(S05E17) This may have been one of the most satisfying episodes of House I've seen in a long time. The show is almost always compelling, but lately has left me more frustrated than content. Not so this time around. We finally had an interesting and engaging patient; a nice enough family man named Nick, who suddenly loses his social filter and starts spewing every private thought he's ever had. There was little to no Thirteen and Foreman, a smattering of Taub and Kutner, but, best of all, epic amounts of House and Wilson, which, counts for a whole heck of a lot.

Before his recent jerkiness, Nick was a liberal, politically correct, do-gooder who apparently never really said what he felt. Now, he's more like House. Except this poor guy can't control the things he says. Nick tells his wife she's stupid, tells Cuddy she's hotter than Thirteen, and calls his adorable little moppet dumb. It's almost a weird parody of that Jim Carry movie, Liar Liar.

And yet, despite his inability to abide by that "social contract" that says we will not be total dicks to the people we love, there's one big way that he's not like House. House is in full command of this actions. He takes pride in choosing to be his dickish self. His need to stay true to some higher ideal and not compromise his morals often comes at the expense of his personal relationships. And right now, his need to be a dick is causing friction in his friendship with Wilson.

While House and the team are busy trying to save Nick's life and his marriage (which they eventually do) Wilson is going through his own little drama, something that he goes through great lengths to keep from House. This is when things get interesting. It turns out that Wilson's long lost schizophrenic brother has finally been found.

So, let's talk House and Wilson for a second. I am a broken record on this topic, but this is the one relationship the show gets totally 100% right and last night was not an exception. You know, I've often wondered, and I think others have too, why Wilson continues to stay friends with House. Especially after Amber's death, that question has nagged me. We're finally given a great, satisfactory reason for it that doesn't feel tacked on or fake. House is the one friend Wilson has that he doesn't feel the need to bullshit around. And House is someone who will never tell him less than the truth. Before this episode, it was hard to see what kind of role House filled for Wilson, and now that we know, it's heartbreaking. Daniel is also the reason Wilson is such a people pleaser, and the reason he came to PPH in the first place.

Last week we got to see a House who was so nice he wasn't himself at all. This week, House was, in his own screwed up way, a kind and good friend to Wilson. The scene in the surgery room was perhaps the sweetest House has ever been to anyone. Offering to go with Wilson to see Daniel, should things end badly, was a real act of friendship.

Their conversations in this episode go a long way in repairing some of the excessive jerkiness I've seen from House to Wilson, and showing a very believable softer side to House, that's still very much in character. I love that House finally admits how lucky he is to have Wilson for a friend. The last scene really got to me. I mean, play anything by Badly Drawn Boy and I'll tear up, but 'The Shining" is guaranteed water works. House and Wilson's bond seems infinitely stronger than that of Nick and his wife, and we can see what a special friendship it really is. *sniff*

Robert Sean Leonard does a fantastic job through the entire episode. His escalating distress is palpable through the episode, coming to a peak when he flips out on House in the cafeteria. House's shocked and surprised look is also pitch perfect. Fantastic job from both of them. Kudos to everyone involved in this. It was brilliant story telling, writing, acting and characterization.

At first I thought we'd never heard of Wilson's brother before, but I think that's wrong. If I recall correctly, he was mentioned once in Season 1 or 2, right? I'm very much looking forward to the episode where we finally meet this mystery brother. Lastly, I'll point out that Kutner's Harry Potter analogy was very apt, and yes, Taub does have a big nose.