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Episode Recap: "Ugly"
House showed his typical sympathetic bed-side manner with POTW Kenny. Khleo Thomas and Hugh Laurie by Greg Gayne/Fox
How does being beautiful — or deformed — make others treat you differently? That was the central theme in tonight's episode, and it brought out some unexpected twists and revealing moments for House, as well as the POTW.
Kenny is on his way to Princeton-Plainsboro for surgery to correct the major congenital facial deformity that keeps him from being "just another face in the crowd." The catch is that the entire experience is being filmed (and bank-rolled) by a documentary crew. Everything's set to go in the OR and Chase is about to perform the surgery when the kid has a heart attack, followed by a host of other symptoms that seem to jeopardize his facial surgery.
Meanwhile, Dr. Terzi (Michael Michele) has shown up for "class" with the rest of the Wannabes, who immediately start trying to figure out whether she's guaranteed one of their coveted spots. House, who clearly has the hots for her, can't stand the fact that he's sort of hired her, and has a little heart to heart with Wilson about it. "I think she may be an idiot," says House. "She can't be an idiot — she was in the CIA, for god's sake." To which Wilson retorts: "The Bay of Pigs was a daring triumph?" Ha!
A couple of the Wannabes started filling out a bit more as characters this week, especially Plastic Surgeon Guy, aka Taub (Peter Jacobson) — who spent much of the episode standing up to and going behind the back of House — and, to a lesser extent, 6/9, aka Kutner (Kal Penn), who revealed the extent of his bumbling, eager-to-please side around the camera.
Plastic Surgeon Guy pisses off House sufficiently that House goes snooping into his past and learns his dirty little secret, the reason he left his successful practice: PSG screwed around with one of his nurses, and was desperate for his wife not to find out. "Some people pop pain pills, I cheat," he said when House confronted him with his indiscretion. "We all have our vices."
The other "ugly" matter of the episode was House's behavior around the beautiful Dr. Terzi. She's... just not as bright as the other Wannabes, it seems, but House is so blinded by his own desire for her that he praises her ideas and needs Foreman to point out her faulty diagnoses. House finally recognizes that she can't be part of the crew and fires her — and then follows it up with an invitation to dinner. I honestly thought she was going to slap him.
Watching House and the crew "perform" for the camera was pretty entertaining — Chase was Mr. Eager; Cameron had a notable slip-of-the-tongue; Wilson cast various aspersions on House's character; and House was primarily just puzzled and irritated (what else is new). When all was said and done, Kenny's mystery ailment was diagnosed, he got his facial surgery, and the documentarians edited House's snarky comments out of context to make him seem like a sweet, Patch Adams-loving softie.
Perhaps the best thing about the episode was the amount of screen time given to old favorites like (Robert Sean Leonard) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). The show's most convincing writing has always been in the scenes when those two spar with House, and I was thrilled to see more of that.
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Nov 13, 2007 11:06 PM
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Thank God Michael Michele (the human void) is gone. I appreciate the irony that the show hired her to play a character who was just a pretty face with no discernible talent.
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Nov 14, 2007 12:00 AM
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,but seriously, why was she working for the CIA??
And I have a feeling MM will be back - maybe even with a lawyer -- House did promise her the job in this episode -- she can claim it was a verbal agreement.
I was hoping 13 really was dumb, but alas no.
Cuddy looks great in black and white!
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Nov 14, 2007 12:55 AM
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A great episode! I loved how they edited the documentary to make House look so caring. 
Next week looks great too. Too bad the strike is cutting short the season. 
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Nov 14, 2007 1:02 AM
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My favorite line of the night was when House told everyone to get up and walk in front of the cameras while discussing the patient because it made the boring stuff more interesting. I'm sorry I can't give the exact quote--I love self-referential humor!
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Nov 14, 2007 1:30 AM
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Favorite moment of tonight:
House talking about Cuddy's mustache and those nasty ingrown hairs, then the camera zooms in on her.
I could not stop laughing!
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Nov 14, 2007 1:38 AM
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Somehow, I knew that Patch Adam crack was going to come back and haunt him. As always, a well written, funny episode. Only thing that bothered me was, how Michael Michele went from being an astute, competent doctor for the CIA to someone who took a stupid pill and forgot her medical training. I really liked Wilson't comment about House being a Wiccan
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Nov 14, 2007 2:26 AM
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So Dr. Taub, aka Plastic Surgeon Guy, left his practice in exchange for his partners silence about his infidelity? What kind of sound logic is that? It seems to me that he's had more than one indiscretion so his wife probably already suspects, but still. Who walks away from a successful and lucrative career that you chose and spent years in school and specializing for? That's just not good decision-making. I wouldn't want him to be my doctor.
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Nov 14, 2007 4:41 AM
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You know redsiren20 you made a very good point....Taub leaving his practice over an affair didn't sound very logic.
My favorite moment was also the Wiccan comment. And Cuddy's mustache and ingrown hairs. But the part that had me in stiches was when he telling Taub's former partner that he wanted to fix the toe that was bigger than the big toe.
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Nov 14, 2007 5:05 AM
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As far as Taub leaving his practice in exchange for silence on his infidelity, maybe his wife is rich beyond belief and he doesn't want to lose the $$$?
I was all prepared to hate this episode, because the documentary story line has been done by other shows - including ER who did it very well. And, I actually loved the episode. Maybe because I can't stand Michael Michelle, maybe because I like Peter Jacobson and was impressed with his character's resolve. I also like the fact that Cuddy has been trying to dress better and they actually seemed to reference her inappropriate attire. I think the person on this show who repeatedly gets the best lines is the show is Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard). He always has such a stealth way of getting back at House.
Anyway, it was pretty good. The show still isn't at the caliber it was during the first two seasons, but this was an improvement.
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Nov 14, 2007 5:29 AM
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I loved this episode.it was really great much better than last week.This is one of my favourite episodes...great job
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Nov 14, 2007 6:55 AM
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UMMM....
Did it bother anyone else that this EXACT SAME CASE AND SOLUTION was on Scrubs a few weeks ago?
Was there a Discovery Medical Mistery about Lyme disease with a bullseye rash on the scalp that was playing around the time both of these episodes were written?
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Nov 14, 2007 9:44 AM
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PSG didn't leave his practice voluntarily. He was asked to leave. When he left, he signed a no compete contract with the practice in exchange for them not telling his wife of his infidelity.
My question is, what reason did he give his wife for leaving the practice?
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Nov 14, 2007 9:48 AM
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Thank you Geneva16!! After Scrubs and House, I'm just waiting for the same case to appear on Grey's Anatomy.
Still a great episode. House was so horrified watching that tape. It seems like the new doctor's main purpose was to prove that there's really more to 13 than just a pretty face. Loved House having to check with Foreman and having Kumar repeat things to him.
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Nov 14, 2007 10:14 AM
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I enjoyed the episode up until the moment that 13 had the PTOW head shaved and located the rash on skull.. I don't think this is the first time a story line has been recycled between different shows!! All I could think of was Scrubs.
I am glad that Michael Michele is gone, never liked her. And I think the edited documentary was PRICELESS!!
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Nov 14, 2007 10:29 AM
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