It would be interesting to see if there was a spike in the viewer ratings for "House" this week, specifically a huge intake of new female viewers. After all, Jason Lewis (Smith from "Sex And The City") was the guest patient of this week, and I could almost hear the collective squeals. Beautiful men aside, this was an episode that felt a little more like season one in all the most positive ways. Gregory House used to do the most outrageous things to get his way, and he was back in full force for this episode, titled "Living the Dream." Let's see what trouble he got his hospital into this week, hmm?

The show began with Lewis playing the soap opera star Evan Green on House's very favorite show. He gets into his car, and who would be driving it but everyone's favorite damaged doctor? Evan is officially kidnapped because House believes that he is dying from a serious brain tumor, as demonstrated by several symptoms seen on the television. Evan agrees to one test, which turns out to be clean, and then House drugs him to keep him longer. Nothing appears to be wrong until Evan loses feeling in his legs on the way out of the hospital, and voila, he becomes the newest patient for House to save in the last two minutes of the episode after a startling revelation.

There is a surprise ahead for those who expected a traditional case for House, because while House diagnoses Evan with an allergy at the end of the episode, he gets it wrong (at least what Evan is allergic to). But the damage is done. His mistake nearly gets Cuddy fired, but it seems unlikely that caused his black little heart more than a moment of guilt.

The B storyline is that an inspector comes to the hospital, and Cuddy will do anything to keep House from causing trouble. She sends Cameron and Foreman to keep an eye on him, since Chase hilariously bows out in the first ten minutes, and House manages to blackmail her into giving him the big-screen HD TV. However, due to his wrong diagnosis, she is fined $200,000 (!), and House does not get his TV. Oh Cuddy, good to know your wrist slapping punishments are still so cruelly harsh. No TV for a week, House, bad boy! In the C storyline, Wilson and Amber buy a new mattress together, and she insists he choose his own favorite. He gets a water bed, since Wilson is apparently still living in the 70s, and for once these two as a couple becomes more than just a way for the writers to annoy House.

It was gratifying to see House acting a little more like his old self. He has always been the irreverent jerk, but none of his actions in the past season have been as shocking as in the beginning. This only means his character has evolved some in four seasons, but it is pleasant to see the character we love to hate again causing mayhem. The scene in the elevator was biting slapstick humor at its best, and it reminded us that House will lie, cheat, steal and break laws to get his way. That is what makes him such a pleasure and horror to watch.

Most of the characters were pleasant to watch in this episode, and for once it did not seem weighed down by the heavy cast. Nearly everyone was involved - other than Chase who was my favorite for the two minutes he was on screen - and it actually worked. Amber was surprisingly likable in this episode, perhaps because she was pitted less against House and more directly dealing with Wilson's chivalrous passive aggressive tendencies. She called him on the resentment he felt toward his former wives, and it forced him to act like an individual in a relationship.

Next week begins the two-part season finale, titled "House's Head" for part one and "Wilson's Heart" for part two. House gets amnesia after a horrible bus crash, and he saw someone on the bus showing life threatening symptoms. The entire episode will surround House finding the passenger by fighting for his own memory. What does the second episode entail? Let's just say Cutthroat Bitch may indeed be in some trouble, since she is Wilson's metaphoric heart at the moment. Uh oh.


Story by Chelsea 'Dee' Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer