House 3/28 - OPEN SPOILERS [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board

Rachael Rage

03-28-2006, 09:04 PM

Whoo - pretty good show! I've only seen one other full episode and part of another one, and I have a question. Does the show always follow this pattern?

- Doctors, baffled by patient's illness, bicker over possible diagnoses.
- House comes up with some way-out theory that everyone else scoffs at.
- After initially seeming to be wrong, House is eventually proven right.
- Other doctors shake their heads in a "that darn House" sort of way.

Not to say the formula doesn't work, but seems like it would get boring after a while...

Snooooopy

03-28-2006, 10:00 PM

Larry Borgia

03-28-2006, 10:14 PM

Soooo,

Why was she trying to kill her husband?

annieclaus

03-28-2006, 10:16 PM

Soooo,

Why was she trying to kill her husband?

Inconclusive. We never learned WHY! Only that she WAS.

Wile E

03-28-2006, 10:39 PM

Inconclusive. We never learned WHY! Only that she WAS.

I think we can only conclude that she's ... what's the technical term? Oh, yeah, Fugging Nutz!

I thought it was sweet how House decided to let Wilson stay in a roundabout way. But was it because he likes Wilson or he likes his food?

Mehitabel

03-28-2006, 10:45 PM

Well, the only thing I'll remember is the juggling.

And Cuddy being in a 3-way. Yikes.

Wile E

03-28-2006, 11:19 PM

Well, the only thing I'll remember is the juggling.

And Cuddy being in a 3-way. Yikes.

Oh yeah, the juggling! I think they were all impressed,I expected them to applaude. When House asked "what, no applause?" I really think Chase wanted to clap.

AuntiePam

03-28-2006, 11:51 PM

I liked that college-university commercial with the bloodletting. :)

Larry Mudd

03-29-2006, 12:10 AM

I thought it was sweet how House decided to let Wilson stay in a roundabout way. But was it because he likes Wilson or he likes his food?Do you have to ask? That wasn't sweet -- that was House. :D

I thought it was odd at the beginning how everyone was privy to the details of the sex that Dick and Jane were having.

I mean, they looked reluctant to admit that the exertion in question was sexual in nature, and in the next scene it's common knowledge that they were indulging in rape fantasy roleplaying?

I'd like to have seen the parts that were left out:

"Oh, you were getting it on, eh? How, exactly? Leave nothing out. This is important."

vivalostwages

03-29-2006, 12:11 AM

Another good line: "Stuffed with what--vomit?"
And: "Damn--I was hoping it was Miyagi."

So House will keep Wilson around just because he likes the way the guy cooks. I love it.

That role-playing stuff at the beginning creeped me out.

DanBlather

03-29-2006, 02:23 AM

And Cuddy being in a 3-way. Yikes.I missed that.

OpalCat

03-29-2006, 03:17 AM

Anyone notice on the tv what other stuff House had recorded? Spongebob (haha) and Blackadder (nice and subtle).

Improv Geek

03-29-2006, 06:53 AM

I missed that.

It wasn't Cuddy it was Misses Hotpants, Cameron.

h.sapiens

03-29-2006, 08:38 AM

Anyone notice on the tv what other stuff House had recorded? Spongebob (haha) and Blackadder (nice and subtle).

I was hoping to be the first to mention the Blackadder listing. There were also some episodes of "The O.C.", but that's not surprising. House loves the soap operas.

GraceTX

03-29-2006, 08:48 AM

I missed the second half of House. How was the wife poisoning the husband?

Eleanor of Aquitaine

03-29-2006, 09:04 AM

The doctors on the show are developing a disturbing trend toward searching the residences of their patients WITH the patients' permission.There has also been a lamentable lack of seizures. In the first season you could count on the patient having a seizure at the bottom of the hour.

Nice diversion with the wife sneezing at the beginning. It's a game with us during the opening scene to try to guess who's about to fall out.

I think that's the first tracheotomy they've done.

