Sept. 21 marked the return of everyone's favorite fictional Hopkins alumnus (undergraduate and medical school): Gregory House, M.D. The sarcastic medical genius is currently on his sixth season of "House, M.D." With the exception of the latter half of Season Five, the past few seasons of House have been increasingly dull, with largely predictable episodes.
An interesting medical problem supported by an uninteresting supporting cast meant only one thing: Actor Hugh Laurie had to carry the show on his back. Episode after episode, viewers remained tuned in just to be engaged by the dry wit and genius of Dr. House.
Season Six marks an enormous difference. Five episodes into the current season, House, played by Hugh Laurie, is as good as ever. This time, though, the plot seems to be keeping up.
From the two-hour long first episode of the season, which dealt with House in rehabilitation, to an episode concerning the morality of saving the life of a genocidal dictator, House has been intriguing and fresh: two very difficult feats in medical dramas of all sorts.
No episode has been a better example of the renewed vigor of "House, M.D." than the episode entitled "Instant Karma" which aired Oct. 14.
The episode begins with a magnificent shot of a man sitting pensively, enclosed by trees at the end of a path in a garden. We soon discover that the man is a powerful billionaire with an incredibly sick son.
The doctor working on the son is stumped: He is the 17th doctor, yet he, too, has not been able to correctly diagnose the child. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that this was the perfect case for House.
After hearing that House was the best diagnostician around, the billionaire ends up in the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The billionaire insists that he must get Dr. House.
At one point, he even suggests sending a private jet to get House. His insistence was controlled, and it was easy to see what made the billionaire such an outstanding business man. He knew what he wanted and he wouldn't stop until he got it. This type of implicit character explanation takes some careful writing to be on point - and it was.
In House's conference room, we see the old gang: Chase, Cameron, and Foreman. No more - at least it seems - are the writers going to force us to watch the utterly dull cast of the fourth season. Cuddy explains that while Foreman is officially in charge, all the medical decisions must be run through House.
It is clear that a power struggle is brewing. However, that is a battle the writers have reserved for a later time.Foreman is burdened with the news that he will have to give a proceedings report on the dictator that died in the previous episode. This would not be a big deal, had Chase not been the one who killed him.
If this season is not sounding juicy now, I am not sure what will. It appears as though only Foreman and Chase know about the true nature of the dictator's death and both doctors are looking for a way to cover it up.
The camera then cuts to a café, where House finds Thirteen, who has booked a flight to Thailand in order to escape her recent break-up with Foreman. Thirteen insists that she will not rejoin the old crew.
This doesn't seem to be a problem, as House claims not to want her back. We later learn that House actually cancelled Thirteen's travel plans. Nevertheless, the beauty of this scene lies in the fact that we actually believe House. We are convinced that he does not want Thirteen. In breaking the general predictability of the show, Laurie greatly advanced the overall effect of the ending scene.
Returning to the case, House tells the billionaire that his son has a terminal illness and less than a day to live. The billionaire seems to be experiencing actual anguish - not that corny nonsense that supporting actors generally deliver. We feel real sadness here because there is nothing more that can be done.
At this time Chase finds a medical loophole to solve his problem with the death of the dictator - and it rests in an envelope on his desk. It turns out that House knew the whole time and came to the rescue again.
At one point in the show House says that he is like Kobe Bryant, playing the game the way he damn well pleases. It is clear that House truly does know all in moments like this. He can be just as cunning as he is blunt.
Reacting to the news that his son is nearing death, the billionaire prepares to sign away his fortune, believing that a skewed karmic balance is the cause of his son's looming death. Laurie's sarcastic delivery makes this statement seem hyper-rational.
Nevertheless, the billionaire exclaims that, "There's gotta be some sort of balance. You can't just have all the good fortune in just one area of your life. It's not how the world is supposed to work."
House mocks the billionaire, claiming that there is no way that the world is supposed to work, it just does. In previous seasons, House's statements would have convinced the patient's father to not sign the paper. This time it doesn't work. The billionaire signs away his fortune.
House, looking to make a profit, decides to short-sell the billionaire's company's stock, so that when it crashes he will make a lot of money. Telling this to Dr. Wilson, House makes a joke that allows him to realize what the billionaire's son's true illness is.
In true artistic fashion, the billionaire was right. Had he not signed away his fortune, House would not have saved his child's life. Never before have audiences seen the show scripted so deliberately and delicately.
The show ends as Thirteen boards a plane to Thailand, a conflict that is not yet resolved and that will be one of many interesting issues ahead this season.
"Instant Karma" is an example of "House, M.D." as much more than a medical drama. The show is a dose of quality writing, directing and acting. We experience real emotions, interesting sub-plots and America's favorite doctor on the top of his game. In the words of House himself, "the medicine worked."
