It opens innocently enough as the camera pans back to reveal the wrap up of a routine C-section delivery. But within a moment or two, a new family's world is turned on its head as an infant child goes missing from the bassinet at her mother's side. So begins "Lockdown," episode 17 of House, M.D.'s sixth season--directed by none other than series star Hugh Laurie.
Laurie is no stranger to directing--nor to directing himself. He directed himself in several episodes of the British television series Fortysomething a couple of years before he did House.Laurie has grown tremendously since then and his American directorial debut exhibits a deft and light touch. He knocks it out of the park.
The missing newborn triggers and intense but appropriate response: the hospital is put in "lockdown." No one comes or goes; everyone stays in position until security finds the baby. But the lockdown at Princeton-Plainsboro and the mystery of the missing baby only serve as a framing device to the real story, back with the show's regular cast of characters. Paired off and trapped in place, each duo passes the time, bored, isolated and with only the other for company and/or amusement until the crisis ends.
Someone clearly has made off with the baby. Was it her big brother, who resents the little intrusion into his life? Was it a nurse? In the blink of an eye a baby is gone--vanished into thin air. The truth is only revealed when a subtle, hidden symptom of an aide reveals itself. She seems normal until suddenly, quietly--she's not. (She had been suffering mild and unnoticeable seizures all day.) Cuddy's (Lisa Edelstein) sharp eye and quick thinking catches the subtle symptom and rescues the baby, hidden among the laundry by the sick aide. But, as I said, the missing baby story mere glue for four other stories, also about hiding and revealing.
Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) surprises Chase (Jesse Spencer) by hand delivering their divorce papers and they are forced to share a small examination room and confront their relationship. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and 13 (Olivia Wilde) are involuntary companions in the hospital cafeteria, where they engage in a game of "Truth or Dare;" Foreman (Omar Epps) and Taub (Peter Jacobson) find themselves in the deliciously inviting file room, where they have access to everyone's personal files. House, caught in the hallway when the lockdown happens, ducks into a darkened patient room, where he has to confront the death of a patient whose case he had once refused.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Keith L.
I have always enjoyed the series "House" and try to watch it whenever it is aired in my area of the USA (Iowa). I think the idea of a doctor that cares but does not show it, Hugh Laurie plays the part with perfection. He is my favorite actor and I think with his directing too, the show will survive at least one more season. Probably many more.
2 - Orange450
Barbara, thanks for a great review, as usual. I also liked the episode very much.
I loved the way that the physical lockdown for each of the pairs precipitated the release of the emotional "lockdown" in which each individual had been trapped. (Well, I don't think Chase and Cameron got entirely the kind of release I mean, although they certainly experienced release of another kind.)
Foreman and his academic issue, Taub and his shame at his lack of status/accomplishment. Wilson and his dating inhibition, and 13 facing the lack of candor with her father. Beautiful, insightful writing for Chase (so well acted by JS) - I was very happy that he's finally able to absolve himself of any wrongoing in the relationship (which I could have told him at any time, if only he'd asked :)) I especially admired the way the writers accomplished the delicate task of keeping each pair entirely in character with regard to both their lockdown and their release. Each pair behaved predictably - especially House and Nash - and I don't mean this in a pejorative sense.
Even tho' I suppose that Cameron had to be included, I was forcibly reminded of how little I find to like in the character - whom I haven't missed at all. (JM really sold it, though. She did a great job of portraying a character I don't like.) I've always found Cameron to be manipulative and disingenuous, and her conduct in Lockdown was no exception. I actually resented the way she went through her litany of issues without saying a word about how her long-drawn-out schoolgirl crush on House impacted her ability to form another healthy relationship. It was fascinating to see how she ended (I guess we shall see - one might be excused for thinking it was a new beginning) her relationship with poor Chase exactly the way she began it - by initiating sex with no intention of following up with a relationship. Benefits - but not much in the way of friendship, IMO. I guess I could call her many things, but "inconsistent" is not one of them!
I agree with your assessment of what House's reference to Lydia meant, but I wasn't happy with the inference that she was the inevitable answer to "who was she?" - making her seem a more of a central figure, i.e., the lost love of House's life - than a meaningful encounter at a vulnerable time. IMO, Lydia was a classic "rebound" relationship - House coming back to life, open to the overtures (no pun intended) of a smart, witty and very attractive woman - and it didn't hurt that she was a musician, too. Had House witnessed someone else go thru the events that he himself did, I've no doubt that he'd have labelled it in exactly that way.
