There's got to be an element of that as well. As vita said above, House usually loves sticking it to the man and his reaction to the soldier's plight seemed weird, even callous.

Thanks angelcat. Yes I've been worried about the mountain of guilt that they're piling on House. They may as well named this epi Remorse II. Agree about House's unwillingness to help the soldier. I was annoyed by his attitude toward the kid. It was even more galling as he was simultaneously trying (in Houseian fashion) to help Foreman with his brother issues. Not sure what the writers were going for there.

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? Was the POTW in high school or college? I know the process for high school players from the (book, not the movie) of The Blind Side, which is that scouts travel all over the country meeting and observing players who they hear from various sources have potential. They rate whether they're at the right level or not in scouting reports then sent to schools, and the major universities (based on the scouting reports) then send their assistant coaches or other members of their coaching staffs to go observe the best candidates. The coaches can observe anything from games to private practices, but they are forbidden from speaking to any potential players until the summer before the player's senior year of high school. At that point, if they're good or great, the head or upper level coaches then step in an actively court the player for their university. So no, if the POTW was supposed to be great it seems highly unlikely that he would have one chance in one game to impress any scouts. After all, everyone can have a good game or a bad game on a given night, so who would take a chance on anybody after seeing them once? Coaching staffs will rely not only on direct observation but also scouting reports, the player's statistics over however long he's played, reports from coaches in the same city, etc. No scout or especially coach is going to show up at a game without knowing the entire personal history of the player they're interested in. It's not a "let's show up and see who looks good" mission. Obviously the POTW was hospitalized, and any scouts or coaches interested in him will find out that that's why he missed the game. If the POTW is a great player with great stats and a consistent winning history, and if his illness doesn't affect his longterm health or future playability, I don't think it would be a major setback for him to miss the one game.

I loathe Lucas, even the actor, who I don't think does a good job with a not very good part. Tripping House is just vicious and he could have died from that safety bar coming off the way it did. Cuddy's an ass for believing anything Lucas says. Really liked the brother and actually saw a wee bit of humanity in Foreman, which was nice. I figured since Pa House was career military, either House got his POV from his dad or he had issues with the boy because he was a soldier who wanted to be there for his kid where House's own dad was so harsh with his son. These episodes are not hanging toether for me very well. I don't know if they got a new editor or it's the 7 acts or the writing or what. Yes, House should get his own bathtub, perhaps a nice clear acrylic tub. Heh.

Phobe on page two, your insights were spot on. I am glad Poeia got to your post first as I am unspoiled but the rest had me nodding with agreement. I remember Hugh saying once that the main character in a TV show never changes but those around him do. I think we are seeing both House and the people around him change. As to completely destroy a quote from Gone with the Wind, I do believe House has grown a man's heart.

I don't want to say this show has lowered my standards, but the only prank Lucas pulled that really disturbed me was the fall in the tub. What about tripping House?? In a way, I find that type of assault even worse and more disturbing than hitting someone in the face. Maybe it's because you cannot control the result/how the person's going to fall and what kind of damage the victim's going to sustain. (in real life obviously, because in House-world people get tripped just for comedic effect and never end up seriously hurt. Unless House was the one tripping someone, I bet his victim would end up with a broken jaw and losing an eye, because House's pranks have got to have a fatal and cruel outcome...) Carelessly tripping someone seems also much more cowardly and lousy than an attack face to face. House usually loves sticking it to the man and his reaction to the soldier's plight seemed weird, even callous. That struck me as very odd too. Which is why I was waiting the whole time for the big reveal, where we learn that House indeed helped the guy ;(. I just saw the beginning of the episode, which I missed earlier. My god, why was Wilson so petty about sharing his tub?? I don't get it. If he's that much concerned about his personal space, moving in with House was a mistake in the first place. House had a valid reason to use the tub or was Wilson simply not believing him? I mean, House was insolent when he went on complaining about the condo, but he only did that to deflect because he was feeling vulnerable for admitting he was in pain.

I loved the episode, and it not just because there were two bath room scenes in it. (although that's really big for me...:P) I think it's because I like the family themes, and also House was present in all plots. Marcus was good, and Taub was funny again. The soldier was a mystery for me. I didn't get why he had to choose the amplutation. Isn't there any other way to avoid the depolyment? Really? (Or was I supposed to take it as a comic relief?) I thought his decison surprised House too, who had refused to cut off his foot even when it was a death or life matter. I didn't like Lucas from the beginning, but he tripped House. The pranks, I don't mind so much, but wow...he's the one who's capable of doing such a wicked thing.

Either way, he could have cracked his skull. Someone did just that at my work, falling down stone steps and hitting her head. It's serioius stuff. In the tub, I thought for a second he was knocked out and going underwater. There's just no excuse for tripping anyone, much less a cripple, much less over and over. Stop tripping House, writers! (I know Hugh is awesome at taking pratfalls but still). Grr. Lucas chastising H/W and lying to Cuddy. DB.

