November 28, 2006: Finding Judas
Six-year-old Alice (
Alyssa Shafer) develops gallstones and then a nasty rash that defies any medical explanation that the team can discover. On the brink of an arm- and leg-amputation, Chase makes the diagnosis that Alice is allergic to light - only to get a right hook to the nose from a cranky House. So now our drug-addled hero is attacking his staff. What does this mean? House is no longer a functioning addict. He couldn't even make the diagnosis. Granted, he is technically undergoing withdrawal. But with Chase figuring things out, House has lost the one thing he had going for him and the one thing that allowed everyone else to overlook his problem.
When I first started watching this show, I found the idea of a drug-addicted doctor somewhat disturbing. As time passed, House's sarcastic wit and implied genius made his habit less menacing - endearing, even. Like the doctors closest to him at Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital, we viewers have all become enablers of House's addiction. While sympathy may be good, blinders are not.
Cuddy's blinders have the deepest tint, so it is almost poetic justice that House hurt her the most when he declared her unfit to parent a child. Cuddy knows House is an addict. She rails against it, yet she continues to feed his habit. Perhaps this is her passive-aggressive payback for House consistently showing up her medical acumen and questioning her womanly appeal. She may be a better administrator than a doctor, but at least she's not a drug addict.
Tritter's methods are more direct and, though I don't enjoy them, at least he's confronting the problem. He is truly committed. I spent my week off relaxing. Tritter spent his week lurking in the hospital's archives and pressuring House's colleagues financially and emotionally. Like any good stalker, his patience paid off. With Chase on the verge of cracking, Wilson stepped up to end Tritter's campaign. I doubt that House will end up in the hot seat. And if he is punished, I doubt he will take his discipline to heart; but maybe he will kick the habit.
