I missed the first 10 minutes, so maybe that explains why the Amber thing didn't work very well for me. I was completely thrown off by the revelation about Chase and the allergy, because they made a huge point of Amber-House trying to remember that particular stripper's name. It's as if they are going out of their way to say that House tried to hurt Chase, and I just can't see any reason why. However, there was another line near the end, from either House or Amber-House -- something about "We figured it out" and "What did my team do?" -- that made me sit up and take notice. Because that sounded like House thinking he doesn't need the team, or the team are useless. I can't imagine where this is going in just two episodes. The bachelor party itself left me cold; I dislike the humor of people embarrassing themselves. But Wilson's line to Chase, about "Have you seen Caligula?" was priceless. Didn't like that Cameron saw through the ruse; it cuts down House. Give me the morgue scene with Taub and Kutner and the hooker any day.

Here's an alternate take on House "trying to kill Chase": House and his strawberry flavoured stripper actually kept Chase from doing anything that would really upset Cameron, or threaten their relationship. Yes it was very dangerous, but House probably made sure the resident who always carries an epi-pen showed up.

Wilson can't be just gratuitously stuck in scenes – If he was, we’d have to call him Thirteen. Loved: Chase telling House he was evil. Chase overhearing House talk to himself (Amber) in the operating viewing room. Chase asking to be kidnapped. Cameron knowing the Immigration Officers weren’t real, and letting it go. Foreman hugging Chase and pulling him toward the stripper. Stuffed kangaroo! Foreman shutting Chase up when Chase was about to explain how everything happen with the stripper. Now there’s a friend. One who stops you from drunkenly confessing everything to your fiancé. Didn’t understand: Why would Cameron ask Wilson, of all people, to give Chase a bachelor party? Chase and Wilson have barely exchanged words in 5 seasons, once in Finding Judas and once here! Why didn’t she ask Foreman? I did like that they explained that Chase’s best man wouldn’t be there until the day of the wedding. Disappointed by: Way to much Thirteen. ‘nuff said. Where was the scene from the pictures of Chase dancing up against Foreman while Thirteen watched?

KMSpider, I always enjoy the Loved/Hated episode posts. Thanks. A perfect iceberg episode. So many levels, expanding out in every direction, replete with clues and buzz words for the themes of 5. But, the thing that almost filters all of this out on the first viewing was the captivating rush of sheer entertainment. A new standard, indeed. Now, I'm awaiting the Titanic. ETA: Amber as Mr. Hyde? I thought she was going to be the part of House that doesn't want to settle for a life less-lived, not humanity without conscience. I'm so naive.

I love getting glimpses into House's mind, even if it's been done before (i.e. Meaning). I hope Amber sticks stick around for a while, because AD is a fantastic actress and her playing House's mind is just pure awesomeness. I liked the POTW. He was a nice change than the regular angry-bums who usually end up under House's care. It's a shame the POTW plot seemed like such an afterthought though. Oh well. House dancing with the boombox was excellent! Taub dancing with the strippers was adorable. Wilson's drunkedness was cute... but embarassing (that's the sort of person I am drunk. It was like looking into a mirror...an embarassing embarassing mirror -_-). Having him drunkedly walk home from home was a cute touch though. XD I don't know what to make of Chase's almost-death... It was so random and ended so quickly. I like to think that it was an honest mistake on House's behalf, but it seemed to be a foreshadowing of just how crazy and possibly-dangerous House is becoming. Speaking of dangerous...Cuddy's a moron. Sending the drunk doctors off to work? That's a dead patient and a lawsuit just waiting to happen!! House juggling the blow torch and the subsequent fire, was that real or CGI effects? It looked totally fake to me. That scene was...weird. When House accidentally set that corpse on fire, I thought it was all in his head because the fire looked so fake. :lol: - - - - -

Blue the Janitor was at the party, complete with uniform and ID badge. The sleeping pills that Wilson prescribed (generic Ambien), would have killed House had he taken them, the dosage was a zillion times too high. Also, check the address on the bottle...is it the hospital's, it's not 221B. Continuity flubs annoy me. Chase had a cat? Since when? I'd like to apply for the continuity monkey position please... House was holding doors open for Amber all episode, until he realized what she represented, then he closed the door in her face (nice subtle touch). If Hugh Laurie doesn't win an Emmy this year, he never will.

