# "Everybody Dies"--House final series episode May 21st **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598 "2012-05-21T13:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/61 "2012-05-22T14:50:40Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I disagree that House has had “nothing but fun”, skating through life. He’s skated because of his intellect, and he’s had his “happy go lucky prankster” moments, but he has suffered greatly. Not only physical but mental pain, he was never cured, rejected the possibility of happiness at every turn, and sabotaged his romantic relationships. I am positive that after Wilson dies, House will land on his feet, though. Yeah, a few minutes after I hit submit I realized I may have worded it wrong, but I think I got my point across. He might not be _happy_-go-lucky, but we all know people who can do pretty much whatever they please and rarely are held responsible for their actions. People who cheat in school and don’t get caught, people who drink and drive and don’t get into accidents, people who steal from work and no one notices, people who sleep with half the dorm and never pick up any STDs and their girlfriend never finds out, people who (at least to the outside world) don’t take life too seriously …he’s one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/62 "2012-05-22T14:51:35Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > He switched the dental records days ago. This. There’s no reason to shoehorn House into a tiny little timeframe between the building collapse and the delivery of POTW’s body to the morgue, when House had access to his medical files for a full week (or however long POTW was in the hospital). ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/63 "2012-05-22T15:07:30Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > No, no, no. Just no. It was “the plan” the whole time. > > He switched the dental records days ago. > He knew POTW was going to die horribly, and he did the same for him as he’d offered to do for 13. “He’s happy.” Half the episode was House dealing with killing instead of saving. > He then got to the end game and was hit with a strong suicidal urge which his subconscious talked him out of. > He now has POTW’s identity, and will find a way to make a living just fine. > In the mean time they will live off of responsible Wilson’s savings and anything House left to Wilson in his will (probably just the year’s salary from an accidental D&M policy that comes with the hospital’s benefits package). This is definitely my take. I believe it was Amber that talked about “the plan” and “the plan to replace the plan” and how the latter wasn’t working out too well either. We were intended to believe that one was to get Foreman to lie and the other was to get Wilson to take the fall, but it makes much more sense if his first plan was to get out of it and the second was to fake his death. He was gone for two days, that’s plenty of time to switch records around and would give them reason to believe he had gotten depressed and OD’d on heroine. It also explains why the building was mysteriously on fire, because he had set it. He just had a last moment of depression about faking his death and letting everything go and that he couldn’t return to what he loved and that Wilson was going to die. At first he just didn’t want to deal with the pain anymore and then he started to think he deserved it. But he ultimately went through with it anyway and really did change, he finally didn’t turn his back on a loved one. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/64 "2012-05-22T15:11:06Z")
My problem is that the whole “House halluciinates past people to convince him not to commit suicide” aspect makes NO SENSE since he had no intention of committing suicide as shown by whatever actions he had to go through to get that other body there and talk the pathologist into lying/swapping dental charts. We’re shown all these hallucinations as those of a man who is coming down from using heroin who is in danger because of the fire, but that isn’t the case, so why would he hallucinate about it? As far as I can see, the ‘false’ sequence we’re supposed to believe for most of the episode goes: House uses the info from the dead pt to find a heroin dealer. He buys, holes up in the warehouse and uses the heroin. Somehow a fire starts in the warehouse (accident? coincidence?) and he manages to wake up shortly before it’s too late. Part of his mind decides maybe he should just let the fire kill him and end the pain for good, while other parts of his mind conjures up hallucinations to convince him to live (or not) and finally he decides to live. But trying to get out he falls through the floor, and later manages to stagger in front of the window just in time for two witnesses to see him dying. HOWEVER, after the reveal that he’s still alive we know the time line MUST have gone: House decides to fake his death, does whatever is needed for the corpse to be mis-IDed (and why way that done at his hospital? Surely Princeton is a big enough city that it has its own morgue and coroner? And no way was there any question that the crispy critter hauled out needed last-chance medical treatment.) and somehow gets the body into the warehouse. Pretty tricky for a crippled guy who has trouble just walking, and doesn’t that leave the hospital with a bookkeeping problem? Where the hell is the body of the patient? Anyway, then what? He sets the fire, goes upstairs, and decides to take a nap? Because not even House would be wacky enough to does himself with heroin in those circumstances. And then on waking he has all these hallucinations where he talks himself out of suicide WHEN HE NEVER HAD any such intention. And then he falls through the floor, staggers to the front window perfectly times to have the falling blazing beam apparently hit him in front of witness – oh, and how in the world did he plan to manipulate witnesses to be there just in time?? The whole thing does NOT hang together. So, yes, it was an emotionally satisfying finale. Just don’t let yourself think about it. