I would have agreed that House was royally pissed off at Cuddy in that scene in "Needle in a Haystack" except that immediatly following that conversation we have the undercutting conversation with Wilson in which House asks how guilty Cuddy looks. We know then that House has been acting in order to manipulate her (again) and that he is smug with delight to know that he has moved her enough to win back his parking place. I think that House's attitude toward Cuddy's highly juvenile laxative prank in "Mirror" was clearer: he was amused by how silly she had become and by the entire game of seeing how low each could go. He was annoyed, but not physically harmed at all by the frequent trips to the bathroom. Nor did he seem to be in any increased pain from having inadvertently skipped a Vicodin. Cuddy's prank took the "war" to a strictly personal level (away from the generalized prank of the tainted mayonaise) and so House felt free to strike back at her with an even more personal attack -- threatening her birth control pill supply. What is still a puzzle to me, however, is why House thought to raise the question of a possible accidental Cuddy pregnancy with Foreman. Foreman was completely unaware of the source of the laxative switch and of the bcp ploy, so what was the meaning of House's quip? Maybe this was a private train of thought that was humming below the surface of House's mind which escaped in a moment of inattention (quite like the moment in the Tritter arc when House accidentally lets slip to CCF that Cuddy is looking for a sperm donor).

I honestly don't know how Cuddy was supposed to react to appease viewers: she was obviously affected by House's display and she ceded him the space. I think what some of us want is for her to act a bit more consistently with what has happened previously with her character on the show. As Silja pointed out up-thread, Cuddy giving House laxatives as a substitute for vicodin (not only taking away his pain relief but also causing him to have to keep running to the bathroom when we have had repeated references to how, for example, he balances thirst with the effort to get the bathroom) negates what she supposedly learned in Needle. I was reminded of the final scene between them in Needle in a Haystack where she taunted him as if the bet was a game that could be won. It wasn't for House, it was about making his day a little more bearable and she didn't seem to realise that until he stood up and limped over to her. I thought she's learned something from that. I had hoped that she'd come to a new understanding of his disability. However, now she's back to using it against him either to win or humble him. I'm wondering what the point was of Needle in a Haystack, if she's gone right back to seeing him as a recalcitrant child whose honest need for pain relief can be used to rein him in. I honestly don't understand Cuddy's motives anymore. Obviously House was amused that he had won the parking space war; I don't think that has to mean what he said to her about needing the space and trying to manipulating him were just an act or that he was amused by her taking the space in the first place. House is a good actor but I think that plot line was intended to remind the viewer as well as Cuddy that House really does have a genuine problem for which he probably suffers more than he lets on. And apparently Cuddy has already forgotten it.

And if patients with Mirror Syndrome do mimic the strongest personality about them, why would he copy Wilson in the ER and not House, who is clearly the dominant personality. Why did he pick one name and stay with it? Wouldn’t he pick a new name every time he encountered someone dominant? Shouldn’t he be Gregory House? I saw that in the Polite Dissent review too. I would answer that a) Wilson was the dominant one in that scene; I wouldn't call his personality dominant over House's whether he's in charge of their relationship or not, but as House pointed out it was a surgery and Wilson was the surgeon and therefore in control. b) At that point the doctors were telling the patient that his name was Martin (less confusing that way) and he was going along with it.

