Thanks for Playing

Ep3-12: One Day, One Room

2007-10-22T23:46:00.000+10:00

Sorry for the long break, things have been hectic!

This one is all about who you're stuck in a room with. House treats a girl who was raped... Not something he's very good at. There's nothing to treat, nothing to solve. But she wants to talk to him.

And the funny parts:

Guy running in a circle. What is it? Headache… Something burst... Sore ear... Nope, it's a cockroach! Ha, nice start to an episode. Straight into the clever House comments and attempts to avoid work. Then he runs off the park...

Cuddy turns the clinic into a game. $10 every time he treats someone without touching them. $10 to Cuddy every time he does touch someone. Well, at least it got House's interest. He's off and rolling... until he opens the door and sees a beautiful woman sitting on the bench. Hmm... $10 to Cuddy.

There are some very good scenes with House and the rape victim.

Hiccough guy wants a treatment...

House offered $50 to a father and son to leave, and he grabs them when they try to come back. The boy swallowed a magnet, and as he's eight years old:

House: Darwin says let him die.

The magnet is preventing imaging, so it needs to be cut out. House thinks for a bit, and then grabs a scalpel. What’s House doing? Surgery in the hallway... Threatening a boy with a knife... Nope, its metal, sticks to the magnet, and shows House the magnet is well into the intestinal tract.

Wilson and House discuss the rape victim. House doesn't know how to answer her questions. And poor old Wilson is tricked into trying to convince House to tell her the truth.

Wilson: It's a simple question. Has your life sucked? Tell her the truth. Tell her you were shot. Tell her...
House: She doesn't wanna hear the truth. She's looking for something. Looking to extrapolate something...
Wilson: She's looking to connect with you, and that's what's scaring the hell out of you. Tell her the truth.
House: There is no truth.
Wilson: Are we role-playing? Am I you? I don't wanna be you.

In the park:

House: Know why I come here? I sit, I watch, I imagine.
Eve: Sounds nice.
House: Imagine if one of them would break a leg.
House: Just one false step. One crack in the sidewalk.
Eve: You don't really.
House: I'm evil.
Eve: Evil people don't say they're evil.
House: Sounds like an easy loophole.

House can't resist drawing Wilson into his story while they're playing Foosball. House concentrates on the game, while Wilson looks up, interested in what House is saying... and House scores!

A very stirring episode, with some excellent funny bits to break up the drama.

House's Handheld Games

2007-10-01T17:27:00.000+10:00

House likes to entertain himself. Juggling, with his cane,
and video games. Here are some of the occasions he uses video games.

Ep1-03: Occam's Razor
House is trying to annoy Cuddy by calling her to the Clinic for every patient. He plays his hand-held video game to pass the time, and occasionally gives it to the patients.

Ep1-13: Cursed
House is passing time playing his hand-held video game. The patient's father walks towards the door, so house gets up and walks over to it, and locks it.

Ep1-14: Control
House is sitting with patient's secretary. Passes his hand-held video game to her.

Ep1-15: Mob Rules
House checks eyes, pokes toes, and uses his hand-held video game to play sounds next to patients ear.

Ep1-16: Heavy
Cameron: Then why aren't you watching TV? Or playing your damn Game Boy, or whatever else you have fun doing by yourself? Maybe I should just quit. Make it easy for everyone.
Ep1-17: Role Model
House interrupts foreman and patient with "Ohhhwww", while playing hand-held video game.
House: It helps me concentrate.
Ep1-18: Babies and Bathwater
Vogler: The board's meeting again this evening. Why don't you settle down? Play some Game Boy. Why don't you watch your soap? I hear they're firing the handsome doctor today, boy, that should be a good one.
Ep2-05: Daddy's Boy
House is in his chair, with leg on stool. Playing racing game on hand-held, he hits a wall and stops playing.

Ep3-04: Lines in the Sand
House plays his patient's (Adam) hand-held video game, and uses it to show "game over", to emphasise a point

Ep3-09: Finding Judas
House is lounging back, playing his hand-held video game. Wilson comes in, angrily. House looks like he wants to sty on the couch playing the game, but has a conversation with Wilson instead. Anything to take his mind off his leg. He makes a joke about needing a book to read, when he's got his hand-held video game. In other words, Wilson will be talking for a while, and it'll be boring.

