5.17 The Social Contract
The March 9 episode of House, titled "The Social Contract": House and the team take on the case of Nick (The Shield's Jay Karnes), a book editor who loses his inhibition and starts insulting coworkers at a dinner party one night before falling ill. The team realizes Nick has frontal lobe inhibition, which has caused him to lose his filter and vocalize all of his innermost thoughts, resulting in extremely insulting outbursts. As Nick’s free speech lends to some amusing and insightful comments regarding the team, he must deal with the consequences of being unable to lie to his wife and everyone else important in his life. Meanwhile, House suspects Wilson and Taub are keeping something from him when he catches them both in a lie. House is determined to get to the bottom of it."

I'm so bummed because I got home late from work and missed the beginning of the episode. I'll have to rewatch tomorrow, but oh my, so much good House & Wilson. And a Chase scene!

Is it too much to say that this was the best episode this season? I loved it a lot for a lot of reasons: 1. This was the best way to bring in LLB, and it did a great job of not blindsiding the audience who wouldn't have known who DANIEL was (it's nice that he has a name). 2. More House/Wilson backstory: Wilson came to work at PPTH because he saw his brother in town. Win. 3. I'm a big sucker for that House/Cuddy scene. 4. I was at my therapist's office today, and the topics we talked about were eerily similar to Wilson's. I am Wilson. 5. Susan Egan, the patient's wife, is related to Doris Egan (sisters?), and she was in San Antonio over New Year's. Apparently she's an awesome Broadway singer. More as I think of them.

*blub* A+ episode - one of the best of the entire series. Picking up storylines again? House/Cuddy scene was actually cute? Chase? Great patient? Check, check, check, and check.

Holy crap! At first I thought it was going to be a kind of transition/filler episode. TOO much to think about. Need to rewatch (as usual). I so love House/Wilson. So much to love.

I'm sure I wasn't the only person mentally yelling: "No one cares about the patient! We want to meet Wilson's crazy brother! Rude guy, NAY! Crazy brother, YAY!!!" Great House/Wilson interaction this week. I saw for the first time in ages that wonderful chemistry that made me love them. And there was real character growth, too! Be still my beating heart. I might actually re-watch this episode. The House/Wilson parts, anyway. The PotW probably would've been interesting in a less RSL filled episode, but I'm a little greedy when it comes to Wilson.

One thing I had a problem with: There is NO WAY that Cuddy is 38. That definitely screws up a personal timeline, but I'm going to excuse it as just a throwaway line to prove the point of the conversation.

WOW. Way to go Doris. This is why she is the best. Minimal 13/14, minimal Cuddy, and team focus more on Taub and Kutner, and of course, all the H/W. They handled LLB much better than I thought they would. There's just so much to love. I was in no way let down like I expected to be. Wilson apologizing to House for snapping (kind of), House offering to go with Wilson, Wilson accepting and House actually being supportive and comforting, in his own way. He was shockingly gentle about the whole thing. I may love this better than Birthmarks, and I didn't think anything could possibly top Birthmarks.

We get more key pieces of background for Wilson and Wilson and House, another take on their "stupid, screwed up friendship," another piece of the continuing arc of House at least attempting to change his life and his relationships (though, as always, he fails because he can't leave the puzzle behind -- but I think the attempt is the important thing). We also get an image of what the true lack of an internal censor means. As much as we say that House says whatever he wants, he does have the capability to pick and choose his words. Here we have a patient with no ability to filter out what goes through his mind and just how damaging that is. And of course it's left in such a way that we don't know if that emotional damage will be permanent. And Danny, younger brother, schizophrenia, why and when Wilson ended up at Princeton ... Plus, Badly Drawn Boy. Win, Win, Win

Didn't it also screw up the timeline when Wilson said he hadn't seen his brother in 13 years? Or was it really 4 years ago that he said that it was 9 years ago? I've totally confused myself now. Argh.

I missed most of what was said during the brain surgery, between House & Wilson. :( Will rewatch in t-minus 2 hours and 45 minutes. But...loved it. I have some opinions about Taub that I put in the spoiler thread. Loved the elevator scene with House & Cuddy. Loved that House asked Wilson if he was okay. Oh hell, loved the whole damned thing. I was dreading a downturn for H&W before this aired, but this is the most they've been "back" since the start of the season. Glad I was wrong. Yay.

I am a pure H/W fangirl, but my oh my........ Chase looked hawt tonight!! I absolutely loved the H/W that is baaack. I'm glad that Wilson does not have cancer, and I am very happy for him that his meeting with Danny was neither good nor terrible. It frees him up to move on from the guilt-driven pathos that has defined his life (wait...what am I saying??!) Not enough Cuddy (although I really haven't liked S5 Cuddy as much as House has). And, of course, too much 14. But I would say that anytime she had a scene. I did like that the POTW would rather do Cuddy, though. Take that, 13! All in all, a great ep. And now Hubby has just walked in the door so I get to watch it again.

Doris Egan - wow, just another masterpiece, that's all. So much to love, the House/Cuddy scene, the racquetball scene with House and Taub, the scene with House and Chase when House was conveying his own fears about relationships and life. And every single second of every House/Wilson scene. Just amazing.

Best episode of the season...hell, one of the best episodes of the entire series. Reasons for it: Good Huddy scene. Wilson+House=win. Mathematicians have proved that equation multiple times. House and Wilson using taub. That was brilliant. Close to no foreman/thirteen in the episode. Since they are by far the most annoying characters in the series, that's awesome.