But the flaw of “Deception” is that while it was a lighter, fluffier House - there was not as much to sink my teeth into as usual - it didn't really play the implausible setup for laughs. The Foreman-House head-butting has been played out much better in other episodes, and Foreman is at risk of losing his personality to pedantry. “She should have died,” he says to Cuddy, about Anica. “House doesn't break rules, he ignores rules. He's not Rosa Parks, he's an anarchist.” House isn't Rosa Parks? I'm not sure Cuddy or I will recover from the shock.
I'm no doctor, but House's rationale for why Anica's problems weren't completely explained by the Munchausen's made sense to me, and his entire career hinges on his reputation for pulling the unlikely diagnosis out of the blue. So Foreman and Cuddy's refusal to let him perform one more test to either prove or disprove his theory rings false. “Deception” seemed designed to prove the entire premise of the show – House's methods are whacked and would cause chaos if all doctors followed his lead, but his deductions are ultimately brilliant and end up saving his patients. Which most fans got, oh, a season and a half ago, but we're expected to believe this is an epiphany for Foreman and, perhaps, Cuddy.
Tis the season for reruns. New episodes of House return in January.
Note: For something even more heartwarming than a House holiday episode, check out the eBay auction for House's season one cane. From the site: “Co-Executive Producer [and co-writer of season premiere Acceptance] Garrett Lerner has arranged this auction in honor of his son Zeke who suffers from a rare disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This horrible neuromuscular disease is progressive, robbing children of their ability to walk, to stand, and eventually to even breathe. All proceeds from this auction will go to Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a charity dedicated to finding a cure. Go to www.fsma.org to learn more.”
Link:
ED: JH
Article comments
1 - nanfont
Great review, deekay. A very strange episode, following the improbable plot twist of Foreman being put in charge. (I guess it's only Cameron whose position is a fellowship?) I found Cameron confronting the patient about Munchausen's improbable as well, since she's always so sympathetic to patients. I guess not if their problems are not physical in origin. I watch the show with a friend, and her feeling was that House went too far this week by giving Anica an injection and then walking away while she was seizing. I also felt it was in the outer limits (although the injection ploy hit me more than his not helping her afterward); if there was any sense at the end of last season that House maybe has some human sentiment in him, the writers have been doing their best this season to show him at his worst. There were, of course, wonderfully funny moments, and I think the image that sticks with me is that of House and Cameron on the motorcycle.
2 - wally bangs
The best part of the epsiode was the jelly incident.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
"There's more to being a good leader than being a jerk."
"The world will never know."
4 - deekay
I liked the "How would you rate my leadership skills?" "Nonexistent. Otherwise, excellent!" exchange too.
Nanfont, yeah, there were actually a lot of moments I liked in this one, but overall ... eh. House injecting her and walking away while she seized seemed incredibly cold (no pun intended, with the snow and all) but he did it for his usual reasons. He said he thought Foreman discharging her without diagnosing and treating her other illness would lead to her death. He thought if he was involved in treating her afterwards, it would cast suspicion on his suspicious activities. He didn't just do it to prove himself right - he did it to get her other medical issue taken seriously. Still ... cold. And combined with not really seeing much of his humanity in this episode, seeing him grovelling to his team to get tests done (though I loved the lab tech flirting), Foreman showing so little personality, and no other juicy character bits, it wasn't a favourite of mine.
And Foreman was less than a year into a two year fellowship in DNR last season. But I try not to think of details that make my brain hurt.
5 - meg
That was one weird episode. The image that sticks most with me is Cameron and House on the motorbike - they were so cute! lol. House was being his usual but apart from him, it seemed like no one had a personality in this episode. It was too weird for my liking, others have been way funnier.