Chase murdered someone and although he feels guilty about it, he things it was the right thing to do. I never expected Cameron to be ok with it. I expected her to be her worst self... They always do that on House. They make progress and then something bad happens and they revert back to their worst selves, or something like that. I didn't think they disregarded 5 1/2 seasons of progress in order to kick Cameron out... As for Chase, of course he wants to stay! He only wanted to leave in order to save his marriage, but if Cameron was in complete denial, what good could that have been? There was absolutely no guarantee that they would stay together, it was the exact opposite. So, why should he leave? In PPTH he's safe. House knows and he's protecting him. If House is protecting him, who can touch him? Why leave that for a completely uncertain future? As for House, I thought throughout the episode he was bragging about his victory with a side of deflecting. And then Cameron left. So there. Little bitch went and told a man who recently got out of the crazy house and is making an effort to change that he is omgevul and he makes everyone around him evil too and he can't change. I sort of wanted to punch her for a moment. But I actually liked the scene and I was sad to see her go, which I totally didn't expect...

Bea wrote: That scene between Lucas and Chase, when Lucas said "Cool, huh? (re Cuddy being his girlfriend), am I the only one who found that comment disturbing? He appeared so immature and complacent, as if Cuddy's some kind of trophy, and I didn't like it at all. Exactly. We have discovered early in the arc that there is far more to Lucas than Cuddy or House realize at this point. That scene -- the best in the episode, IMO -- made me squirm and cringe at the same time. With its distorted camera angles and the unsettling smile from Lucas, we have him perfectly positioned as the most challenging and insidious villain in the series so far. In only a few lines Lucas pressured Chase, boasted about and undercut Cuddy, and threatened the other docs in the hospital.

It just occurred to me that this is the second time Cameron his quit "effective immediately." Doesn't she believe in giving notice?

What happened to the Cameron who forgave Foreman for essentially trying to kill her and continued to try to save his life? What happened to the Cameron who honored the request of the homeless man to watch him die, even after he told her that he had not been a good person throughout his life? What happened to the Cameron who appreciated Chase’s newfound backbone? What happened to the Cameron who argued against Wilson and Cuddy that House didn’t need to be taught humility or need to change? What happened to the Cameron who introduced the audience to the fact that House doesn’t do what he does because it’s good but because it’s right? I had the same trouble as you, Arty. Tough assignment for the writer - get rid of an original character in one episode, no matter what characters you have to sacrifice to get there. It's as if Eli Attie needs to copy Doris Egan and try to fill in a few holes in a personal blog. I thought it was disrespectful to the character. As you so correctly noted, her endearing qualities were gone in favor of her worst quality at an extreme, and blaming House for Dibali was definitely an extreme. And what was with her matronly bow-tied blouse? A big contrast to "hot" Thirteen in her sweaty, skimpy work-out clothes. I'm also disappointed in how Chase was written, and I love Chase as much as I do Cameron. I can't understand how this could be the same man who did NOT want to work for House ever again; the same man who walked out of the room in disgust when House was being held hostage; the same man who felt liberated when he was fired at the end of Season 3; the same man who pursued Cameron so determinedly. When did he lose his backbone? And what could possibly make him choose House over Cameron? Did he forget that House is the kind of man who will mock him for all eternity for his choice? Lucas was definitely creepy in the lounge scene - and how did he have access to files, anyway? That's ridiculous. I can't imagine how they can make House look like a better man for Cuddy and Rachel, but there is no doubt in my mind that Lucas' character will be sacrificed. I was sorry to see that Cuddy did not enforce her order to House to find an alternate plan for the patient's bone marrow treatment. I loved Foreman in this episode. Chase and Cameron bring out the best in him. The three of them are truly a great team. I enjoyed their mini-reunion very much, and refuse go back to Thirteen and Taub. There were a couple of comments on this thread about Cameron's kiss, which originally struck me as a WTH? moment. On further reflection, I came up with my own theory. When Cameron quit in Role Model, House refused to shake her hand, obviously refusing to accept her resignation on her terms. In Teamwork, he again refused to shake her hand, and probably for the same reason. It as if he said, "It's not over until I say it's over," as if by not accepting her hand, he had the last word. In my opinion, Cameron's kiss gave her the final word, as if she said, "It's over because I say it's over." I do think Cameron knows House very well, and we've seen several times over the past two seasons that she can stay a step ahead of him. I don't agree with her that he doesn't hold human life as sacred, but I agree that he uses patients as chess pieces for his own purposes. (The scene a few weeks ago when he abused a patient while on rounds just because he didn't want to do rounds for 50 hours is a prime example. That was inexcusable, and Cuddy should never have allowed him to get away with that behavior.)

