It's heartbreaking — no pun intended — and House feels it. This isn't a case of House breaking all the rules to save a patient. It's about breaking all the rules to save a patient, fulfilling a man's desire to protect his son, and letting himself be part of an action that proves that sacrifice and love aren't always conditional. In one of his darkest, most ethically compromised moments, House is actually at his most optimistic.
Gabe struggles to come up with a final message for the son he hasn't seen in ten years. "Tell him... I don't know what to tell him." Personally, I think the heart speaks volumes.
Gabe asks a final question of House: what would House want his father to say to him? After warning Gabe that his answer won't help, House says: "I'd want him to say 'You were right. You did the right thing.'" Another mystery. Right about what? What thing? It's been pretty much exactly a year since "Daddy's Boy," so I suspect even vague answers won't be coming any time soon. And how sad is it that House wants to be right more than he wants to be loved?
I don't think House will be out of legal trouble any time soon, either. House pays Wilson back with a little armchair psychology of his own, prodding the oncologist about why he helped Gabe get his Sandwich of Avoidance. "I don't think my enabling is anything you should be complaining about," Wilson admonishes, before discovering his enabling has caused his bank accounts to be frozen as part of a police investigation. House points out they can't keep his money forever.
"No, they can keep it until I agree to help send you to prison for ten years." Pause. "You're getting dinner."
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.