House Training

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"House Training" is the twentieth episode of the third season of House and the sixty-sixth episode overall.

Plot

A young female scam artist named Lupe (Monique Gabriela Curnen) collapses while participating (possibly acting as a shill) in a Three Card Monte scam on the street. Lupe suffers from a lack of blood to the brain which temporarily paralyzed her ability to make decisions or exercise free will ("aboulia," says Foreman, as "part of a . . . transient ischemic attack"). Based on her background, Foreman immediately suspects Lupe's condition stems from drug abuse, while Chase looks for other possibilities, such as toxins in Lupe's apartment. Lupe senses Foreman's disdain for the decisions she's made in her life, and Foreman grapples with his own humble past when his parents come to visit him.

When Lupe's symptoms worsen and her organs begin to shut down, Foreman and the team suspect autoimmune disease to be the culprit. When treatment does not work (symptoms worsen), the team thinks it must be cancer. Foreman presses for a full body radiation treatment. However, severe pain after the radiation leads the team to the final, correct diagnosis: an infection. The radiation treatment has destroyed Lupe's immune system and there is nothing anybody can do to save Lupe. Foreman tells Lupe the news and helps her cope with it.

Meanwhile, Cuddy and Wilson go out on a date to see an art exhibit together after House asked Cuddy to go to a play with him (at the very end of the previous episode, Act Your Age) and Cuddy declined. House probes Wilson's ex-wife about Wilson and his dating habits.

When it becomes clear that they cannot cure Lupe, House tries to perform tests on her while she is still alive. When Foreman forbids this, House becomes frustrated and says "I need to know." Lupe eventually dies and when House performs an autopsy, it is learned that Lupe had a staph infection from a scratch due to her bra hook, and the team didn't notice it because the strap covered it. House feels disappointed by the patient's death; however, unlike Foreman, House feels that the team took an appropriate course of action, stating that their unconventional decision-making abilities make them better doctors.

The episode ends with a small talk between Foreman and his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. It is a bittersweet moment, as he realizes at the end of their conversation that she was not aware that he was her son. Foreman asks, "Do you know who I am, mom? It's Eric," with her replying "Of course. My little boy's name is Eric."

Awards

Omar Epps submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" on his behalf for the 2007 Emmy Awards.^[1]

Song

The song playing in the background towards the end is Matthew Ryan's Follow The Leader.

References

External links

• official site