Ep3-12: One Day, One Room
House is sitting next to the patient, playing what looks like a racing game
on his hand-held video game.

Game boys are good for other people too:

Ep3-04: Lines in the Sand
Severely autistic patient Adam - eats, sleeps, plays his hand-held video game

Ep3-19: Act Your Age
Jasper, whose sister Lucy has a load of symptoms that don't match her age, is playing a hand-held video game while Chase does a test on her sister.

Ep3-13: Needle in a Haystack

2007-09-18T22:13:00.000+10:00

Another post on one episode. This one has a number of parallel issues: the patient, a 16-year old gypsy who doesn't want to tell the doctors the truth. House is after his parking space, which has been taken by a new female researcher. I don't know what the American disabled act says, but his argument makes sense to me. Although harassing the new researcher, then making a bet with Cuddy probably isn't the best way to get it back... Or is it?

House is somehow even more hilarious in a wheel chair than with a cane (and he does a really good falling over scene when his cane snaps.. which has happened twice!). First he can't reach to put patient's files on a stack. Then he slides in snow and bumps his car, with a really mischievous, kid-playing-in-the-snow kind of look. Not to mention being monitored by Cuddy and Wilson,to make sure he doesn't cheat and walk... Why would he want to walk with a sore leg anyway? Well, how is he meant to get into the car and close the door? Wait... he solves that one already :)

House has some great names for Wilson, but this one takes the cake:

Wilson: Ah yes, if it isn't Dr. Ironside.
House: Ah, if it isn't Dr. I-Had-No-Friends-When-I-Was-Growing-Up-So-All-I- Did-Was-Watch-TV-By-Myself-Which-Is-Why-I-Can-Now-Make-Constant- Pop-Culture-References-Which-No-One-Understands-But-Me.
Wilson: That's my name. Don't wear it out.

Two puns in one go!

Wilson: So you're doing this even though you know you've got no legal leg to stand on.
House: Who needs legs when you got wheels. I'm gonna get that spot. No way Cuddy is going to gyp me.

Looking for your keys in the mailbox might be an act of desperation. Unless you find a toothpick in a colon.

Foreman shows Stevie a toothpick in a vial.
Stevie: That’s cool. I mean, not cool for me but… A lot of damage for something so small.

Of course, what would an episode be without a scene where House has to think on his feet, then jump to his feet, then run/limp over to Cuddy. Watching him "think on his feet" is very intriguing - I want to know what he's going to come up with this time. Something that makes Cuddy feel very guilty... Veni, vidi, vici

Metaphor Galore

2007-09-12T16:47:00.000+10:00

Ah, House and the metaphors (and similes). From Moby Dick to House having trouble thinking of a non-sexual metaphor. They're a very useful part of the show - without them, most people watching wouldn't understand what was going on. Especially me. And they're classic House humour. Not that they always make things clearer. Some of House's more obscure metaphors stump even his team and Wilson. And then one of them has to bite...

The metaphors usually refer to the show's patient, as the team try to figure out what's going on. House is usually the one confusing the team, but sometimes one of them rise to the challenge, like in Ep2-12: Distractions:

Cameron: His brain is like a waiter that's got too many...
House: Heyyy! I do the metaphors.

Only to be knocked back by House. But hey, he does them well! Like the murder scene metaphor in Ep2-19:House vs God. Simple, easy to understand, right? Well, as long as you know of the medical stuff he's referring to. But the metaphors are more interesting anyway. Some of his better ones:

Ep1-3: Occam's Razor
House: Hey! How you all doing? Interesting fact: every seven years it's a whole new you. Inspiring metaphor, huh?

Ep:1-10: Histories
Wilson: The something else is going to melt her brain.
House: Poach. Better metaphor.

Wilson tries to appeal to House through metaphors. Maybe it's catching. Comparing House to Moby Dick when he wouldn't stop chasing a disease in Ep2-17: All In was a classic (House wouldn't chase the whale, he'd convince it to be caught). Also great was the image of House as a cat in Ep3-14: Insensitive, when his curiosity about a Sepia patient gets the better of him. Is there a theme here? Obsessive and destructive...

