Season One, Episode Eighteen, "Babies And Bathwater"

First aired on May 10, 2005. Naomi, who is 28 weeks pregnant, suddenly collapses. She is 39 and has miscarried three times. Finally, the dispute between them comes down to a showdown before the Board and Wilson gets caught in the crossfire. Naomi has small-cell lung cancer which requires radiation and a C-section first and the patient refuses that wanting to carry the baby longer to give the baby a better chance. Later she gets "an embolism. A blood clot." and she dies but they save the baby. Wilson is fired because of his support for House; Cuddy has to decide whether to risk her own career.
This is the last episode to feature Edward Vogler in the series, making this episode the last one of the "Vogler arc". 

come Nineveh, come tyre…or as Colbert would say: THE THREATDOWN! Here we are at the crunch—D-Day! Now, I know all the other “house-that-again?” freaks are going to take this in stride--like the board is going to dismiss Wilson in a naked power play? Jumpin’ Jee-Hosni-fat! Why didn’t they just give vogler a rubber stamp when he came in? I was under the assumption that he was given the post of chair by acclimation, not because he bought it.

V: “a man is the sum of his actions…this man is a disgrace to this hospital.” Like nobody there can ADD UP, either? how many f*ing lives he and his ducklings have saved? (the basic plot does bring the metaphor to the fore—hence the title.

But it seems even more ridiculous that vogler would interpose in a surgical matter. C’mon! Suffice it to say, if this is characteristic of their idea of story arcs, I don’t see how I’m going to last for five seasons.)

Fave moment: the two ducks at the door—foreman: “coward!” chase: “child!” …that and the song at the end, Wilco?

House Triple Play Day! Darth Vogler X 3

House, Triple Play Day

s1 ep 15, Mob Rules

Plot: A judge orders House to treat a mob informant. House does so under protest, but even when the patient recovers, he figures something is wrong with him and wants to keep treating him. When he butts heads with Vogler over the treatment of the patient, Vogler spends two days fighting with Cuddy over House's continued employment, resulting in Cuddy having to make a terrible compromise in order to keep House at the hospital. Meanwhile, House figures out someone on his team is keeping Vogler informed and takes steps to try to confirm who it is. 

you’ve got “Vogler the enforcer” and a federal witness in here; perfect fit. But there is no way a mob-connected atty is going to have that much access to the witness, even if it is his brother. I mean, are these writers only basing this script on what they've seen in “the godfather part 2”? (I couldn’t never figure how tom hagen got to frank in that army base lock-up. Did anyone ever explain that?!?!)

I know I promised to throw away all criticality w/r/t the ducklings but this violates my code of ethical detachment from existential living on the 21st century planet earth. And—yeah—I liked the corvette, like anybody else. But would the government keep him on the case with an obvious bribe sitting in his driveway? Oh yeah, and the IRS? Credulity can only stand so much strain…

s1 ep 16, Heavy 

 Plot: A morbidly obese 10 year old girl has a heart attack. House is intrigued, but the obvious cause of her problems seems to be her weight, and Chase won‘t stop mentioning it. Can the team look through her appearance to see the real cause? 
House is trying to deal with a conundrum. On Vogler's orders (backed by Cuddy), to make his department profitable, he has to fire one of his three staff members. House tries to stall for a few months, but Cuddy tells him he has a week.


now Darth Vogler ups the ante.
Cameron: “why are you telling me all this? Because you feel guilty?”
 V: “I don’t feel guilty. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel sad. I may be rich, but I’m human.”

FINE DISTINCTION. Isn’t “sad” when we are resigned to things over which we have no control? I distinguish this from depression, another animal entirely. Depression is rage/anger turned inward—usually over powerlessness and helplessness.) So why aren’t these Dr.’s smart enough to know they’re being manipulated? I mean, HAVEN’T THEY EVER HEARD OF MEPHISTOPHELES? DON’T THEY KNOW WHAT A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN IS?