So yes, Lydia woke him to the realization that it's good to be with someone special, but I didn't like the way she was positioned as the possible cause of non-physical pain for House. To ascribe to her such pivotal importance in the face of two other women with whom he had/has incredibly profound, layered, conplex, and loving relationships, both past and present? No, even in spite of the current situation with Cuddy and Lucas.
Now if he'd continued the conversation to say that Lydia taught him that he has something to offer a woman, that someone else can actually like him, it would have been OK. But wait - that wouldn't have worked either, because she wasn't willing to leave her husband and family for him, and had never intended to. So to credit her with being the architect of his "change" didn't sit well with me at all. (In fact, after Broken I kinda wondered what House would have done if Lydia had demonstrated serious intent to leave her family for him. Might he have rejected her like he rejected Stacy?)
But then it occurred to me - his answer to Nash could easily have been a typical House deflection - hide the truth at all costs, even from a dying patient! In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think that's what he was doing. Otherwise it just doesn't make much sense to me.
The way House apologized to Nash for not taking the case (that scene brought tears to my eyes!) really brought home to me the reason that House goes out of his way not to see patients. What if he had to spend time with all the cases he'd refused, and they all "became people" to him. And he made the same heartfelt apologies! My goodness, can you imagine how torn up he'd get? Poor guy. Even though I don't generally agree with his approach, I can definitely see that for him, there's a real element of self-defense in it.
3 - Alex
I must have missed the part where winning Cuddy may be one of the driving forces in House's life right now and might help to keep him from backsliding. I need to rewatch this season.
4 - Zay
This episode was definitely amazing, but in a more subtle way. You really had to think about it to realize just how much was packed in that forty-three minutes.
Hugh, of course, did a great job with the direction - but that was to be expected. Each line was interesting, funny, and at times heartbreaking. Chase and Cam completely broke my heart but I feel like we finally got closure. Both Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer acted the hell out of that scene and it ended up being raw, awkward and utterly gorgeous. All the loose ends were tied up, it made sense, it rationalized Teamwork, and I felt a lot better about it. I really did.
Barbara, you were spot on with your analysis on House with that patient. Those were exactly the things running through my head too as I watched - but I could never say them as concisely as you, haha. I think the episode really sets up some good drama for House's character as we wrap up the season - the pain is getting worse, he's obviously still a mess, and there's five more episodes to go. My morbid side is excited.
Thanks for your review, as always, Barbara, because they have now become an inescapable part of the House watching experience.
Cheers!
-Zay
5 - barbara barnett
The way House apologized to Nash for not taking the case (that scene brought tears to my eyes!) really brought home to me the reason that House goes out of his way not to see patients. What if he had to spend time with all the cases he'd refused, and they all "became people" to him. And he made the same heartfelt apologies! My goodness, can you imagine how torn up he'd get? Poor guy. Even though I don't generally agree with his approach, I can definitely see that for him, there's a real element of self-defense in it.
Orange,
I've long contended that the hypersensitive House feels very deeply. I think the way he advocates for his patients partially comes out of his understanding of their suffering in a way that most doctors can't process (as odd as that sounds). But we've seen since "Euphoria" what happens when the patient is someone House knows (or gets to know). When he's gotten drawn in he loses a lot of his famous objectivity, so his approach as cold as it seems may indeed be self-defense.
I didn't see Lydia being cast as central to House by the conversation. I saw her as being pivotal and crucial to show House that he can connect; that he is human and can feel. In season five he could not bring himself to even ring Cuddy's doorbell: the result of several years' self-imposed exile from his heart. Lydia proved to him (and it could have been anyone who was able to see past the facade) that he could feel (and handle rejection). I'v also always seen House (as you know ;)) as someone who falls very deeply for someone. He doesn't take relationships casually and at this vulnerable time, his connection with Lydia was strong enough to bring tears to his eyes when they made love. So I can see the impact of that relationship (buy YMMV, of course).
I didn't read the scene as making Lydia the source of House's potentially psychological pain. I think he told Nash about Lydia as the beginning of the story as to how he can once again connect. If the link is more direct, you're right. It doesn't make sense.
