The Tritter Saga: Vogler Redux? (Episodes 305-310)

Sorry this is belated. Life got in the way. You know how it is.

Anyway, Tritter is dead. Well, Tritter the idea. Mr. Revenge, Mr. Sourpuss, cuff 'im and spread 'em. A lot went down on his watch: House took one hell of a downward spiral, jobs were lost, relationships broken, loyalties tested. You know, happy stuff. Thing is, the show's (mostly) been there before -- with Vogler, House's guest nemesis from season 1. The big difference? Tritter brought his A game. A comparison of storylines:

This time, it's personal
Actually, it was pretty personal the first time around. Vogler came in with grand plans of taking over the hospital, but House -- with his yo-yo and his no lab coat -- quickly became his pet project (Vogler's threat in a nutshell: House goes, or I go). But in the end, Vogler was just looking out for Vogler. He had an image of control and power that he needed to maintain, and House's naturally insubordinate ways threatened that. Tritter's motives were more personal because what House did to him was more personal. Wouldn't you want House to suffer after he abandons you in the clinic with a rectal thermometer firmly in place?

A tangent about the clinic: Why start the Tritter storyline there? The practical answer is convenience and believability. House may be an ass outside of work, but he's not likely to invoke the kind of spiteful response he got out of Tritter. The creative answer is that the writers have set up the clinic as a place House truly loathes, so he tends to be more biting and demeaning than he would be with a main patient, thus making him more likely to ruffle some feathers.

Means to an end:
Tritter really struck at the core to get what he wanted out of House by slowly taking away his vicodin. It was like watching extended versions of "Detox." Vogler just dangled House's team in front of him, saying fire one of them or else. While it was sweet of House not to cave, it lacks the punch of near-annihilation. But Tritter still included the Ducklings in his plans, freezing their bank accounts, interrogating them, getting them to try to persuade House to give in. (I won't hold this part to the Vogler-Tritter similarity test, just because the structure of the show kind of requires the team to be a part of things.)

But Chase. Poor Chase. He makes a deal with Vogler, keeping tabs on House in exchange for job security, and it comes back around with Tritter. As part of Tritter's manipulation, he leaves Chase's bank account untouched and constructs what looks to be an informant-friendly meeting in a public place. Once a rat, always a rat. Without Vogler, this wouldn't have worked.

Wilson
Season 1: Wilson defends House till the end; is forced out of his job when he's voted off the board, leaving, in his mind, no choice but to resign; questions his relationship with House ("I’ve only got two things that work for me: this job and this stupid, screwed-up friendship, and neither mattered enough to you to give one lousy speech."); gets over it.

Season 3: Wilson defends House at the beginning and the end, with a slight gap there in the middle where he confessed to the forged prescription pads; is forced out of his job when he can't write prescriptions any more; questions his relationship with House ("Despite all your smart-ass remarks, I knew you gave a damn. This time, you were either gonna help me through this or you weren't. I got my answer."); gets over it.

Cuddy
Saves the day.
Season 1: In the end, she stands up to Vogler and his millions and millions of dollars to protect House; uses it as leverage.
Season 3: In the end, she perjures herself in a court of law to protect House; using it as leverage.