6.13 - Moving the Chains
FOREMAN’S BROTHER MAKES A SURPRISE VISIT TO THE HOSPITAL ON AN ALL-NEW “HOUSE” MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, ON FOX Orlando Jones (“Rules of Engagement”) Guest-Stars House and the team rush to treat an ailing college football star in time for the patient to compete in NFL tryouts. But when the patient experiences an onslaught of varied and unusual symptoms, the team has trouble reaching a consensus on how to effectively treat him in time. Meanwhile, Foreman’s brother Marcus (guest star Jones) makes a surprise visit to the hospital in the all-new “Moving the Chains” episode of HOUSE airing Monday, Feb. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (HOU-613) (TV-14 D, L) Cast: Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House; Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Lisa Cuddy; Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman; Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson; Jennifer Morrison as Dr. Allison Cameron; Jesse Spencer as Dr. Robert Chase; Peter Jacobson as Dr. Chris Taub; Olivia Wilde as Dr. Remy Hadley/Thirteen Guest Cast: Orlando Jones as Marcus Foreman; Denise Dowse as Glenda; Da’Vone McDonald as Daryl; Harry Zinn as Coach Denning; Shon Little as Scout; Trevor O’Brien as Jim Dunnagan; Bobbin Bergstrom as Nurse

I :heart: Lucas! The rest of them Blow! :yucky:

First off, Lucas is a vindictive arsehole. Those weren't pranks. They were malicious and dangerous and mean to animals to boot. I'm glad that Cuddy knew about the condo and was being more mature than he was. Any good will I had towards Lucas evaporated immediately. If Cuddy found out, she would be furious but Lucas, the manipulative bastard, took care of that by playing on House and Wilson's guilt. Very sad ending to the soldier's story. :-( And the PotW's story ended sadly as well. I was kinda hating House's cavalier attitude to both of them. I kept hoping that that the football player would get another shot. At the end of the episode, Marcus really humanized Foreman for me.

Well, I'm glad Cuddy's not directly connected to the prankings. It makes Lucas seem all the creepier (albeit loving) and leaves Cuddy in the clear SPOILERahead of next week's episode centering around her. I thought this episode was good. Taub continues to warm my heart. I think the story around Foreman and his brother was strong and a bit of an insight into Foreman's character without drawing the "Foreman is just like House!" comparisons too strongly (that they both push away family is implied, but it didn't go any further). I loved that Wilson's cure to saving the flatscreen was grabbing two washcloths. Way to go, man. :lol:

Finally, some validation that PI is a crazy little freak. I knew it. I knew he wasn't right. And am I actually supposed to feel sorry for Cuddy? That she's the one who doesn't have good "friends?" Let's see her be a good friend to the guys (particularly Wilson) and maybe I'll feel for her again. God, I hate that PI. What a nutjob. Foreman's still not interesting. Not even a little. I was bored by the whole Marcus story. The POTW seemed nonexistent and I was more interested in the guy who shot himself in the foot. Redeeminq quality, House and Wilson staying up to try and catch the prankster. And Wilson immediately trying to save the TV? A man after my own heart.

I laughed so hard at his attempt to save the flatscreen - his first thought - did no one think of the Chorus Line poster? Oh the humanity! ;-)

This episode did not work for me at all. First of all there was too much stuff! Second, it seems like the show is searching farther and farther for new material. I was in utter disbelief at the Marcus thing. How can House just make a new job of a guy who gets him drinks? The clinic guy's story was utterly isolated from the rest of the plot, and the ending didn't even seem to mean anything. Precious little time was given to the POTW story, even though that used to be what the story was all about. Finally, I enjoyed the pranks in the season 2 arc of House and Wilson were living together. But those were realistic pranks. Putting an opossum in the bathroom was even more ridiculous than Cuddy putting a tripwire in House's office. This episode didn't work at all. And what about House's personal recovery process? Besides the medical drama, the main focus of the show is House's ongoing struggle to lead a happy life. But in Broken they put him on some happy pills and now everything's apparently fine with the exception of some leg pain.

