House M.D. Review: Season 1 Episode 10 "Histories"

Episode By: Joel Thompson

*Spoilers!*

Histories (or The Case of the Homeless Cartoonist with a Tragic Backstory)

Quote: “Of course in Swedish, the word ‘friend’ can also be translated as ‘limping twerp.’” 
– Wilson

Overall Thoughts/Observances:

            WILSON GOT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! WILSON GOT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! WILSON AND HOUSE WORKING TOGETHER AS BEST BUDS! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!

            Okay, I’m good now.

            I was wondering when we’d get to see some real Holmes and Watsonish interactions between House and Wilson. When Wilson went with House to the trial in the last episode, that was certainly a good start. But this time House only took the case because 1) Wilson wanted him too and 2) he wanted to use it as an opportunity to snoop around in Wilson’s past and try and figure out why this patient was so important to his friend.

Gotta love Benny and Martin.

            While I know this show isn’t an 'official' spoof of Sherlock, one of the best aspects of the original stories and of any adaptation of the good ol’ Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the relationship between Holmes and Watson. Theirs is the ultimate friendship, and honestly I’m not surprised they get shipped so much (though that’s a discussion for another day).

            And it was nice to see House and Wilson playing around, like when House was pretending to deduce things from the drawing he said was of Philadelphia, and Wilson kept urging him on with overly excited questions. Or when Wilson had his little House moment by thinking that he'd solved the case and you could tell that House was secretly pleased.

            I must confess I don’t quite get what the patient had to do with Wilson's brother (maybe his brother ran off and became homeless or something – or maybe I just missed that part), but as long as House knows, it’s okay.

            Anyways, while Foreman also got some character development in this episode (I’ll talk about him next in conjunction with the patient), it was nice to see Wilson actively involved in the case, working with House, and being stubborn that this patient got what she needed. He’s the complete opposite of House – House loves the case, Wilson loves the patient. Opposites attract, I suppose.

The Case and the Patient:

            Our patient this week was very interesting even outside her unusual diagnosis. First off, she’s homeless, so the Team can’t find any real background information on her, which is a serious hindrance to their work. Second, she’s an amazing cartoonist. And she tells her life through the characters in the comic, which I think is fascinating. Third, her guilt about losing her husband and her son in that car accident is a very painful feeling, and one that obviously changed her as a person.

            I also think that her relationship with Foreman showed different sides in both of them. Foreman (or Eric, as House calls him when he wants to annoy him (which is most of the time)) starts off hating this woman, wanting nothing but to get her back on the streets because he’s convinced she’s just faking. And, actually, the patient confesses that she was just trying to get a place to sleep at first. But then she starts drawing Dr. Foreman into her comic, and as the Team rushes to find her illness he begins to actually care about her as a person. So much so that after he and Wilson find out about her past, he pretends to be her dead husband so that she can feel forgiven.

            Also – rabies! I was not expecting that diagnosis at all. I mean, it’s actually kind of obvious when you look back on it, but like Chase said, there’s only been a few cases in modern years. Of course, while I have commended House for its realistic elements, they do tend to find the most unusual or uncommon illnesses for their patients to have. Otherwise it wouldn’t be half as interesting! And House only takes interesting cases.

Last Words:

            Overall, a satisfying House episode. The patient did die, yes, but at least Foreman gave her some comfort. It ends with Wilson brooding about his brother, yes, but at least he’s got House by his side. The beginning of this episode showed some of Foreman’s prejudice against the homeless, yes, but in the end he and Wilson go together to unravel this woman’s history. The episode title is perfect because we learned the history of the patient, some of the history of Wilson, and got a bit of a hint into the history of Foreman (also, the medical students that Cuddy dumped on House were tasked with taking patient 'histories'). Oh, how I love a multi-meaning word.

Rating: 8.7/10

Thanks for reading, guys! I know the reviews have been coming in slow, but I’m trying my best, I swear. Hopefully I’ll be able to speed up during the holidays!