House – House has been on fire lately. After last week’s imaginative, genre-bending outing, they kept it up with another awesome episode. This one, while sticking closer to the “medical mystery of the week” formula, was another emotional roller coaster. After all, House is a self-destructive drug addict who only stayed clean for Cuddy. Once Cuddy dumped him, he returned to his old ways with a vengeance. He holed up in a fancy hotel and teleconferenced all of his work (which is tough for a doctor), spending his time double-fisting Vicodin, drinking, and bringing in a succession of prostitutes. Cuddy’s scenes were heartbreaking, and there was some nice development for Amber Tamlyn’s character, but Hugh Laurie stole the show as House at his most debauched. And when the final scene climaxed with what looked very much like a suicide attempt, we were on the edge of our seats. Yes, they managed to fake us out with that, but the end of the episode doesn’t leave any real hope for House’s future – we’re presented with a man who wants to destroy himself, one way or another.