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/65 "2012-05-22T15:35:37Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I figured House got to the ME whose life he saved a few eps ago. “You owe me one. You’re going to have a body come through the morgue. It’s me.” A lot easier than fudging dental records. And I actually didn’t hear a comment about dental records, although I saw it on the closed captioning. I heard Foreman come out and say “The coroner confirms it’s House.” > > StG Near the end, when House was sitting on the steps and Wilson walked up, Wilson said “how?”. House replied “I switched dental records”. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/66 "2012-05-22T15:37:16Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Will it be lupus? It’s not LUPUS, is it? [/ George Costanza voice] ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/67 "2012-05-22T15:40:23Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Absolutely. No doubt whatsoever. They’ve stated it on numerous occasions throughout the series. I know that the show was inspired by Holmes. I was just wondering if they were thinking of Holme’s faked death when they wrote this episode or if it was just a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/68 "2012-05-22T16:04:15Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I know that the show was inspired by Holmes. > > I was just wondering if they were thinking of Holme’s faked death when they wrote this episode or if it was just a coincidence. I’d be extremely surprised if they weren’t thinking of it, and intending it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/69 "2012-05-22T16:19:23Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Somehow a fire starts in the warehouse (accident? coincidence?) and he manages to wake up shortly before it’s too late. They had made a point earlier to have House notice the burns and yellowing on the patient’s fingers to set the pattern of him falling asleep with a lit cigarette. House and the patient scored some heroin and went to the abandoned house to shoot up, and the patient lit a cigarette while House was dozing. The patient then stroked out/had a heart attack/otherwise OD’d and dropped the cigarette through the floorboards, starting the fire; House became semiconscious and hallucinated Kutner, et al. He decided to go through with the contingency plan he’d set in case he, despite what Cameron said, was able to make a decision. Or not. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/70 "2012-05-22T16:19:46Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > . . . Where the hell is the body of the patient? Anyway, then what? He sets the fire, goes upstairs, and decides to take a nap? Because not even House would be wacky enough to does himself with heroin in those circumstances. And then on waking he has all these hallucinations where he talks himself out of suicide WHEN HE NEVER HAD any such intention. > > And then he falls through the floor, staggers to the front window perfectly times to have the falling blazing beam apparently hit him in front of witness – oh, and how in the world did he plan to manipulate witnesses to be there just in time?? ?? I thought the POTW died of a heroin overdose in the warehouse. He was dying anyway, so House just went along. rememebr, when House woke up, he checked the guy’s pulse? He wouldn’t have done that if POTW died int he hospital. House did set the fire, but then was overcome by fumes and passed out/wokeup/hallucinated. The whole - fell through floor-lost cane-hurt legs even worse- appears in front window- magically makes it out by the back door in time - part is what bothered me. No way House gets out of there in time. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/71 "2012-05-22T16:39:26Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Also the fact that they brought back literally every character both live and dead who had ever appeared in more than one episode other than Cuddy made her very conspicuous in her absence. Lisa Edelstein must have really been unhappy with the show to not even make a cameo. I thought of that too, but it didn’t bother me too much. It wasn’t that long ago that House crashed a car into Cuddy’s house. I could understand her still being mad or hurt enough to skip the funeral. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/72 "2012-05-22T16:57:24Z")
None of us have brought up the way Wilson was talking about House at the funeral. He started out with the usual “say nice things about the deceased” stuff then suddenly launched into a tirade about what a monster the guy was. That struck me as out of character for Wilson. Sure he criticizes and complains about House all the time, but in public? At the guys funeral? Still, it was somehow appropriate. After all, House was interested in facts, truth, and honesty above all else. Maybe Wilson was having one more try at disproving House’s constant claim that “everybody lies” by being brutally honest. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/73 "2012-05-22T17:15:22Z")
After Wilson dies, House will move to St. Elsewhere. Or some guy in a TARDIS will accidentally pick him up. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/74 "2012-05-22T17:23:09Z")
