What I loved about Babies and Bathwater was that it was good in reveals about House and who he really is and what he's really about. House is not only about the puzzles, and he showed it in this episode. To House, the enemy is death--dying--losing his patient. In this episode, the way he dealt with the young father Sean was, to me, Hosue stripped of his defensive "I'm a complete jerk" image. He knows and understands the fate of Sean if he doesn't act to save the baby. He will lose both his wife and child. When they are in the OR, Foreman offers to go and talk to Sean. House overrules him and decides to go himself. Why, when House hates (supposedly) dealing with patients because they're idiots and fools, does he choose himself to talk to Sean? It's completely in character too. House know that he can, if needed, be gentle, discrete and compassionate. He doesn't badger Sean, but is honest and blunt and sincere with him. This is House, beyond the puzzles, beyond the bull***t. This is essential House--and why he is invaluable. Also, House at the end, when the final vote is taken. House knows he's out the door, yet takes the special care to make sure that (before it happens--and it would have been easy for House to simply be bitter and leave it alone--walk away) Cuddy knows what is wrong with baby Olive and what needs to happen to fix her. It is that moment that Cuddy realizes (now if she could only remember that) that House is more than a scientist and a cold hearted diagnostician. He is a doctor; a healer--and he is worth more than Vogler. Done now. I did love that episode.

To House, the enemy is death--dying--losing his patient. Sasmom, loved your analysis yet I would like to disagree with you slightly. To house, the enemy is not death- dying- losing patient. It has always been about doing what is the best for his patients. This episode establishes this firmly. House knows that death is an evitable part of life and he is bound to lose some patients. At the final scene with Ezra Powell in ‘Informed Consent’ we can see House’s mouth contorting a little bit to form a smile when Ezra congratulates him on figuring out the puzzle. Here we can see a resigned House who has accepted death. At the end of the episode when House reassures Cameron we can see House has made a truce with death to serve his purpose to do the best for his patient, in this case helping him to embrace death. Again, House talks to Sean because he knows that he can be manipulative or persuasive enough to convince Sean to consent to do the procedure that he thinks is best for his wife at that moment. The decision was to be taken urgently and he decided to take it upon himself to deal with the husband and not to rely on others in case they might fail. This shows his bravado, his self-confidence and his decision making ability-all of which makes him a brilliant doctor. He chooses to deal with patients or not to deal with them based on the fact whether that would be necessary or not as we can see in episodes like Control, MLC, LITS, and Autopsy etc . Even if House is cold hearted (I am not saying he is or he is not), it does not matter much in his profession. He has got all the qualities to do his job perfectly and that is most the important thing. We can see this throughout the series where his methods and ideals are contrasted with the so called warm hearted ducklings and other doctors or even administrators like Voglar, who are running this whole biomedical business. Gregory House is a quintessential example of what a health professional should be like and this episode did express that fact very poignantly.

I also think that House has a unique perspective on patients, their choices and issues. He believes that a doctor shouldn't dance around an issue, and by being straightforward he serves the needs of the patient (even if he's not thinking that overtly, I do think that's a natural part of the way he operates). He won't soft pedal a problem or a diagnosis because the patient needs to know what he or she is dealing with. With Sean, he needed to know that it was either his wife or both his wife and baby; with emma in FP it was that her liver was failing and again, it was either her life or both her and the baby's. When he needs to, his bedside manner is devestatingly good, especially to someone in dire straits. but the way he presents the choices is in a way that doesn't necessarily cover his ass: here is choice a and choice b. Go ahead and choose (this is what his problem with Wilson in Family was all about). No, his attitude is to present the choices and then his point of view. It's not best for the lawyers or for him personally, but it lays it all out on the line. "This is what I think you should do based on all my years, expertise and knowledge".

Do we know if Wilson got back on the board after he got kicked off? I imagine he did, if only to protect House, but was it implied or actually stated? I really can't remember.

It's never been mentioned since. Since Cuddy seems to think that she can fire House at will and House doesn't use the "I have tenure" argument anymore, though, I'm guessing that he's not. (Which is another way of saying that the writers have probably forgotten he ever was.) I'd like to find out, though.

This was a really good episode, but I can't/don't watch it very much, because I don't really like the people dying and staying dead bits.

Tenna: Do we know if Wilson got back on the board after he got kicked off? I always assumed he must've been - in the episode, he's willing to resign because he'd been kicked off the board and it was a demotion. He was never exactly *fired,* per se. So when he comes back it at least implies he was put back on the board, right? I guess?

Count me in on those who consider this better than Three Stories. TS was good, don't get me wrong, but in a "that was interesting" way. B&B actually, IMO, stays with you and gives you something to think about. The H/W scene gets a lot of attention, but my other two favorite scenes in the ep were House's scene with Naomi, and later of course his scene with Sean. Naomi: "He doesn't understand- " House: "Who the hell does!" House was sensitive yet brutally honest with Naomi. Ditto with Sean. I loved seeing House be "nice," for lack of a better word, yet still essentially House. Those scenes were beautifully written and acted. God. How does Hugh Laurie not have an Emmy? And the ending montage - best ever on this show?

I just rewatched it yesterday (to reward myself for finishing my assignment :D) and it is a really great episode that showed us more of who House really is. While watching yesterday, I really wondered why this one hasn't been in my most favourite episodes so far. The case of Naomi and Sean is gripping. (And I also liked Cameron being absent. :oops:) Just a stupid question that might have been asked and discussed before: What is the "bathwater" reference exactly? I'm always confusing this episode title with "Forever" because there was literally a baby and a bathtub involved.

Elompanti, "babies and bathwater" refers to an old proverb - "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water". You can find a better explanation in this site: http://www.deproverbio.com/DPjournal/DP,1,1,95/BABY.html Like you I was curious about the meaning... :wink:

Oh, thanks so much, Lully. I guessed it was some kind of proverb, because as English is not my first language I don't know a lot of them. But then I realised (as the link you posted also says) it's actually a German proverb translated into English. I should have known that, as I'm German and know the German one. :lol: Now it's clear what it means. And again, I love that it applies both to House (and Vogler) and the patient. Clever.

You're welcome :) And just because I love Wilson, it applies to him too :wink:

I guessed it was some kind of proverb, because as English is not my first language I don't know a lot of them. It's okay, English is my first language and I had no clue, either. I actually saw this episode first and had no clue what it meant until somone said it IRL and we all stared at her blankly. :P I think this is the first House episode where I lost it, completely. I was doing great until the baby cried and then I started sobbing, all alone, in my room. Heehee.

I also have a weakness for seeing House doing doctor stuff. Weird question: I wonder whose CTs House was looking at at the end? It's presumed in the TWOP recap to be Olive's, but House had already shown Olive's CT scan to Cuddy earlier. This really was one of the few episodes that didn't really have any humor. The Vogler dream and a few half-hearted lines aside. Even "Merry Little Christmas" had some funny banter (between House and the patient's mom).