I can't believe I missed the Blackadder listing!

gigi

03-29-2006, 09:11 AM

I missed the second half of House. How was the wife poisoning the husband?
House suspected heavy medal poisoning. Her mom had arthritis and wife was taking the arthritis meds, which had a gold compound in them, and feeding the gold+ to hubby. House catches her by holding another solution that reacts with gold against her unwashed hands, which turned purple. He had told Cameron not to let wife go to the bathroom, so she wouldn't wash her hands. "There's a problem with the water throughout the hospital; none of the bathrooms are working."

gigi

03-29-2006, 09:14 AM

Nice diversion with the wife sneezing at the beginning.Yeah, I obsessed about that the whole episode!

That role-playing stuff at the beginning creeped me out.I kind of caught on to that pretty quick so it wasn't too disturbing. If you were really being attacked, you would run like hell, not take a moment to check on your attacker.

Cluricaun

03-29-2006, 09:32 AM

Nice diversion with the wife sneezing at the beginning. It's a game with us during the opening scene to try to guess who's about to fall out.

It’s almost to the point where 6 Feet Under had gotten to, where they run it around so much you can’t possibly guess what’s going to happen to the person in the beginning, or even that it’s that person it’s going to happen to.

Improv Geek

03-29-2006, 10:00 AM

by the way, the thread is labeled open spoilers...

5que

03-29-2006, 10:19 AM

Why did Cameron give House the money at the end of the episode? Did he bet her it was heavy metal poisoning? I must have missed that part.

And did that guy with Herpes really cheat on his wife or not?

RealityChuck

03-29-2006, 10:37 AM

IIRC, the bet was whether a good, happy, long-term relationship could exist.

As for the guy with herpes, yes, he cheated. The fact that he latched on to a lame excuse indicated to House that he was lying -- he was looking for an out.

Though, as my wife pointed out, maybe it's the wife that cheated and he's in denial and looking for anything to prove it wasn't so. The wife's actions indicated the case in the show was otherwise, but House could have been wrong.

jali

03-29-2006, 10:53 AM

What all you guys said and "great episode."

Improv Geek

03-29-2006, 10:55 AM

I almost forgot to mention that I loved the image of House shotgunning the energy drink. I just hope he doesn't have to do that before going into surgery or something ;)

h.sapiens

03-29-2006, 11:02 AM

I almost forgot to mention that I loved the image of House shotgunning the energy drink. I just hope he doesn't have to do that before going into surgery or something ;)

Fortunately, House rarely performs any actual medical procedures himself. That's why he's got Chase.

I enjoyed the exchange between House and Wilson's maid about the box.

Maid: What kind of box?

House: A wooden box!

Maid: You mean the chest?. The one that's under the bed?

Improv Geek

03-29-2006, 11:10 AM

Yeah, that's true.

The maid is an interesting dynamic. His solitary home is suddenly going to be drastically different. He's living with his best (only?) friend and the den of mess and chaos is suddenly clean. I suspect we'll see more clips of his home life now that there will be people to interact with.

I'm glad to see Wilson is on his feet. I loved the interaction over blowing his hair dry. "You blow your hair?" "Yes, some people care about how they look." YOU... Blow Dry... Your HAIR?!" hehe

AuntiePam

03-29-2006, 11:41 AM

So did the wife continue to poison her husband when he was in the clinic? I didn't see him eat anything. Would he have been eating with a trach tube in his throat?

Indyellen

03-29-2006, 11:50 AM

So did the wife continue to poison her husband when he was in the clinic? I didn't see him eat anything. Would he have been eating with a trach tube in his throat?
<ENT knowledge on>

You can eat with a trach tube just fine once your throat heals in general. As long as you have no other swallowing disorders, you just have to occlude (block) the tube.

</ENT knowledge off>

My only medical disbelief-suspension was having them do a trach while the patient was still seizing. That's a *very* precise procedure, doing it on a moving patient would be next to impossible.

However, I *was* impressed with the fact that they remembered to have the patient block the tube to talk.

Skald the Rhymer

03-29-2006, 12:16 PM

Soooo,

Why was she trying to kill her husband?

