” I’ve been popping pills for years, what changed?” House asks Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) as he tries in this week’s episode of House, M.D. to deal with his intensifying visions of Amber. So much in House’s life has changed over the course of this season, and with Kutner’s death, lack of sleep and medicating himself even further with Vicodin just to try keep the demons at bay, he seems to have only unleashed them — or rather her.
Here we are boys and girls, down to the last two episodes of the season. Hugh Laurie and Anne Dudek turn in Emmy Award-caliber performances once again “Under My Skin.” Wow! What a ride. House and his team try to treat a prima ballerina who collapses during a performance in New York. As her skin sloughs off due to an extremely rare antibiotic reaction, and she is in danger of losing her career and her life, House, too has his own thicker veneer stripped away, exposing him. The ballerina, at the prime of her career nearly loses everything: her love, her feet and hands, career, her very life to an STD — something she indirectly caused. Something for which only her lifestyle choices can be blamed: gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease, which she contracted from someone other than her boyfriend. (And then passed on to him.) And by the end of the episode, we wonder too whether House’s descent into madness has been at his own hands after years of Vicodin use (and refusing to seriously consider alternatives—except for radical treatments).
House, like the ballerina, is at a “turning point.” No longer functional as the prima diagnostician he has been, House is staying home, taking a personal leave day, away from where he can do damage to patients and colleagues. The entire episode, driven by Hugh Laurie’s tour de force performance is a breathless journey into House’s mind, his heart, and his soul.
What is it that we fear? The monsters that live in the closet, going bump in the night? What happens when those demons, who live in the dark recesses of our troubled pasts assert themselves, inserting them into our conscious thought. They are our fears, our terrors.
We think of our skin as being a tough outer layer, protecting us from things that would harm us from the outside. But in reality, skin is paper thin, nearly transparent: a fragile covering without which we would be exposed, raw and bleeding. So it is with our ballerina — and so it is with House.
House has taken a personal day, unwilling to insert himself into a new case, filled with self-doubt and remorse at Chase going into anaphalactyic shock at his bachelor party in “House Divided.” House is certain that he should have realized that the stripper he hadn’t seen for years used a strawberry body butter and that Chase is allergic to strawberries. (That in itself is being unreasonably hard on himself.) With Amber at his shoulder, goading, taunting and outshouting everyone else in the room, House doesn’t trust himself to do much of anything but sit in front of the television.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Manu
Best episode of the season, hands down.
I've been waiting for a little backstory on House and Cuddy for quite a while. She's the one who's known him the longest - and perhaps who best knows him - and yet we had nothing on their past but that one night stand they supposedly had. I thought the scene was real and honest. Lisa and Hugh are fantastic together.
Speaking of real, count me in among those who believe that hot make out session of theirs was real. It wouldn't make sense otherwise, in my opinion
Cameron... don't even get me started.
I also think we'll be seeing Amber again and I have to admit that her singing "Enjoy Yourself" had a whole David Lynch vibe to it. Simply brilliant.
I can not wait for the season finale - as well as your interview with Doris Egan.
Lovely review, Barbara.
2 - barbara barnett
There was so much to say, and I wanted to keep the thing under 3,000 words! I will have further things to say in the comments of course. The review was really my first impressions after two viewings :)
3 - nc
I think Cameron is just as guarded as House, but with far less willingness to understand why. She'll let herself get two feet from the altar with Chase and then back away. At least House doesn't get that close. I don't blame Chase if he runs for the hills instead of letting her indulge in that much ambivalence about her supposed beloved.
Given Fox's total willingness to use preview footage to mislead and misdirect, I can't tell what to make of the season-finale promo. Cameron in tears. Cuddy in tears. House boasting about his "conquest" like a teenager. Wilson shaking his head. I think the pill vial comes from the POtW's hand, not House's. No one looks particularly happy, do they.
I think everything we saw between House and Cuddy in 5:23 really happened to these characters. It wasn't hallucinatory or delusional. It was perhaps the most self-revealing moment they've ever shared. Whether or not it will go further is anyone's guess. My guess is that even if it eventually does, it will be two steps forward and three steps back, thanks to House's ambivalence about being known and being happy.
As far as I could tell, not only did the 5:23 "Huddy" promo contain footage which I believe did not air in the actual episode, but unless I'm completely mistaken, Cuddy's wearing the same shirt in some of the 5:24 promo's intimate moments that she's wearing in the 5:23 scenes. The color treatment of those scenes in the 5:24 promo seems to suggest they're recollected or something like that.
