# House 2/14 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582 "2006-02-15T03:01:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/21 "2006-02-15T18:01:25Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Two things I didn’t like about this episode. > > a. The amazing flaming ATV. C’mon, it was an ATV, not a bomb. That explosion and fire was far too Hollywood IIRC, it wasn’t the ATV that exploded; it was what it landed on. I’m thinking the woman at the end isn’t a hooker; it was a classic “mislead the audience” setup. Didn’t she say something about the college sending her? More likely, she’s some sort of drug counselor to help House get off the Vicodan (and maybe be a love interest). ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/22 "2006-02-15T18:04:05Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > The amazing flaming ATV. C’mon, it was an ATV, not a bomb. That explosion and fire was far too Hollywood. This bothered the ever-loving bejesus out of me. I don’t usually have to suspend too much disbelief with the opening sequences in House. I’m not a doc, so I kind of just go with whatever they give me. I don’t know any better. I am, however, patiently aware that ATV’s do not burst into flames upon landing on a pile of sewer pipes. At least be kind enough to give him some major fractures to deal with, keep a little realism going. The other thing that got me was that the kid was 16, and his parents had no idea he was a smoker, but he had nicotine stains on his fingers? What was he smoking, 3 packs of Lucky Strikes a day? I’m 27 and I’ve been smoking since before I was 16, and I don’t have any nicotine stains on my fingers. It just seemed a little too simple of a plot device to me. Did anyone else think that the hooker was Stacy when House first opened the door? They had similar hairstyles. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/23 "2006-02-15T18:20:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > IIRC, it wasn’t the ATV that exploded; it was what it landed on. Nope. Just empty sewer pipes. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/24 "2006-02-15T18:39:23Z")
Heh!, LSD cures the migraine and antidepressants short circuit the LSD…and you’re back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/25 "2006-02-15T18:46:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I’m thinking the woman at the end isn’t a hooker; it was a classic “mislead the audience” setup. Didn’t she say something about the college sending her? More likely, she’s some sort of drug counselor to help House get off the Vicodan (and maybe be a love interest). Naw, I think she was definitely an escort. She commented on where House was living and asked if he was attached to the school, or a resident, or what… Just small talk. House said, “You’re here as a distraction. Do you have to talk for that?” and she just smiled and went in. I think the dynamic there is pretty clear – and I can’t think of any drug counselors that would react that way to basically being told to shut up and get down to it. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/26 "2006-02-15T18:57:18Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > And if the kid’s brain was seizing because of anti-depressants (and/or nicotine withdrawl), wouldn’t it just clear up once he stopped taking them? If I remember correctly, the antidepressants caused a chain reaction, which gave him a self-sustaining underlying brain condition. The clue to this was his orgasm in the hyperbaric chamber. That told them that there was miswiring in some specific area of his brain (I forget which), turning pain into pleasure. House said something along the lines of, antidepressants fake brains into thinking they have more seritonin than they actually do. In 1 in 10 million cases, this leads to the brain overproducing seritonin in a chain reaction, enough to fry itself. At least, I think that’s roughly how it went. Feel free to correct me if I got it mixed up, this is from memory watching it once. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/27 "2006-02-15T19:06:21Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > If I remember correctly, the antidepressants caused a chain reaction, which gave him a self-sustaining underlying brain condition. The clue to this was his orgasm in the hyperbaric chamber. That told them that there was miswiring in some specific area of his brain (I forget which), turning pain into pleasure. House said something along the lines of, antidepressants fake brains into thinking they have more seritonin than they actually do. In 1 in 10 million cases, this leads to the brain overproducing seritonin in a chain reaction, enough to fry itself. > > At least, I think that’s roughly how it went. Feel free to correct me if I got it mixed up, this is from memory watching it once. That’s the way I remember it. I snickered at the ATV explosion… it exploded BEFORE it hit the pipes… and we all know that the common problem with ATVs is exploding when they hit something… I like that they did not have the kid with ANY broken bones. I can live with that tho… Get a hobby, get a hooker, get something! ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/28 "2006-02-15T20:34:57Z")
I loved the show, but another smoking related nitpick: I smoked for over 25 years and burned my fingers, my thighs, and, yes, my crotch, but I can never remember getting a burn on the inside of my wrist. I guess it’s possible to accidentally touch the cherry of your cigarette and get a burn like that, but it wouldn’t be so common that I’d think, “Aha! The kid’s a smoker!” Especially if he had burns over 40% of his body any way. However, I didn’t quite catch what House said when Foreman thought it was more likely to attribute the burn to a hot screw or whatever from the original fire. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/29 "2006-02-15T20:59:42Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I snickered at the ATV explosion… it exploded BEFORE it hit the pipes… and we all know that the common problem with ATVs is exploding when they hit something… Well, it looks like they also have a problem with exploding in \*mid-air \* … ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/30 "2006-02-15T21:21:47Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > I think the dynamic there is pretty clear – and I can’t think of any drug counselors that would react that way to basically being told to shut up and get down to it. That’s the point: it’s too clear. Besides, House was just laid the week before, just before Sela Ward left. It doesn’t seem likely that sex is the reason the woman shows up. It may not be a drug counselor, but the idea that she’s a hooker is just so obvious that I find it hard to believe that that will be the actual reason. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/31 "2006-02-15T21:32:48Z")
