House Review: Still Searching for Happiness

For a while now, things have been going alright with House’s addictions. He laid off the vicodin and found various other ways to take his mind off the constant pain in his leg. But lately, things have been getting worse. Wilson has become caught up in his relationship with Sam and wants House to move out of their condo. House has resorted to booze to help him cope with the nagging leg pain.

Recognizing he still needs more help, House returns to his regular psychiatric sessions with Dr. Nolan – a figure we haven’t seen since earlier this season. From what info they exchange, we find out it’s been a year since House left the Mayfield Psyciatric Clinic. Throughout their session together, House recounts the story of an amnesiac patient and everything else that went on in his life that past week.

House finds himself wandering through the ER attempting to avoid Wilson, who is pressuring him to find an alternative living solution. While there, he’s presented with the case of a woman who was found disoriented while jogging. She has no idea what her name is or where she lives. By tracking the serial number on the heart monitor she was wearing, House brings the woman to her neighborhood. They manage to track down the house she was living in with her husband – her name turns out to be Sydney and she’s a lawyer.

It’s not the most riveting case, especially since it’s not the focus of the episode. The focus continues to be House’s relationships with Wilson, Cuddy and now – Alvie!

Alvie was House’s roommate at Mayfair and loves to talk a mile per second. Alvie left Mayfield, but with immigration officers on his tail, he thought it was safest to stay at House’s apartment. House hasn’t been back to his apartment in months, though, so Alvie basically took control of the place. House utilizes Alvie’s presence as a welcome distraction and brings him around wherever he goes.

There’s a lot taking place in this episode, and it’s all very psychological. It takes a deeper look into House and Wilson’s friendship (“I can say whatever I want, and he’ll never leave”) and how he’s still pining for Cuddy. But by the end of his session with Dr. Nolan, the only thing House realizes is that he’s still not happy. Everyone around him is moving on with their lives and has found happiness, except for him. House walks out on Dr. Nolan,  feeling as though the doctor’s failed him.

Want another opinion?  Read Couch Potatos by Cameron Cubbison here.

Season 6, Episode 20: Baggage (originally aired May 10, 2010)

For more on House, click here.

Mondays 8/7c on FOX

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal and IMDbPro.