(S03E18) Hello, everyone. Tom Biro had a flight conflict tonight, so I am covering House for him. (Yo, Tom, it's probably a good thing you'll be watching this episode after your flight, rather than before). I was delighted to fill in tonight, because I love House. It's one of my favorite shows; however, I may be the only person on the planet who didn't like last week's episode. I thought it was clunky. There are pro-life images that have been circling the net for years now with that exact shot of the fetus clutching the surgeon's finger. I thought House's use of it was obvious and kind of sloppy. And it wasn't the politics, it was the fact that I that particular scene has been done before. I wanted something a little more original.

This was a great episode, though. Do you ever go back and look at the title of the episode and thunk yourself on the forehead and say, "D'oh!" Or is it just me?

I read through last week's comments and I was amused that so many people think that House will father Cuddy's child but that he won't get her pregnant the old-fashioned way. I think the recent rash (haha) of episodes thrusting Cuddy and House into each other's faces is building toward their eventual get together. I don't think they will ever have a relationship: I think they will have sex to give Cuddy a child. I just hope they are realistic about how long it may take her to conceive.

Back to the episode at hand! Sorry, I am just so giddy at having the chance to talk about this show! Even though I have been delighted to watch Cameron and Chase get to explore their real-life romance onscreen, I think it was a big mistake for them to start sleeping together regularly. Foreman was absolutely right: It was affecting their work. And to whomever said that they think that Chase is the one at risk of getting hurt here, I think that is dead on too. Cuddy was wrong last week.

But at least since they had sex in Fran's bedroom with the cat watching, they were able to solve the case! Oh, are there cases on this show?

Was I the only one wondering why Wilson was treating Fran right after her initial collapse? He is an oncologist-- why is he treating an ER patient? I know House has clinic hours, but this is the first I have noticed Wilson having them, unless he was filling in for House. Minor detail, but I thought it was interesting.

Did you catch when Wilson said, "I thought it was zebras," as he raced out of the room to see if Fran had breast cancer? I am a medical editor, and I remember the first time I heard this phrase. It is used with medical students, residents and interns. When you hear hoofprints, don't assume it's a zebra. Don't assume with every symptom that you are going to come up with something exotic. Hoofprints sound like horses, and they usually are horses. Unless you are watching House. In that case, everything is going to look like lupus and end up being a zebra.

Did you love the parallels in the cases, both at the hospital and on the plane? As always, I am surprised they can pack so much dialogue into one episode. House finding the three people to stand in as Chase, Cameron, and Foreman was hilarious. I loved that. The woman who got to fill in for Cameron was outstanding. Her timing was perfect. I also loved how the scenes cut back and forth between the hospital and the flight: the needles being prepped for the lumbar punctures (you did WHAT on an airplane?!?!), the blades unsheathed for surgery the smooth bald heads. Kudos to actress Jenny O'Hara if she actually did shave her head for his episode.

I have to admit that I thought at first, because Fran had been out of the country, that she had the same thing the guy on the plane had. And then I thought Cuddy was right about meningitis on the plane. Well, she was right last week! Why not this week? Then we can change the name of the show to Cuddy! Er... I guess that will teach me. But I kind of enjoy how the episodes, while not dependent on one another for continuity, are interrelated. And that something I see in one show informs my opinion of the next. I think (hope) we'll see Robin (Meta Golding) again. Wilson may not be smooth, but he is actually pretty lucky with the ladies. I'd love for Meta Golding, who was great on ABC's short-lived Daybreak, to find a "home" on House.

So, do you think Cameron and Chase will stay broken up? I don't think they will. I think they'll get back together. This is just tension! And drama! I don't know that Cameron is only trying to make House jealous. I think House and Cuddy are the new dynamo there. And remember, even though Cameron walked away from Chase, I don't think she is serious about not wanting a relationship. I think she is dying for a relationship. This is the woman who married a guy who was dying of brain cancer, remember? I think she is just scared. But maybe we'll get to see her layers unfold like an onion. Too bad the end of the season is coming up. They are going to have to resolve things-- and fast! Wouldn't it be a hoot if Cameron got pregnant instead of Cuddy?

We rate the episodes now, and on a scale of 1 to 7 (worst to best), I give this episode a 5.