Maybe Chase adopted Death Kitty.

When I see rich doctors objectify women like that, it gives me pause. Well, it just ain't rich doctors who objectify women. Otherwise strip clubs wouldn't do such good business.

Whoa! I think that reveal at the end is going to spark lots of debate for some time to come. There's so many possible angles to look at it from. House goes from feeling guilty that he noticed nothing about Kutner to hallucinating Wilson's dead girlfriend (who he feels inadvertantly responsible for the death of) to beleiving that he subconciously tried to kill Chase. He gives the patient a cochlear implant against his will, congratulates himself on solving the case all by himself while in the bathtub with Amber, and then there's that he tried to kill Chase, who's arguably the one House disciple who was nipping at the master's heels before House fired him. I don't know if House is so depressed and thinks so lowly of himself that he's convinced himself he's a potential murderer, if his mental breakdown has caused his God complex to reach new and disturbing heights, or if this has something deeper to do with House's love/loathing of Chase. (I really do think that House sees a bit of himself in Chase, but resents that Chase still has the guts to try to be happy whereas House doesn't.) Random thoughts: AD, RSL, HL, and JS all rock! Every episode should have House dancing, Wilson in his underwear, and Chase licking something (or someone). :lol: Interesting that House first gets the evil idea for Karamel when he's tricking Chase to put in the cochlear implant. Was he subconsciously plotting evil and good at the same time, or just evil? :twisted:

Busy last night and couldn't post, but I think this is an episode that needs time to digest. Lots of stuff to enjoy on the surface -- "The Scotch tastes good," Taub, while taste testing the ice creams -- but what I'm really digging long term is the long look into subconscious and what it means, along with a touch on the overarching themes of change for this season and the series as a whole. Using Amber as a visual representation of House's subconscious gives us a really long term look at how House "thinks." The thoughts that go through his mind at any given time, ranging from medical while practicing his drink lighting routine to hookers during a differential. At the same time, we see him trusting his subconscious more and more -- relying on it as the one thing he can trust, letting it take over the thinking (and of course Anne Dudek killed those scenes), but the problem is, of course, that the subconscious should remain "sub" for a reason. It's not rational. There are dark thoughts within all of us, those moments when we'd like to strike out and take revenge on those who hurt us, but we manage to hold those in check with conscious actions. As we saw back in "The Social Contract," when we had a patient who had no ability to control what he said, House does indeed have -- and use -- and internal censor. As much as he's accused of doing and saying whatever he wants, he does hold himself back. Here, with Amber, he becomes more and more comfortable without that censor, with trusting what she/he says. Which brings us to the point where she's the one who brings up Karmela, and he doesn't question it. That then forces him to finally question why it is that he'd wish Chase harm (which leads him to the point Wilson has made in the past, that he fears/doesn't trust happiness to the point where he doesn't want to see anyone happy). He now reaches the point where he needs to bring that subconscious back in check -- no matter how easy it is to trust only himself, and no matter how much he'd like to lock himself away either physically with his subconscious in the bathroom (insert masterbatory commentary here) or metaphorically in which he doesn't trust, or want to rely on his teams' judgments. Recall that in that bathroom scene, he also comments that his team contributed nothing. (Except for Taub who brought up sarcoidosis early on, and Foreman who recognized it.) Also on the subconscious level, we've got the mother, who says she doesn't want Seth to have a cochlear implant, but yet isn't truly angry and raging when it's done against her will. So there is a part of her subconscious that really uncertain about that decision, that wonders if she'd made the right decision. And then we've also got Seth, echoing the long term issues of change and fear of change (and ability/inability to change) who is so comfortable with his deaf culture -- or afraid to move out of it, change schools, lose his girlfriend -- that he literally rips the change (the implant) out of his head. So in House we've got the subconscious and his own recognition when he finally takes the sleeping pills that he has to change -- and cannot rely solely on his subconscious -- and I think we've also got a setup to question as well as the potential to explore what other changes he may need to consider.