6 - Nancy
As always Barbara's review is flawless and the episode itself even more so with Hugh directing.
I always enjoy reading the comments here and just need to add that this Lydia was there at a time in House's life where his judgment had to be impaired by the shock of what his body was going through in his stay at the hospital. I find it ironic that this episode was called "Lockdown" when if you ask me House was broken and in his own private lockdown in eps 1 and 2. I was happy that House found Lydia, but only because she was a physical release,really, for him and to make him realize to stop hallucinating about Cuddy and do something about it. Either approach Cuddy, as he has in S 6 about his real feelings for her or find another woman to have some kind of healthy physical relationship. Perhaps, in "Lockdown" the writers should have meant Lydia changed House in making him realize he could share physical intimacy. His plight is similiar to Chase and Cameron, sex, or intimacy is the only thing that they need from each other, not love.
7 - barbara barnett
the title "Lockdown" is so appropriate. Orange is right that each character pair is in their own emotional lockdown and each confronts his or her issues (or intends to) as the lockdown ends. Unlike last season's "Locked In," which ends with the beginnings of House's emotional meltdown, "Lockdown" occurs a year later when so much in House's life has changed. This encounter with Nash was an important step in House's growth and healing.
8 - Helen
Im not sure that Lydia was being portrayed as the reason for his emotional pain as such, shes part of it because since his connection with her in Mayfield she opened up a part of his heart that he thought was dead, she reminded him what it felt like to feel and now hes at a stage where he really wants that, he wants to love and be loved but its not working out the way he wanted. Hes hurting because hes seeking that connection, that fulfillment, hes not missing Lydia per se just what he found with her if you get me.
I found it interesting how he mentioned he was having a bad pain month, like the emotional problems are building up inside him and the last month as been particularly bad. Cuddys still with Lucas, seeking the connection with his real Dad, Wilson begining to look to his own future. All adding up to his increase in pain.
It makes sense he thinks of Lydia from time to time, he must consider Mayfield on a daily basis, she comes with that.
Great review Barbara, I loved the episode.
9 - RobF
The "random people locked in rooms" set-up is a cliché, but the writers clearly understood that and simply got to the business of examining the characters. It was nice to see the mechanism (missing baby) dealt with as quickly as possible, so we could get to:
1.) House and rejected House patient. I think most of us would agree that Hugh Laurie was born to play Dr. House, however this is one instance in which he was not the best actor in the room. That was very wise, as the material could have been melodrama in the wrong hands. As it was, David Strathairn did a marvellous job of bringing some truths about House into plain view. He understood that House is addicted to using narcotics to blunt his suffering, and that the part of that suffering not controllable by ibuprofen is emotional pain. The interplay between them was fascinating, as House gradually transitioned from playing the part of House "I take maybe 1 of 20 cases" into finally being almost Wilson-like as he connected personally with a dying man.
2.) Taub and Foreman. This one was fun, but didn't really tell us much we didn't know. Foreman wears a responsible persona because he is insecure. Taub has an enviable, balanced personal and work life, but undervalues his functional, happy(ish) marriage. Would he really trade places with House?
3.) "Remy" and "James". This one was almost a throwaway, except for the moment when Thirteen pointed out that House is on the way to becoming the 4th ex-Missus-Wilson. Wilson's announcement that he is thinking of turning back the clock and trying to have a real relationship with his first wife is a brilliant move for the show.
4.) Pretty White Kids With Problems (on the WB). I thought this bit was largely a waste of time, as the two made sad faces at each other and had cutesy moments. I had missed Cameron a lot, and was very unsatisfied with the way she left. I am glad this episode dealt with that by having her admit that the problem was not House nor Chase being "toxic", but with herself. But it doesn't really matter unless she is going to be making regular appearances.
I don't exactly know how to explain it, but watching this episode was like that calm moment before a thunderstorm when suddenly you hear the rustling of the leaves in all the trees. I am very much looking forward to the rest of this season.
10 - Liz
This episode simply reminded me how great the show was in pre-Huddy times (sorry, I know you are major Huddy fans here). And thus, for me it was great that it's Lydia House loves. She was the one who touched his heart and made him want to change.
