4.10 It's a Wonderful Lie

Upon second re-watch, I'm more convinced than ever that the clinic patient wasn't a hooker. She was having a fun time playing along with House but she did get to the point where she said "do I have to explain" and then House shut her up. He looked at the flier after she left, smiled and realized that she was enjoying yanking his chain. Or, rather, watching him yank his own chain. As is usual with these writers, I don't think there's a way to definitively answer this one, but my take on that is is the "do I have to explain" was directed at the donkey show, not the hooker ID. When House shut her up because he thought he knew all about that donkey show, she took delight in leaving him the flyer about the Christmas show pageant, which amused him no end when he read it and realised the hooker was also playing the Virgin Mary. I thought it was a nice poke showing House that he doesn't always make four when he adds two and two, and lovely irony on the whore/Madonna paradox--in the Christmas episode. So House. He is a subpar doctor at best and yes Cameron was usually crusicified for doing the same thing everyone seems to find so endearing in Kutner. Maybe this is the character version of men can do one thing and it is considered a good thing but women not so much. I think Cameron had her own motivations for what she was doing, and they are not Kutner's. The times that bugged me most when Cameron obsessed about House was when she crossed the personal/professional lines. I think that was a consistent issue with Cameron, from asking House at work if he liked her to holding him to a date as a condition to come back to work because of course he had to like her to having to be reminded to go do the test on the autistic boy rather than hang back for a personal chat because he might like her. That difficulty with separating the personal from the professional continued with her relationship with Chase, when she confused the hospital with her bedroom. I think that issue was always with Cameron--her feelings about PDH and telling people bad news was another manifestation--and her arc has been learning how to deal with it. I don't think she's at the end of it yet, but maybe we've had movement. The times that Cameron acted on her sweetness just as an expression of her personality, whether it was decorating for Christmas or sticking up for someone, she didn't bug me then and wouldn't bug me now. I haven't seen evidence that Kutner is a subpar doctor--he's gotten several of the mini-diagnoses in many eps and is able to fight for his ideas when he thinks he's right. His goofiness hasn't taken the place of his doctor skills, they co-exist. I think, like Namaste, that he has a funloving disposition and likes making people happy. This may also be his issue--we know he was babysitting for Cole and getting close in a way that it turned out Cole was not. Right now, though, it's fun watching a sunny disposition try to shine in House's world. Wilson's snark wasn't meant to amuse. It's a slap - building throughout the episode. I agree. I thought Wilson thought a thwap was in order because of the way House was acting at Christmas. He's using the walk for no reason other than to cause to pain as a metaphor. House got it. Maggie's sexual honesty with Jane (excellent - loved her), ouch, but in context: House calls it "child abuse" - like his father's "insane moral compass" dispensing brutal truth. House, passionate Truth Seeker, is an accomplished and frequent liar about deeply important things. He's honest when it suits him. Jane's pure truth is unnerving and a wonderment, because it's not a weapon, it's caring - he never sensed that in his father. In view of the parent/child I read this differently, in that I thought the mother's position was undercut in a couple of ways, while House's was strengthened. When Jane dispenses that brutal truth as a way to show her love, even 13, champion of the truthteller, is appalled at how cold it was. Her mother did not look comforted nor in the end was the child right (not that that was in any way her fault--she had faulty information). I thought that moment showed the flaw in the mother's approach, not the strength. When we learned the mother hadn't followed through on her own approach and had lied to the daughter to protect her, I thought it emphasised that she wasn't teaching her daughter this very necessary shade of grey about truthtelling. I was with House when he questioned the policy of absolute truthtelling to your child. I don't think that cold moment would make him reconsider his own reaction to his father.