(not only taking away his pain relief but also causing him to have to keep running to the bathroom when we have had repeated references to how, for example, he balances thirst with the effort to get the bathroom) Being a guy... and having a pain problem that requires me to walk with a cane myself... trust me, House's "balancing" was just said to get the immature, teenage girl to stop acting like an immature, teenage girl... so that House's crew could do the test on her, so that House could study her. Believe me... it's not real hard to know well in advance when you have to go to the bathroom. A full bladder is something that builds... so if you start walking to the bathroom when you first start to feel the need to urinate (given that the bathroom isn't... say... 5 miles away), you will assuredly not wet yourself. It's not like when I drink a glass of what, at some random and unknown point down the line I'm suddenly going to have to urinate within 30 seconds... like I said... it builds. :lol: Quote: I was reminded of the final scene between them in Needle in a Haystack where she taunted him as if the bet was a game that could be won. It wasn't for House, it was about making his day a little more bearable and she didn't seem to realise that until he stood up and limped over to her. I thought she's learned something from that. I had hoped that she'd come to a new understanding of his disability. However, now she's back to using it against him either to win or humble him. I'm wondering what the point was of Needle in a Haystack, if she's gone right back to seeing him as a recalcitrant child whose honest need for pain relief can be used to rein him in. I honestly don't understand Cuddy's motives anymore. Obviously House was amused that he had won the parking space war; I don't think that has to mean what he said to her about needing the space and trying to manipulating him were just an act or that he was amused by her taking the space in the first place. House is a good actor but I think that plot line was intended to remind the viewer as well as Cuddy that House really does have a genuine problem for which he probably suffers more than he lets on. And apparently Cuddy has already forgotten it. Having a handicap placard and walking with a cane myself, I can honestly say I can have a direct relation with that whole situation. Yeah... it sucks to have to walk further and when it gets icy (or heck, even when it rains) it's extremely difficult to get across a parking lot and sidewalk without the cane losing traction (and you guys thought keeping traction with your feet was bad!... lol... not to mention have you ever tried taking a cane w/ a wet bottom of its rubber foot from outside and walking on a nice shiny floor? :wink: ). I almost always get the same handicap space (we're talking probably 99% of the time), but sometimes someone else parks there... always the same person. I've actually seen the person as they were walking to and getting into their car on one of them days that they were parked in said parking space as I walked from the other lot... they didn't limp... have a cane... wheelchair... no visual need for the spot (though I know placards are granted for irritible bowel syndrome... perhaps that was the problem... lol).... or at least less need than mine, or so it seems. Now, it's not an assigned spot or anything, but there's only one space close to the building, which means I have to go park in the lot that's not right by the building, but is about 50-60 yards away instead of being 10-15 yards away. Does that suck? Of course... I hate having to go park there and walk that much further... but let's be logical about it... I have the same designation on my handicap application as what Cuddy says House's says (50 away)... and I can handle it. We don't literally collapse just inside the building like House overdramatically states, we either just push past that distance and press on through the building pain (because the pain does tend to get progressively worse the further you walk) or we stop and take a break for a few minutes, then complete the journey. It's a nuisance, and on a bad pain day it can create quite a bit of frustration, but it's not the end of the world. I don't get angry about it, as is suggested that House did. Now.......... say I chance to meet the person that parks there..... or a member of the administration that could turn the spot into an assigned space..... you don't think I'd act and say basically exactly what House said to try to make sure I never had to park further away? I'd do it in a heartbeat without even thinking about it. Of course all manipulation/lying/acting is based in truth, so yes, I would truthfully be stating that it was difficult with me, and I'd likely truthfully be reminiscing about the rainy long walks that forced me to take another one of my oxy immediately after I got into the building, but I would falsely be righteously indignant and angry. So yeah... House probably really is irritated by the change in the... what?... 4... 5 days?... he has to deal with it (not even in his normal state on a cane... not walking... but in a wheelchair, which as he states is incredibly easier to cover the longer distance... granted he's probably imagining the annoyance he'd have to deal with that I've previously described), and he probably truly feels Whitner could cover the distance easier and that he deserves the spot, but I can guarantee you he wasn't outraged and angry... it was total manipulation... and the reason he chose that form of manipulation is because he knows that righteous indignation over a legitimate medical condition hits a soft spot in people's hearts and makes them feel sympathetic and guilty about it, which is an almost definite victory for whatever cause you're pushing at the time........... not that I know about that from personal experience in the exploitation department or anything. (Insert angel smiley... since they don't have an appropriate smiley for what I just said. ;P) Anyway... point being... from the voice of experience... there's some truth and personal belief in some of his words... but he's definitely not angry, he just soooo wants that damn spot back! HEY YOU... GIMME MY SPOT BACK! YEAH... I'M TALKING TO YOU! :lol:

P.S. -- Yes... cripples can be that good, too! Just because we're cripple doesn't mean we can't be "egomaniacal, narcissistic pain(s)-in-the-ass" or manipulative, evil jerks. :)

Being a guy... and having a pain problem that requires me to walk with a cane myself... trust me, House's "balancing" was just said to get the immature, teenage girl to stop acting like an immature, teenage girl... so that House's crew could do the test on her, so that House could study her. In that instance, possibly, but this isn't the only reference. The implication that because his leg hurt he used a cup which he later warned Wilson not to use is one instance, there may be others I'm forgetting. so Believe me... it's not real hard to know well in advance when you have to go to the bathroom. A full bladder is something that builds... so if you start walking to the bathroom when you first start to feel the need to urinate (given that the bathroom isn't... say... 5 miles away), you will assuredly not wet yourself. It's not like when I drink a glass of what, at some random and unknown point down the line I'm suddenly going to have to urinate within 30 seconds... like I said... it builds. ...but you still always know that you are eventually going to have make that trip and if you anticipate your leg is going to be hurting a lot right about the time that urge has built up, you might decide to have a sip rather than a full glass of water. From my experience, the urge produced by taking several laxatives over a few hours' time can be pretty darned...urgent. I don't mean to minimize your experience, but I don't think you can dismiss what House has said or implied more than once simply because that's not how things are for you. And you certainly can't say needing to pee from a normal consumption of fluid is the same thing as the effect of laxatives. About whether there was anything genuine in House's rant to Cuddy or whether it was all manipulation, well, we'll all have our own take on that. While it was definitely used manipulatively, I think everything he said was true and he was angry, not so much about the parking space as about Cuddy forcing him to have reveal the reality of his disability, display his vulnerability, because she was willing to jerk him around and play games about it. Obviously we disagree which is fine. For what it's worth, I don't think you or I or anyone else can guarantee how things look from House's perspective; your personal experience may give you more insight than someone who has always been completely able-bodied, but, respectfully, you can really only guarantee how things are from your pov, not House's.

not to mention have you ever tried taking a cane w/ a wet bottom of its rubber foot from outside and walking on a nice shiny floor? Oh jeez, seriously. Nothing like making it across the icy parking lot only to do a spectacular prat fall when slippery cane tip hits slick tile floor. :roll:

this seems off topic right now, and i don't know if anyone mentioned it yet.. the guy had a 107 fever. can you really survive without getting brain damaged or damaged some where with so high a fever ?

