House (to Gabe): Sorry. If I'd known he was going to be this annoying, I would have stolen Dr. Cameron's pad and Dr. Foreman's car. At least she appreciates my brooding melancholy.
As Wilson fills the role of food wrangler, trying desperately to get Gabe his sandwich, House offers up his privacy and dignity to Gabe in order to get the final answers he needs. The question Gabe chooses to ask is why did House become a doctor? He refuses the smart-aleck response, and rephrases: "Why work with people when you obviously hate people?"
Oh, good question, says Wilson's face. Slowly, reluctantly, House relates this story about living in Japan with his military father, and taking his friend to the hospital after an accident:
My friend came down with an infection and the doctors didn't know what to do, so they brought in the janitor. He was a doctor. And a burakumin — one of Japan's untouchables. His ancestors had been slaughterers, gravediggers, and this guy knew that he wasn't accepted by the staff. He didn't even try. He didn't dress well. He didn't pretend to be one of them. The people around that place didn't think that he had anything they wanted. Except when they needed him, because he was right, which meant that nothing else mattered. And they had to listen to him.This is obviously the first time Wilson's heard this story. Maybe the first time House has told the story. To him, it seems, dignity means never admitting vulnerability, keeping his raw emotions in a vegetative state. Yet that story reveals a lot about his vulnerabilities and emotions while raising even more questions about this man's rat maze brain. He's brash, he's egotistical, he's misanthropic, and he desperately clings to his medical gift because it's his pass into a world where he doesn't fit, can't fit.
It's a trade of poignant story for poignant story. Hearing Gabe's story of the fire that killed his wife gives House the clue he needs. While he and Wilson have assumed that Gabe hates his son, or is ashamed of him, or now that they know the boy accidentally started the fire, they think he blames him. But Gabe has a different reason for fleeing from his dying son. "I failed to keep my family safe. I couldn't save my wife. Now you want me to stick around and watch as I fail to save my son?"
Though the compiled clues of Kyle's genetic klutziness lead House to the final diagnosis, it's too late to save Kyle's heart. Since the young man is a serious alcoholic, a heart transplant is out of the question.
Gabe, whose reflexes have already started to decline, has an answer to that question, too. He wants to donate his heart. The one that's still beating inside his not-dying but soon-to-be-comatose chest. After a brief and not very spirited attempt to talk him out of it — I know we only have an hour here, but geez, this is a pretty monumental decision — House orders Wilson out of the room: "Maybe I don't want to push this 'til it breaks." And then he advises Gabe on slow, painful suicide methods that are most likely to result in a viable heart as Wilson goes to the casino to establish an alibi for House.
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.