I loved that in the midst of all the signs that would normally be indicators that someone is evil -- interfering with the Foremans (or would that be Foremen?), planning prank retaliation and of course his complicity in the soldier's amputation by hinting about not changing the antibiotic -- each had is own logic in House's world. No great breakthroughs, of course, but some sense of good -- as Wilson said to Chase and Taub about House being secretly a good man. Considering the title, "Moving the Chains," is a reference to incremental advances down the field in football, it seems appropriate here that no one had a big win (I'd say no one hit a home run, but we don't want to mix metaphors), but just slow and painful movement. Also, Taub continues to be my favorite fellow. "Can I say something without your assistant making me look like an idiot?" ETA: How can House just make a new job of a guy who gets him drinks? He probably has budget available for an assistant. Wilson has one, after all, and most department heads would. The fact that he's never had one before probably just reflects the fact that he never had reason for one or wanted one. (Though remember that Scooter back in the fourth season would have been hired as an assistant, and not as a doctor, if he made the cut.)

Really, who says the O in opossum? :lol: Lucas is a twerp. I have zero interest in the Lucas/Cuddy relationship. It might mean more that Foreman didn't tell anyone that his mother had died if they weren't recycling a plot point from season 2 when Chase didn't tell anyone his father died. I don't know... I pretty much don't have anything to say about this episode. It wasn't as bad as last week's, but it wasn't really all that good either.

I really liked this episode, the only ones I liked better this season were Wilson and Brave Heart. Of course I loved all the H/W scenes, especially the hiding behind the counter scene. I also really liked Foreman's brother, and even Foreman in this one, for once. I think this was one of the few episodes with lots of stuff in it that actually worked. Lucas is definitely a creep, and I almost wish that House and Wilson were madder, cause the pranks were dangerous. But still, I thought this one was excellent.

The title was a football metaphor? I thought it was a reference to Jacob Marley's chains. Y'know the burden we all bear--trying to make a better life, serving a country that lies to us, dealing with the aftermath of pwning someone out of a condo. Lucas was a miserable excuse before this ep, and now he's just an arsehole. Fuck him. I hope he catches fire. Liked the story of both patients, found them interesting. That poor flat screen TV.

I'm confused now. I thought, from the final convo between Lucas and Cuddy, that she *was* in on the pranking. The look that passed between House and the clinic patient broke my heart. House thinking about the possibility of amputation for himself -- either as something ruled out in the past or something that may be inevitable in the future ... it was all there in those eyes. Oh, Wilson. Fine, your name is on the mortgage, but you just lost a whole bunch of nice guy points by calling dibs on the bedroom with the full bath over your *handicapped best friend*. Then again, House was no angel tonight either. It's one thing to play mind games with the fellows in hopes of gaining valuable insights about them. But bringing up Foreman's mom's death was OTT even for him. The only thing keeping me from totally disliking this ep? Cute H/W moments and nekkid House. Because I can forgive a lot when there's nekkid House. As for the PotW -- Is that really how sports work? He was acting like it was the end of the world if he missed That Game because he'd blown his chance of being scouted/drafted by the pros. What about the next game? Or video of his previous games? Or is the NFL draft like the Miss America Pageant -- you miss The Big Event and you don't get another chance?

Because my hatred for Lucas has just reached a new level! This. I don't mind the pranks when they are pranks. When House and Wilson prank each other, they're never setting out to seriously hurt the other. When Cuddy and now PI "prank" they do it because they are p*ssed off and want revenge. They mean for them to hurt. That crosses a line for me. But, on the plus side, it's now something Cuddy and PI have in common. :wink:

A couple of behind the scenes photos are up here. (Sorry, no bathtub shots.) I thought the clinic guy fit well. He was willing to sacrifice part of his leg to stay at home with his wife and unborn child. Foreman was finally willing to sacrifice getting hurt again by giving his brother a chance. His brother was willing to sacrifice a job. Each also had an opposing force to do battle with -- the Foreman brothers had House, and soldier had the military establishment. (Even House and Wilson with Lucas.) Compare that to the title as it refers to football (the slow advancement down the field in 10-yard increments) and you've got classic ground game football of slow movement forward in which no one has scored yet and the teams are still battling it out.