# House 4/30: The C-Word **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467 "2012-05-01T00:54:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/1 "2012-05-01T00:54:37Z")
A young girl is very ill; House and Wilson take a vacation. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/2 "2012-05-01T02:48:36Z")
Who knew you could shrink a tumor overnight? Plus, I want whatever lip balm Wilson uses. Those nasty sores he had that night were completely healed by the time he breezed into his office. ---
**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 1, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/3 "2012-05-01T02:55:40Z")
SPOILERS? MAybe spoilers follow. maybe not definitely not … The mom character wasn’t very believable as acted (or written?), but I liked the Chase moment. The Wilson story was also not very believable. Yeah, it’s fiction, I get that, but these last two weeks have been …less… than what I was expecting for the last few eps. Oh well, I’ll still watch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/4 "2012-05-01T05:31:19Z")
Well, we won’t know if the tumor has shrunk at all till next week. I loved the end with that video surprise for Wilson, though I don’t know where House found the time to upload all the pics. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/5 "2012-05-01T05:32:20Z")
Anyone happen to know the name of the song that played just as House gave Wilson the awesome pain killer? I know I’ve heard it before…, ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/6 "2012-05-01T12:23:19Z")
I thought Wilson’s story would be a bit more dramatic. They could have at least have had more of his dead patients there. With only a few more left though I’m interested to see how it works out. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/7 "2012-05-01T15:44:54Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Who knew you could shrink a tumor overnight? Plus, I want whatever lip balm Wilson uses. Those nasty sores he had that night were completely healed by the time he breezed into his office. What makes you think that House and Wilson were walking into work the next day? The little girl (POTW) had major heart surgery and was fully recovered - obviously this was at least a few days if not a week after the surgery/chemo. I’m always mystified when people assume that shows stick to a rigid timeline like that - other than 24 I don’t know of any show that pays that close attention. House seems to get it a lot. Anyway, I liked this episode - I loved the picture montage that House left for Wilson on his computer - very _The Hangover_. The POTW was kind of boring though, and her mother was an extra irritating female version of House. Ugh. ---
**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 1, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/8 "2012-05-01T16:02:45Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > The POTW was kind of boring though, and her mother was an extra irritating female version of House. Ugh. Dr Mom showing up when House was gone was pretty convenient, wasn’t it? It was almost silly how there was virtually no difference between her and House…and she had full privileges at the hospital and within that group on top of it. I’m surprised they [the writers] didn’t just drop Foreman in like they normally do when House is out. Also, what was going on with Wilson’s hand starting to shake. House mentioned that the spasms don’t usually start until the second bag and Wilson said ‘it’s nothing’ and they dropped it after that. Did I miss something? I can’t imagine we’re bringing _more_ Huntington’s into the show. The only thing I could come up with is that he started Chemo on his own earlier and that the first bag House gave him wasn’t actually his first bag. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/9 "2012-05-01T16:18:05Z")
I thought the patient of the week was the best part of the episode. Not that it was a particularly good story, but because the “Wilson with cancer” storyline was tedious, cliched, and uninteresting. The only decent moment were the photos. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/10 "2012-05-01T16:39:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The only thing I could come up with is that he started Chemo on his own earlier and that the first bag House gave him wasn’t actually his first bag. Also he didn’t get any radiation therapy which, along with the aggressive chemo, is what he was demanding from the other doctor. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/11 "2012-05-01T17:13:58Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, what was going on with Wilson’s hand starting to shake. House mentioned that the spasms don’t usually start until the second bag and Wilson said ‘it’s nothing’ and they dropped it after that. Did I miss something? I can’t imagine we’re bringing _more_ Huntington’s into the show. The only thing I could come up with is that he started Chemo on his own earlier and that the first bag House gave him wasn’t actually his first bag. I thought it was meant to show that Wilson was scared. As it is with much of House… I thought the episode had great vision but a touch short on execution. I’m rewatching season 2 right now and those shows wrap up nicely, neatly, and intertwine the storylines very nicely. ---
