[H]ouse 8x11: Nobody's Fault

Original Air Date: 6 February 2012

Storyline: When a violent incident involving a patient has serious consequences for one staff member, House and the team are placed under review by Dr. Walter Cofield, Foreman's former mentor and current Chief of Neurology. As House and each member of his team recount the details of the dramatic and life-threatening incident, Cofield must weigh the team's unconventional brand of collaboration against their ability to save lives.

Best Quote:

House: Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach gym. Those who can't move their arms or legs, teach us to laugh at others.

Review: This week's episode reminded me, once again, why I started watching House in the first place. In a nutshell, this show is like nothing we've ever seen on TV and Gregory House is one of the best characters that were ever created. Having said that, "Nobody's Fault" was different from almost everything we've seen so far in these past seven years. Not because we had one of the people in House's team get hurt. Not even because House himself was investigated for his unusual methods. But because, for the first time ever and despite insisting that "Good things usually happen. Bad things sometimes happen", he found himself caring about Chase and actually apologizing to him.

The format of the episode got me engaged from the first minute. We're not going through the usual routine of the patient getting sick, then being admitted and having House's team go through their DDX program. It's clear from the start that something went wrong and we're counting on the team to let us know what exactly happened. What we can deduce from Chase's absence  from the interview room is that he is the one who may have had something happen to him. 
This unusual format is what kept the thrill level high. The case was as interesting as it could get, seeing how the episode didn't center on the patient at all, but on each of the team members' opinion over who was to blame. The only downside - from my point of view - was using David Anders, whom I've adored ever since his Alias days, in an episode with so little focus on the medical case; I just wish he'd had his chance to shine. Other than that, following each of the diagnosticians try to figure out whose fault it was was an exciting ride.
We have Adams, who finds blame in everything and everyone and cannot accept that people may not employ the same moral values. We have Park, whose desire to prove that she's more than the weird kid is sometimes making her blind to what the real problem is. We have Taub, the only one with enough objectivity to go beyond his feelings regarding his friend's stabbing. And we have House, the realist who can say that bad things sometimes happen, and the professional who is capable of caring for both his teammate and for the patient.
House is an ass most of the time, no one can contest that. He's also callous and doesn't show his feelings very often, because when he did, bad things happened to him. Instead, he maintains the attitude he's always had - the one that saves lives, beyond anything. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about people. He's shown that he does in more than one occasion. But showing that he does is not something that makes him do his job better and everyone starts to understand that in one way or another. This has been, if you will, the leitmotiv of the show, and this is one of those episodes that remind us that there's a whole person behind the pranks and the genius ideas. It's the thing both Foreman - in giving him free reign - and Chase - in trusting he's the only person who can make him walk again - have learned through the years.
Because this was such a great episode, I won't even go into how bad an actress Charlyne Yi is or how annoying Adams gets with every week that passes. I won't even complain about Wilson's absence, seeing how he wasn't really needed this week. What I can't wait for is see how things develop between House and Chase.[H]ouse 8x10: Runaways Back to Season 8