One thing striked me as evident though (and it makes me sad): the script sucks. Don't know what it is, but seems like the writers have lost their mojo in season 4 and are too busy looking for it to write proper storylines. That's the only way I can explain why they turned Cuddy into a character I love to hate, why they focus so much on the boring new team (is it just me I thought Taub/Foreman was simply silly, and not in the good way), why they ruined all the awesome character development my favorite character Cameron went through in the first seasons into (sorry for the wording) bullshit. While I can't wait to see her again, I really hope and pray that next time it will be a proper storyline not such crap like "Chase, I'm pregnant). Chameron is over, and it's good that way.
Anyway, as always it was refreshing to read a review from different ship's POV, so thanks for the insight.
11 - marjohn626
Barbara,
It may be noteworthy that House hasn't yet trusted anyone outside Mayfield to share his experience with Lydia, much less confess that it changed him. His secret is safe with the near death patient, so he exposes himself briefly and honestly.
He's been bunking with Wilson for months and hasn't hinted at such a revelatory relationship, not even during his mating dance with Cuddy. Had Wilson known about Lydia, he may have approached his counsel to House with more sensitivity to his vulnerable state.
No time now to get into all other corners of this ep (maybe later), but the short + sweet = Strathairn never disappoints.
12 - Barbara barnett
I agree it's significant that house has not likely shared his experience with anyone else. He's holding a lot inside right now: the feelings Lydia uncovered, how much he must be hurting wrt cuddy--and the increase in his pain.
13 - simona
First thoughts. I loved this episode so much...
“Interesting night” as Taub said. Initially I found this episode very difficult to decipher. BUT. After a re-watch it suggested me many thoughts, questions, partial answers, and of course the usual confusion that characterizes House. Furthermore House would not be House without uncertainties and unanswered questions. Thank God! I love it for that....
In this episode there are so many different situations and I want to start by the latin inscription engraved on the stone: “Omnes te moriturum amant” - precisely: everyone loves you when you’re gonna die. And, curiously, to give us this definition has been used precisely latin which is defined a “dead language”.
Reflection on death, intended as an end but also as a new beginning, is the thread of this episode. Death as a closure with the past, leave behind to meet the future. And the premise for this is the reconciliation with the past in order to begin the journey towards the future. In this sense I understood everything that happens in every different room. And above all I think that's the meaning of the House’s speech about Lydia: “she changed me” and now he can not turn back the knowledge he needs a connection with other human beings.
And focus on the room of House and POTW, how many interesting examples:
“H: I like being alone or at least I convince me....we suffer alone we die alone...........Tomorrow will be the same............”
“POTW: but yesterday could have been different”
House, eventually, gives the patient all that he would receive the same: support, understanding, closeness, compassion, freedom from pain and the feeling of not being alone.
And today is already yesterday than tomorrow.
14 - Laly
your review is very well done as always.
but Im sorry, I cant agree with you about the Lydia thing.
House thinks she changed him. but as he often says, intentions dont mean anything, only action speak for itself. and yes he is aware now that he wants more out of life and doesnt want to be alone but he hasent really shown that he is bale to or acted like he really wanted too. he's made a few attempts but he ramains our House playing games and not being real with the people who matter the most around him. even Wilson whom with he's made the most progress, he hasent shared anything inside his head. to think that TPTB gave this importance to a character he's had a thing with as opposed to Cuddy & Wilson who stood by him for 20 years...he knew he didnt want to be alone before, when he was with Stacy otherwise he would have never had this relationship.
Ive read maybe 10 reviews about this episode and about half the fans didnt remember Lydia. he was able to connect with her because she was not available, because they didnt have a past, because she did thing carefree of those around her. and she might be the only person he's met who he didnt even bother scrutinize like he does all the time with people.
all of this does not make sense to me.
we are told the hallucinations meant a lot and are very significant, then he has a 2 minute thing pants on chair styled with a married woman who he has the guts to knock on her door, then he deflects at the first confrontation with Cuddy post Mayfiled, then he chases her, admits he's always wanted her, and more and now they are trying to sell us that this L is his long lost love?
I dont believe for 1 sec that she is. and even if they only wanted us to feel that he is now more open and willing therefore hinting that he hurts about Cuddy and not being able to be who he wants to be all that thanks to Lydia, who is presented as ahis savior, well they made a poor job at handling it.