**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 1, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/12 "2012-05-01T17:15:14Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Also he didn’t get any radiation therapy which, along with the aggressive chemo, is what he was demanding from the other doctor. I was wondering about that as well. So…why was he doing this at home? Was he taking more chemo then normal? Is he taking the chemo at home so he can tell his oncologist that he wants radiation? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/13 "2012-05-01T17:57:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, what was going on with Wilson’s hand starting to shake. House mentioned that the spasms don’t usually start until the second bag and Wilson said ‘it’s nothing’ and they dropped it after that. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > I was wondering about that as well. So…why was he doing this at home? Was he taking more chemo then normal? Is he taking the chemo at home so he can tell his oncologist that he wants radiation? Good grief - that was the whole point of the episode - Wilson was taking 3 or 4 times the regular dose of chemo in order to kick some serious cancer ass - that’s why the other 4 oncologists wouldn’t get on board and why he needed to do it at home/House’s place. That’s why there was all the angst with Wilson talking about his former (now dead) patients who died despite typically good recovery rates for their particular cancers - he didn’t want to chance a 75% recovery rate, or a 90% recovery rate - he wanted to throw as much chemo at the tumour as possible to knock it down to increase his chances of recover to 100%. That’s why he had a 33% risk of dying from the dosage of chemo he was getting, and why he and House had to do it on the down low and also why he was SO sick - chemo makes you sick; however, at regular doses it’s not ‘drop dead right this second’ sick. ---
**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 1, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/14 "2012-05-01T18:01:55Z")
So you’re saying there’s a chance! ---
**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 1, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/15 "2012-05-01T18:12:36Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Good grief - that was the whole point of the episode - Wilson was taking 3 or 4 times the regular dose of chemo in order to kick some serious cancer ass - that’s why the other 4 oncologists wouldn’t get on board and why he needed to do it at home/House’s place. > > That’s why there was all the angst with Wilson talking about his former (now dead) patients who died despite typically good recovery rates for their particular cancers - he didn’t want to chance a 75% recovery rate, or a 90% recovery rate - he wanted to throw as much chemo at the tumour as possible to knock it down to increase his chances of recover to 100%. > > That’s why he had a 33% risk of dying from the dosage of chemo he was getting, and why he and House had to do it on the down low and also why he was SO sick - chemo makes you sick; however, at regular doses it’s not ‘drop dead right this second’ sick. That’s what I thought, but I don’t know enough about chemo to know for sure. Also, you quoted my spasm post, but didn’t answer that. Why did his hand start spasming a quarter of the way through the first bag instead of not until the second bag? Was that just the writers way of telling us that he was going to be in for a long night…chemo is rough, but he’s reacting to it worse already? But his “it’s nothing” comment made me think that he was prepared for it. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/16 "2012-05-01T19:49:58Z")
Wow, I only watch House every now and then. I’m glad I didn’t get too invested in it because, from what I’ve seen, this season’s been bad imho. ---
**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 1, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/17 "2012-05-01T19:51:28Z")
The thing I wondered was why they didn’t do it at Wilson’s place. I know if _I_ was going to be going through that kind of hell, I’d at least want my own bed to be in, not my buddy’s none-too-comfortable looking couch. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/18 "2012-05-01T21:47:12Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That’s what I thought, but I don’t know enough about chemo to know for sure. Also, you quoted my spasm post, but didn’t answer that. Why did his hand start spasming a quarter of the way through the first bag instead of not until the second bag? Was that just the writers way of telling us that he was going to be in for a long night…chemo is rough, but he’s reacting to it worse already? But his “it’s nothing” comment made me think that he was prepared for it. I think the point with the spasm was that at a regular dose the shaking would kick in after the 2nd bag - the stuff that Wilson was getting was so strong that the shakes started 1/4 of the way through the first bag - I thought it was just a way of reiterating that it was some seriously heavy shit he was taking. Also, as lumpy as House’s sofa looked, I suspect that Wilson knew that House had better drugs at his place. ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/19 "2012-05-02T00:24:05Z")
God, I stop watching for a season and WILSON GETS CANCER!?! But…but I love Wilson. ☹ Don’t think I could take watching him die, worst-case scenario, though. Bad House! Bad! :mad: ---
**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 2, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467/20 "2012-05-02T00:54:56Z")
I felt like standing on top of my desk and saying: “O Captain, my captain!” But, desks are not as strong as they used to be. Or something … ouch [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-4-30-the-c-word/620467.md?page=2)