House Review: The Open Marriage Fiasco

Marriage, relationships and honesty are all at the center of this episode of House.

Our patient is Julia, a woman who is in an open marriage with her husband Tom. This means both parties can sleep with whomever they like outside of their own marriage. During one of her sessions with a random boy toy, Julia begins suffering from horrible stomach pains that gets her admitted to the hospital.

The notion of an open marriage has everyone on House’s team buzzing, especially Taub. Taub once cheated on his wife, and he looks poised to return to his old habits after establishing a very friendly relationship with one of the nurses. He brings up the notion of an open marriage to his wife Rachel, who at first is completely against it. She then decides to give it a try, but before Taub can go anywhere near the nurse, Rachel changes her mind again. Taub feeds her some story about only wanting her, and he seems genuine enough, but now why does he start making out with the nurse at the end of the episode?!?

Julia’s condition has nothing to do with STDs as one might have expected given her numerous partners. It’s also revealed that Tom is not having sex with any other women – only his wife; the “open marriage” is completely one sided. But Tom does have his own secret: he spent all their savings and the family is nearing bankruptcy. While Julia thought she had the perfect, honest marriage, everything was still a lie.

As it turns out, a bee sting triggered off a disease called Henoch-Schonlein Purpura in Julia. The team was unable to diagnose it sooner because the rash that usually accompanies HSP was hiding in the roof of her mouth.

Wilson’s relationship with Sara goes from good to bad to good again throughout the span of the episode.  Using his manipulating, psycho techniques, House points out to Wilson all of Sara’s flaws: she doesn’t put the milk in the right spot in the refrigerator; she doesn’t put her cup on the coaster. Seems like Wilson is just a tad-bit OCD about things! House’s subliminal plan almost works, but Sara and Wilson learn to overcome their differences and are happily back together by episode’s end.

For another opinion of this episode, read Do. Not. Get. Married by Cameron Cubbison.

Season 6, Episode 18: Open and Shut (originally aired April 26, 2010)

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Mondays 8/7c on FOX

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal and IMDbPro.