It's a Wonderful Lie (29 Jan. 2008)

House is equally obsessed with a mother and daughter who don't lie, and using Christmas to create discord among the team members.

Director:

Matt Shakman

Writers:

David Shore (creator), Pam Davis

Stars:

Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
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
Peter Jacobson	...	Dr. Chris Taub
Kal Penn	...	Dr. Lawrence Kutner
Olivia Wilde	...	Thirteen
Liana Liberato	...	Jane
Jennifer Hall	...	Melanie
Anthony Starke	...	Roger
Janel Moloney	...	Maggie
Cheyenne Wilbur	...	Minister
Scott Maguire	...	Bystander (as Scotty Maguire)

Storyline

House and the team treat a woman who suffers from a sudden paralysis of the hands that causes an injury to her daughter while she's spotting her at an indoor rock-climbing wall. As House probes the woman and her injured daughter for any leads as to what might be causing her condition, House is convinced that the woman is withholding information. When the woman's daughter reveals some very descriptive details about her mother's personal life, House isn't so sure the woman hides anything about herself from the people around her, especially her daughter. As the team runs tests to find out what caused her paralysis, the woman loses her eyesight and her system begins to shut down, and House and the team are baffled as to whether it is the woman herself, or her own physiology that is lying to them. Meanwhile, House lets his team participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange, but he puts his own twist on the holiday tradition.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | iphone

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heel & Toe Films, Shore Z Productions, Bad Hat Harry Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The indoor rock climbing scene at the beginning was filmed at Boulderdash Indoor Rock Climbing in Thousand Oaks, California (the tallest indoor climbing gym in Southern California). She is climbing on "The Prow", a 45' slightly overhanging wall with lead and top-rope routes ranging from 5.6 to 5.12.

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Goofs

Both Taub and House are trying to check if Maggie's daughter can be a bone marrow donor. If they were real doctors they'd know that children never make more than 3 out of 6 match - children only inherit half the chromosomes from their parents. So a 5 out of 6 match "from Cleveland" is by all means a better option.

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Quotes

Dr. Lisa Cuddy: You owe me fifty bucks.
Dr. Gregory House: Then you owe me half a lap dance.

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Connections

References Francis (1950)

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Soundtracks

"The Little Drummer Boy"
Performed by The Fab Four (Beatles Tribute)

User Reviews

Was intolerable (but tolerasty comes to another stage)

It was the first episode of House MD (my favorite series ever) I badly disgusted. I do not mean main story and performances - it was "House" in it's best, with interesting final diagnosis, particularly. Great performances, blah blah blah - in season 4 the stories got more sophistication, variability and drive. But my impression was just ruined by a side story with (Warning: spoiler below) ..a dirty w**re from whom even House was dumbfounded - from one side, and the last scene - from another. Such blasphemy is a screen writing crime against beliefs of billions. This episode's story seriously lacks any sense of proportion (may Lord forgive you, Pam).