House Review: Epic Fail

After my disappointment with House's (Hugh Laurie) quick exit from the mental institution, I was happy to see him still struggling to find his footing and seeking the advice of the institution's head. Trying not to use vicodin at all costs, he seeks a hobby to take his mind off of things. Being the genius he is and using his natural ability for chemistry, he quickly finds himself as a gourmet chef. It was a fun and interesting direction, and Laurie seemed to have a lot of fun with it. But, as expected, the leg pain is coming back, and the cooking just isn't going to continue doing it for him, so naturally, he discovers that solving medical problems can be his fix. It's a little too convenient of a method to get him back at the hospital, but this really had to be expected, though it would have been nice to draw it out a bit more.

While House is off whipping up delicious food, Foreman (Omar Epps) lobbies his way into House's old position, taking control of the team and the new patient. This story line was unfortunately very weak. The patient is impatient with Foreman's diagnostics, and enlists the help of internet forums to help solve his case. Obviously, Foreman can't stand this, and the two butt heads the whole episode. This would seem like a fairly standard format for the show, but there is an added side to the story. The patient is a video game designer, and he starts hallucinating that he's in his own game. What we get are a series of long scenes where we are immersed in a video game world. It didn't feel right for the show, and in no way worked for them like it did for South Park a few seasons ago ("Make Love, Not Warcraft").

Verdict: After a very good season premiere, Epic Fail makes a few bad decisions that don't fit the show. The House story line was fun for a while, but we're two episodes in and the show is already right back where it always is. ☆☆☆