House Review: Massage Therapy

For the past two seasons I have been a devoted House fan, but my Monday nights are packed now with no time to fully enjoy Hugh Laurie’s dry sense of humor. I can make an exception for one night, though, as I cover for the lovely Allison Toner and give you all my two cents on the latest season and this Monday’s episode.

Are my eyes deceiving me or is House actually semi-normal now? I mean, he’s clearly in a good place now that Cuddy is his one and only. It’s a bit strange to see, I’m not used to this new House. But things might not be very dandy for long between these two lovebirds, because Cuddy wants House to get rid of his former sex buddy/current masseuse. For House, this current arrangement with the masseuse seems perfectly normal since they’re no longer having sex, but Cuddy really doesn’t feel comfortable with this. It leads the two to what I consider their first real relationship argument and both realize that they’re holding something back. House agrees to change masseuses and Cuddy agrees to bring House around her daughter, Rachel – something she had been avoiding.

But that’s enough about this happily-ever-after couple.

After the mysterious disappearance of Thirteen (aka: Olivia Wilde is a ~serious actress~ and needs to go make blockbuster films), Chase is given the job of finding a replacement. The new doctor, Dr. Kelly Benedict, is woefully under qualified for the position and it’s a mystery why Chase hired her. Actually, that was sarcastic. In tune with Chase’s newfound wild womanizing ways, he really only just wants to get together with her cause she’s gorgeous. He continually denies this throughout the episode, and yet he asks her out to dinner at the end when she’s packing her things after her abysmal performance with the diagnostics team. I see what you did there, Chase.

The patient of the week was a woman suffering from abdominal pain and hallucinations, among other things. Her story used the all-too-common storyline of wife gets sick, lies to husband about her past, also lies about medical condition, etc. It’s nothing terribly fascinating.

I can’t say that I feel like I’ve missed much this season. I almost feel like I’m watching some sort of epilogue: House and Cuddy seem to be getting on great, just going through those bumps in the road that all relationships eventually encounter. But will the writers keep this up? Things can get stale really quick.

Season 7, Episode 4: Massage Therapy (originally aired October 10, 2010)

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Mondays 8/7c on FOX

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal.