House: Chase Treats a Nun

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Blah, blah, blah. Ten episodes to go, and we'll probably get a couple more "real" medical mysteries before everything starts wrapping up. This episode seemingly has no effect on the House canon, though it clearly takes place after Chase is injured. No mention of Taub's girls or Foreman's love life or Park's parents. We see Wilson for about a minute, and Foreman only has about four lines. I'm okay with this only because the title of the episode is "Chase," so it's clear that he's to be our focus. Well, after a near-death experience, he's coming to terms with life in much the same way that Thirteen did... sleeping around and partying. But, Thirteen opted not to go back to medicine, so there is a difference. I don't know that we'll see Chase try to live the hardcore lifestyle, but he's never been a prude, either. Anyone have any predictions on what we'll see with him throughout the remainder of the final season?

House "Chase" (S08E12): It's three weeks after last week's episode, and Chase wakes up with a random girl and he's bleeding through his bandage. [we don't really address Chase's injuries much, so I guess this was nothing.] He uses crutches to answer the door when House shows up (after calling and texting), and we learn that Chase hasn't come back to work yet, and he isn't sure if or when he will be. Foreman tells Chase that, if nothing else, he has to do clinic hours, so he does. His first patient is a nun-in-training with shoulder pain, and after asking about her stress level, she admits that she's been having second thoughts about becoming a nun.

Cr: Adam Taylor/FOX

Both angina and breast cancer are ruled out, even though House and the team bother Chase as he works. But, after the patient vomits and has numbness in her foot, Chase asks House for help. Chase (who did have a seminary background that was revealed seasons ago) continues talking to the patient, and learns that hasn't had an actual "calling" yet, but she feels she needs the convent. She also tells him that a little boy she was nannying for got hit by a car under her watch. [awww. that sucks.] 

That night, Chase comes home from a boring date to find the pre-nun outside his apartment. They sleep together, and she wakes up spitting up blood, has ringing in her ears, and has a lot of neck swelling. Chase drives her to the hospital in his Land Rover, and House realizes that they slept together. [House always picks up on this stuff... so intuitive!] This could impede Chase's judgment, House lets him operate anyway, since he's the best of the team. He fixes her - turns out that she has a type of syphilis that was dormant in her system for years. Adams tells Foreman that Chase has been with the patient, so Foreman kicks him off the case. [OF COURSE Adams would squeal!] Chase continues to unofficially help out (no labcoat), and the patient tells him that she did experience a "calling" - though it was really oxygen deprivation. Chase tells her that he loves her, then looks up norepinephrine and near-death experiences... but ends up not showing her the information. When she's discharged, she decides to enter the convent, with her last act of physical touch holding Chase's hand. Chase then re-joins the diagnostics team. [what was with the plaid shirt and striped tie??]


The non-medical stuff going on this episode include Adams telling Chase that she's seeing a trauma counselor and suggests that he do the same. House makes soda-filled balloons and shoots paintballs at Taub, since the coward is now paranoid that he'll also be injured. To help out, he's taking Krav Maga classes and hiding from House by making up fake patient names and waiting in exam rooms. [hahaha!] Things seemed to wrap up when House goes to use a super-soaker on Taub, but it backfires. [nice!]