1 - i like alpha’s “wilson’s hallucinating also” interpretation. 2 - where was house hiding during the funeral? 3 - house just walked around the hospital, switching out dental records and unfixing tables without ANYONE recognizing him? 4 - who was the ex-patient that said House got her to quit? i was hoping the girl who was raped and wanted only house to talk to would have made a cameo, amongst many others. 5 - other than cuddy, masters was also conspicuously (or unconspicously since nobody’s really brought her up yet) absent from the funeral cameo parade. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/75 "2012-05-22T17:27:16Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > 1 - i like alpha’s “wilson’s hallucinating also” interpretation. > > 2 - where was house hiding during the funeral? > > 3 - house just walked around the hospital, switching out dental records and unfixing tables without ANYONE recognizing him? > > 4 - who was the ex-patient that said House got her to quit? i was hoping the girl who was raped and wanted only house to talk to would have made a cameo, amongst many others. > > 5 - other than cuddy, masters was also conspicuously (or unconspicously since nobody’s really brought her up yet) absent from the funeral cameo parade. 1. nah 2. in the urn 3. did before “death” 4. not a patient, a Dr. (Masters, I think) 5. not sure … ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/76 "2012-05-22T17:33:36Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > ?? I thought the POTW died of a heroin overdose in the warehouse. **He was dying anyway** , so House just went along. rememebr, when House woke up, he checked the guy’s pulse? He wouldn’t have done that if POTW died int he hospital. > > House did set the fire, but then was overcome by fumes and passed out/wokeup/hallucinated. > > The whole - fell through floor-lost cane-hurt legs even worse- appears in front window- magically makes it out by the back door in time - part is what bothered me. No way House gets out of there in time. :dubious: Bolding mine. But he wasn’t dying anyway. House misdiagnosed him with ALS and told him he was going to die. He then said he wasn’t “symmetrical” and told him he was going to be just fine, that he just had a tree growing in his neck. I’m going with the homicide by way of assisted suicide. House cooked with the addict not only to ease his own pain, but to supervise his death. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/77 "2012-05-22T17:36:27Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > None of us have brought up the way Wilson was talking about House at the funeral. He started out with the usual “say nice things about the deceased” stuff then suddenly launched into a tirade about what a monster the guy was. > > That struck me as out of character for Wilson. Sure he criticizes and complains about House all the time, but in public? At the guys funeral? Still, it was somehow appropriate. After all, House was interested in facts, truth, and honesty above all else. > > Maybe Wilson was having one more try at disproving House’s constant claim that “everybody lies” by being brutally honest. Yeah, I didn’t see that as out of character at all, actually. Being with House had TAUGHT him to be a bit of an ass himself, or ‘honest’; the only thing that surprised me at the funeral was everyone acting like it was not true or something. EVERYONE knew House was an ass, and EVERYONE knew House had a jacked up sense of humour. So why ANYone there, even his mother, (Ok, maybe not his mother) should have been surprised, rather than amused, at a bit of a roast going on about House just seemed out of character to me. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/78 "2012-05-22T17:40:20Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > 3 - house just walked around the hospital, switching out dental records and unfixing tables without ANYONE recognizing him? He probably did some of it earlier, but getting into Foreman’s office to fix the table with his ID would be easy. He’s got keys - put on a set of janitor’s overalls, grab a broom and trash can, and no one is going to look at him very closely (although the limp would be a bit of a problem). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/79 "2012-05-22T17:43:25Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > Yeah, I didn’t see that as out of character at all, actually. Not just that, but Wilson did that “Your a selfish ass” speech fairly often anyways. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598/80 "2012-05-22T17:44:23Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Maybe I think about these things too much but in addition to your complaints… > > [spoiler]House found the address of the dead patient’s dentist’s office, then broke into both that office and his own dentist’s office and switched the records, all within the time the body was removed from the building and the coroner obtained the dental records. Is that at all plausible? > > Even so I liked it. I thought that they might have the two of them go on the lam for what’s left of Wilson’s life, but I didn’t think about House faking his death. > > Regarding your complaints, I don’t think House was even thinking ahead to what happens to him after Wilson is gone. His earlier use of the phrase “carpe diem” (seize the day) may have been a foreshadowing of the conclusion. He “seized the day” without thought of the future. > > Not a wise choice, but how often did Gregory House make a wise choice or carefully consider the future consequences of his present actions? > > Another really troubling thing is that neither he nor Wilson seem to have given any thought to the patient’s family. Maybe they’ve given up on him and don’t know where he is anyway because of his addiction, but is there life insurance? Can they support themselves? Surely at least Wilson (Mr. boy scout) would be concerned about that.[/spoiler] House knew he was going to pay for the things he had done. He just wanted to make sure to spend some time with Wilson before having to go back to jail for many years to come. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everybody-dies-house-final-series-episode-may-21st/622598.md?page=5)