House's Head
Encyclopedia
"House's Head" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of House
and the eighty-fifth episode overall. It was the first part of the two-part season four finale, the second part being "Wilson's Heart
". Co-written by several House producers and directed by Greg Yaitanes
, "House's Head" premiered on May 12, 2008 on Fox
.
The episode revolves around Dr. Gregory House
(Hugh Laurie
), who, after being involved in a bus accident, vaguely remembers seeing someone who is "going to die". House tries to trace back his steps throughout the episode to find out the identity of this person. A woman (Ivana Miličević
), who claims to be "the answer", guides House through hallucinations about the crash. House eventually realizes that "the answer" is Amber Volakis (Dr. Wilson
's girlfriend, portrayed by Anne Dudek
), who is revealed to have been on the bus when it crashed. The episode ends in a cliffhanger ending, leaving Amber's survival unknown.
14.84 million American viewers watched the broadcasting of "House's Head", making House the ninth most-watched program of the week. The episode, and in particular a strip tease scene involving Cuddy
(Lisa Edelstein
), gained positive critical responses. The episode was submitted for five Primetime Emmy Awards, from which two nominations followed. Greg Yaitanes won the Emmy for "Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series", but Hugh Laurie lost the award in the category "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" to Bryan Cranston
of AMC's Breaking Bad
.
. Drunk, disoriented, and suffering from a head wound, House has a short disjointed vision and presumes that "somebody's going to die". When he leaves the club, he sees that the bus he was on crashed. Back at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, House is diagnosed with a concussion and post-traumatic
retrograde amnesia
, he orders his team to check the bus driver for a possible seizure
that precipitated the crash. Dr. Robert Chase
(Jesse Spencer
) performs a medical hypnosis
on House to stimulate his memory, during this, House finds himself getting drunk in a bar, alone. Chase, Dr. James Wilson
(Robert Sean Leonard
) and Wilson's girlfriend Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek
) guide House through the hallucination, and the only other person House recognizes is the bartender (Fred Durst
), who forced House to take the bus by taking away his keys.
While the team investigates several pathologies
to fit the bus driver's condition, House overdoses on his Vicodin
and starts to hallucinate. He finds himself back on the bus, where he sees a woman (Ivana Miličević
) who was not on the bus. However, before House can speak to her, Wilson awakens House to do an MRI on him. When House returns to the bus hallucination, Dr. Lisa Cuddy
(Lisa Edelstein
) is with him. As they discuss the bus driver's possible diseases, House realizes they are in his head and tells Cuddy to accompany the discussion with a strip tease. Cuddy complies, but just before she takes off her bra, she notes she is distracting House, and stops. The woman from House's earlier hallucination returns and introduces herself as "the answer". She tells House to "look" at the bus driver's shuffling feet, which House believes to indicate Parkinson's disease
. When the bus driver needs to be intubated
due to a possible clot
from a pulmonary embolism
, House notices the driver's recent dental work. He reasons that an air bubble, that got accidentally injected into the patient's bloodstream through the gums, would explain all the symptoms. The bubble is extracted, and the patient is saved. House believes it over, but a dream that night causes him to realize that the bus driver is not the patient he saw a symptom in, the crash merely dislodged the air bubble and caused the driver's problems.
In a renewed attempt to retrieve his memory, House has his team reenact the bus crash. House overdoses on physostigmine
, a medication against Alzheimer's disease
, and his mind flashes back to the bus scene before the accident. "The answer" keeps asking House what her necklace is made from, until House realizes that it's made of amber
. "The answer" transforms into Amber Volakis, and when Cuddy manages to resuscitate
House from his overdose-induced cardiac arrest
, House immediately informs Wilson that Amber's life is in danger as he now remembers the crash. In the crash, Amber was injured with a bar through her leg and House saw her later being carried away to an ambulance. Wilson has not spoken to Amber since before the accident. "Thirteen"
(Olivia Wilde
) checks the patient roster and sees that a patient admitted to a different hospital matches Amber's description.