Of course, the best parts are when House confuses not only everyone watching, but the team (and Wilson) too. That moment of silence, while they figure out who's gunna bite. Some apt House-isms.

Ep2-18: Sleeping Dogs Lie
House: Great battles kick up a lot of dirt. Obscure the battlefields so the generals can't see what's going on.
Wilson: ... So what are your orders, General House?

Ep1-17: Role Model
House: You know, when the Inuit go fishing, they don't look for fish.
Wilson: ... Why, Dr. House?
House: They look for the blue heron, because there's no way to see the fish. But if there's fish, there's gonna be birds fishing.

It's not always Wilson who has to take the bait, but he does tend to take one for the team.

There's so much more to show and tell about metaphors in House. But, this post is long enough. I'll visit the metaphors again.

As usual, thanks to www.twiztv.com for the transcripts.

Head-turn Epiphany and Aliens

2007-09-05T20:27:00.000+10:00

It's such a commonly used TV show action: someone stops, turns their body or their head, and stares into the camera, or at another actor, or at their boss's stomach. This will be a short one.

House has this habit, which is ok by me. Hugh Laurie does it well. I just thought I'd mention it. Especially since he tends to 'suddenly figure things out' from the most unlikely places. While drinking tea, cutting open a dead cat, talking about frying (or was it poaching?) a brain.

Also today: Ep3-2: Cane & Able! Aliens, great scenes, conspiracy, different DNA in the same person, and crazy medical metaphors. What more could you want. Including this scene:

Cameron: Is your leg hurting?
House: Is that question helping?
Cameron: You're leaning.
House: You're sitting.
Cameron: You're evading.
House: My head's hurting.

Alien abductions... Well, exciting stuff, hey? Watch the episode, and keep an eye on Hugh Laurie. He has some very well executed lines and actions.

The fisticuffs of House

2007-08-30T16:40:00.000+10:00

A slightly not-so-funny post about the various biffs House gets into. As much as he's into saving people (or solving the puzzle), he gets into a few tussles along the way. He even got shot in Ep2-24: No Reason by a mystery man who then invaded his hallucinations.

Friends and family of House's patients seem to hit House more often than you might expect.. or not as often, depending what you think of House. He was floored from a punch in the face in Ep1-11: Detox, when the father of his patient came charging at him. House had barged into the liver transplant surgery, after conducting a biopsy on a cat. Ep2-07: Hunting saw House aggravate another father, by insulting his wife, until he punched House. Then House whacked him in the stomach with his cane. A new meaning to "take one for the team"? Or House taking the Rubik complex to extremes?

House also gets threats, like in Ep1-13: Cursed, when a third father threats to punch after House grabs his arm and twists it... proving that the father lied, and the patient has Leprosy.

It's not all punches, though. Ep2-14: Sex Kills shows just why House should think about the patients more. They might sneak up on him, and knee him in the groin. Hard.
Well, House did jerk the poor guy around about his wife's condition.

These scenes do add a bit of variation on the action - rather than racing around with medical equipment all the time. But it is a hospital.

House can dish it out as much as he takes it. He worked up to the punches slowly - his first incident was in the clinic in Ep1-06: The Socratic Method, where he gets the patient to continually slap himself in the face. What more can be said?

Ep2-07: Hunting was quite eventful, as the patient also managed to be attacked by House's cane. They were in a tug-of-war over the cane, and House let go. The patient hit a nearby car, and collapsed.

House went crazy at Wilson during his hallucination in Ep2-24: No Reason, and punched him when he got fed up at Wilson trying to convince him running was better than thinking.

Chase has also been on the wrong side of one of House's punches. Just for getting in the way. House wouldn't listen to Chase in Ep3-09: Finding Judas, and it took a right hook for House to listen. Chase did push him quite a few times, but House shouldn't take his Tritter predicament out on Chase.

Somehow the 'Coma Guy' in Ep3-07: Son of a Coma Guy managed to convince House to help him commit suicide, so his son could have his heart. There is some heart in there somewhere. Wilson helped with the lighter side by trying to talk up a married woman in the casino. For an alibi...

