5.02 - Not Cancer

Loved it...definitely thought this was a great one. So much focus on House himself with him at the very center of the action which is what makes the show really work for me. He was fun and determined and sad and honest with his patient...classic House behavior and I loved every minute of it. His last scene with the POTW...who I also really liked...was fantastic. Hugh just kills in those scenes. House is an ass...and he knows it. But no one else's bedside manner that we've seen in PPTH world can change a patient's whole outlook for the better like his can. He wanted her to know that even though the world would still be ugly...at least she'd get to really see it this time and maybe some of it wouldn't be so bad. Or at least that's what I got out of it and I'm not so deep so I could be wrong. :wink: But I love when he deals with his patients like that. His ability to be real with his patients is one of his best qualities and even though few other people wanna give him the time of day...he's worth everybody's time and I'm glad he showed that tonight. Too bad none of the other characters saw it and that he was a pain in the ass to the poor nurse! He really is worth it though...gotta love him! I sure do. Oh and congrats to "Executive Producer Hugh Laurie!!" Good for Hugh!! He definitely deserves that new credit!

In a way, the disease was a repeat of It's a Wonderful Lie -- cancerous cells hiding in the wrong place in the body. Wouldn't the donor's cancer have to have been very advanced for it to have been in so many areas of his body? It was his heart, lung, kidney, liver, corneas and something else. Usually cancer is localized until it metastasizes. And it can't be that there were some cancerous cells in his bloodstream. As they pointed out, corneas don't have a blood supply. And, even if they did, that would mean that every blood donor with undiagnosed cancer would cause all the recipients of his blood to get the disease. Liked Cuddy tonight. Of course House's diagnosis was right. And of course he found a way to do an end-run around her rules. But she acted like a dean of medicine. She stuck to her decision and didn't let him bully her into changing her mind. And she even had guards enforce her decision. It's been a long time since we've seen the Cuddy from the Pilot. I hope she stays for a while.

Hey everyone! I'm new. obviously. i loved the episode...felt like a return to old times. Cool medical mystery, minimal newbie scenes, and a closer look at House's character. LOVED the PI...not as a Wilson replacement or anything, but I think he will be fun for the time being. Speaking of Wilson, I am such a wilson hater at the moment. People, I know that it is irrational and that he spoke the truth at the end of DCE, but I still hate him very much at the moment. Let the angst between him and House end!! Us h/w shippers have suffered long enough!! (2 episodes + 3.5 months between WH and DCE + lack of shipperness in most of s4. ughh.)

In a way, the disease was a repeat of It's a Wonderful Lie -- cancerous cells hiding in the wrong place in the body. It wasn't the same as IAWL. That patient actually had breast cancer in breast tissue (breast tissue that had migrated to her leg while she was developing in utero). This was "cancer but not cancer; brain but not brain." It was cancer but not exactly. It was cancer stem cells that implanted in an organ and grew into that organ's cells (because stem cells have that ability). Wiki says, "Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a sub-population of cancer cells (found within tumors or hematological cancers) that possess characteristics normally associated with stem cell. These cells are believed to be tumorigenic (tumor-forming), in contrast to the bulk of cancer cells, which are thought to be non-tumorigenic." That's why she reacted positively to the chemotherapy. It shrunk the cells. I'm not a doctor and can't explain it that well (and don't fully understand it, obviously), so I'll just transcribe what House said about it: "Cancer stem cells are real; they explain everything. They're like embryonic stem cells; they can become whatever they want. Donor had them ; recipients got them. They floated around, landed on an organ, got bathed in cytones, partially differentiated. And the key word there is 'differentiated.' In the tuba player, they became lung but not lung. In the tennis player, they became heart but not heart. Stop me if you've figured out the pattern. It looked as if they belonged, but they weren't really doing their jobs. When they were really needed, boom. Chemo worked because cells are basically tumors. Chemo shrunk them." (The only thing I question there is "cells are basically tumors"; I think it should be "tumors are basically cells." Tumors are cells that grow uncontrollably. )

I like the PI. There. I said it. He's quirky. I also did crack up when the bowels exploded on Foreman. And oohed and ahhed at the brain stuff. I am the only one in my house who does not find it creepy. And the House/Wilson stuff is sad. :(

Not a great ep, imo. The only thing I was into was the House/wilson thing. And that seemed on the gay side. It just resembled two gay guys breaking up too much. The private dick was such a dork.