"House's Head" was the fourth House episode directed by Greg Yaitanes
. It was written by Peter Blake
, David Foster, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Doris Egan
. Executive producer Katie Jacobs
said that the season finale was "a little bit different" than the episodes preceding it. "House's Head" was supposed to air after the Super Bowl XLII
but due to the 2007-2008 WGA Strike the episode was derailed, and the House season 4 episode "Frozen
" was aired instead. The T-shirt House wears in the episodes, which shows a skeleton drinking coffee, and says "Coffin Break", was created by a designer named Taavo.
When Lisa Edelstein
(Dr. Cuddy) heard she had to do a strip scene in the episode, she called actress Sheila Kelley
, wife of Richard Schiff
(with whom Edelstein had worked previously on The West Wing and Relativity
). Kelley had worked on a movie about strippers long ago and Edelstein asked her for her advice on the choreography of the striptease. On the episode itself, Edelstein commented: "It is very interesting what happens in the first half of the finale in terms of learning about how House sees people and getting the world from his point of view entirely". Before the filming of the scene started, Edelstein showed the dance to Hugh Laurie, who, according to Edelstein, was "incredibly supportive, like a cheerleader". Edelstein commented that after the scene was filmed she, "felt beautiful, and it ended up being a really lovely experience".
The whole bus-crash sequence was storyboarded. Greg Yaitanes described stunt-coordinator Jim Vickers as "crucial" for the filming of this sequence. The bus crash scene was filmed in a studio using a big spinning wheel (which Anne Dudek
referred to as a "gadget"). This gadget was mainly the back of the bus, and could be turned 360 degrees to increase the authenticity of the scene. For the rest of the bus, a greenscreen was used that surrounded the complete outside of the bus. The shots involving Anne Dudek were filmed at another time, using light effects and people simulating a bus crash experience in the otherwise motionless gadget.
. The episode was viewed within five hours of broadcast by 14.84 million viewers, and had a 5.8/14 share of the 18-49 demographic. It was the second most-watched program of the night, beaten only by Dancing with the Stars
. In the week from May 11, 2008 to May 18, 2008 "House's Head" was the ninth most-watched program. The show was watched by 15.02 million viewers on Live + SD television. In Australia
the episode aired May 12, 2008, on Network Ten
, where it was watched by 1,432,000 viewers, making it the night's second most watched program. It ranked fourth most-watched show in the 18-49 demographic. In Canada
, the episode was broadcast on Global Total, also on May 12. It was watched by 2.296 million viewers, making it the week's fourth most watched program, behind Grey's Anatomy
and American Idol
(Tuesday and Wednesday). 1.7 million viewers watched the episode's first broadcast on United Kingdom
's Five on June 26, 2008.
Overall, "House's Head" was very well received by critics. Sara Morrison, from Television Without Pity, called the moment that House gets back his memory "the best ten minutes of television you might ever see". She was also pleased with the hypnotism scene, because it gave Chase "something to do". Morrison graded the episode with an A+. Michelle Romero, of Entertainment Weekly
, said that she can watch "House's Head" twice and get as much out of the second viewing as the first. TV Guide
' s Gina Dinunno stated: "It's everything I imagined: brilliant, snarky, confusing; even dirty! They did an amazing job at leaving us with the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers as we wait to see what will happen to Amber". Alan Sepinwall, from The Star-Ledger
, compared the episode to the House season two finale "No Reason". He, however, also said that the episode had "several issues", mainly the hints towards "the answer" being Amber. On this, Sepinwall commented "House is, at heart, a mystery, and when the show telegraphs the solution, it isn't half as entertaining".
James Chamberlin, of IGN
, said that he hoped the second part of the season finale could live up to the first half. He also said that the scenes revolving around "the answer" reminded him of The Matrix
. Chamberlin graded the episode with a 9.5 on a ten scale. Barbara Barnett, of Blog Critics, praised both Hugh Laurie
's and Lisa Edelstein
's acting performances. She also said that, although there were many "memorable moments" in the episode, the scene in which the bus crashed was "intense", "tension-filled" and "heart-stopping". Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune
' s The Watcher stated that, although she did predict the twist about midway through the episode, there were "so many other enjoyable elements" that it didn't bother her. Jennifer Godwin of E!
said the episode was "easily one of House' s best finales ever". Also, several critics were surprised by Fred Durst
's brief cameo as the bartender in House's flashback.
