It would make no sense to me for House to be taking heroin instead of methadone. As House said, he was on a legally prescribed drug. You can't get a prescription for heroin.
While methadone has its dangers, they are much less than those of heroin which must be bought from dealers. There's no quality control. You don't know what they cut it with. There's no consistency as to strength. And you can't be sure that you'll score your next dose when you need it.
And, as far as the story telling goes, since Season 1 we have had others accusing House of taking the drugs to get high.
House: Right. I never had an infarction in my leg. No dead muscle. No nerve damage. Doesn’t even hurt. Actually, it kind of tickles...
Cuddy: It’s not just your leg. You wanna get high! You’re doing what, 80 mg a day?
Cameron: You faked cancer to get high?
Methadone doesn't get you high. It takes away the pain.
I noticed something interesting while browsing other Hosue forums, so I thought I'd post about it here...
Alot of people seem to think that House wasn't actually on methadone and/or that he really was on heroine and just didn't want to admit it.
Sure, we didn't see him actually take the methadone, but the thought that he wasn't even taking it never even crossed my mind o.O
What does everyone else think?
That thought never crossed my mind, either. I don't think he took heroin. I don't really have anything to back that up with, but I would think he'd have a much higher high if he had.
I don't think House was on heroin. He didn't seem to be on a high, just calmer and nicer, just what you might expect if his pain had gone away.
Got to thinking about Cuddy's comment to the parents that 13 was a valuable member of House's team. I sort of think that was TPTB's shout out to the 13 haters. A little double entendre.
Kudos to boffle, to21be, and zumi for your eloquent extended posts on why this season in general and this episode in particular were so satisfying.
I find that the scenes that particularly appeal to me are those which reward multiple viewings and detailed analysis. I never fast-forward through any part of "House," because any scene of Taub's ascerbic teasing and Kutner's goofy uncommon sense is a guaranteed pleasure. But there are always some especially rich scenes I keep coming back to as time passes.
In "Softer Side" there were many of these thought-provoking gems including the Wilson-Cuddy efforts to analyze House's strange behavior; Thirteen's interactions with the patient; Cuddy's haunting fear in the bathroom as she confronts House; House's frustration and disappointment with Wilson's bourbon tox screen; Wilson's catch-throated amazement at the newly-shaved House; House's poignant "thank you" to Cuddy after she offers his job back, House's deeply felt inquiry as to why Cuddy cares if he is happy.
