Here we are, two seasons removed since House disbanded his trio of cronies to find a new batch of talented doctors to humiliate, and some things haven't changed. Things like House's acerbic nature, his addiction to pain pills, the hospital he works at, Cuddy's very long legs (men, I'll give you a moment...okay) and the weekly patient who has a medical condition that can't be solved until the very last moment. Oh, there is one more thing that hasn't changed...the opening credits.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but Jennifer Morrison, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer (Cameron, Foreman and Chase on the show) don't really have star status like they used to. Heck, sometimes they aren't even on the program. They have been replaced by Kal Penn, Olivia Wilde and Peter Jacobson, who now do the diagnosing. Yet, these three can't get a break. They just get an 'Also Starring' credit after the opening credits roll. Gosh, the original three members of House's team are still shown walking behind him as the credits end.

(S05E01) "This is Dr. House. He's too brilliant for introductions." -- Thirteen to House's patient of the week

Another season of House, another patient with a mysterious ailment. If there is one thing that has not changed in the five seasons that this medical procedural has aired it is the fact that someone is going to enter Princeton-Plainsboro with an illness that can't be determined until the very last minute. It's why House is still on the air. Well, there's that, and then there's the fact that Hugh Laurie is a damn fine actor. Oh, and the others on the show don't do so badly themselves.

So, what can one viewer look forward to for this new season? If you think same-old, same-old then you would be absolutely, totally....incorrect. Because things are a-changing in Greg House's universe -- actually have been changing since the death of Amber in last season's finale -- that he can't, or won't, stop. The result? Well, I would be writing my own death sentence if I revealed it to you here. So, come and join me for a recap of this week's episode.

(S04E12) "People don't change." -- House, who mentioned it several times.

So Wilson is going out with Cutthroat Bitch (aka: Amber), huh? And, for awhile all is well. That's a pretty good record for Wilson, and devious as hell since he was able to keep it from House for so long. Of course, there is now a challenge for Greg to figure out why Amber seems such a catch for his best friend.

Manipulation? Well, that's a possible answer since Wilson is directly connected to House and can be the avenue to get her a fellowship. Revenge? Certainly, especially the way the good doctor treated Amber during the competition. Actual love and affection for Wilson? Nah, couldn't be! I mean, that would just be ludicrous coming from someone who was only concerned about herself during the game. Come on, doesn't anyone remember when she got all of those candidates to stop washing House's car and walk away from the competition? Plus, according to House, people don't change.

(S03E04) Quick question: a) is House getting a little bit unrealistic this season or b) am I just off my gourd? I'm not usually one to nitpick at television shows, because c'mon, they're television shows, and only partially reality in the case of a show like House. I've got to say that there were a couple things last night that bugged me, most prominently Foreman's quick-to-grab attitude when he wanted to bring Adam, the autistic child, into a scanner, and he was complaining about only having half an hour to do so, and grabbing at the kid's PSP unit to try and take it away and move him along. If there's anything on this show that is just not going to happen, especially in the case of an autistic child, it's that. Just seemed a little out of place, though not necessarily out of character for Foreman. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't to say that I'm in any way frustrated to not be watching this show, it just seems to be a bit "different" to me.

What I *loved* about this week's episode was how Cameron kept trying to diagnose what House was doing by having his meetings with his team in various rooms in the hospital, since he said he would not work in his office until the old carpeting was back, with his bloodstain from last season's finale. Additionally, it was fascinating to see Cuddy and Wilson discussing the possibility that House could have Asperger's Syndrome, which is a "mild and rare" type of Autism, so perhaps that was why he took the case in the first place. Wilson's primary belief for this was how his pal reacted to not being able to have the carpet in his office, and how he was compensating and "fighting back" elsewhere, such as taking the conference room at the same time Cuddy was set to have a meeting. Best of all, this week, we have the return of House's teenage stalker.

Love Interest. That's what Stacy has been for House throughout her presence on the series so far. Well, maybe it's former love interest. Or maybe I'm just lost and these two don't know what they want to be doing. During this week's episode, "Failure to Communicate," the pair are in Baltimore to "defend" House's billings to the government - and since Foreman has been so diligent in getting the paperwork done since he took over as "boss" of the group, I'm sure there are plenty of things to look over. At the same time, the rest of the team are back at the hospital when Cuddy comes in asking Foreman for recommendations of other diagnosticians who can do as good a job as house can, because a well-known journalist has come down with a particularly odd affliction - and she doesn't seem to think Foreman, Chase and Cameron can handle it without House in the building. After convincing her otherwise, they get the case, and Fletcher Stone is admitted. Turns out that he knocked his head on a desk during his editor's last hurrah at the office, and when he got back up he was speaking, but random words were coming out. He thought he was talking normal, but the people near him were just hearing what amounts to pointing at a word on the first five pages of the dictionary, and then constructing them into a sentence.

Stacy manages to pull a fast one on the man reviewing House's records, effectively "bribing" him out of bringing down the house on her client, so to speak. The good doctor is amused by this, and the fact that Stacy managed to get on a different flight than him, so they wouldn't have to ride home together. Unfortunately for her, flights are delayed due to weather, and he's still sitting in the airport when she arrives to do the same. All the while, he's been back and forth on the phone with Foreman & Co., giving them some ideas on what has been happening - because Cuddy called him. So as much as she likes Foreman being in charge, she still doesn't think the other docs can do their jobs as well without the fearless leader.