The scene in which Lisa Cuddy did a pole dance was very positively received by critics, Mary McNarma, of the Los Angeles Times
, stated that these scenes "in three minutes earned back the price of Tivo
". James Chamberlin of IGN stated that he never expected Edelstein to do a strip tease, although he had hoped it. In season four DVD commentary, Jesse Spencer
, Lisa Edelstein
, Anne Dudek
, Jennifer Morrison
and Omar Epps
all stated that "House's Head" and "Wilson's Heart
" are their favorite House episodes.
, Jesse Spencer
and Hugh Laurie
submitted the episode for Primetime Emmy Awards on their behalf. In the categories Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Edelstein), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Spencer) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Laurie). Peter Blake
, David Foster
, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Doris Egan
, the writers of the episode, submitted the episode on their behalf for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
. The episode was also given up for consideration in the category Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
on behalf of director Greg Yaitanes
. Hugh Laurie and Greg Yaitanes' submissions both came through as nominations. Yaitanes won the award, but Laurie lost the award to Bryan Cranston
for his performance in AMC's Breaking Bad
.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
and the eighty-fifth episode overall. It was the first part of the two-part season four finale, the second part being "Wilson's Heart
Wilson's Heart
"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of House and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008...
". Co-written by several House producers and directed by Greg Yaitanes
Greg Yaitanes
Greg Yaitanes is an American television and film director.-Directing career:*Damages **"Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker" **"A Pretty Girl in a Leotard" *Lost...
, "House's Head" premiered on May 12, 2008 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
The episode revolves around Dr. Gregory House
Gregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
(Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
), who, after being involved in a bus accident, vaguely remembers seeing someone who is "going to die". House tries to trace back his steps throughout the episode to find out the identity of this person. A woman (Ivana Miličević
Ivana Milicevic
-Early life:Miličević was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Croatian family, the daughter of Tonka, a homemaker, and Damir Miličević, a slaughterhouse worker and entrepreneur. She emigrated to the United States at the age of five and was raised in Michigan...
), who claims to be "the answer", guides House through hallucinations about the crash. House eventually realizes that "the answer" is Amber Volakis (Dr. Wilson
James Wilson (House)
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend,...
's girlfriend, portrayed by Anne Dudek
Anne Dudek
Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Amber Volakis on the television show House and her leading role on UK television series The Book Group as well as playing Francine Hanson in the series Mad Men...
), who is revealed to have been on the bus when it crashed. The episode ends in a cliffhanger ending, leaving Amber's survival unknown.
14.84 million American viewers watched the broadcasting of "House's Head", making House the ninth most-watched program of the week. The episode, and in particular a strip tease scene involving Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. She also becomes House's love interest through the...
(Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
), gained positive critical responses. The episode was submitted for five Primetime Emmy Awards, from which two nominations followed. Greg Yaitanes won the Emmy for "Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series", but Hugh Laurie lost the award in the category "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" to Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal the father in the Fox situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle, and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he won three consecutive Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
of AMC's Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
.
Plot
The episode opens in a strip club where Dr. Gregory House is getting a lap danceLap dance
A lap dance is a type of sex work performed in some strip clubs in which a naked or topless dancer performs an erotic dance either in immediate contact with a seated patron, or within a very short distance. With full-contact lap dances, the stripper may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact...
. Drunk, disoriented, and suffering from a head wound, House has a short disjointed vision and presumes that "somebody's going to die". When he leaves the club, he sees that the bus he was on crashed. Back at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, House is diagnosed with a concussion and post-traumatic
Post-traumatic amnesia
Post-traumatic amnesia is a state of confusion that occurs immediately following a traumatic brain injury in which the injured person is disoriented and unable to remember events that occur after the injury. The person may be unable to state his or her name, where he or she is, and what time it...
retrograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia is a loss of access to events that occurred, or information that was learned, before an injury or the onset of a disease....
, he orders his team to check the bus driver for a possible seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
that precipitated the crash. Dr. Robert Chase
Robert Chase
Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of the third season when House fires him. However, he was then re-hired in season 6...
(Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
) performs a medical hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
on House to stimulate his memory, during this, House finds himself getting drunk in a bar, alone. Chase, Dr. James Wilson
James Wilson (House)
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend,...
(Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
) and Wilson's girlfriend Amber Volakis (Anne Dudek
Anne Dudek
Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Amber Volakis on the television show House and her leading role on UK television series The Book Group as well as playing Francine Hanson in the series Mad Men...
) guide House through the hallucination, and the only other person House recognizes is the bartender (Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
), who forced House to take the bus by taking away his keys.
While the team investigates several pathologies
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
to fit the bus driver's condition, House overdoses on his Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
and starts to hallucinate. He finds himself back on the bus, where he sees a woman (Ivana Miličević
Ivana Milicevic
-Early life:Miličević was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Croatian family, the daughter of Tonka, a homemaker, and Damir Miličević, a slaughterhouse worker and entrepreneur. She emigrated to the United States at the age of five and was raised in Michigan...
) who was not on the bus. However, before House can speak to her, Wilson awakens House to do an MRI on him. When House returns to the bus hallucination, Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. She also becomes House's love interest through the...
(Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
) is with him. As they discuss the bus driver's possible diseases, House realizes they are in his head and tells Cuddy to accompany the discussion with a strip tease. Cuddy complies, but just before she takes off her bra, she notes she is distracting House, and stops. The woman from House's earlier hallucination returns and introduces herself as "the answer". She tells House to "look" at the bus driver's shuffling feet, which House believes to indicate Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. When the bus driver needs to be intubated
Intubation
Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic or rubber tube into the trachea to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer certain drugs...
due to a possible clot
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
from a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
, House notices the driver's recent dental work. He reasons that an air bubble, that got accidentally injected into the patient's bloodstream through the gums, would explain all the symptoms. The bubble is extracted, and the patient is saved. House believes it over, but a dream that night causes him to realize that the bus driver is not the patient he saw a symptom in, the crash merely dislodged the air bubble and caused the driver's problems.
In a renewed attempt to retrieve his memory, House has his team reenact the bus crash. House overdoses on physostigmine
Physostigmine
Physostigmine is a parasympathomimetic alkaloid, specifically, a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor. It occurs naturally in the Calabar bean....
, a medication against Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, and his mind flashes back to the bus scene before the accident. "The answer" keeps asking House what her necklace is made from, until House realizes that it's made of amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
. "The answer" transforms into Amber Volakis, and when Cuddy manages to resuscitate
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
House from his overdose-induced cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
, House immediately informs Wilson that Amber's life is in danger as he now remembers the crash. In the crash, Amber was injured with a bar through her leg and House saw her later being carried away to an ambulance. Wilson has not spoken to Amber since before the accident. "Thirteen"
Thirteen (House)
Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House, portrayed by Olivia Wilde. She is part of the new diagnostic team assembled by Dr. Gregory House after the disbanding of his previous team in the third season finale...
(Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
) checks the patient roster and sees that a patient admitted to a different hospital matches Amber's description.
Production
Greg Yaitanes
Greg Yaitanes is an American television and film director.-Directing career:*Damages **"Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker" **"A Pretty Girl in a Leotard" *Lost...
. It was written by Peter Blake
Peter Blake (writer)
Peter Blake is an award-winning American television writer and producer. He is currently an Executive Producer on the Fox TV series House.- Early Life and Education :Blake was raised in New York City and attended The Collegiate School...
, David Foster, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Doris Egan
Doris Egan
Doris Egan is an American screenwriter, producer, and writer. She has worked on Smallville, Dark Angel, and House as well as many other television programs.-Gate of Ivory trilogy:...
. Executive producer Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio, the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company, which produces the Fox series House and the now defunct series Century City...
said that the season finale was "a little bit different" than the episodes preceding it. "House's Head" was supposed to air after the Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
but due to the 2007-2008 WGA Strike the episode was derailed, and the House season 4 episode "Frozen
Frozen (House)
"Frozen" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of House and the eighty-first episode overall. It aired on February 3, 2008, following Super Bowl XLII; it attracted slightly more than 29 million viewers, making it the highest rated House episode to date...
" was aired instead. The T-shirt House wears in the episodes, which shows a skeleton drinking coffee, and says "Coffin Break", was created by a designer named Taavo.
When Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
(Dr. Cuddy) heard she had to do a strip scene in the episode, she called actress Sheila Kelley
Sheila Kelley (American actress)
Sheila Kelley is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Gwen Taylor on L.A. Law and as Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett Hayes on Sisters.-Early life:...