On that note, the answer to the question from last post: What story does House give for becoming a doctor? He gets his inspiration from a character much like himself, except willing to do other work while waiting for a case. Here's House's explanation from Ep3-07:

When I was fourteen, my father was stationed in Japan. I went rock-climbing with this kid from school. He fell, got injured and I had to bring him to the hospital. We came in through the wrong entrance, passed this guy in the hall. It was a janitor. Friend came down with an infection and doctors didn't know what to do. So they brought in... the janitor. He was a doctor, and a buraku: one of Japan's untouchables. His ancestors had been slaughterers, gravediggers. And this guy knew that he wasn't accepted by the staff, didn't even try. Didn't dress well, he didn't pretend to be one of them. The people around that place, they didn't think that he had anything they wanted. Except when they needed him. Because he was right. Which meant that nothing else mattered, they had to listen to him.

Thanks to www.twiztv.com for the transcripts.

Flight into House

2007-08-24T17:09:00.000+10:00

This will be my first post all on one episode. It's one of my favourites from season 3: Ep3-18: Airborne. A middle-aged lady gets sick while engaged in... something. And House is getting on a plane. In a wheelchair. But still abrasive, so don't worry, he isn't going soft. There's $500 in House-isms right there. For some reason, House's team just doesn't give as many opportunities for laughs without House there. Apart from Cameron and Chase sniggering about their sexual activities - and Foreman's exasperation. Good old Wilson.. feeling sorry for House? Whatever next?

How does Cuddy tolerate House... sends her back to economy class, then sends her upto First Class to a sick passenger. And a possible infectious disease. Seems like a bad time to be arguing with Cuddy. Not to mention the look around the chair. Ha!

House: "I need help."
Cuddy: "Who doesn't!"

The passengers are great stand-ins for the team... although not so helpful on the medical side. The kid taking the place of Chase is excellent - "Crikey, mate", just agree with House.

The Helluuooo on the phone is classic House. Preface bad news with a joke. This whole scene is great, so I'm just gunna post the transcript and comment:

Kid: What's "extension pastoring"?
House: It's when you're molested by a priest's cousin. (Ha, witty and dirty. Devil's dictionary anyone?)
Cuddy: Do we really need these three?
HOUSE: Worried they'll make you look bad? Could be symptomatic of head trauma, cerebral infarction or intercranial haemorrhage. Thoughts? (He needs help.. yes, but of a different sort.)
...
House: Clog or leak? (Probably talking about blood, but what do I know about medicine?)
Man: Errr... you're talking of toilet? (That'd be my guess)
Cuddy: House, is this actually helpful?
House: Not so far. (Surprisingly. Although the kid has his insights)
...
Cuddy: We're flying out of Singapore. If he has a credit card and a condom, he can get anything he wants.
Woman: Eww.
House: Condoms. (The look on his face! It's part glee, part epiphany and part wonder)
...
Cuddy: You think he's a mule.
House: I think he's a jackass. We're gonna have to operate.(Ah, that wit. Yes, operate on a plane, make the story more unbelievable. Why do jackasses get such a bad reputation?)
Kid: Cool.

The parallel operations (that don't happen) and then Lumbar Punctures are quite indicative that the standard story structure is still present. Even on a plane, they can be wrong multiple times, yet still get to the answer and save the patient. And House does it by himself. House's team and Wilson have similar troubles on the ground.

House asks the flight attendant if she's handicap accessible at the end, with a smile at Cuddy. Even grumpy old House can flirt with the ladies, if rather crudely.

This post's question: What story does House give for becoming a doctor? He gets his inspiration from a character much like himself, except willing to do other work while waiting for a case.

What, no applause?

2007-08-17T19:20:00.000+10:00

It's one of the more amusing of House's past times. He likes to do something while thinking... he'll walk around in circles (possibly with Wilson in tail), watch TV, play his handheld games (where did it go in the later seasons)?

Or he'll juggle.

The perfect opportunity for Chase to suck up, like in Ep2-15: Clueless. House is juggling three random objects.... and catches one behind his back. Chase goes to clap, but relises Cameron and Foreman aren't. Ha, it was worth a clap. Even one from Chase. House/Hugh Lourie can juggle! That's always worth a clap.
Speaking of juggling... who says House is all jokes and drama. There's science in the drama... somewhere.

HOUSE: If it wasn't for Socrates, that raving untreated schizophrenic, we wouldn't have the Socratic method - the best way of teaching everything, apart from juggling chainsaws.