Im tired of making up excuses for their lack of sense and contunuity, tired of fires lit with no water pouring after, tired of always having every single event left unresolved, tired of never receiving things.
I know what show Im watching and I know it cant go well and get me what I want the way I want it but at least dont contradict yourself, dont ruin characters, and have the guts to show us how you can handle what you're afraid off.
sorry for all this ranting.
Im usually one of the optimistic but we only have a few episodes left and Im not feeling too pleased.
btw, you'll see House back on Vicodin by the finale for sure. you can bet on this.
15 - janine
@Barbara
I didn't even consider the thing about Hector, but I have noticed through the years that there were aspects of the House/Wilson timeline that just didn't quite match up. I do have to point out though, that I don't remember Bonnie saying that they got Hector as a puppy so that could work, if they had adopted an older dog from the pound.
I think the mention of Lydia is very significant. I don't think she is being credited as the reason for his lack of physical pain, as others said, but she made House realize that it is ok to let people in because even if they hurt you (as Lydia did) life can go on. I think House is using this to persue his relationship with Cuddy. He tried, as she rejected him in Known Unknowns, but he moved on and realized that if it is tryely ment to be, things will work themselves out.
My only complaint about this episode is that I feel like each story would have benefited from being the only sub plot. In other words, I think we could have gone a little more in depth with these issues if say the Chase/Cameron story had been the subplot of one episode and the Thriteen/Wilson the subplot of another. I could have easily spent this entire hour watching House interact with the patient. :)
Warning: Spoiler/Speculation Ahead
In a recent Ausiello blind item, we were informed that a character from a popular one hour drama with a rabid fan base will show up pregnant in the season finale launching questions of whos the daddy. I strongly have a feeling that this Character is going to be Cameron now. After all, we already know that she has been contractually guarenteed at least three or four episodes next season. To be honest, as overdone as the "ex returns pregnant" storyline is in TV and movies, I think it would be a perfect way to give Cameron her final proper goodby. Think about it, We would get to see a little more of Cameron and Chase dealing with their relationship and parenting (their children would be BEAUTIFUL) but we would have a plausable way to write Cameron out of the hospital. The viewers would know that she is at home and happy taking care of the baby. Plus, we could get some good pregnancy drama without the akwardness of writing in the child character later on (I still feel that the writers never quite know how to work Cuddy's baby into things)
16 - RobF
I don't think Lydia is really the number one lost love in House's mind; she's just the one he's willing to talk about. Even with a dying patient, he's not going to come out with all the humiliating details of his non-relationship with Cuddy. Even post-treatment House isn't willing to go that far when opening up about himself.
The "I had a fling with an exciting woman who changed my life and then disappeared" story is a lot easier to tell than "I was such an emotionally stunted self-satisfied jerk for so long that the woman I love is now living with an evil boy scout."
17 - janine
@RobF
I totally agree
@Barbara
I also noticed a few other discrepancies
Foreman says "i always talk too much when i'm stoned" but I was rewatching "Kids" the other day and Foreman tells House that he never did drugs
Also, you put the time of Wilson and House's meeting in 1991 or 1992, but I remember something last year in Birthmarks where House or Wilson said they met each other ten years ago (which, at that point would have ment that they met in 1998 or 1999). This is kind of the same discrepancy I had with Wilson's missing brother (who I'd still like to see again). In season one, Wilson said his brother had dissappeared nine years ago (1996 or 1997) but in The Social Contract Wilson said that his brother dissappeared while he was in Med school. This is impossible if House and Wilson met in 1991 because that would but Wilson as an undergrad, which he wasn't because he was at the doctors conference and unlikeley if they met in 1998 or 1999 because Wilson would still be interning and also not at a doctors conference. Although meeting in 1992 fits what House said in Known Unknowns "I haven't been to a US medcal conference in over fifteen years".
Its a good thing the timeline is not an important factor in the overall show, but still, the writers need to brush up on their math!!!
18 - tara
About the House/Wilson timeline:
In Histories(S1) Wilson says:
"This was the last place I saw him, nine years ago. I don’t even know if he’s alive"
In the Social Contract(S5)
House:"You told me you saw your brother once. After he disappeared."