House is so darned good at doing what isn't good for him, and at refusing to do what's in his best interests, that it's dangerous to conjecture his next move.
It was very, very late before I could sleep, that was for sure. That episode stuck with me like glue.
4 - Phillip Winn
Wow, what an episode, and wow, what a review. The scene in which House and Cuddy race for the toilet was breath-taking and heart-breaking. As you said, the withdrawal was drastically compressed, apparently taking place overnight, but it lacked no impact for all of that.
Wow.
5 - Heather
I also noticed the parallel between the scene House comes to Cuddy in this episode and back in season two's "skin Deep." It amazes me how willing he is to open himself up to her unlike anyone else.
I don't think this was a hallucination at all...but I do think that the worst is yet to come as far as what House is going through right now.
There is so much to say about this episode, but certainly in my mind it was one of the series' best.
Wonder review.
6 - Marianna
i can't believe it! Manu, on the very first comment, you said EXACTLY what i had in mind: David Lynch! Creepy, dark, unearthly -simply mindblowing.
The bar scene is simply a work of art. As good as tv will ever be. The atmpsphere, the feeling, the acting. Anne Dudek's voice and posture - Hugh Laurie's eyes and voice, so charged with emotion.
In one word: FANTASTIC episode.
Barbara, thank you. 7 pages and i could go on reading you for another 7.
I'll rewatch it and probably come back for more.
7 - barbara barnett
nc--agree about Cameron entirely. Chase has some serious thinking to do.
Phillip--thanks! Laurie (and Dudek too)deserves every award in the book for this one.
8 - Wnkybx
Thank for the well-written review, Barbara! It was truly, truly wonderful. I am glad you got it out early so that the discussions can begin in anticipation for the finale!
I absolutely loved this episode. Lots to think about. I don't have too much to add since you already eloquently distilled the highlights of the episode for us.
Although I didn't find the POTW herself to be all that interesting, I found her situation, disease, and hospital course very nicely tied to what House is going through. You mentioned House's "own thicker veneer [was] stripped away, exposing him." I also saw the dancer's external unraveling of her epidermis to parallel his own internal unraveling. Although most of House's patients usually flirt with death during their hospital stay, I found this POTW's hospital course particularly messy, not only because House wasn't at the top of his game, but also because it reflected what a mess House's life is at the moment. When she ended up with near-necrosis of her fingers and toes from the dopamine (a common thing you see in ICU patients on vasopressors), I was struck hard by how both she and House are struggling to hold on to their careers, which define who they are. As a sidenote, I found it interesting that Taub took control of the patient and came up with a solution that worked, and I found it an interesting writing choice not to tell us exactly what the limb-saving surgery was.
Which leads to the interesting choice on the writers' part to have House list schizophrenia higher up on his differential on himself than Vicodin abuse. I think House was fixated on the schizophrenia diagnosis, despite its improbability, because it exonerates his choices. If he's truly schizophrenic, he didn't bring Amber's hallucination on himself. Schizophrenia occurs in 1% of the world's population, and it would just be his bad luck to fall within that 1%. It would have been an easy excuse to avoid real rehab, which would involve re-examining his life and his life choices as part of the program.
To the question of what Amber represents in House's mind: I always thought that House despised Amber on some level, maybe he saw the rougher elements of himself minus his soul in her ... she could be a manifestation of both guilt (as the obvious) and his own self-loathing. He genuinely seemed to like Kutner, and although he and Kutner did think similarly (and hence Kutner would be a great choice for his own internal differentials), House liked him too much for him to represent a part of House's mind, if that makes any sense.
Did House wake up from the coma, or is this all in his head, like in "No Reason"? I think he did wake up from the coma. Everything else, besides Amber, seemed too realistic; and the fact that we saw the ducklings thinking independently for themselves rather than as House's mental tools suggests that the events did occur outside House's mind. I would feel cheated if his attempt to detox was just in his head, and I would feel doubly cheated if his conversation with Cuddy was also just in his head. I would feel triply cheated if the writers recycled the idea of "an episode that occurred completely in House's mind" from season 2. He did seem too "okay" in the morning, status-post the initial detox phase, but as I have discovered repeatedly, we really have to suspend our medical disbelief for the sake of creative choices.
If the evening with Cuddy really did occur outside House's mind (and I hope it did), I am glad they laid out their feelings for each other. But as Hugh Laurie once said, "things are bound to go pear-shaped" in David Shore's world. I would suspect that Cuddy would be the one to shy away from a relationship at this point because now, when House is trying to get clean, would not be a good time to begin a romantic relationship.