They didn't say,

but I figured it was Munchasen's by Proxy.

jsc1953

03-29-2006, 12:57 PM

SkeptiJess

03-29-2006, 01:26 PM

Larry Mudd

03-29-2006, 02:00 PM

I'm a bit surprised & puzzled that you can poison anyone with gold; and that there's an arthritis remedy that includes gold. I thought gold was inert -- it doesn't form compounds with any other element.Gold is relatively safe to ingest -- otherwise the FDA and similar bodies wouldn't allow the sale of Goldschlager schnapps.

She was poisoning him with chronic exposure to a compound containing gold chloride -- tetrachloroauric acid, which is extremely corrosive and nasty. Something else again.

LonesomePolecat

03-29-2006, 02:06 PM

Not to say the formula doesn't work, but seems like it would get boring after a while...
I dunno, Law and Order as well as Law and Order: Criminal Intent are both very formulaic, but I never seem to get tired of them ...

RealityChuck

03-29-2006, 02:19 PM

And Perry Mason ran for years.

Formula is fine, as long as it's kept interesting. It's not the plot, but the character interactions and the dialog that makes House work.

5que

03-29-2006, 02:22 PM

.... but House could have been wrong.
But not for longer than 60 minutes, minus commercial time!

RachelChristine

03-29-2006, 02:25 PM

I thought the scene with Cameron telling the wife she couldn't go to the bathroom because of the water problem was hilarious! You see, when my daughter was in the hospital last year that actually happened! Two separate nights, about two weeks apart, they came over the PA system and put up signs on all the bathrooms that they would be out of order until such and such a time. And it was like 6 or 8 hours! They had one bathroom in the lobby of the hospital that was working, but other than that, no water.

I never did understand what was going on, especially since it happened twice.

jsc1953

03-29-2006, 03:06 PM

She was poisoning him with chronic exposure to a compound containing gold chloride -- tetrachloroauric acid, which is extremely corrosive and nasty. Something else again.

That's just it -- I was under the impression that gold didn't form compounds with anything. Apparently, I was misinformed.

gigi

03-29-2006, 03:27 PM

Good episode. One thing, though. Did anyone else think the wife looked quite a bit older than the husband? That wouldn't have been extraordinary, of course, except they made a point of them having been in 9th grade together.
Samantha Mathis is almost 36, and yeah, she did look more weathered than he. Maybe it was all the stress of killing him slowly.

Shayna

03-29-2006, 03:33 PM

Og I love this show! I loved all the guys' reactions when Cameron said she thought a threesome every 7 years might actually benefit a marriage. They were like, :eek: -- Hilarious!

That's just it -- I was under the impression that gold didn't form compounds with anything. Apparently, I was misinformed. From this site (http://www.purestcolloids.com/ionic-gold.htm) (bolding mine) Ionic gold is a solution containing gold cations along with companion anions. An ionic gold solution is formed when a water soluble gold salt is dissolved in water.

Ionic gold is not the same as metallic gold. For example, metallic gold is not water soluble (does not dissolve in water) but ionic gold is water soluble (it does dissolve in water). Technically speaking, a gold ion is an atom of gold that is typically missing three electrons and is referred to as Au+3 or Gold(III). It is the outermost electrons of an atom that determine the physical properties of matter. Take away three electrons from a gold atom and you get a gold ion which is water soluble. In its ionic form, gold will react with other elements which means it will combine to form compounds. Conversely, metallic gold does not readily combine with other elements.

Shayna

03-29-2006, 03:42 PM

Oh, and I also meant to say that I immediately thought of Munchausen's by Proxy as the obvious explanation as to why she was poisoning him. But on further thought it occurred to me that it may have been a part of the S&M game for her, and hurting him like that actually turned her on sexually. The game (that only she knew she was playing) got out of hand (since, with her as the only player, the husband didn't have a "safe word" to make her stop), yet she couldn't control the impulse to keep playing it. It was all about inflicting pain and control. She could administer it whenever she wanted, and she could stop it whenever she wanted, by bothering to call 911 instead of letting him die, or begging the doctors to help him. That was one twisted bitch.