Wilson:13 years ago. I used to go to Princeton whenever I could..." and yes he says danny had dissapeared while he was in medical school. So it s all right i think, and in Birthmarks i remember Wilson says:
"I was fresh out of med school..." nothing about 10years ago. So if Histories is 2005 and the social contract 2009 the last time wilson saw danny is 1996.
19 - janine
thanks tara
maybe i read the ten years ago thing in a review or something that was incorrect because for some reason that number was in my head. I guess the timeline does make sense then. I forget that in season one, Wilson was refering to the fact that when he saw Danny in that spot, it was after he had left home.
20 - Delia_Beatrice
Barbara, excellent review on a splendid episode.
I fully agree with Orange, and with Barbara's answer to Orange. Nothing further to add here.
I only have one thing to say about Mr.Laurie's job as director: the episode was emotionally intense, but what made it special was that this intensity and drama were expressed in the most delicate and soft manner. His approach was gentle and loving towards all characters, and the way he shot the scenes shows his solid affection for the actors, as well. He brought out the best in every one of them. In regard to the characters, the episode focused (and i bet Hugh had a word to say in regard to the writing and the choice of situations) on the most human, vulnerable and lovable parts on the characters.
House was shown at his best, brave and sincere and vulnerable and caring.
Wilson was the very Wilson-quintessence. Thirteen's housian approach made her infinitely more likeable than her usual self.
Chase was vulnerable, sweet, troubled, yet masculine.
Cameron was vulnerable and sincere, moving past her usual "insane moral compass" and becoming more human and more real.
Cuddy was efficient and sharp, while trying to be supportive to the family, but she revealed her immense vulnerability when she found the baby.
Taub was more human than i ever saw him, looking in sad retrospect to his descending professional trajectory, and more noble than i ever saw him, with his final very housian gesture.
And Foreman was better than ever, i have never liked him much, and certainly never as much as i liked him in "Lockdown". The man can laugh contagiously, for God's sake!
One question on Cuddy and her issues with maternity: when the mother asks if she's a horrible person for thinking that she might love her adopted child less than her biological baby, Cuddy turns awkwardly and goes into the bathroom for tissues (and then she sees the extra towels - by the way, the manner in which she solved the mistery was very housian). It is uncharacteristic and strange and i wonder if she avoided the discussion because she still has motherhood issues. Perhaps she thinks that her initial difficulty to connect with Rachel was due to the fact that she adopted, or perhaps she still has guilt issues about not giving her daughter enough time and attention.
RobF: the "evil boy scout" is a terrific expression. I'll try to remember it:)
However, i wonder why House found it hard to talk about Cuddy in this particular situation. After all, the patient was in a supremely vulnerable position, he had opened his heart and spilled his most painful secrets, plus he was literally unable to tell House's secret to anyone. So why not make a confession?
This also brings up the fact that his "flirt with connection" (credit: Barbara) with Cuddy and the details and significance of his hallucination were never mentioned while in Mayfield, to Dr. Nolan.
I wonder about it, because he has clearly acknowledged his love for Cuddy to himself, so the barrier has now moved to the exterior. House spent a long time hiding his feelings for Cuddy from himself and the world, but after he finally addmitted it to himself, why try so hard to hide it from his therapist or a dying patient?
Barbara, i think you are right about Wilson building resentment - we have seen signs of it already (he seemed annoyed by House and angry at him for no good reason a few times this season - typical reaction for those who try to ignore their own needs and focus on others, and then their frustration bursts in the most unexpected and unjustified situations). I think his relationship with his first wife will provide an unfortunate territory for this to explode - i fear for House when this happens.
21 - Jaim
I liked the episode but felt a bit disappointed that more wasn't revealed about House. I thought that of all the things that could have been revealed, his emotions toward Lydia, was not as significant. I also wish that Cuddy's storylines weren't always centered on motherhood or children. 13/Wilson were fun to watch, but I wish we could have found out something real about 13. She is still a huge mystery. Chase/Cameron were the best part of the episode, in my opinion, because they finally were honest about all the crap they've been through. For the most part it was a strong episode, but I was left feeling as if I didn't really learn anything new that I already didn't know about these characters.
22 - Michele1L
RobF - love your description of Lucas as an 'evil boy scout'! Perfect!