Folks have been worrying about he newbies replacing the old, but here's a thought. What if, the old fellows remain in the House world, but all the newbies get fired/move on/quit and there's another fresh batch next season (or sometime)? After all, 13 seems at the end of her rope with House awfully soon, Kutner really doesn't have the chops, and Taub will find an angle that will make use of his time with House, but he'll move on as soon as he can. As they become established outside of his control, the old fellows gradually could get their own storylines which would play out slowly (like over the whole season), and could each contribute idle comments toward House's epiphanies, and the newnewbies, well they couldn't do the survivor thing again, so some other ways for House to get new fellows would have to occur, fun for all... I think the opening credits are keepers: really, I have a Pavlovian addiction to hearing the warning, the theme and then seeing the names. Honestly that has to be the best credit sequence ever, well, and what follows ain't hay either. ;-) Yes to ForeTeen, Chutner and Tameron: those characters seem to work similarly. Another Christmas themette in an episode truly rife with them? The three wise docs bringing presents to the king! Not gold, frankincense and myrrh, and certainly not newborn, but a watch, a vintage LP and a 2nd ed. Conan Doyle. Ha!

I read this differently, in that I thought the mother's position was undercut in a couple of ways, while House's was strengthened. When Jane dispenses that brutal truth as a way to show her love, even 13, champion of the truthteller, is appalled at how cold it was. Her mother did not look comforted nor in the end was the child right (not that that was in any way her fault--she had faulty information). I thought that moment showed the flaw in the mother's approach, not the strength. When we learned the mother hadn't followed through on her own approach and had lied to the daughter to protect her, I thought it emphasised that she wasn't teaching her daughter this very necessary shade of grey about truthtelling. I was with House when he questioned the policy of absolute truthtelling to your child. I don't think that cold moment would make him reconsider his own reaction to his father. I completely agree that bold, bare truth is an age appropriate thing, for one, that even into old age, there should be truths that are not revealed between parents and children. And yes, that gray area is what constitutes much of our existence - so that area is best explored and practice gained at a reasonably young age, and under a parent's moral guidance. But Jane's truth is not supposed to comfort the mother. She very reasonably faced a painful reality, and forced her mother to do the same. Not to comfort her mother, but to get comfort from her. She needs Maggie to accept the inevitable - until then, Jane cannot express her own sorrow. That coldness could very well be simply containing what is an overwhelming array of emotions for a fairly young, soon to be orphan. She can't deal with the emotions attached to the fact until the fact is processed. I would have to credit Jane's fortitude and grace under pressure to Maggie, aside from any quibbles I might have with her other parenting choices. As for House, his Holy Grail of Utter Unremitting Truth combined with useful lies comes back to bite him. Yep everybody lies - except Jane, the nearly perfect exception to the rule. His reaction is to be appalled as well as awed. Like in Ugly, he is that other guy after all, and he has a perfectly natural feeling of discomfort. But he also sees that Jane's truth is firmly rooted in caring. It's not at all what he expected, and I still think it might hearken back to that cold truth of his father's. And it gives House food for thought, regarding his own cold, often brutal truthtelling. Just to address Kutner for a moment, he may not be a subpar doctor, but he doesn't belong in diagnostics. He is not interested in tracking down the cause of a disease, simply because he can't cure it. What about a similar case down the line? What if there are underlying factors or multiple conditions? What the hell else IS diagnostics!? No-no, IMO, that was a misstep, to have him express that line. It seriously undermined an already nearly fatuous character. Yes to ForeTeen, Chutner and Tameron: those characters seem to work similarly. Another Christmas themette in an episode truly rife with them? The three wise docs bringing presents to the king! Not gold, frankincense and myrrh, and certainly not newborn, but a watch, a vintage LP and a 2nd ed. Conan Doyle. Ha! Ding-ding! Boffle scores again on my laughometer. Chutner was the one that cracked me up.

But Jane's truth is not supposed to comfort the mother. She very reasonably faced a painful reality, and forced her mother to do the same. Not to comfort her mother, but to get comfort from her. She needs Maggie to accept the inevitable - until then, Jane cannot express her own sorrow. I saw that moment as more Maggie reaching out to her daughter laced with hope, and her daughter unable to allow her mother that hope--even though, as it turns out, hope there is. I thought they framed the truth argument as there is a place for unvarnished truth, but it can hurt as much as help--truth is not an absolute good; it depends on how you wield it. I don't think we were supposed in any way to judge Jane in that moment, but I do think we were supposed to look at the way she's been raised and how that has shaped her. The focus was on the truth telling practice. As for House, his Holy Grail of Utter Unremitting Truth combined with useful lies comes back to bite him. Yep everybody lies - except Jane, the nearly perfect exception to the rule. His reaction is to be appalled as well as awed. I agree with your second contention--he was appalled and awed. I see the whys differently, though. I think he was appalled at how that moment played out, for mother and daughter. I don't think he thought it helped the mom to hear that "truth" from her daughter at that time. But he was also awed at a child who had the strength to tell such a horrible truth to her mom, and he did recognise she did so because of her love, not despite it. Jane really believed she was doing what her mother wanted, because her mother valued truth so highly. The irony is that she doesn't know her mother has her line where she values deception over revelation. To me, the show was saying we all do, and that's not a bad thing. Because that's the way I'm reading that, I don't see House's view that lies are necessary for relationships, the same position Chase holds, as coming back to bite him. I think the mom got the bite. ETA I was just struck on how this ep plays off Autopsy, where Andie went against her inner truth of being ready to die in order to give her mom the hope she needs about Andie's death sentence. Jane holds to her inner truth and takes away hope to make her mom face death. Both children were very strong and acting out of the best of intentions. ETA #2 (you wrote such a rich post, Warycary!): Just to address Kutner for a moment, he may not be a subpar doctor, but he doesn't belong in diagnostics. He is not interested in tracking down the cause of a disease, simply because he can't cure it. I think the fact that House always wants to track down a cause no matter what is what distinguishes him as a diagnostician and is one of the things he has to teach. He taught CC&F as well, by example when he insisted on staying after hours to find the exact pill the young man had been given instead of his cold medicine, and finding out what killed Lupe, and directly such as when he insisted Chase do the autopsy on the baby. He's already this season insisted on this with the girls' team for Stark. Kutner's not unique in not yet knowing how important this is and it's his place of learning. He's just beginning his fellowship.

I thought they framed the truth argument as there is a place for unvarnished truth, but it can hurt as much as help--truth is not an absolute good; it depends on how you wield it. I don't think we were supposed in any way to judge Jane in that moment, but I do think we were supposed to look at the way she's been raised and how that has shaped her. The focus was on the truth telling practice. Maggie definitely looks to Jane for hope, ITA. But I'm not sure Jane is honest only to live up to Maggie's upbringing, or to please her. She needs to deal with this death sentence - she's about to be alone in the world, and for her own sanity, wants to express her grief, and get some idea of what will happen to her. That's why I said "nearly perfect" - even Jane's truth has some self-serving element, albeit natural and appropriate. We all lie. I also agree the focus was on the truth-telling practice, that "it can hurt as much as help--truth is not an absolute good; it depends on how you wield it". But I don't see that Jane learned that lesson, or was meant to. She never learns of her mother's lie. I took it more as an enlightening moment for House. He was watching a miniature of his own scene just moments before, where he failed to deflate Maggie's denial and false hope. House, the cruel-to-be-kind demagogue, saw the effect that he must sometimes have, with his truths. And he at once admired and disliked it. Just as he admires and dislikes himself. That was the theme I saw, anyway. I very much like your parallel of IAWL with Autopsy. Whether the viewer liked the children or not (I did, very much), both episodes taught House things he already knew, but was - and still is - loathe to confront and accept in himself and others. OK, I'll cut you some slack, jair, on Kutner's learning curve! :D ETA: I realize that you guys might be hesitant to abbreviate my nickname, as wc might be construed as an insult. I assure you, I will not take it as such, and in the interest of conserving your energy for more interesting typing, please type "Cary" or "Wary" or the perhaps sometimes appropriate "WC" . End of public service message.