107 is very high, and I believe that's where brain damage becomes a serious worry but perhaps if they got the fever down right away? I had a friend who had a fever of 107 when she got the chicken pox at the age of 17. She had no ill after effects though certainly it was hella scary and she was hospitalized.

And you certainly can't say needing to pee from a normal consumption of fluid is the same thing as the effect of laxatives. I wasn't... I was simply responding to the aforementioned episode ("Insensitive") where House "weighs the pros and cons" of having a glass of water and being able to make it to the bathroom without peeing himself, which had been brought up to suggest evidence of how true his anger was with Cuddy. I assure you I understand the feeling of laxatives, as well. And yeah... laxatives is a little tougher to make it to the bathroom with the haste required... definitely doable, but more difficult for sure. And as far as my point of view not being similar or close to House's... I guess you'd never really know the truth of that statement unless you knew me. The only reason I ever started watching the show in the first place (I missed all but the last two episodes of the first season), was because of three people... one of them thought I would find the show entertaining because of being the main character... the other two had some grand scheme (which I'm sure looked good on paper at the time) to make me watch the show, thereby making me look in the mirror. Then if they could get me to look in the mirror and see what an ass I had been to them and everyone around me and confront me with that, they figured they could get me to change. Not that their logical wasn't flawless... but that just seems like a stupid plan to me... which I find amusing, because those two people are now the two that are leading some coalition against me watching this show (apparently... it turns out as soon as I started watching, I suddenly became less afraid to live like me... and, horrifically, I started "intentionally trying to make myself more like House".... appalling, really... I know that's everyone's worst nightmare). Trust me (seems ironic that I'm the one saying that phrase... because clearly there should be no trust between us)... I'm sitting behind his eyes... except for that whole getting shot thing... the writers thought it was okay to embellish my life a bit, I guess. Other than that... everything the show has indicated that he has lived (except for the exact diagnosis on the leg and the career), I have lived before it was aired... whole creepy, spooky thing... I should've posted a week ago... hmm. Anyway... not that you should trust my answers, but then again they are more based in experience than philosophy... shouldn't a religious discussion fit in here after that comment?... hmm... who's up?

the guy had a 107 fever. can you really survive without getting brain damaged or damaged some where with so high a fever ? Brain damage isn't a definite 100% certainty with a fever... at least in the short-term. Any more than the short-term risks sever neurological symptoms caused by damage to the brain (...caused by the fever). Technically, at some point, if you let a fever that high go for too long, you'll fry the brain. As was suggested though, maybe they didn't actually keep the fever that high for that long... it was toward the end of the episode... and shortly after we saw him sitting back in a hospital bed (clearly without the fever and increased blood pressure). Then again... the whole premise of the episode is that the guy's got brain damage, which is causing him to no longer know who he is, so the brain steals the identity of the dominant presence.... maybe House just thought that if the 107 fever caused damage, the guy would never notice the difference...

...had some grand scheme (which I'm sure looked good on paper at the time) to make me watch the show, thereby making me look in the mirror. ...figured they could get me to change....those two people are now the two that are leading some coalition against me watching this show...." :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: That's the funniest thing I have heard in a long time!!!! They really should have paid a lot closer attention to the show--then they would have known that plan would backfire! But then it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun for you....!!!!! Trust me (seems ironic that I'm the one saying that phrase... because clearly there should be no trust between us)... I'm sitting behind his eyes... er, chrohandhaivey, if you look a lot like Hugh Laurie--especially those eye..... I think we need to meet in RL :winkiss:

er, chrohandhaivey, if you a lot like Hugh Laurie--especially those eye..... I think we need to meet in RL God I wish I had that shade of blue... being a guy I'm not allowed to say anything that might bring my sexuality into question by rule under Article 6.13.d of the Man Code... but I gotta say, those are a nice pair of peepers. I mean... all my former gfs have said that my eyes are my best physical feature... and that they are deep and beautiful.... they're just not that great shade of blue of Hugh's... I'm stuck with a blue-green........... that fluctuates between blue and green on any given day, or anywhere in between. You can have my eyes though... they're too revealing.... it's hard to not have people know your personal life and not be able to read you when your eyes are such windows to the mind. grrrrr... -_- Stupid everyone being attracted to my eyes... lol.