man for 20 years in hopes of finding a way to retaliate for being ratted out when House tried to cheat off him on a test. So he gives Weber's miracle medication to our old friend Coma Guy, then gives him a migraine, proving, at least in House's mind, that the drug is a failure.
His master plan is to forge an invitation from Cuddy for Weber to present a lecture on the new drug, while House sits in the back in a monster-truck lover's disguise and discredits his research. He's only temporarily foiled by the claim that since Coma Guy's brain is not normal, House's little experiment means nothing. Ignoring Wilson's pleas to get a regular hobby - maybe a spot of bowling in place of obsession - House takes the drug himself, then successfully induces a migraine. It's not quite scientifically solid proof, but it's enough to convince the pharmaceutical company to back out of the deal. Though I could argue that House's brain is not exactly normal, either. As Wilson says: "Get a hooker. Anything."
Article comments
1 - Joanie
Just wanted to let you know this article is now on Advance.net
2 - JELIEL³
Woohoo, congrats on being picked.
This was a great review to one of House's greatest episodes. As a migraine sufferer myself, I could see myself so well. The attention to the torture that everything in the environment becomes when you have a migraine. Just great. Plus the waking up of the patient was brutal but we got to see a glimpse of compassion from House. The compassion we all know he has inside but doesn't let show.
Laurie is simply the best actor on TV right now.
I would have given it a 5 outta 5 :D
3 - Diane Kristine
Thanks Jeliel. Yeah, I seem to most like the episodes where House is suffering the most, so this was high on my list of favourites. Hmm ... so in addition to being a masochist for liking medical shows despite being squeamish, maybe I'm a sadist, too. But it lets us see the tortured soul underneath the snark. The guy often creates his own misery, now we find he needs to distract himself from that misery by making himself miserable. Twisted, but interesting.