False advertising. I see a title like "Son of Coma Guy," I see John Larroquette is guest starring, naturally I think the always-entertaining Night Court alumnus is going to be the son of House's recurring Coma Guy. Instead, the title is blatant false advertising. This episode, as House would be the first (and probably only) person to point out, is really "Son of Vegetative State Guy." (Did you know there was a difference between a coma and a vegetative state? All these years of watching medical shows and no one told me.)
"Son of Coma Guy" does open with a special treat for fans of Coma Guy, though — a whole roomful of coma guys and coma girls. Sorry, vegetative state guys and vegetative state girls. Is it sick and wrong to think a roomful of coma patients is funny? And is it bad to be sick and wrong?
In any case, Larroquette is one of the roomful, and House is multitasking by not only enjoying a Reuben in his vegetative company, but enjoying a lecture from Wilson on the importance of not forging a narcotic script on your only friend's prescription pad, and sitting in wait for Vegetative State Guy's son Kyle, who had exhibited suspicious symptoms last time he visited.
House performs a cool trick of turning the lights on and off and — no, that wasn't the cool part — seeming to disappear, since we momentarily get Kyle's addled point of view from frequent House director Dan Attias. The doctor's mission is accomplished when Kyle has a seizure and falls into a coma. Like father, like son. "God, I love this family!" House exclaims.
Except Gabe's coma was a result of him racing into their burning house in a failed attempt to save his wife after first saving his son, and except for the not-waking-up thing, he's pretty healthy. Kyle's pre-existing symptoms, followed by the House-induced coma, are followed by liver and kidney and heart failure.
While Kyle is the patient of the week, it's his dad who steals the show, and this John Larroquette-Hugh Laurie show is worth more than the price of admission. In a plot borrowed — with credit — from Awakenings, House gives Gabe L-Dopa to revive him from his ten-year slumber in order to quiz the man, since he suspects a genetic link in his alone-in-the-world son's condition. With this amount of fun involved, he doesn't even send Cameron in to get the family history. Before Cuddy can stop him, he miraculously awakens Gabe, who at first makes House seem sentimental by asking for a steak before asking after his son.
Wilson: "Rumour in the cafeteria said caustic guy was waking up coma guy."
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
Diane, I now consider reading your writeup as part of my weekly House experience. This one must have taken awhile. Very well done.
I have to admit: I did not pick up on the parallels between Tritter's questions and House's questions. Naturally, "everybody lies" rang a bell but the rest of it... that's pretty good.
This episode goes into my Top 5 of all time. John Larroquette is woefully underappreciated. He was fabulous.
2 - Jewels
Thanks for the detailed write-up - I missed "House" last night, but reading this makes up for that. It's one of my favorite shows and your commentaries help fill in the blanks.
3 - Diane Kristine
Thanks both ... I kinda feel bad for spoiling it for you, though, Jewels, even though you don't!
DJ, yeah, great episode, and John Larroquette was great. I have to admit, the connections between Gabe and House's questioning and Tritter's questioning weren't quite as obvious as I made them out to be - the most glaring one was the Chase power thing, which made me realize the Cameron one tied in, too, but it wasn't quite like they cut directly from one to another.
4 - Brandon Valentine
Ditto to DJ's comments!
Diane, your thorough recap and analysis on each show is greatly appreciated. House is my "can't miss" show of the week, and the same can be said about your article.
5 - Joan Hunt
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
6 - Phillip Winn
Simply fantastic: both the episode and your recap. I can't see the end of the Tritter plotline yet, but I'm pretty sure it'll have something to do with the creepy similarities between Tritter and House. Tritter falls ill with some dread disease and only House can save him? That'd be too easy, even if House somehow *gave* him that disease.
Larroquette was amazing. And yet, I agree that killing yourself to donate your heart speaks louder than words.
7 - Bliffle
The janitor/doctor is, like House himself, an allusion to Philoctetes, the archer whose skills were required to take Troy, but whose stinking wound made him a social outcast. And Tritter is Jean ValJeans nemisis. It's good to see these literary allusions because they remind us of eternal themes in the human condition.
8 - Vikk Simmons
Watched the episode and read your post. Enjoyed both. Great writing.
9 - pdesr
Great column, great perceptions!
I admit waiting for this episode with more anticipation than most. I have always admired John Larroquette’s skills as an actor, and I was not disappointed. As has been mentioned, I too, wish he could have a re-occurring character, the chemistry was excellent, few people have the presence to compete with House in a scene.
As for Tritt, I believe his downfall may be as simple as someone showing him that he is no different than House. He views himself as a “good guy”, but he is just as big a bully and just as self-centered as House Iin wanting to get his own way.
10 - jim Littleton
I love your House commentaries!
Could you pick up why, if the ragged-red fibre disease was from Kyle's mother and her family, why did John Larroquette's character not see the can being thrown to him?
11 - Diane Kristine
Thanks! Jim, it wasn't that he didn't see it. It was a contrast to when he caught the car keys earlier, and a sign that his reflexes were slowing down, the L dopa was losing its effectiveness, and he was running out of awake time.