A final note: I loved Wilson and Cuddy in this episode! Their support shows how deep their respective friendships with House is, and I love that.
9 - sjoes
Yeah, the scene in the restaurant with CTB starting to sing... WOW!. Great piece of writing that!
The detoxing and subsequent Huddy was contracted but maybe that's because these issues and Laurie's acting have become too big for a 45 minute time span. However, as you metioned, HL never goes over the top. He's taken TV acting up a notch.
10 - barbara barnett
That bar scene was incredible. The range of emotions that went through House in that short scene. And how creepy was Dudek singing that little upbeat ditty. By the end House was literally trembling with fear.
11 - sjoes
"A final note: I loved Wilson and Cuddy in this episode! Their support shows how deep their respective friendships with House is, and I love that."
Yes, indeed! The three musketeers. Great chemistry!
12 - barbara barnett
wynkbyx--I couldn't agree more regarding Wilson and Cuddy. They both came through for him so he was not left alone to suffer this by himself. Good comments.
sjoes--the whole episode was a master class in dramatic acting. He could not have been more perfect.
13 - sjoes
I've always admired Laurie's comedic timing and his tremendous screen presence especially as Stephen Fry's sparring partner. It took me 4 seasons to get used to and appreciate his House. Yesterday's episode convinced me of the man's huge range in dramatic acting. A master class in how to work the medium of a TV series indeed! Kudos.
14 - XJK
What an episode! Negative out the way first - I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who though the detox was incredibly short, and House didn't appear to be in pain in those last few moments when he walked Cuddy to the door - and he should have been in more pain than we've seen before. I've been wondering if I should read that as a sign that he's fallen deeper into his hallucination, or whether, as Barbara says, it's just television! It's just that it was so short that it was incredibly noticeable, and usually with House if something strikes you as being odd, there's usually a reason (I'm thinking of things like House's changing vicodin habits, and especially his limp which lets you know how bad a day it is for House - it wasn't really evident in this scene where he should be really struggling through the pain which, as Amber says, could stop him practicing medicine). I've not seen the promo, given their penchant for creating completely different episode from the clips I probably won't watch it, but it sounds like it was real... Let the speculation begin (without meaning to make a spec out of Lation, wherever he is).
Amber's reappearance in the bar absolutely blew me away, her rendition of "Enjoy Yourself" was chilling - especially following the wrist cutting in the DDx. Wow! What an insight into House's mind and deepest fears we got. Brevity aside, I agree with Phillip (4) that the detox scenes were heart breaking, his confession of his secret stashes is the one that stands out for me, Hugh giving a performance that took my breath away.
As for Cuddy's reveal that she went to House's class because she thought he was an 'interesting lunatic' even then; that, for me, wasn't a 'I've been in love with you for 20 years' confession. House was the most vulnerable he's ever been, and reached out to her for help - this act by the man scared of letting down his defences lead to Cuddy, who is much the same, reaching back, and letting him know how much he means to her by showing him a feeling from 20 years ago. Much safer than revealing a feeling from the present! That's just my take on it, it was a lovely scene beautifully acted.
All in all, a brilliant episode, huge kudos to the actors, especially Hugh, Lisa, Anne and Robert. And Hugh. I know I said him already, but seriously, making us Brits proud!!
15 - Luisa Borges
Hi Barbara and fellow commenters,
I was so blow away by this episode last night that I just couldn't go to sleep. And I'm happy to see that I wasn't alone in that.
My mind was like a roller coaster car, and as soon as I watched, I watched it again. Record of re-watchs in 24 hours for me (ended up with 4 so far).
"Tour de force" performances by Anne Dudek, Hugh Laurie and Lisa Edelstein. Give this people an EMMY!
The whole background on Cuddy and House was my dream come through. She audited his Endocrinology class and ended up becoming and Endocrinologist. He cheated off of her on a test (House who doesn't believe in cheating). I could just see the flirtation going on. And the way they both were in the scene, the looks, it was a trip down memory lane.
Another moment that caught my eye was in the bathroom when he sees the pill and Amber (or should I say himself) says to him "If you want the pill, just send her home. But you can't because that would be admitting defeat to her. Now, this is interesting. If you take the pill, you don't deserve her. If you secretly take the pill, you don't deserve anyone." That was just so telling of his feelings for Cuddy, of her role in his life and in his need to be whole.
I kept double taking: why didn't he pick Wilson, his "official rescue man" to watch him detox. Why Cuddy. I think, besides the obvious trust that he places in her, that her presence there would force him to go through with it, his need to not fail before her.
I'll be back for more. I want to read even more comments. Great review Barbara, thank you so much and great comments everyone.