Delia_Beatrice - I hope Wilson's involvment with his ex leads to House's return to his own condo. It's time for House to go home. Wilson is great for House, but House living in Wilson's condo hasn't been great for me as a viewer. I think House's own condo is the perfect illustration of his character -- so, I hope you're right and that the fireworks send House back home to play his piano. I miss his time alone in self-reflection and his playing of beautiful music.
By the way - despite, in my opinion, "Lockdown" being the second best episode of the season so far, "Broken" the first for me, HL's directoral debut on "House" is, unfortunately, the most least watched episode since Season 1. That's what happens when a network constantly disrupts a season with reruns not worth re-watching. There was entirely too long a wait between first-run episodes. One can grow tired of the wait and change the channel to CBS. I'm please to hear there will be no further interruptions.
23 - Janine
@Michele1L
you're absolutely right, the amount of reruns this season were rediculous. I felt they were worth rewatching, but some episodes have re aired three or four times already on FOX, and not very many announcements were made on television as t when the show was comming back unless you were watching an episode for the fourth time in six months (and as much as I love HOuse, i can't watch the same episode that many times in such a short time span).
It is clear through tv by the numbers (which shows ratings bythe half hour) that many people didn't know the show was on. At 8 the ratings were only around nine million but a 8:30 the ratings were over 11 million. No reason for a jump that big in a show that is pretty hard to pick up on from the middle unless people did not realize that it was on.
@Jaim
I agree that while the episode was great I wish we could hve learned more about House. I still think the Lydia thing was significant though, and I don't really see why there is such a problem with her in the fan base. The writers were not trying to pass her off as his long lost love. He was just saying that by connecting with Lydia at a time when he was vulnerable and bouncing back after she left, he learned that it is ok to trust people and let them into your life because even if they leave you, you will still have had the experience of being loved or at least connected to another human being. I don't consider this story a discontinuity, as someone earlier said, with the Stacy story because we know that even when he was with her, he had trouble letting her in and pushed her away (this was said several times in the arc, most poigntly in "Need to Know")
@Layle
I think the reason the writers gave the oppurtunity to Lydia of making House open up is to show that House finds it easier to trust someone he just met, who doesn't know him or his past, rather than someone he knows better. This theme was actually explored throughout the season, in "Remorse when House chose to appoligize to the old Med school student rather than WIlson or Cuddy and again in "Private Lives" through the patient who told more to her inernet friends than real people, paralleling House in some ways. Also i agree House will end up taking vicoden again before the seasons end, but I also know Andre Braugher will be making another guest appearance in a May episode so I have a feelig that even if he relapses, he will seek help.
24 - Janine
@Delia_Beatice
just because the sex hallucination was not mentioned on screen doesn't mean it wasn't said to Dr. Nolan, especially since that was the basis for House's admitance. The writers probably just figured that since the audience saw it happen, they wouldn't waste time rediscussing it and would move on to showing House's healing
25 - cj_housegirl
I really, really loved the music in this episode. Hugh MUST have picked it although I'm sure Katie Jacobs helped. There were some beautiful pieces that really went with the scenes. I thought Hugh did a fine job directing. I totally agree with your light touch comment Barbara, which was absolutely needed because there were so many scene changes.
I loved this episode, funny, poignant, sad, and happy. I loved the pairings. Chase/Cameron, 13/Wilson, Foreman/Taub, Cuddy/Mother and House/Patient.
It was interesting to see a patient that House had turned down. If anything it allowed me to sympathize with Cameron's annoying habit of lecturing House on some of his patient choices. For instance, the porn star, the man on death row in S2, etc.
I mean this is an obviously gifted doctor and you can't help but ask should he really be spending his time helping a guy on death row? House's answer to Cameron was pretty definitive about what he thought of that stance. House's opinion is that non-medical issues can't enter into his decision.
Philosophy Ethics 101:
If you have limited resources and there are several people who you can help but you can't help all of them how do you choose? Do you not help any of them? If you choose to help 1 or 2, by what criteria are you choosing? First come, first serve?
House's answer: take the cases that interest him.
There are definite times where that seems selfish but really is it any less valid than any other method of choosing? No. He doesn't choose based on social status, gender, or race, it's based on the medical information that he gets and whether or not he is medically interested in that information.
Unfortunately, if you're one of the 19....
On top of everything else, I thought there were some pretty great ethical discussions underscored in this episode in all of the pairings.