OK, I'll cut you some slack, jair, on Kutner's learning curve! :D No, I think you're being generous on that score, warycary. (I refuse to abbreviate, dammit! "WC" sounds too much like water closet for my tastes.) First of all, Kutner has made it through a round of cut-throat competition to even get this job. (Never mind that his selection above others didn't make a lot of logical sense other than it was Kal Penn.) If he hasn't demonstrated a deep understanding of what diagnostics is about or what it will take to curry House's favor in this regard, he is truly in the wrong job. As to the madonna/whore dichotomy brought up earlier multiple times in this thread, I agree that that's what TPTB were going for in this episode, I just think they took more of a backdoor approach to it. House was surprised by the mother's active sex life, considering her surgery which many would deem as aesthetically a turn-off. He may not have considered her a madonna when she presented as a patient, but he ended up thinking her a whore. Or a slut, in his words. The clinic patient, on the other hand, presented as a whore and he called her so and yet, IMO, his expectations on that one were wrong as well. She wasn't a whore but she did find amusement in his insistence that she was. Actually, I don't know why I'm fixated on that except to say that I found the clinic patient story, brief as it was, to be the most satisfying story of the bunch and the actress herself was charming. Janel Maloney, like her though I did in West Wing, wasn't particularly note-worthy in a role that basically required her to just bleed from her eyeballs. That and the fact that House was actually leading the diagnosis this time around made me cheer, regardless of some other notable clunky moments throughout.

I think the fact that House always wants to track down a cause no matter what is what distinguishes him as a diagnostician and is one of the things he has to teach. He taught CC&F as well, by example when he insisted on staying after hours to find the exact pill the young man had been given instead of his cold medicine, and finding out what killed Lupe, and directly such as when he insisted Chase do the autopsy on the baby. He's already this season insisted on this with the girls' team for Stark. Kutner's not unique in not yet knowing how important this is and it's his place of learning. He's just beginning his fellowship. I don't think he has taught it. Or, at the least, the fellows haven't learned it. In Occam's Razor, Wilson and Marco are the only ones who knew that House was tearing the pharmacy apart to find out where the colchazine came from. And they both thought it was obsessive. The fact that he wanted to biopsy Lupe while she was still alive and did the autopsy himself was, I think, viewed similarly. House's insistance on his team doing all procedures themselves is viewed as a result of his not trusting anyone, not the need to know if one wants to be a good diagnostician. After all, they could look at the results from the pathologist's reports and find out just as well.

Actually, I don't know why I'm fixated on that except to say that I found the clinic patient story, brief as it was, to be the most satisfying story of the bunch and the actress herself was charming. I think one can see the whore question both ways--also typically House!--and I agree that the clinic patient story was very well done and the actress charming. I liked the A story better than you did, as I loved what they were doing with the "truth/lie" dichotomy--or the collapsing thereof--I think the writers were hitting on all cylinders with this ep. I don't think he has taught it. Or, at the least, the fellows haven't learned it. I think he did teach it (Foreman is angry with House about the timing, but he doesn't quibble over the need to find out what killed Lupe), but I agree that the fellows didn't start out knowing it. As late as last season, Chase was still arguing (sorry, I haven't got the ep name to hand) that in this particular case, they didn't need to know what was causing the symptoms, they needed to treat them. Admittedly, that was because the patient was in severe distress and not yet dead, but he and House had a different opinion on whether one always needed to nail down the cause. And he was an excellent diagnostician.

