The Softer Side (23 Feb. 2009)

House's team resents being made complicit in a web of lies parents have told their son when he's brought in for treatment that may be related to his intersexuality. Meanwhile, no one's content that House is happy.

Director:

Deran Sarafian

Writers:

David Shore (creator), Liz Friedman

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 (credit only)
Jesse Spencer	...	Dr. Robert Chase (credit only)
Peter Jacobson	...	Dr. Chris Taub
Kal Penn	...	Dr. Lawrence Kutner
Olivia Wilde	...	Dr. Remy 'Thirteen' Hadley
Dominic Scott Kay	...	Jackson Smith
Julia Campbell	...	Melanie
Ben Reed	...	Joseph
Nick Puga	...	Ian
Fred Kronenberg	...	Doctor
Meagan Gordon	...	Young Woman

Storyline

An intersexual boy has collapsed on the basketball court. His parents have never told him he has both male and female cells and they (that is, the overprotective mother, who seems to be wearing the trousers) don't want the team to tell him either. For Thirteen, withholding the truth from the kid is easier said than done. To everybody's surprise, House acts kind and actually seems to be... happy, which makes everyone think something fishy is going on.

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Plot Keywords:

basketball | poem | methadone | close up of eyes | mosaicism

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 2009 (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?

Goofs

During "urethroscopy" Taub is using a tool which is apparently way too thick for a boy's urethra. It is in fact a gastroendoscope which is intended to go into a gullet (a much wider passage).

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Quotes

Dr. Gregory House: I think my penis stopped breathing; do you know CPR?

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Connections

References Touch of Evil (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Bobski 2000"
(uncredited)
Performed by Galactic

User Reviews

Hard to like

House treats a boy who may be a girl, and whose parents have kept this information from "him" for years. The kid has severe stomach pains, which turns out to be a lot of nothing. But things get complicated when an MRI of the boy throws everything for a loop. House meanwhile is acting way too mellow, to the point of passing out on the job, and everyone suspects him of using heroin. They're close. The episode is too much of a soap opera for me. Foreman and 13 are still hiding their affair from House, or so they think. Cuddy emotes way too much over House's odd condition. And so on and so forth. The case itself isn't all that interesting, either. It almost seems like a rehash of an episode from way back when, involving a girl who turns out to also be a boy. Only good thing about that episode was the girl was played by a very attractive young model who flashes her very lovely teats at House to make a point. Make that two points.