Enjoyed the episode overall, especially the plot with Foreman and his brother. It's the most I've liked Foreman in quite some time. I don't understand the scene where House admits he's soaking in the tub because his leg is bothering him, and then Wilson looks him right in the eye and tells him to stay out of 'his' bathroom? Are we supposed to think that Wilson doesn't believe him about the pain, or are we supposed to think Wilson does believe House about the pain and still refuses to let him use the tub? What's going on there? Lucas is a little shit and he's dangerous. Well what do we expect from a man who earns his living by sneaking around spying on people? I can't stand him. It looked to me as if the POTW was taking part in something like the Senior Bowl (the real one was played last weekend BTW) or Shriner's Game. You could tell that the players were all from different college teams because they were wearing different helmets, and they were definitely college players because his mom said he had played at a Division II school. If the POTW was good enough to be invited to this type of game he will still have opportunities to make the NFL, but since he missed the game it will probably cost him because he'll end up being drafted lower and won't get the big bonus money he might have earned if he had played and played well. If he is that good he will almost certainly be drafted, or at worst signed as an undrafted free agent. There are other ways to make it as well. It was unrealistic to set up the plot such that he has now missed his only chance. That's just not how it works. Of course, he now has health worries as well.

A little late to the party, but I enjoyed this episode. Foreman is growing on me. It was really nice to actually see some EMOTION coming from him. When was the last time we've seen him cry? Season 3? He seems to have just built this emotional wall around himself and it was nice to see it crack a bit. Very sad about his Mom though. She was adorable. I actually liked Lucas in this episode. I've always been a fan of the creepy bad guy though. Although I do find it kind of funny that he went from lovable doofus to psychotic boyfriend over a LOFT. Which Wilson and House got fair and square. Hell, even Cuddy's over it. I was sort of hoping that Wilson or House would have punched him in the cafeteria. Wilson looked like he was thinking about it. Speaking of Wilson, what the hell was up with him this episode? You'd think he'd be a little bit more sympathetic towards House using the tub. Why did he take that bedroom if he knew House would probably make more use out of the tub? And House didn't purposely wake him on his way in or anything (other than singing). Lighten up, Wilson. "You're banned from the tub!" He's worried about people thinking they're gay and he comes into the conference room announcing that?! LOL What a weirdo. Him trying to sop up the water on the TV with his lil' dishcloth was cute though.

Wilson was being mean about the bathtub, but I feel a bit happy as it means Wilson is using the main bedroom with bathroom with a tub, and House is using a guest room with bathroom without a tub, right? So it's Wilson's apartment, and House will go back to his old, stylish apartment, when the time comes. I love to see House/Wilson living together, but at the same time, I miss House's apartment so much. (BTW, being a Japanese, I can't stand a bathroom without a tub. :D)

I truly enjoyed this episode. The PoTW was a loveable young man and it was funny to see that, sitting down, he is still a bit taller than Taub. By the way, Taub was genius through-and-through this week (when isn't he?). The Foreman brothers are an interesting pair. At first, Marcus irritated me but the way he defended his brother was moving. Nonetheless, I did not quite agree with Wilson's interpretation of House's attitude. Though I think there was indeed a part of him who wanted Foreman not to severe all his ties to his family, I also believe House's actions were partly motivated by his identification with Marcus (the guy to whom people gave many chances, who blew them all but finally changed, only to find out that the few people around him are no longer willing to trust him anymore). The pranks: I am obviously in the minority but they actually made me laugh (the "exchange" between Wilson and the opossum was priceless, so was his attempt to rescue the flatscreen). I think the reason why I was not upset by them is that House and Wilson did not seem to be either. They turned it into a game (House even got to channel his inner Poirot) and were not emotionally hurt by it. It is probably a crappy argument, but I tend to measure the "evil" of an action to the reaction of the people on the receiving end of it. Comparing House's face when realizing that his bar had been unscrewed to his face when Wilson told him "We are not friends anymore, House. I am not sure we ever were", I get the impression that the latter (though it did not put anybody's health at risk) was a gazillion times more painful than the former. It does not mean that Wilson was trying to be cruel when he said it; all it means is that his words hurt, contrarily to Lucas's pranks. Nevertheless, it clearly was an extreme case of over-reaction (and cowardice) on Lucas's part. It does not bode well for his future on the show.

You know, House and Wilson should really sue PI or have him arrested for breaking and entering. He tripped House and confessed to the pranks in a crowded cafeteria so there's really no point in denying that he did it anymore. Why should H/W be afraid of Cuddy finding out about the apartment? House has done worse to her, heck Cuddy's done worse to House, and Wilson's the one who actually bought the place. PI needs to pay. I have a horrible feeling this is not the last of psycho!PI we're going to see. (Just a feeling, not a spoiler)