If he hasn't demonstrated a deep understanding of what diagnostics is about or what it will take to curry House's favor in this regard, he is truly in the wrong job. I think what Kutner showed during the games came through in "You Don't Want To Know," when he showed that he cared more about the patient's care than his own future. He insisted that there was something wrong with the magician, and when House told him that if he was wrong, he'd be fired, Kutner still went ahead because he believed the guy was really sick and needed help. He may be a goof, but he's a goof willing to put his patient first, and I think that's what got him through. What that means in diagnostics is that he knew enough to know that things still didn't fit -- even if he didn't know the ultimate final answer, he knew enough to keep looking. (I've been reading "How Doctors Think," and the doctor/author argues that you're better off with a doctor who admits they don't know what's going on but will keep looking than a doctor who will give you an answer, without caring if it's the right one.) Perhaps further discussions might be better off in the fourth season or Kutner threads, however, since they don't necessarily touch on this episode specifically.

He was watching a miniature of his own scene just moments before, where he failed to deflate Maggie's denial and false hope. House, the cruel-to-be-kind demagogue, saw the effect that he must sometimes have, with his truths. And he at once admired and disliked it. Just as he admires and dislikes himself. That was the theme I saw, anyway. But there is a big difference between hearing the brutal truth from your doctor and hearing it from a loved one. When House tells the brutal truth to a patient, he "doesn't care" (as he says). By that, he just means that he has no personal connection to the patient, and as a doctor, it is his job to be honest with the patient. It is the job of family and friends to be emotionally supportive and offer hope. In "Occam's Razor," the patient's father says, "You’re the one he hasn’t met. How can you treat someone without meeting them?" House replies, "It’s easy if you don’t give a crap about them. That’s a good thing. If emotions made you act rationally, then they wouldn’t be called emotions, would they? That’s why we have this nice division of labor: you hold his hand, I get him better. If I start tucking him in at night, well, that’s not fair to you guys, and if you start prescribing medicine, that’s not fair to me...." So back to "It's a Wonderful Lie," I don't think House is re-thinking his brutal honesty with patients. I think he is just amazed that a child was so brutally honest with her mother (and did it as an act of love, not in a fit of petulant child-like defiance). ETA to address the last bit of your post that I quoted: I don't think that House dislikes himself professionally. I think he quite admires himself professionally. I think the dislike is only of his own personal self... but I question that. I don't think he is as self-loathing as Wilson or others believe.

I think Cameron had her own motivations for what she was doing, and they are not Kutner's. Word to this and your whole post regarding this. It all came down to motivation. Kutner was happy at Christmas, Cameron, IMO, has always felt a sense of entitlement when it came to House. Kutner has shown the ability to think oustide the box, an ability that Cameron doesn't have. I don't agree that he's a subpar doctor. I don't recall seeing him taking his personal issues out on a patient, while Cameron could easily bring up personal issues in front of the patient. I also agree with Namaste, that Kutner has shown to care more about the patient than his own career, yeah, yeah I know that Cameron cared about some patients too, my point is that I have yet to see Kunter's personal life really interfere with his job.

Kutner also had the benefit of not complaining for two years about how no one took him seriously. And if he does, I sincerely hope someone will explain it to him, possibly after a good crapslap, because duh. (I wouldn't discount there being a personal issue, actually - we just don't know what it could be, since the only thing House ever said about Kutner's background was "over-eager foster kid" and it wasn't really confirmed as truth.)

*bounces in* just seen ep! Of course by now everyone's said everything I was going to say. Always the way. Damn these time delays. I liked it v much. Was satisfied with the Wilson quotient (which doesn't happen that often). Particularly pleased with the cafeteria exchange about caring & boyish good looks :D Didn't even occur to me that the clinic patient might not be a hooker (will have to rewatch). Oh, and the line, 'Your mom called. Your dad's dead,' amused me because I had a major flashback to another fandom - I am writing to inform you that your father is dad. Maybe one other person reading this will get it...