I'm new here. Was I the only one who thought that the PI was kinda like Captain Jack from Doctor Who? SPOILER Maybe because both of them have the whole spin off thing, END SPOILER but also because they seem like they don't need the main character(House/The Doctor) in order to...Well, be themselves. I mean watching an episode without House would be...rather boring,really. But watching an episode without House but with Lucas would be, well, interesting. Not quite House, but something else. Kinda hard to explain. I really liked the episode, Lucas is a great character and I really do hope he gets his own spin off show. Mod Note: This has not happened yet, and therefore, is a spoiler.

Good episode! but I forgot to tape it so I will have to wait for the USA re-broadcast to watch it again. I have to say I did like the PI. The H/W scenes were heart-breaking.

I was touched, and a bit appalled, by House's attempt to discover if he had found a "new" Wilson/friend in the other doctor (name escapes me at this late hour). The -*test*-('")s: paying for his food, liking Monster Trucks, not being appalled at what he's saying to someone on his team.... Appalled because he's so inept. I guess I don't watch enough TV to know about all the other PIs floating around SPOILER and getting their own series. END SPOILER I didn't mind this one, although I hope he has a discrete role and then leaves (hopefully paid, so that House doesn't land in court). Mod note: Again, if it hasn't been aired, it's a spoiler. Please spoiler tag.

Oh and congrats to "Executive Producer Hugh Laurie!!" Good for Hugh!! He definitely deserves that new credit! I saw it too hughsblues and forgot about it - very well deserved. I enjoyed Chase's one scene - his interaction with House even though brief and not exactly in the same room with him, makes me miss him being part of the team, and curse JS's minimal screentime even more. I so wish the nurse House decided to antagonize had been Evil Nurse Brenda. And I second the loss of House doing clinic duty. I really hope we see it return someday soon.

Okay, I about died laughing when Foreman got ick all over him. OMG, thank goodness I wasn't munching on something! PI...um, okay. Just okay for me. I don't watch the show for the extras, so I don't much care either way. H/W...gah...those two are amazing. 'Nuff said. The O'Shea bit...good fun. Cuddy...showing a little backbone, nice (except she knew what he'd do, and he managed to do it anyway, granted for the patient's benefit). What's with Cuddy & hiring muscle anyway? Last season and now this season. I enjoyed it. I'm already mourning the next episode's end because of the break afterwards. such a tease to give us three episodes and then force a break on us.

I liked this one a lot and I expect to like it more when I rewatch without the distraction of more commercial breaks. I guess I'm -*test*-('")y but the timing of this new structure is making it hard for me to stay in the House world the whole time. Breaking it up for more acts makes it seem like more commercials and we don't just get to stay with the show long enough to get lost in it. Plus, I think all the Fringe ads got on my nerves (I'm watching the Warner Bros. documentary on PBS: it's great: "I was a fugitive from a chain gang", an awesome, brave movie). Loved that House hired a PI (who will never get paid, imho) and liked the guy well enough. Agree that he doesn't really fit in the House world, more in the Psych or Monk world, but he's ok for a while. Methinks he'll be forced to raise his game, or House will have him for breakfast. I liked that Wilson stuck to his guns and that House stuck to his. "We're not friends, I can tell your secrets, etc." and Cuddy stuck to hers. Makes House more impressive if the people around him aren't pushovers, because he really can still get the work done. Freeing him up from needing the Wilson-inspired epiphany has to be good for everyone. Really liked the POTW, the medical mystery and the new Evil Nurse X, especially how HL acted the scenes with her. He is such a joy to watch, unrepentant, fierce, but not so goofy as he was last season. And yay for Exec Producer Hugh Laurie. About time.

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