# House 11/09/09 "Known Unknowns" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955 "2009-11-09T22:47:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/21 "2009-11-10T21:58:07Z")
Did anyone else catch the Eddie Izzard nod? “Victory or Death” (“or cake. . .”) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/22 "2009-11-10T22:12:39Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > The costume was similar to the one he wore as the Prince Regent in Blackadder III. That’s certainly the connection that most Laurie fans are making. That would have been way too easy, and there’s already been a subtle _Blackadder_ reference on _House_. It’s a tricky thing, though. It’s such a good show, and too many of those little inside jokes could wreck it. (I think the phrase is “too clever by half.”) Still, I think the Lennox one would have been subtle enough to work; just have the song ending as he’s walking into the party. And it’s a great song. But I guess they didn’t, huh? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/23 "2009-11-10T22:17:26Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Did we ever know before this episode that House and Cuddy knew each other back in Med school, and there was an unrequited romantic history between them from back then? I thought all this sexual tension was from their recent time together. Last season, when House was having his hallucinations, and thought that he had sex with Cuddy, the dream Cuddy spoke of how she had been interested in House in med school. Of course, the conversation was in House’s head. Cuddy was no more real than Amber. But I thought there was at least a grain of truth in pseudo-Cuddy’s comments. And according to [Wikipedia,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Cuddy) they did attend the University of Michigan together and had a one-night stand. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/24 "2009-11-10T22:34:02Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > And according to [Wikipedia,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Cuddy) they did attend the University of Michigan together and had a one-night stand. They had a one-night stand?! That’s news to me. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/25 "2009-11-10T23:28:44Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > They had a one-night stand?! That’s news to me. It was in this episode. “One thing led to another” (and he never called.. turns out because he had been expelled). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/26 "2009-11-10T23:49:59Z")
> [@zagloba](#): > > That outfit was much more 1780s than 1880s :smack: You’re right. I think the actor playing the P.I. also showed up on an ep. of **Supernatural**. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/27 "2009-11-10T23:56:36Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > It was in this episode. “One thing led to another” (and he never called.. turns out because he had been expelled). I didn’t automatically jump to “sex” when I heard that - making out, maybe. I just thought she had made it obvious that she was interested in him, and got rejected. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/28 "2009-11-11T02:40:51Z")
Been out of the House loop for awhile, but, now have TV again. I did like the way that the patient du jour’s lying habits played into Cameron’s distrust with Chase, assuming it was an affair, rather than reading his much bigger hiding what was eating at him. The eye language between House and Cuddy at the table , even when the PI guy was there, was telling… I’ve got a feeling he won’t last long in that role. Perhaps reliable, but no match in brains. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/29 "2009-11-11T03:17:39Z")
House and Cuddy weren’t in med school at the same time. The one-night stand happened while House was in med school at the University of Michigan and Cuddy was an undergrad there, unless they’re retconning the back story for the show. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/30 "2009-11-11T03:29:09Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > House and Cuddy weren’t in med school at the same time. The one-night stand happened while House was in med school at the University of Michigan and Cuddy was an undergrad there, unless they’re retconning the back story for the show. House was at the bookstore, apparently working, when Cuddy came in with a sylabus and needed books - House was already familiar with the professors/classes. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/31 "2009-11-11T11:31:11Z")
To be exact, House had just been expelled from the University of Michigan medical school. He was working at the bookstore there. Later he would go back to medical school at Johns Hopkins. Cuddy was an undergraduate at Michigan (and later studied at the medical school there). Unless they’re doing some major retconning of the back story, House is enough older than Cuddy that they wouldn’t have been in medical school at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/32 "2009-11-11T14:08:09Z")
The PI was hired by House to do some investigating into his crew (Thirteen, Taub, Kutner…) That was when Taub found out about his wife’s secret bank account, etc. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/33 "2009-11-11T14:59:04Z")
Count me in one who thinks Cuddy hired [del]Private Dancer[/del] Lucas Douglas, P.I., to be a pretend boyfriend. She wants someone to be a barrier to deflect House’s advances. His babbling at the table was too similar to a quick backgrounder Cuddy would have given him for his role. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/34 "2009-11-11T16:27:31Z")
I gotta say, this show is slowly losing me. ☹ It’s a shame, because I floved it for years. But it hasn’t been the same since they had the stupid Survivor-esque new team competition and it’s getting to be soap-opera melodramatic. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/35 "2009-11-11T16:35:00Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Count me in one who thinks Cuddy hired [del]Private Dancer[/del] Lucas Douglas, P.I., to be a pretend boyfriend. She wants someone to be a barrier to deflect House’s advances. His babbling at the table was too similar to a quick backgrounder Cuddy would have given him for his role. PI guy sucks at lying. He’d have blurted that it was fake straight from the bat if he was at all aware of it, and he’s also smart enough to spot a fake. His powers of observation are equal to or better than House’s when it comes to stuff like that. And I don’t believe that Cuddy has ever done any serious sort of plotting. It’s always Wilson who arranges big farces to throw House off base. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/36 "2009-11-11T17:54:39Z")
Are Cuddy and detective “involved”? Did he just come up for the day to do some baby-sitting? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/37 "2009-11-11T18:27:25Z")
They are certainly making it look as if they are involved. And Cuddy referred to “our room,” as if they’re staying together in the hotel. **ftg** above in Post 33 thinks he’s a ruse (to make House jealous?) or just a friend. Or Cuddy has given up on House because he’s not steady enough and she needs a reliable man because she has a child now. Lucas seems steady, so she’s seeing him, though she really has the hots for House. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/38 "2009-11-11T19:18:52Z")
_The Simpsons_ was also doing some sort of contest/tie-in with other Fox shows, where there was supposed to be a reference thrown in there. That was the “Patty and Selma” remark about Cuddy’s boobs at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/39 "2009-11-11T21:08:12Z")
Speaking of which, I am used to her unprofessionally pin-up outfits, but that cleavage was ridiculous. She simply wouldn’t keep leaning over and showing that much, based on how she’s reacted to realizing how much she’s showing in the past. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955/40 "2009-11-12T00:21:35Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > They are certainly making it look as if they are involved. And Cuddy referred to “our room,” as if they’re staying together in the hotel. **ftg** above in Post 33 thinks he’s a ruse (to make House jealous?) or just a friend. Or Cuddy has given up on House because he’s not steady enough and she needs a reliable man because she has a child now. Lucas seems steady, so she’s seeing him, though she really has the hots for House. Yeah, I thought I heard her say “our” room… Cuddy is caught between the Good Steady Guy and the Bad Boy, the eternal dilemma… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-11-09-09-known-unknowns/516955.md?page=3)