Well, we know two things about this woman: 1) she’s a distraction, and 2) her intended role does not require her to speak. The first one is incredibly, incredibly vague. The second one narrows it down a bit more. Clearly her being a hooker is at least a possibility. But, suppose she’s not talking because she’s there to listen? In other words, a counselor who’s just going to listen to House pour his emotional guts out all over the floor. Hey, it’s a possibility, and I can’t think of any other options right now. Also, it’s possible the kid did have broken bones, but they didn’t mention it because it was a comparitively simple problem and not related to the problem they were trying to solve. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/32 "2006-02-15T21:43:53Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > But, suppose she’s not talking because she’s there to listen? In other words, a counselor who’s just going to listen to House pour his emotional guts out all over the floor. I don’t see how pouring your emotional guts out can be considered a “distraction.” Talk therapy is just the opposite – you’re deliberately putting your attention on your problems, even if the therapist is entirely passive. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/33 "2006-02-15T21:47:03Z")
…and besides, she was asking him to talk about himself when he made it clear that talking wasn’t an order of business. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/34 "2006-02-15T22:10:07Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > Well, we know two things about this woman: 1) she’s a distraction, and 2) her intended role does not require her to speak. The first one is incredibly, incredibly vague. The second one narrows it down a bit more. Clearly her being a hooker is at least a possibility. But, suppose she’s not talking because she’s there to listen? In other words, a counselor who’s just going to listen to House pour his emotional guts out all over the floor. Hey, it’s a possibility, and I can’t think of any other options right now. > > Also, it’s possible the kid did have broken bones, but they didn’t mention it because it was a comparitively simple problem and not related to the problem they were trying to solve. well, there were no splints, casts or other things to indicate broken bones… even the ribs were’nt taped (although I’ll give them that one for other reasons). On the cigarette burn… I took it that he probably got it trying to ‘palm hide’ the cigarette… the reason it was a clue to House was that it was so isolated and ‘perfectly round’ as compared to the rest of the burns… the nicotine stains were the clincher, not to mention dad’s "I’d kill him’ line when smoking was mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/35 "2006-02-15T22:26:10Z")
> [@simster](#): > > On the cigarette burn… I took it that he probably got it trying to ‘palm hide’ the cigarette… Ah, didn’t think of that. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/36 "2006-02-16T14:49:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > That’s the point: it’s too clear. Besides, House was just laid the week before, just before Sela Ward left. It doesn’t seem likely that sex is the reason the woman shows up. > > It may not be a drug counselor, but the idea that she’s a hooker is just so obvious that I find it hard to believe that that will be the actual reason. Remember in the auditorium when House was starting to question his old nemesis? In an effort to distract him, the Doctor sitting next to House suggested that he should get a hooker. No-one has mentioned that bit of foreshadowing yet. I think it was a hooker that showed up. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/37 "2006-02-16T15:38:04Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Remember in the auditorium when House was starting to question his old nemesis? In an effort to distract him, the Doctor sitting next to House suggested that he should get a hooker. No-one has mentioned that bit of foreshadowing yet. I think it was a hooker that showed up. Except for: > [@](#): > > Get a hobby, get a hooker, get something! and: > [@](#): > > I liked Wilson trying to talk him down in the auditorium. “Get a hooker, anything.” ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/38 "2006-02-16T15:52:49Z")
Ah, thanks. One more reason to go back to caffeinated. Well then, doesn’t that settle the question of whether it was a hooker or not? ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/39 "2006-02-16T16:10:11Z")
No, it doesn’t. They’ve made plenty of jokes about House getting a hooker before without it actually happening (that we’ve seen). This could really go either way. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582/40 "2006-02-16T16:10:12Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Ah, thanks. One more reason to go back to caffeinated. > > Well then, doesn’t that settle the question of whether it was a hooker or not? No. It only establishes what was said. I don’t dispute that. But I am saying that all this was designed to make people _think_ the woman was a hooker. Obviously, that worked, and since it worked so well, it’s just plain good writing to make her be something else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-2-14/344582.md?page=3)