The 2 hour season 6 premiere of the Fox medical drama House did not disappoint. I actually think it was better than I had expected.
The show picked up where it left off last season,with House as a patient in a psychiatric facility. In the usual House fashion he turned the hospital upside down.
Telling the anorexic he looked fat in his pants, crowding the claustrophobic,telling the suicidal patient she’s a failure, finding everyone’s sore spot and pushing it.
Although he was enjoying torturing the other patients he decided to turn on the staff, with the help of his roommate the manic Alvie (Lin-Manuel Miranda).
But Dr. Nolan (Andre Braugher), the hospital’s chief of staff, proves to be one step ahead of House, has House met his match? But I’ll get back to that in a minute.
House develops a love interest, Lydia (Franka Potente). She visits her best friend/sister-in-law, know as Silent Girl and plays the piano in hopes to snap her out of her catatonic state.
House recommends, she brings a cello to the hospital. When she arrives House suggests she lets Steve (Derek Richardson), one of the patients who thinks he’s a superhero named Freedom Master, carry it up to help build his self-esteem.
The three of them go outside, where House and Lydia are shamelessly flirting, but lifting the cello doesn’t seem to cheer up Freedom Master. House somehow convinces a smitten Lydia to let him “steal” her car so he take Freedom Master to an amusement park where they can “fly” on a wind machine. After experiencing weightlessness in the air, Freedom Master is elated that his “powers” have returned. But when they get to the parking garage to return, Steve steps on the ledge thinking he can fly and jumps.
Next thing you know, House is waiting in an emergency room.
This is where Dr. Nolan arrives and tells House that Freedom Master is lucky to be alive and that he’s transferring House because he’s done with his antics. Dr. Nolan is ready to give up on him, but the whole experience has been a turning point for House and he finally admits he needs help.
House begins one-on-one talk therapy with Dr. Nolan. He admits he wants to be happy, but doesn’t want to take drugs because he fears he’ll change and lose his edge. After some convincing, House finally agrees and takes the pills, for real this time.
During group therapy, House tells Dr.Nolan he’s doing well and he really means it. He has little fun by rapping on stage with Alvie during the talent show. He tries to apologize to Freedom Master again, but still no response. Then, as House pushes his wheelchair past Silent Girl, there is a break through, Freedom Master, who still has the music box from House in his lap, reaches over to give it to Silent Girl. She takes it, and the doctors watch in awe as she opens the box, speaks for the first time in years to say thank you. Freedom Master, now attentive, replies, “You’re welcome.”
House greets Lydia at the door to bring her to the room where we see Silent Girl on the cello playing a beautiful song as the entire wards sits and listens.
Dr. Nolan finds House, after he goes to confront Lydia about the fact that she didn’t tell him that she is moving, and House tells him he feels lost. Dr. Nolan says he is going to write his letter to the medical board, but House thinks he’s just saying that to make him feel better. Nolan explains two things have happened: First, House connected with someone strongly enough to miss them. Secondly, and most importantly, House also recognized the pain and came to talk to him instead of hiding in the vicodin bottle.
At House’s leaving the hospital party, he blows out the candle and gives Alvie an uncharacteristic hug good-bye.
What are your thoughts on the Broken episode? Do you think House is a new man?
