House M.D. Review: Season 1 Episode 3 "Occam's Razor"

Episode By: David Shore

*Spoilers!*

Occam’s Razor (or The Case of the Engaged Student with a Bad Cough)

Quote: “No, there is not a thin line between love and hate, there is in fact a Great Wall of China with armed sentries posted every 20 feet between love and hate.” – House

Overall Thoughts/Observances:

            We open with Wilson convincing House to take on another case. House takes it only because he finds it interesting, but you still have to give credit to Wilson. Wilson is, quite obviously, House’s Watson. Wilson keeps House on his feet, looks after him, and makes sure he’s not bored. I hope we get to see more of Wilson in future episodes; there’s so much they could do with his character.

            The Team, I thought, got some more bonding time in this one. Not just the awkward relation between Cameron and Chase after the whole “who says sex can’t kill a guy” statement (which was absolutely hilarious, poor Chase), but also in talking about House.

My favorite scene is when they’re walking down the hallway, and Foreman brings up the idea that, really, they’re just House’s puppets. Even if his ideas are seemingly ridiculous (just like Sherlock’s were in the stories), they still go along with whatever he says. But, as the other two point out, those crazy theories do turn out to usually be right (again, just like Sherlock’s). Even so, Foreman does convince them to do some tests in the lab – all, apparently, according to House’s plans.

            Actually, I think my favorite character in this episode was Foreman. House gives him that huge dictionary as a joke in the beginning of the episode, and he actually looks through it to try and cure their patient. If it impresses House, it’s sure going to impress me. He’s also the one who brought up the whole “why are we doing this” thing. House likes to pick on Foreman; we’ve seen that since episode one when he mentions Foreman’s juvie record. But though I fear they might not get along very well sometimes, I think they’re a good pair. House needs opposing theories. Otherwise, why’d he hire the Team?

            Nice episode, full of House frustrating the Team and also solving the case in the end. Happy couple are both healthy, House gets to feel superior, Team know they’ve done their job – satisfied feels. 

The Case and the Patient

            Now, I did have a bit of a scare with the whole opening scene. I’d been warned that House could get a bit… y’know, interesting, at times. But luckily the guy went out cold in only a minute or two, so we didn’t get the chance to see much of anything there.

House was right. Of course he was right. No, not the first time or the second time. But he found the perfect solution, and even though they didn’t find out it was correct until after curing the kid… House was right. 

            The title is so fitting for this case. Occam’s Razor. The simplest explanation is usually correct. The pharmacy simply gave him the wrong meds. It also brought up the slightly terrifying point that House made about how many people get sick/killed by pharmacy screw-ups. It’s one thing I love about House. It’s fiction, but they do slip some facts and situations in there to make you more aware of the medical, and even general, world.

As for the ‘patient and family’ characters, I actually really like them. The mother not getting along with the girlfriend at first, as well as being the one who’s been giving her son the “cold medicine,” were basic motherly actions any mother would probably do. I was worried that I’d hate the girlfriend, but after she came to Chase and admitted having sex with her boyfriend because she was worried, I actually started to like her. She cares more about him than her reputation. I mean, the whole family’s a bit daft, but that’s normal. Makes it more realistic.

The Clinic

           House and Cuddy’s banter was, as ever, entertaining. Maybe I like it more than I should, but I find it hilarious. I also think it’s interesting to have the character that stands in House’s way – I mean, she’s not completely opposed to him (otherwise he wouldn’t be working there), but she’s not afraid to fight with him – even if he does usually ignore her, sometimes she wins.

            Everything clinic in this episode was for comedy. The opening clinic scene where House tells all the patients about himself and how he doesn’t care about their runny noses (you may hear this term used frequently in my House reviews)... SO. SHERLOCK. I can see bits of Benedict’s acting coming from Laurie’s House character – not sure if I’m just seeing things, or if Cumberbatch really did take a look at House to find some inspiration.

            Both of the patients, while not helping House solve the case, were at least funny. The guy with the 'MP3 problem' was just for kicks, obviously. But the lady who’s using her health insurance up before she gets fired – when House helps her, that makes a point. He admires people who, like him, aren’t afraid to cheat the rules. Who do what’s best for them while they still can. Not exactly the most promising character trait, but… well. Nobody’s perfect.  

Last Words

            I see different relationships forming. Wilson and House being BFFs, House and Cuddy being frenimies, the Team becoming real friends, House and Foreman being on edge, Cameron and Chase being a bit awkward and maybe a bit closer. Of course, it’s way too early to tell where it’ll all end. And I’m sure there’s lots of plot twists to come. But right now, I’m content to wait and watch to see what happens to our six main characters. And to pray that they’ll turn out all right in the end.

Rating: 7.9 (get used to the decimals, because they’re staying)

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked!

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