Wary wrote: I also agree the focus was on the truth-telling practice, that "it can hurt as much as help--truth is not an absolute good; it depends on how you wield it". But I don't see that Jane learned that lesson, or was meant to. She never learns of her mother's lie. I took it more as an enlightening moment for House. He was watching a miniature of his own scene just moments before, where he failed to deflate Maggie's denial and false hope. Nightowl wrote: But there is a big difference between hearing the brutal truth from your doctor and hearing it from a loved one. When House tells the brutal truth to a patient, he "doesn't care" (as he says). Lovely thoughts, both, and I'd like to pick up on what Nightowl said. To me, the reason I don't think this moment was meant to enlighten House is that he actually isn't The Ultimate Truth Teller, though he doesn't like to admit it. In The Socratic Method (I hope that's the one with the schitzophrenic mom :? ), my favourite moment was the one when the mom threw House the hopeful look that he would take the blame for the SS phonecall, so her relationship with her son could get back on track. And House does. His response to the boy is basically a lie, but he has no difficulty covering up the mom's responsibility at all. He doesn't tell the young girl the truth in Who's Your Daddy, because he decides Crandall and the girl actually seem to need each other. And this season, he lied to help out the astronaut because he didn't want to kill her dream. These were all times House's lies were not just a way to benefit himself, they were to benefit other people. It is true that most often he tells the truth, but as Nightowl wrote, most of the time that's appropriate. I think he was right to tell the truth to Miss Radfafa, and right to tell Andie her options, and I guess more importantly, House thought he was right--he distinguishes for himself when the truth is called for and when he will support a relationship with a lie. We have more knowledge of this than the characters on the show, though, so it didn't surprise me that Wilson was surprised that House was in favour of lies in relationships--at least ones of omission about sexual positions! But House was very clear that he felt healthy relationships don't benefit from unvarnished truth all the time. When Wilson challenges him on this as House's stance is generally focused on not holding back what he thinks (to put it mildly!), House replies that that's because he doesn't care--something we know is not actually quite true all the time, but a good deal of the time, it is. However, he doesn't argue that his method produces healthy relationships. When the little girl is so coldly blunt to her mother at a time her mother is grabbing onto hope, I don't think House was impressed at the honesty and reexamining his own attitude, I think he was thinking that the mom just reaped what she sowed, and this was a situation where allowing hope over facts would have helped. Mind you, mostly because she wasn't refusing treatment. If, like Stark, she had decided to refuse treatment because she felt she was going to a better place, he'd have delivered brutal honesty in a flash. And that's why he could also appreciate the strength it took the little girl to be able to talk to her mother like that. It takes a lot of courage to swim against the tide. Little girls seem to be able to teach House a lot about courage!

The professional bluntness he insists on is quite appropriate, IMO, if extreme. And I actually understand his need to keep some distance from the POTW, though my favorite scenes are when he doesn't. But oh, my goodness, I apologize that I was not more specific, now that you guys have made the effort to provide so many examples! I wasn't speaking of telling patients the bald truth, but those few people he has a somewhat personal connection to. Of course, House has a gazillion frequent liar miles - but when he feels the need for truth... Many of his remarks to Wilson about W's personal and professional conduct, even when true, are needlessly harsh. He's certainly been ruthlessly truthful about very personal and painful issues with CC&F. And he was unconscionably blunt (and possibly wrong) with Cuddy about her capacity to be a good mother. There can be no acceptable extenuating circumstances for me in this - it was an intentional and unbelievably cruel thing to say, especially as he alone knew of her fertility attempts, and he divined that she was deeply insecure about her abilities. It was a cold-hearted, wounding truth - which unlike Jane's - served no useful purpose and did not need to be said. About these people, we assume he does care, to some degree, yes? What he witnessed was a devastated, but self-possessed child forcing her mother to face her own mortality - hardly a more intimate relationship can exist. And he was affected by the effect that that coldness, that blank, unmitigated honesty had. I would be underestimating the character, I think, if I believed that he saw no comparison or even contrast between Jane's truth and that which he callously lobs at his nearest familiars. Perhaps I give him too much credit? Wilson may be wrong about the degree to which which House admires/dislikes himself, but the misanthropic House's personal and social self-destructiveness hardly point to an integrated individual who has come to love and accept himself, as both sublime and flawed.

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