1.12 Sports Medicine
From tv.com: A severely broken arm reveals a bizarre case of bone loss and ends the comeback plans of major league pitcher Hank Wiggen. House suspects Hank – with a history of drug abuse – is lying about using steroids, as his condition worsens. When Hank's kidneys start to fail, his wife offers to donate hers, but she would have to abort her early pregnancy. Forced into an impossible solution, and admitting failure as an addict, Hank tries to take his own life. House and his team must isolate and fix the problem soon if this pitcher's life, as well his career, can be saved. Meanwhile, Foreman dates a pharmaceutical representative and House is stuck with two tickets and ends up going on a "date" with Cameron...to a monster truck rally.

Sport Medicine comments
I've actually written my first review for the season, but it's a season 1 review. I needed to flex my commentator muscles. DIY Sheep, I hope it's OK that I put it here. Move it if you would like, so anyway... "Everybody does stupid things, it shouldn’t cost them everything they want in life." This line, which House says to Cuddy near the end of Sports Medicine is a nearly perfect example of House's unique take on ethics. It's also a proof-text that House isn't simply about the puzzle, that he has a humanity, and a very profound one. Sports Medicine falls in the middle of season one and is directed by Keith Gordon, a terrific independent film director. He directed Billy Crudup in Waking the Dead, and he also directed the less successful Singing Detective (based on the British series), which co-starred Jeremy Northam playing an American (Jeremy’s a wonderful actor, but his American accent is fairly dodgy). Anyway, I digress (but what else is new?). Sports Medicine is one of the most densely packed episodes aired in the first season (until we get to the 3 Stories/Honeymoon finale). It explores House's relationship with Wilson; and introduces at least the idea of Stacy. Sports Medicine explores the ethical and moral textures that make up House's character, and some of the childlike diversions that House enjoys to distract himself from the pain and the non-stop activity of his brain. The episode suggests that House is more than a puzzle solver, that he does consider and care about his patients (and their families--as much as he is able). It also begins to nudge at the idea that House is a rock star of a doctor. Someone world renowned that would merit courting his fellows for access. The script has David Shore written all over it and through it. This is his character, and, not really knowing whether they will be renewed when he penned the script (or even if the series would continue past Vogler at that point) , Shore painted his character in both broad strokes and infinite detail. I began watching House with the episode Cursed. I had missed the entire first half of the season, and after I found myself hooked after one episode, I asked someone in the online community which episodes I should try to find. At that point, episodes were difficult to find online (especially to a newbie like I was) and Sydedalus (the wonderful fanfic writer) and I connected and she suggested that I had to see Detox and Sports Medicine (and the Pilot). SM had been recommended to me (by lots people) for the scene at the end with Cameron and House at the Monster Truck rally. It's a cute and lovely scene for so many reasons, but Sport Medicine is so very, very much more than that. Since I'm all about the reveal of the many-layered and complex Dr. House, let's sojourn there: Reveal # 1--House is a baseball fan. I'm not terribly surprised. He's such a guy in so many ways. But he's a fanboy; and so is Wilson. It's a diversion for House from his overly active mind. Although he probably keeps every statistic on every player he's ever liked somewhere in the recesses of his brain. Related to this reveal is the knowledge that House is into Monster Trucks. Monster Trucks. I'm embarrassed that I know what that is (but only from commercials about Monster Truck rallies). More than reinforcing his "guy"-ness, I think it probably speaks to House's upbringing in a military community (when they lived stateside). He grew up on or near a marine base. It might have been one part of the culture that House grabbed onto (that and motorbikes, though we don't know that--or the fact that he was a military brat--until season 2). This reveal expanded not only our knowledge of House, making him a really, real person, it also served to illuminate Love those little seeds that sprout in later episodes. Reveal #2—Stacy. It is in this episode that we first hear about Stacy. We have no idea who Stacy is, only that she is someone who clearly meant something to House, and something that he is emotionally very sensitive to. So much so that Wilson lies to House rather than reveal that he is having a simple dinner with her. House’s reaction is as much a surprise as the fact of her at all. House is clearly upset that Wilson is having dinner with her. He averts his eyes and busies himself with finding a change of clothes. He avoids, much like he does when the topic of conversation ventures into areas of emotional vulnerability. He says to Wilson: “You should see her. Say ‘hi’ for me” in that quietly intense, sad voice. It’s immediately apparent that Stacy is someone with whom House was romantically involved. We learn more about her when House is with Cameron at the Monster Truck rally. “Ever been married?” asks Cameron. At first House deflects, but then out of the blue reveals that “I lived with someone awhile.” Again in that intensely quiet voice. This is something that means something to him. We, of course, put two and two together to come up with the fact that Stacy is the woman he lived with (Yeah, her Indian name). So we know now, at this point, that House has not always been a social hermit. He’s lived with a woman “for awhile” and that she is friends (as well) with Wilson. The social awkwardness that House exhibits when he asks Cameron to go with him to the Monster Truck thing is also pretty telling. It’s not something that House is comfortable with, like he hasn’t done it for awhile. It’s endearing (to me) as it must be with Cameron who has a crush on the emotionally wounded doctor. Reveal #4—House as Mick Jagger –A new drug rep has come courting and what is her goal (other than sex with Foreman)? House suggests that it’s him that she’s after (not for sex) but to snag him to come down to a convention. Foreman disputes that assertion as House’s ego, pure and simple (of course to admit that House is right mean that he needs to question the rep’s motives). I do know that vendors court decision makers (having been on both sides of that game) but this seems like something more than simple courting. And from House’s reaction that he’s been through before. Big coup for the new drug rep if she can score the reclusive and renowned Dr. House. Reveal #3—House’s humanity and emotional life. Lots of this on display here. Yeah, it’s ostensibly about Hank and House treats Hank pretty much like he treats every patient—with a certain disdain for stupidity. But when it comes right down to it and learns that the wife is pregnant, he doesn’t send Cameron or Chase to tell her, he tells her himself, letting her know that she can’t donate. Then comes the big “to abort or not abort” question. She wants to abort, making herself able to save her husband’s life. Hank says “no.” He’d rather die and have his legacy than live, knowing that his wife aborted the child they wanted to save his life. But the wife is stubborn and tells House that she’s going to do it anyway. House counsels her to keep the kid. That Wiggen has the right to say “no.” When it comes down to that life or death decision, House is all doctor (with all that means). This has nothing to do with ego or smugness or puzzles or anything but a doctor advising a family member that a patient has a right to refuse treatment. “Have the baby,” he says. House is also visibly hurt when he learns that Wilson has lied to him. You see it in his body language and those soulful eyes. The idea that House doesn’t care; doesn’t have feelings or emotions is simply not true. And that carries forth into his awkwardness with Cameron and the conversation about Stacy and—the final scene in the episode at the monster truck rally. But this brings us back to the beginning of this commentary. The big caring thing that House does is to lie on Wiggins’ chart about the Addison’s disease. It’s that lie. That suggestion that stupidity shouldn’t necessarily cost you everything rings very true for House relating to things we don’t yet, at that point, know about his history.

Sasmom, can I just say here that I love your review??