House M.D. Review: Season 1 Episode 9 "DNR"

Episode By: David Foster

*Spoilers!*

DNR (or The Case of the Jazz Musician with a Death Wish)

Quote: “You know, some doctors have the Messiah complex, they need to save the world. You’ve got the Rubix complex, you need to solve the puzzle.” - Wilson

Overall Thoughts/Observances:

            Oh, there goes House again. Blatantly ignoring people’s wishes just so he can get his way and solve the case. Wilson’s right – he does have Rubix complex. Who cares if he goes to court (which Wilson goes to with him, being the Watson he is)? As long as he finds out what’s wrong, everything else just doesn’t matter. But really, House? Disobeying a DNR?

(Listen to your inner Wilson, House!)

            Wait, what is a DNR?

            “DNR means ‘Do Not Resuscitate,’ not ‘Do Not Treat.’”

            Oh. Thanks, snarky House.

            Anyway. While House may have had questionable reasons for keeping the patient alive, he did end up saving the man’s life. It is the Sherlock question. If you get the bad guy in the end, does it really matter how you do it? If you save the patient and give him his living back, shouldn’t you be forgiven for ignoring his DNR?

            I like to say yes, but that is, of course, up to you to decide.

            This episode showed a great rise in the House/Foreman conflict. Since Foreman was officially the lead on the case, House of course makes it as hard for him as possible. Really, you’ve gotta feel bad for the guy. Nobody wants House to be on the opposing side.

            And Foreman caves. He puts the patient on the IVIG like House said they should, the guy crashes, and everything goes as a House case usually goes – they guess three times and then miraculously come up with the answer. Foreman’s right. House is wrong a lot of the time. But so far, his help has outweighed his damage.

            I was surprised by the development of Foreman being offered another job. A job where he no longer had to obey the will of House. A job where he was convinced he would be respected and listened to. But he asks Cameron and Chase what they would do, and they both said they’d stay. But why? Because they agree with House. Because they understand his unconventional-ness and have accepted it. They don’t want to get in the middle of the House vs. Foreman war (the beginning scene where they keep getting up and down as House and Foreman are fighting over a preliminary diagnoses is hilarious and very demonstrative of their neutrality on the issue), and they know better than to tell Foreman outright what is right and wrong.

            But, in the end, Foreman chooses House. Why? Because he knows House is the best.

The Case and the Patient:

            I really liked our patient. I mean, John Henry Giles is pretty awesome. Not only because we got to see House listening to his records while lying on the floor, but also because he actually communicated and challenged House.

            When he talked about how they’ve both got that one thing, and how that stops them from having normal lives, that's when I knew I liked him. He’s got music, House has got his cases. Both of them are married to their work. And both of them will never know truly average life.

“The thing you think about all the time. Thing that keeps you south of normal. Yeah, makes us great. Makes us the best. All we miss out on is everything else.”

            The way he fights House when House comes in and tries new medicines on him, the way he actually listens to what House is saying. He’s a smart man, and thereby an interesting character.

            And at the end, when they’re both walking out the door with their canes, you can just see the similarities. They’ve both got that one thing that we don’t, that we’ll never have. But that one thing always comes with a price.

The Clinic:

            Only one clinic patient this time. He comes in, House works his deduction-y magic on him, and they guy goes out having to decide whether to face his diabetes or to just keep ignoring it.

            (Also, I love how when Giles made the restraining order against House, House made sure to use the excuse that he’d be within 50 feet of the patient to get out of clinic duty. Cuddy’s going to have to step up her game!)

Last Words:

            As I said at the beginning, House is obviously willing to do whatever he has to in order to solve his puzzles. And we’ve seen this demonstrated in previous episodes as well. His Sherlockian will to solve the problem, to check his answer, and to be right. But in the Sherlock stories, our detective often goes too far. So when will House push that unforgivable limit? When will even Cameron step back and say “No, you can’t”? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Rating: 9/10

Thanks for reading, guys! Sorry for the delay – I’ve been buried in work. But I did not, indeed, forget about House :)