This episode has quite a few engrossing moments, but I wanted to comment on my favourite. The ep is a really good look at too much pain vs too little pain. Are they trying to tell us something?

House finds one of those imaginary cases that happen when he's bored - and turns it into a real case. Hanna has CIPA (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain) - and also a diagnosis. But when things go wrong, the ducklings dive into the tests. Except that trying to force a kid that can't feel pain to do things is kinda hard. Might need to break an arm...

The Game: "Let's go break her arm". The aim: get the patient in the chair.

House: Hi again. I'm sure I can say this without being condescending, but then you'd get the false impression that I respect you so – you're a kid, you're scared, you're stalling. Grow up.

Hannah: I'm not scared. I'm never scared.

House: See? How juvenile was that? You can't feel pain. Nothing left but pleasure. Why don't you tell me how wonderful that is?

Hannah: It sucks.

House: Better than being in pain all the time. Get in the chair.

Hannah: Every morning I have to check my eyes to make sure I didn't scratch a cornea in my sleep.

House: Oh God, stop. I'm in a pool of tears here.

1 to Hanna. (Hanna:1 House:0).

Hannah: I can't cry.

House: Neither can I. Every morning I check my eyes for jaundice in case the Vicodin's finally shot my liver.

1 to House. His liver isn't shot yet? (Hanna:1 House:1).
So, they both have pretty serious issues with their eyes....

Hannah: I can't run anywhere without examining all my toes for swelling.

House: I can't run.

Hmm... Didn't House run quite a bit at one stage? Ha, running beats not running - 1 to House (Hanna:1 House:2).

Hannah: Boys can't hold me for too long because I can overheat.

House: Girls can't hold me for too long because I only pay for an hour.

I'd give a point to House for having to pay, but well... he has to pay. (Hanna:2 House:2).

Hannah: I need an alarm on my watch to remind me to go to the bathroom. You know how many humiliating experiences before I thought of that.

House: The bathroom's 50 feet from my office. Every drink of water I weigh the pros and cons.

Knowing is always better than not knowing. (Hanna:3 House:2).

Hannah: After everything I do, I self-check: Mouth, tongue, gums for cuts. Count teeth, check temperature. Fingers, toes and joints for swelling, skin for bruises.

House: I got shot.

... some would say House brought that on himself. (Hanna:3 House:3). House sedates her when she shows him where she was burnt as a kid.

[...]

Cameron: You weren't shot because of leg pain, you were shot because you're a jerk.

House: Some think the two are connected.

Ah, there it is. So, final score.... 3 all. Hmm... I thought it might come out differently. I guess a lack of pain can be a bad thing. You don't know what pain's like, so nothing to compare it to. Bad for knowing where physical boundaries are. But too much pain is obviously debilitating.

One more Housism before I wrap up:

Wilson: Why are you here?

House: I still haven’t figured out why.

Wilson: No, I meant here. In my office.

Thanks for the transcript Twistv.

Labels: 314, competition, pain, wilson

Ah, House and the metaphors (and similes). From Moby Dick to House having trouble thinking of a non-sexual metaphor. They're a very useful part of the show - without them, most people watching wouldn't understand what was going on. Especially me. And they're classic House humour. Not that they always make things clearer. Some of House's more obscure metaphors stump even his team and Wilson. And then one of them has to bite...

The metaphors usually refer to the show's patient, as the team try to figure out what's going on. House is usually the one confusing the team, but sometimes one of them rise to the challenge, like in Ep2-12: Distractions:

Cameron: His brain is like a waiter that's got too many...
House: Heyyy! I do the metaphors.

Only to be knocked back by House. But hey, he does them well! Like the murder scene metaphor in Ep2-19:House vs God. Simple, easy to understand, right? Well, as long as you know of the medical stuff he's referring to. But the metaphors are more interesting anyway. Some of his better ones:

Ep1-3: Occam's Razor
House: Hey! How you all doing? Interesting fact: every seven years it's a whole new you. Inspiring metaphor, huh?

Ep:1-10: Histories
Wilson: The something else is going to melt her brain.
House: Poach. Better metaphor.

Wilson tries to appeal to House through metaphors. Maybe it's catching. Comparing House to Moby Dick when he wouldn't stop chasing a disease in Ep2-17: All In was a classic (House wouldn't chase the whale, he'd convince it to be caught). Also great was the image of House as a cat in Ep3-14: Insensitive, when his curiosity about a Sepia patient gets the better of him. Is there a theme here? Obsessive and destructive...

Of course, the best parts are when House confuses not only everyone watching, but the team (and Wilson) too. That moment of silence, while they figure out who's gunna bite. Some apt House-isms.

Ep2-18: Sleeping Dogs Lie
House: Great battles kick up a lot of dirt. Obscure the battlefields so the generals can't see what's going on.
Wilson: ... So what are your orders, General House?

Ep1-17: Role Model
House: You know, when the Inuit go fishing, they don't look for fish.
Wilson: ... Why, Dr. House?
House: They look for the blue heron, because there's no way to see the fish. But if there's fish, there's gonna be birds fishing.

It's not always Wilson who has to take the bait, but he does tend to take one for the team.

There's so much more to show and tell about metaphors in House. But, this post is long enough. I'll visit the metaphors again.

As usual, thanks to www.twiztv.com for the transcripts.

Labels: 103, 110, 117, 212, 217, 218, 219, 314, metaphors, team, wilson