Upper photo: Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) Below: Edward Vogler (Chi McBride)

s1 ep 17, Role Model

When a politician friend of Vogler’s collapses at a rally, he demands House at least examine the man. House soon takes an interest in the case, but his conclusions seem to end any chance the patient has of pursuing his political career. In addition, Vogler’s demands on House increase to the point where he wants House to shill for his new pharmaceutical. 
House goes to give his speech, with Vogler depending on House's reputation and integrity to sway the audience. He starts on script, but ends after one paragraph. When Vogler threatens his fellows unless he completes his speech, he goes back to the podium and just tells the audience that the new drug is good because is just the old good drug, only a lot more expensive and under a new patent. He also says that Vogler's company merely fools around with existing drugs to make them slightly different so they will get a new patent. Cuddy and Wilson are mortified. Vogler is stunned. House leaves the stage.
Cameron goes to see House. She agrees to resign so he won't have to fire her or Foreman. House asks why and she says it is to protect herself. She admits she likes him despite his faults because she thought he liked to help people, but she has now realized that he does what he does because he always wants to do the right thing. She thinks that the only way she can do the right thing is to quit.

this was how many years before Obama? (The politician is black.  He does not think he can win, but he is paving the way for future black candidates) not looking for a prediction, just a comparison. 2005?

OK. So, subplot is the blackmail for the drug endorsement. Uh—what? Like the medical establishment is going to believe this? Vogler owns the hospital and the drug company, and house is a known iconoclast offender, and NOBODY’S going to see the--- oh I give up!

(ok. no, i don't.)

Season 1, Episode 14: "Control"

 Plot: A young, high powered CEO of a cosmetic company starts to suffer intense pain. House quickly diagnoses the problem, but realizes revealing the truth about it will mean the patient’s certain death. Instead, he risks his own career to hide the truth and get her the treatment she needs. During all this, Princeton-Plainsboro takes on a rich new chairman of the board who has just offered a $100,000,000 donation. He immediately sees House as dead weight and decides to infiltrate House’s team to get ammunition against him.


another comedical! this is more like it! w/big bizness metaphor! re: Cameron’s method of getting agreement from the other two. house: "did you just read 'the one-minute manager" on soft-position bargaining? it isn't going to work." now house has a libido? OK, help me out on this one: Vicodin? it doesn't suppress the sex drive? (like i would know?) so this is the "vogler" arc? biggie smalls as billionaire. well, the name is...

A BIT O' MALE TRIVIA: in comics, in titles like The Justice League of America and The Avengers and The Defenders and The X-Men (basically any team) every couple years will come out with a Fall or New Year's issue entitled: The Old Order Changeth, or something equally pseudo-latin pretentious. see, they figure the suits have gotten stale and need some new spandex and soap opera to jazz it up. also, a new mission or quest or adventure-to-save-the-world/universe/dimension/reality AND A NEW VILLAIN!

arch-enemies are so groovy, it was about time sherlock house met a match. and this one IS good--that is BAAAD: soft-spoken menace like a thug in an elevator holding a razor to yr ear while he coos in yr ear.

...the name is perfect: germanic and tyrannical too! i mean, is house going to call him "Mein Herr"?

as for the rest? I’m going to check on the polite dissent for the whole thing about the use of emetics (if that is what epicac is) ruining yr heart. if so, i am surprised it hasn't been mentioned in ads aiming at teenage girls who are trying to be waifs. but the whole thing about the hosp. being given up to clinical trials? don't they all do that? seems like no big deal, but i guess it can become one. (like the plotline of ford's "the fugitive" remake.)

PS: ...or even better "MEIN FUHRER!" like Dr. Strangelove!

Given up to clinical trials?  I'm not sure what you mean.  It's a teaching hospital, so I'm guessing they would have clinical trials.  In Season 5 a clinical trial figures prominently, although not for House.

I almost never go to Polite Dissent, because I know half the medicine is twisted around for story purposes.  (Like the doctors doing everything themselves.  At a wedding in the ladies' room, I met a nurse whose job is preparing the slides for doctors...the actual job takes two days, and that's before they see the slides.  But having that in there would be like watching paint dry.  That's why it's "show biz."

Hahaaah!

House enjoys tormenting Jewish people, making Holocaust jokes and such.  In one episode he upbraids Wilson for using a lame excuse for speeding:

"You lost control of your speed?  That's like Hitler saying, I lost track of the Jews!"

More "Control"

Yeah, he has a libido, he goes to hookers. Unless it's the Flying Nun, I don't think you can have an asexual lead character. Oh, and aliens. Unless they kill their victims after they have sex.

aha. more2B, huh? and only the mantis people of wolfrilla kill after mating. Then, low-tar cigarettes.