With its distorted camera angles and the unsettling smile from Lucas, we have him perfectly positioned as the most challenging and insidious villain in the series so far. They may well end up going in the villain direction with him, I don't know - but this episode alone doesn't really sell me on that idea. Yes, what he was doing was creepy for the real world, but for House-world? It seemed par for the course. I could easily picture House himself in the same scene, although that scene would probably have a few more insults to Chase. Yes, I'm not convinced either that it was TPTB's intention to portray Lucas as creepy or as a villain, I'm still blaming M. Weston's performance ;). They probably meant to show us how clever and adept in manipulating he is, not unlike House, while also being somewhat awkward. But I don't see them going in the villain direction in the long run. Since Lucas is House "light", turning him into an evil version doesn't make sense. Especially for Cuddy's journey, because this is about her exploring a relationship with someone average and reliable, the reasonable choice. Finding out if this is what she wants and if she's satisfied with it. It will have a much bigger impact and be more significant for her character should she at some point decide against the nice and safe option that Lucas represents. As opposed to Lucas turning out to be a bad guy. Although then she could bemoan the fact that she's always falling for the wrong men ;) but I don't think this is the direction they want to go with this. I was sorry to see that Cuddy did not enforce her order to House to find an alternate plan for the patient's bone marrow treatment. I thought she assumed he'd think about it at home? Knowing House and therefore expecting him to find the answer last-minute? What I didn't understand was, why didn't House use a ruse? Once he had solved the case, he could have ordered the right treatment and simply pretend in front of Taub and Thirteen that they were going to ablate the patients marrow. Still manipulative, but much more responsible and considerate towards the patient. I know House is supposed to be this reckless jerk, but I feel like nowadays, compared to earlier seasons, there are too many incidents when he's simply being irresponsible. Also, if Taub and Thirteen are so clever and worthy of being on his team, shouldn't they have seen through his tactics? I mean, why would they believe that they found the answer before House? The scene a few weeks ago when he abused a patient while on rounds just because he didn't want to do rounds for 50 hours is a prime example. That was inexcusable, and Cuddy should never have allowed him to get away with that behavior. Oh my god, yes, I hated that scene! I like it better when House hurts people with words and uncomfortable truths. It's still cruel, but at least it's not assault. And once again I'm under the impression that he didn't do that type of thing as much in season 1-3, abusing a patient for his own pusposes. But I guess I could be wrong, if I recall how he treated poor coma patient...hm ;) but I wasn't bothered that much by House's behaviour in earlier seasons, so I don't know, is he becoming worse or is it just me? When Cameron quit in Role Model, House refused to shake her hand, obviously refusing to accept her resignation on her terms. In Teamwork, he again refused to shake her hand, and probably for the same reason. It as if he said, "It's not over until I say it's over," as if by not accepting her hand, he had the last word. So are you saying that it's like a power play? Because for me it's different. I loved both occasions, because House's reaction is almost childlike, as if he could keep her from leaving by stubbornly not accepting her hand. IMO it shows us that he has trouble with not being in charge of a situation and having no control over someone abandoning him. It's one of those moments where he appears vulnerable, because he doesn't succeed in deflecting or playing it cool to hide his helplessness.

On a happy note, even though I don't particularly like this episode, I could put House sliding off the end of the treadmill on a loop and watch it for hours.

Because they've dumbed down House since the new team came on? BTW, are we supposed to accept for sure that House already knew the diagnosis? I'm pretty sure. I think that's why they had Cameron mention it. And House did not deny it. I don't think it's just you. My recollection is that a couple of seasons ago, House started being mean for the sake of being mean, and he started sometimes not seeming to care about the job, to act irresponsibly when it came to the patient's care. In the beginning, he was mean in order to force people to stop lying or hiding things, or to face facts that would lead to a diagnosis. (And OK, he was mean to some clinic patients because they were dumb.) He didn't withhold treatment. He always cared about solving the problem and often demonstrated more care for the patients than the ostensibly more caring doctors. Not so much of that now. I know exactly what you mean! And I try to be fair and give every new episode a shot, and still, there's always one thing missing, and that is sympathy for House and his actions. There always used to be a hidden agenda or justification for his actions, I used to enjoy his antics and his personality, but now? I find it hard to even make sense of his behaviour, let alone muster any sympathy for it. Most of the time I simply pretend it didn't happen...TPTB need to realise that it isn't so much what House does, but also why he does it. This used to be a strength of the show, until they decided that they need to surpass themselves in terms of House's jerkiness. and he started sometimes not seeming to care about the job, to act irresponsibly when it came to the patient's care. Yes, especially season 4 was riddled with such incidents, like when Kutner solved a case because House was too distracted with playing his games (I believe it was in 4x13), such a letdown. One of the main complaints I have with recent seasons is how much the writing has (IMO) diminished House. Not only do newbies best him diagnosis, they also best him in games-playing. Having Lucas be House without the issues is another step on that path. Exactly, that's what I meant a page earlier: why does this show insist on making everyone as clever, ruthless and insightful as House? It started with Amber, then Thirteen, after that we got Lucas (who unfortunately returned)... suddenly everyone seems to be House's equal and I feel like it takes away from his character. In earlier seasons the secondary characters were able to hold their ground, but they did it in their own way, And it's not just that I'm rooting for House, want him to be superior to everyone and don't want to grant anyone else a triumph. It's just that it makes for a plain and unbelievable personality to have a character be perfect and as intelligent as House but without any flaws. How are people supposed to relate to someone like that?