Don’t let the title fool you. This episode is not filled with metaphysical puzzles or deep discussions regarding the afterlife. This week was like a refreshing page taken out of the season one handbook – strictly formula, complete with a dying patient, an intriguing medical mystery, misdiagnoses by House’s team and a final eureka moment that comes from an unexpected comment.
House was in rare form, toying with his team, baiting them with cutting remarks, and generally just being the boorishly acerbic wit that we all know and love. The old team is there too – Foreman is interviewing for a new job, Chase shows up in a very brief surgery scene, and Cameron is, well... Cameron. The medical story and the developing storyline of House narrowing down his remaining seven fellowship candidates were seamlessly intertwined, making for an engaging and entertaining hour of television.
Irene, a funeral home cosmetician, hallucinates that her clients have come back to life to attack her and then has a seizure. Cameron refers Irene to House, who takes the case because of the interesting symptom of seeing dead people. He leads his team to start the differential through an amusing game of Charlie’s Angels, assigning the role of Bosley to Henry, who House outs as the pretend doctor of the group. Uttering a racist comment, House sends Cole and Kutner to the funeral home to investigate. Cameron points out to House that just because Cole is a Mormon, it doesn’t mean that he won’t kick his ass. House calls Cole a wuss and bets $100 that no matter what he says, Cole will not react. The bet emboldens House to lay it on thick as far as insulting, ridiculing, and demeaning Cole.
Taub has a problem working with Henry, especially now that he knows that Henry is not really a doctor. This sets up a game of one-upmanship between the two of them. Despite not actually being a doctor, Henry has the advantage. He is brilliant and thinks like House, making suggestions and finding unusual ways around Irene’s symptoms to get to the correct diagnosis.
Thirteen is understandably quiet during the initial differential after losing her patient last week. Amber, being the manipulative bitch that she is, tries to undermine Thirteen’s confidence by constantly reminding her of her failure through a transparent veneer of concern. While I have previously enjoyed Amber’s lack of scruples, I thought that her psychological games with Thirteen were evil and under-handed. I found myself hoping that this week, Amber would be fired.
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