OpalCat

03-29-2006, 03:56 PM

Was I the only one who couldn't stop picturing her circa 1990 opposite Christian Slater in "Pump Up The Volume"?

SkeptiJess

03-29-2006, 07:09 PM

Was I the only one who couldn't stop picturing her circa 1990 opposite Christian Slater in "Pump Up The Volume"?I knew I recognised her! But I couldn't place her. She had dark hair then, didn't she?

I just looked up her bio and that of the dude who played her poor schmuck of a husband. Turns out she's just a couple of years older -- within the acceptable range for them to have been in the same grade. Still think she looked older, though.

BobT

03-29-2006, 08:27 PM

I was surprised that the talking scale in the opening sequence said that Samantha Mathis weighed 113 lbs. She came in to my workplace once and she is quite petite. I didn't think she would top 100.

Snooooopy

03-29-2006, 09:09 PM

I was surprised that the talking scale in the opening sequence said that Samantha Mathis weighed 113 lbs. She came in to my workplace once and she is quite petite. I didn't think she would top 100.

I guess she pumped up HER volume.

jsc1953

03-29-2006, 09:17 PM

Thanks, Shayna -- I feel enlightened and vindicated at the same time!

simster

03-29-2006, 09:25 PM

One must remember that the wife had to be coaxed to say "I Love you" to her (at that point) dying husband who clearly had no problems expressing his feelings...

The one who loves the least controls the relationship... She may have loved him, but she wasn't 'in love' with him.

gigi

03-30-2006, 08:52 AM

But on further thought it occurred to me that it may have been a part of the S&M game for her, and hurting him like that actually turned her on sexually. The game (that only she knew she was playing) got out of hand (since, with her as the only player, the husband didn't have a "safe word" to make her stop), yet she couldn't control the impulse to keep playing it. It was all about inflicting pain and control. That was my take on it too.

HelloKitty

03-30-2006, 09:15 AM

I'm pretty new to the show but I think I'm hooked now.

I loved the ending where House was contemplating what to do with that message about the apartment:

"Hmmm, I've got a maid, I'm eating better and I've got someone to aggravate when I'm home. Why mess up a good thing??!!"

Delete!!

Sam Stone

03-30-2006, 09:22 AM

I thought there was an interesting clue-within-a-clue in this episode. When they were searching the home for evidence, we were given a red herring about ants. But when the doctor looked at the picture that had the ant crawling on it, the real clue wasn't the ant, but what was in the picture. In that picture, the husband was kissing his wife on the cheek, but she was turned away from him with a look of almost disdain or anger on her face.

That's when I thought the wife was trying to kill him. So I don't think it was an S&M game. I think she just wanted him dead, for whatever reason.

Cheesesteak

03-30-2006, 09:26 AM

But when the doctor looked at the picture that had the ant crawling on it, the real clue wasn't the ant, but what was in the picture. In that picture, the husband was kissing his wife on the cheek, but she was turned away from him with a look of almost disdain or anger on her face.I need to start saving these episodes for a few days so I can check out really interesting points like this.

Improv Geek

03-30-2006, 09:28 AM

I noticed the look on her face too but wasn't sure if I was reading too deeply or not.

PunditLisa

03-30-2006, 11:46 AM

I think the look on her face in the picture, combined with her not being able to say she loved him (on his death bed) were big clues. Talking to that other chick (this is the first ep I've watched, so I don't know their names yet), she said something about people not changing who they are. I think we can interpret that to mean that she's incapable of loving someone.

PunditLisa

03-30-2006, 11:52 AM

Oh, and I also meant to say that I immediately thought of Munchausen's by Proxy as the obvious explanation as to why she was poisoning him. But on further thought it occurred to me that it may have been a part of the S&M game for her...

I don't think Munchausen's by Proxy fits. People with MbP make their loved ones ill because they want to "rescue" them. They create the illness/sickness from which their power stems because without a crisis, there can be no rescue.

