House Training (24 Apr. 2007)

The cause of a woman's TIA stumps the team, and Foreman's family visits.

Director:

Paul McCrane

Writers:

David Shore (creator), Doris Egan

Stars:

Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Hugh Laurie	...	Dr. Gregory House
Lisa Edelstein	...	Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Omar Epps	...	Dr. Eric Foreman
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Dr. James Wilson
Jennifer Morrison	...	Dr. Allison Cameron
Jesse Spencer	...	Dr. Robert Chase
Charles S. Dutton	...	Rodney Foreman
Monique Gabriela Curnen	...	Lupe
Beverly Todd	...	Alicia Foreman
Jane Adams	...	Bonnie
Charles Porter	...	Operator (as Charles F. Porter)
Thomas Webb	...	Suit (as Thomas Lee Webb)
Aulani Rhea	...	Nurse
Bobbin Bergstrom	...	Nurse

Storyline

After elimination to two plausible diagnosis it seems the only obvious treatment for Lupe, who fainted in the street and developed life-threatening symptoms at an alarming rate, is suppressing her immune system. Once that's done, she is found to have an infection, which is now untreatable. Foreman, who systematically avoids his family, especially his mother, convinced House to make her sign consent over. House digs into the case of Wilson's second ex-wife Bonnie, who wants him to take their dog. He learns from her, posing as a real estate client, what it takes to prevent a 'serial husband' to repeat-offend.

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Plot Keywords:

shell game | punching wall

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 10, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Hat Harry Productions, Heel & Toe Films, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bonnie: James Wilson, carefully calibrating his level of protectiveness for your individual needs.
Dr. Gregory House: Did you just compare Wilson to a tampon?

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Connections

References Touch of Evil (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Follow the Leader"
Written by Matthew Ryan
Performed by Matthew Ryan

User Reviews

Heartbreaking episode.

One of the best episodes of House, but not for the titular character's clever one-liners or the inventive way they diagnose the patient. In fact, there aren't that many one-liners in this episode and this is one of the few occasions where the team not only fails to diagnose the patient, but effectively kills her through misdiagnosis. Foreman who is attending to the patient feels it particularly bad since he is the one who suggests the treatment that eventually ends up killing her. On top of this, Foreman's parents, including his mother who seems to be suffering from some kind of dementia, have come to visit him. Foreman, who sees his family as an unwelcome reminder of his past, has not seen his parents for 8 years and his mother, because of her dementia, can't even recognise who he is half the time. Ultimately the death of the patient and the stress of having his parents come to visit results in Foreman letting go of his emotions as he is unable to come to terms with what he has done.

After you see Foreman putting up barrier after emotional barrier between him, his patients, his friends and his family throughout the series; it's gratifying in a bitter-sweet sort of way to see these walls come down for just a little bit, to see the man underneath. The ending of the episode also hits a tragically tearful note as when Foreman goes to his mother to confess what he has done and look for forgiveness, she doesn't recognise that he's her son. This final revelation revealed in the last line is a devastating twist and Foreman's expression is truly heart-wrenching.

Praise goes to Omar Epps for his fantastic acting in this particular episode, without which, it would have nowhere near the right amount of emotional resonance it has.