Without Isaac Newton, we'd be floating on the ceiling.

WILSON: Dodging chainsaws, no doubt.

Gotta love it. Let's see House juggle chainsaws. Or maybe not. He can just talk about it in Ep1-6: The Socratic Method. How about just answer the phone while juggling... with one hand. House can be a bit harsh. In Ep2-3: Humpty Dumpty, he juggles one handed. It's apparently also possible to yo-yo one handed. Not the most useful ways to earn a living with one hand.

If I've missed any juggling, just leave a comment.

And the answer to Aug 13 Question:
Which episode is the reflection of House's face that's used in the credits at the start of each episode shown? And what does he say?

It's in Ep1-1, the pilot. House is looking at an image and says: "the small green thing in the middle of the bigger blue thing is an island." Nice medical description.

von Lieberman

2007-08-13T20:53:00.000+10:00

This guy's name is Weber, not von Lieberman
I call him Weber von Lieberman. Way eviler.

Just had to make a quick post about Ep2-12: Dustractions. The lecture bit is great! Well, not for von Lieberman.... Weber. It's fun for Wilson.

You going to wait til he bends over then make a fart sound?

Heh... House cheated off Weber. He got the answer wrong. Wilson can't seem to decide whether he should just let House charge on and enjoy it himself, or keep trying to stop the inevitable.

His comments are great fun. Hmmm.. yes, bowling's more fun than stalking. But House is better at stalking. Doesn't have to use his leg. Although a plasma TV does sound good. But if House doesn't want it, I'll have it. He can buy it. Wilson's face when House speaks Hindi is classic. Either he can learn languages in a day, or he's obsessed with obsessive stalking.

House does make some good points about who 'hails it a breakthrough'. The lunatic does indeed need a new hobby. It turns out to be self-induced migraines. Which Wilson exploits to full potential, by dropping cutlery in the sink. Ouch. The House-Wilson banter is a great thread through the episodes.

Dr Jekyll, I presume? They found a half-eaten sheep in the zoo, police want to ask you a few questions.

(A grateful nod to the people at TwiztTV for the transcripts)

Here's the Game

2007-08-13T20:01:00.000+10:00

Welcome to Thanks for Playing, a blog about the funny side of house, and the various themes, in-jokes and scenes that make it memorable. I hope you find it entertaining!

First of all, why the name? Well, if you're a House junkie (is tv better or worse than Vicodin?), you'll know where it's from. If you're not... it's a phrase House likes to use when he's playing with patients, or jerking his team around. Usually accompanied by a smirk. And a groan from the victims.

The particular scene the inspiration comes from is in Ep2-18: Sleeping Dogs Lie. An Asian girl and her mum are in the clinic, the girl translating. She sets off on a spiel about her mum's problems... and House asks if her mum said "super depressed". He quickly diagnoses the woman - it's a URI. Upper Respiratory Infection. The girl walks right into the trap. And keeps on with the game.

House: "I also think she's got a problem with S-A-C."
Girl: "S-A-C?"
House: "Thanks for playing." (with a smirk) "Stupid American Child"

He's having fun, but teaching too. Direct, but not too mean. Nice scene. Goes with the tricks to get clinic visitors to get health insurance (Ep 2-08: The Mistake). They're not as jokey.

Next: why do I want to talk about this? Because I can't understand the medicine. If you want medicine, there are some other blogs on housemd-guide.com that deal with the medicine. I also recommend politedissent.

My main goal is to highlight and explore some really good scenes, themes and hilarious moments in House. I'd also like to know what other people think. Yep, I want comments!

And last, but not least, I like watching House. I'll assume you know the main character's names. If you aren't sure, there's a whole section of this site dedicated to the main players. I'd recommend starting there.

Lastly, thanks to housemd-guide editors for giving me a blog!

Cofie

Oh, by the way. I'll ask a trivia question from time to time. Answer in the comments, if you like. Today's question: Which episode is the reflection of House's face that's used in the credits at the start of each episode shown? And what does he say?

Welcome to our New Blog

2007-08-13T06:02:00.000+10:00

The editors of House MD Guide welcome our new blogger and the subject: The Lighter Side of "House". We look forward to reading this. --- House MD Editors