House has finally returned to Fox's schedule after a month of baseball, and the four-episode-old season is looking consistently fine so far, with another great one showing some creativity within the constraints of the patient-of-the-week platform.
Dr. Sebastian Charles (guest star Ron Livingston, Sex and the City, Office Space) is an expert on tuberculosis who not only works tirelessly in Africa treating the stricken, but campaigns at home for more funding and supplies. When he collapses at a presentation to a pharmaceutical company, he self-diagnoses TB, then refuses treatment in order to bring attention to his cause. Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) takes an instant, vicious, and hilarious dislike to the man, who takes control of the differential diagnosis meeting, dismisses House's belief that TB is not, in fact, the question, and calls a press conference in his hospital room while demanding to be treated like a third-world TB patient.
David Foster, the doctor on the House writing staff, wrote this tale of two equally arrogant doctors, and again uses the nice touch he used in last season's “DNR” of referring to House's foil by his first name in a show where the doctors rarely are. It's one little sign that Dr. Sebastian Charles is more accessible, more likable, and also that he's more concerned with appearing more accessible and likable than the guy whose best friend calls him House.
The episode explores the concept of whether appearance is reality: is what appears to be TB really just TB, is a man who appears to be a hero really a hero, is one who appears to be an ass really an ass?
The two men are not polar opposites. Sebastian isn't a saint, nor is he simply House with a social veneer and a global cause. Their vices illuminate the other's virtues, and vice versa (yes, bad pun intended – I'm inspired by the title of the episode). Sebastian's brand of altruism is leveraged into corporate sponsorships and press conferences while he saves thousands but sees millions more suffer. House's altruism is in not caring if anyone is looking while he saves a life a week. Both could be said to have selfish motivations – personal glory, in Sebastian's case, and the satisfaction of solving the puzzle, in House's.
Article comments
1 - Julane
Deekay, I just want to say how much I love your comments about last night's terrific House episode. Thanks! I will check out your other stuff.
2 - JELIEL
The cat joke was the funniest one on the show.
3 - Brent McKee
Best scene, a little self parody: Foreman and Wilson sitting in the comatose patient's room eating and watching House break up the news conference. Wilson turns to Foreman and says "Compelling television."
4 - deekay
Thanks, Julane! And yes, I agree, Jeliel, even if my cat doesn't. Loved the return of the coma guy's TV, too, and that whole scene. A nice, light episode compared to some of the heavier stuff we've seen this season, and that's what I was in the mood for after a month away.
5 - Nancy
Have yet to watch, but nicely done!