This chick obviously didn't want to rescue her husband; she wanted him dead.

ouryL

03-30-2006, 12:03 PM

It seemed she was profoundly dissatisfied with her life - it was she who introduced three woman into their sex life and probably initiated the fantasy sexplay.

She should be happy but she wasn't.

Shayna

03-30-2006, 12:22 PM

Thanks, Shayna -- I feel enlightened and vindicated at the same time! You're welcome. Glad I could oblige!

That's when I thought the wife was trying to kill him. So I don't think it was an S&M game. I think she just wanted him dead, for whatever reason. She was a sadist. She had a black heart and actually liked hurting him. Showing emotional disdain would likely be a part of that. And he seemed to be fully aware of that, as they obviously had some kind of understanding about her never expressing any love for him by never saying the words 'I love you'.

Of course she seemed smart enough to know that she couldn't keep poisoning him and have him stay alive forever, so ultimately either wanting him dead or not caring if he died is almost a given. But again, she was a sadist, so I think she liked hurting him more than the wanted him dead by virtue of the fact that she kept rescuing him. If she just wanted him dead, she wouldn't have called 911 (I seem to recall a reference to one or more previous incidents where medics had to be called, but I deleted it so I can't verify), she'd've just let him die right then and there. It was part of the game to her -- dragging out his death by alternately poisoning him and rescuing him so she could keep doing it all over again until he eventually succumbed. It was about control.

Oh, and I also meant to say that I immediately thought of Munchausen's by Proxy as the obvious explanation as to why she was poisoning him. But on further thought it occurred to me that it may have been a part of the S&M game for her... I don't think Munchausen's by Proxy fits. People with MbP make their loved ones ill because they want to "rescue" them. They create the illness/sickness from which their power stems because without a crisis, there can be no rescue. Which is why I said, "But on further thought. . .", which you even quoted. This chick obviously didn't want to rescue her husband; she wanted him dead. See above for my take on that.

PunditLisa

03-30-2006, 01:14 PM

It was about control. Which is why I said, "But on further thought. . .", which you even quoted. See above for my take on that.

I was expanding on your argument as to why it wasn't MbP; I wasn't disputing you.

DanBlather

03-30-2006, 01:42 PM

I think your'e all missing it. She explained to Cameron about long term relationships. Something about thinking people will change is one mistake, not wanting to change is worse, or something like that. I'll have to look at it again.

Shayna

03-30-2006, 02:13 PM

I was expanding on your argument as to why it wasn't MbP; I wasn't disputing you. Fair enough. I didn't pick up on that -- sorry.

I think your'e all missing it. She explained to Cameron about long term relationships. Something about thinking people will change is one mistake, not wanting to change is worse, or something like that. I'll have to look at it again. I don't think that affects my theory, though. In her opinion, her husband made a mistake in thinking she might/would/could change. The S&M game was her thing and he was so in love with her that he went along with it to please her, most likely hoping that by doing so he could make her fall in love with him. Recognizing her own darkness, she acknowledges (in a backhanded hint to Cameron and the audience) that [her] not wanting to change is worse. . . because the consequences of mixing the two will inevitably be dire. She knows she's eventually going to kill him because she thrives on the pain and control and cannot -- will not -- stop the game until it's over. And he's so desperate for her love that he won't make her stop, either. Hmmmm, now I have to wonder if a part of him might have known she was intentionally poisoning him.

ftg

03-31-2006, 10:27 PM

The issue of "Why? was addressed in the context of House saying he would love to know why but she clearly wasn't going to say. Then she is taken away in handcuffs.

It happens from time to time (!) that people upon being caught red purple-handed committing a crime don't admit why they did it and never will.

I really loved the Wisdom of Solomon trick with the herpes couple.

Apparently Wilson isn't smart enough to put some ipecac into some food, stick a "do not touch" note on it and leave it in the fridge?

? The first time all the beepers go off and the gang rushes to his room, there is no staff there at all. No nurses, resident, nada. So someone notices the guy going into crisis, does a page and leaves? What sort of hospital is this?