16 - XJK
Forgot to say, thanks again for a brilliant review...
Flurry of posts since I started mine!
17 - Luisa Borges
Remembered two other things:
1) Second week that House was not the one to cure the patient. The team is stepping up to the plate, I liked Taub's tenacity.
2) I did suspend my disbelief on so many levels in this episode, that's how great it was. So things like ECT not being treatment for schizophrenia (but for severe depression), schizophrenia not being a valid option, you can't test Vicodin blood levels (or hydrocodone levels) but you can test Acetaminophen levels (the other Vicodin component) and high levels of those might cause liver failure, the rapid detox, the rapid insulin coma (takes about 15 min for most insulin types to kick in), and so on.
BTW I don't think House was hallucinating his involvement with Cuddy.
18 - Becky
Hi Barbara, LONG time reader, first time poster.
What a tremendous episode! I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. As a Huddy fan, I was so excited for "the" scene. I must say, I was a little disappointed based on what Fox released last week. But it was still amazing, nontheless. The entire apartment setting was so good between House and Cuddy...HL blew me away with the detox!
I was surprised upon reflection that the non-Huddy scenes spoke to me more than the Huddy ones! The bar scene...there are no words. I literally held my breath when he saw Amber. You can FEEL the pain in House! So heartbreaking!
To answer a few of your questions...I am convinced that the Huddy scene DID take place. The entire season finale would have to be in his mind too, since it's brought up so much. I have no doubt that tonight's episode was the highpoint for them for a long time. As LE said, House and Cuddy don't do happy...he WILL screw it up, she WILL put her guard up. It's how they work. I think Chase did the right thing in stepping back. Cameron is not ready to commit, and that's not fair to Chase.
Thanks for all the great reviews!! I LOVE reading your thoughts and feel it completely enhances my viewing of House :)
19 - nicole.o
My favorite episode of the entire 5 seasons, hands down! My only discrepency is that they made the worst of the vicodin detox only last one night. I helped detox my father from a horrible vicodin addiction two years ago that portrayal was not realistic enough with the time factor. He would not have felt goo enough to get it on with Cuddy, not even close.
I don't think they've given any indication that the sex was an hillucination. And next weeks promos don't look like it at all so I think we can luckily discount that as not true. I'm a little bummed they didn't show all of the huddy scene in the episode though. It cut short and looks like there will be flashbacks next week. I was do wanting to see the whole thing....bummer.
Nicole
20 - Stacey
This was definitely the best episode of the season, and not just because House & Cuddy finally got together, though that was definitely a bonus. ;D
21 - Stacey
Oh, and Lisa Edelstein needs an Emmy for this season, or I will be very angry.
22 - nc
Hey, XJK, did you notice that Cuddy said "an interesting lunatic _even then_"?
That's very present tense to me.
23 - Shaz
Great article as usual, I loved this episode, though slightly less than the previous one but only because the previous seemed to be more coherent . My thoughts:
- Amber: House's hallucination is supposed to represent his subconscious mind. House clearly believed Amber was the female version of him as he tells Wilson in one of the episodes that, in dating Amber, Wilson was in effect dating House. So who better to represent his subconscious than the closest person that represents him - Amber
- I don't think the House/Cuddy interaction in his apartment was a hallucination. But even if it was, House's subconscious chose Cuddy, not Stacy/Amber etc, to be the woman whom he kissed and took to bed. So even as a hallucination, it shows that House has deep feelings for Cuddy
- the Cameron/Chase interaction was strange - it was totally left field. It just seemed to be just there so that that mini-storyline could be developed further in the next episode. But for what its’ worth, I think Foreman was on the right track when he once eluded to the fact that Cameron is only ok to commit for short periods of time. She married her first husband knowing he had a terminal illness. The thought of a forever with Chase (or anyone else) scares her and she just wants out - whether she's conscious about this or not. I know this sounds strange when she seems to be doing the opposite, asking how anyone knows for certain that relationships can be forever. If you don't believe a relationship will last, you start off immediately on the wrong track
24 - Shaz
Oh one last observation. I think Cuddy has lied to House recently. In Birthmarks didn't she give him the injection that knocked him out so Wilson could take him to his father's funeral. She told him it was for bird flu or something similar
25 - Sara
"Even though he doesn’t want to, he will try when it gets too difficult to handle. In House’s state of mind, he believes that only Cuddy knows him well enough and is under his skin enough to help him through this: to say “no” and mean “no.” But someone who he trusts implicitly to see him in his deteriorated condition."
This is such an eloquent yet concise description.