House: Being Sneaky

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The thing about House is that sometimes the medical mystery is awesome and the drama sucks. And sometimes the drama is awesome and the medicine sucks. Rarely are both either awesome or sucky in the same episode. This episode was one where the drama won over the medicine. In fact, I had to stop and try to remember what was going on with the patient two or three times... I was just so wrapped up in the story. It was sort of your standard House scheme, with Wilson throwing wrenches in where House wasn't expecting them. But there were more doctors involved this time, as well as some pricey equipment and no fewer than five bets. "Risky Business" indeed.

House "Risky Business" (S08E04): [First, let's look at the patient.] We are introduced to the patient  when we see him staring at his vandalized property, now covered in toilet paper, complete with a dummy hanging from a tree. His adult daughter thinks that he should call the cops, but he won't. See, he's planning to move the company to China, but she wants him to keep it there under some investors. And, apparently, there are quite a few people in the area who agree with her. He begins having perception issues and asks her to drive him to a doctor. Once at the hospital, instead of everything seeming far away, it now seems up close. [I think that's a rather neat symptom.] House and the patient talk a little in Mandarin, and House points out that, in China, mental disorders are frowned upon. [and I continue to learn something new everyday.] House blackmails the guy to get money to re-hire Taub and Chase. However, Foreman rips up the check, causing House to brainstorm about other ways to get the money. They're supposed to do one test but Park gets Adams to do a different one, which was what House was betting on all along. It doesn't really help, but House later has one of his famous epiphanies and realizes what is ailing the guy.

Oh, House's new plan to make money? Well, he's buying stock in the patient's company on option because he knows that it'll go up when the guy gets better. Of course, then he also steals a $200,000 skin resurfacer, mostly on a bet from Wilson, though that is the amount of money House needs at one point. The stock thing works out, and House gives Wilson a check for $5,000... since he had stolen that much from him. [LoL] He then gives Foreman a check for more than enough to cover the department, and this time Foreman takes it.

Meanwhile, Park has now been working for House for 2 weeks, and her hearing is coming up. The guy who grabbed her butt is taking sexual harassment classes. Park bets House $100 that she won't get fired after her hearing. When leaving Foreman's office, House grabs Foreman's butt to see how Foreman would react... in from of Park and Adams. As one might expect, Foreman didn't immediately punch-out House. House also works on blackmailing Park. [which made me laugh so hard I had to pause the DVR!] Park asks Wilson for advice on the House bet... and he tells her that the only thing to do would be to give House something more than honor, since that's what he values. [yep!] House realizes that the guy with the sexual harassment issues is also an alcoholic... Park goes to Foreman with this information and he says that he knew the guy was drinking that night, and that he was only supervising, not touching the patients. [technicality!] House brings Adams and Park to neurology and they talk to the guy who Park used to work for, just to make her sweat. [typical House, but nobody (including me) seemed to see that coming!]

Cr: Adam Taylor/FOX

At Park's judicial review, she gives an opening statement written by her old roommate, who now is an editor for the Yale law review. House interrupts and announces that Park should be fired for insubordination, ordering Adams to do a test that wasn't authorized. He's removed from the room, and though we don't see much more of the hearing, Park does not get fired, and she's very happy about that. See, Wilson knew that House saying that Park should be fired would keep her job in place - it would both make her more emotional with her responses and it would cause the committee to reconsider... since they all hate House. [clever. oh that Wilson! love him!]

The other thing going on in this episode is House wanting more space... though the room is still occupied by orthopedics. House flashes a strobe light into orthopedics... which makes one guy throw up. In retaliation, they wrap everything in his office in gauze. House almost punches one of the orthopedists in the face, only stopping when he has a diagnostic epiphany. [he gets those things at the weirdest times!] After House gave Foreman the check, the room is more or less his. So, he gives Adams a doctor's coat (she's freshly divorced) and presents her with a bat to smash things in the room... and she does.   Oh, and something super-funny in the episode? In the cafeteria, Adams tells House that she has Hep C, and Park says that she got it from her... which causes House not to eat their food. [I thought that was really funny.]