Instead, House picks one with racing stripes, allowing Hugh Laurie to make his "Bitchin'!" face, and strolls into the hospital to a rock anthem and stylish directorial moves. Once there, he finds that Nick has graft versus host disease that's unresponsive to treatment, will certainly die, and Matty is bleeding out of his ears, headed for death himself. Not so bitchin'.
House's new audacious -- some might say crazy -- plan is to put the infection into Nick so they can see the symptoms speeded up, and diagnose it before he dies, allowing them to save Matty. But this time, Wilson's powers can't control the parents, and no matter how much he tries, he can't convince them to go along with the idea of killing one son to save the other. They won't give up on Nick.
House shows his not-too-shabby powers of manipulation that even Wilson couldn't go along with when he gets rid of dad and confronts a painfully dying Nick, telling him how his life can have meaning by saving his brother. That's low, even for House, but on the other hand, he's doing the math, as usual. Anything to get the best outcome for the case, patient rights' be damned. Nick then pulls every heartstring by pleading with his parents to let him be the guinea pig who will save his brother.
Foreman and Wilson chat amicably but at cross purposes, Foreman still trying to narrow down the infection, Wilson trying to warn him that his job is in danger, and advising him to quit if he doesn't care about his job, fight for it if he does. It seems like Foreman isn't listening, but like Chase, he's a good multitasker. So is Wilson, because he gets the epiphany that's usually reserved for House. The family's house was built over farm land, and chicken manure seeped into the soil, causing a nasty but curable infection.
The parents get the good news that Nick doesn't have to go through with it and Matty can be cured, while getting the bad news that he won't have enough marrow to donate safely.
In a parallel scene to House and Nick, Foreman asks Matty if he'll risk his life to save his brother. Is he fighting for his job after Wilson's pep talk, or has he cured himself of the yips? Probably both - welcome back Foreman. What follows is a horrifying scene of Foreman extracting bone marrow with giant needles into the unsedated boy while he screams in pain. I'm not good with blood; I'm horrible with screaming in pain. Do I love my brother that much? Sorry, Steve, but I'll have to get back to you on that. I wish I could erase that scene from my brain. But, it worked, and the family of four who entered the hospital will leave as a family of four.
Article comments
1 - Judy
Is it just me or has House been less interested in saving the patients lately. He used to stay up all night reading books, googling and throwing his ball around and now he just says "cant be fixed, let's go home." What's up with this?
2 - Kaonashi
My understanding is that bone marrow donating is extremely painful, and that's under anesthesia. I can't even begin to imagine the agony Matty suffered under Foreman's needles. That scene was unwatchable, listening to the poor boy begging for him to stop. Nick had better be really, really nice to his little brother for the rest of his life.
And as for Foreman leaving, I doubt that'll happen. Otherwise, Omar Epps is the dumbest actor on the planet. I think he's great and all, but he did screw up once by leaving ER. Even David Caruso learned his lesson, and has stuck with CSI Miami.
Hector is adorable. I cracked up when House finds his stereo stolen because he left his door open.
3 - Diane Kristine
Judy, yeah, I think he's been less focused on patients this season. partly because he was more focused on getting drugs and curing his leg and staying out of jail. Though I think in this episode it was partly a way of highlighting his point that it was his way or nothing. And there was no puzzle to solve with leukemia kid, so he was sacrificeable (yeah, I know it's not a word) in order to solve the puzzle with Matty.
Kaonashi, yeah, Hector was adorable, not at all the kind of dog I expected ... which made it even funnier.
Good to hear I'm not alone in thinking Omar Epps will stay. Did he really leave ER by choice? I thought the character was supposed to be doomed from the beginning. Anyway, I'm still feeling good about the bet.
Poor Nick. He's doomed to a lifetime of "I gave you bone marrow with no anaesthetic and all I get for Christmas is this lousy CD?"
4 - Kaonashi
Diane - Granted, I don't know the real reason why Omar Epps left ER, but from what I've read on Wikipedia, many of the actors leave the show because they asked to, rather than as part of their contract -even those with smaller roles.
What sucks is that ER tends to prevent characters from returning by just killing them off, usually in a violent manner :P I mean, Epps' character was hit (or leaped in front of) by a train, while Kellie Martin's character (annoying as she was) was stabbed to death! Those were two very memorable episodes, even if they were only supporting characters.
5 - Maddoc
I have a feeling Epps is fairly similar to Foreman,at least as far as stubbornness is concerned.He might leave for good.Or maybe a long hiatus from the show.Or becomes a recurring guest appearance like Brenda-The-Nurse and the Pharmacy guy.
Best parts:House and the dog.And I felt this episode was much more similar to season 2 episodes,which is the best of the 3 aired so far.And it was one of the funniest so far.