, wife of Richard Schiff
Richard Schiff
Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
(with whom Edelstein had worked previously on The West Wing and Relativity
Relativity (TV series)
Relativity is an American drama television series which followed a twenty-something couple, Isabel Lukens and Leo Roth , and the lives and loves of their friends and siblings...
). Kelley had worked on a movie about strippers long ago and Edelstein asked her for her advice on the choreography of the striptease. On the episode itself, Edelstein commented: "It is very interesting what happens in the first half of the finale in terms of learning about how House sees people and getting the world from his point of view entirely". Before the filming of the scene started, Edelstein showed the dance to Hugh Laurie, who, according to Edelstein, was "incredibly supportive, like a cheerleader". Edelstein commented that after the scene was filmed she, "felt beautiful, and it ended up being a really lovely experience".
The whole bus-crash sequence was storyboarded. Greg Yaitanes described stunt-coordinator Jim Vickers as "crucial" for the filming of this sequence. The bus crash scene was filmed in a studio using a big spinning wheel (which Anne Dudek
Anne Dudek
Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Amber Volakis on the television show House and her leading role on UK television series The Book Group as well as playing Francine Hanson in the series Mad Men...
referred to as a "gadget"). This gadget was mainly the back of the bus, and could be turned 360 degrees to increase the authenticity of the scene. For the rest of the bus, a greenscreen was used that surrounded the complete outside of the bus. The shots involving Anne Dudek were filmed at another time, using light effects and people simulating a bus crash experience in the otherwise motionless gadget.
Ratings
The episode premiered in the US on May 12, 2008 on FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. The episode was viewed within five hours of broadcast by 14.84 million viewers, and had a 5.8/14 share of the 18-49 demographic. It was the second most-watched program of the night, beaten only by Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
. In the week from May 11, 2008 to May 18, 2008 "House's Head" was the ninth most-watched program. The show was watched by 15.02 million viewers on Live + SD television. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
the episode aired May 12, 2008, on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, where it was watched by 1,432,000 viewers, making it the night's second most watched program. It ranked fourth most-watched show in the 18-49 demographic. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the episode was broadcast on Global Total, also on May 12. It was watched by 2.296 million viewers, making it the week's fourth most watched program, behind Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
and American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(Tuesday and Wednesday). 1.7 million viewers watched the episode's first broadcast on United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Five on June 26, 2008.
Critical reaction
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, said that she can watch "House's Head" twice and get as much out of the second viewing as the first. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, compared the episode to the House season two finale "No Reason". He, however, also said that the episode had "several issues", mainly the hints towards "the answer" being Amber. On this, Sepinwall commented "House is, at heart, a mystery, and when the show telegraphs the solution, it isn't half as entertaining".
James Chamberlin, of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, said that he hoped the second part of the season finale could live up to the first half. He also said that the scenes revolving around "the answer" reminded him of The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
. Chamberlin graded the episode with a 9.5 on a ten scale. Barbara Barnett, of Blog Critics, praised both Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
's and Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
's acting performances. She also said that, although there were many "memorable moments" in the episode, the scene in which the bus crashed was "intense", "tension-filled" and "heart-stopping". Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
said the episode was "easily one of House
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
's brief cameo as the bartender in House's flashback.
The scene in which Lisa Cuddy did a pole dance was very positively received by critics, Mary McNarma, of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, stated that these scenes "in three minutes earned back the price of Tivo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
". James Chamberlin of IGN stated that he never expected Edelstein to do a strip tease, although he had hoped it. In season four DVD commentary, Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
, Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
, Anne Dudek
Anne Dudek
Anne Louise Dudek is an American actress, known for her role as Dr. Amber Volakis on the television show House and her leading role on UK television series The Book Group as well as playing Francine Hanson in the series Mad Men...
, Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer. She is best known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron in House, whom she played for five-and-a-half years, and also as Zoey Pierson in the sixth season of How I Met Your Mother...
and Omar Epps
Omar Epps
Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His film roles include Major League II, Juice, Higher Learning, Scream 2, The Wood, In Too Deep, and Love and Basketball. Epps' television work includes the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the US medical drama series ER,...
all stated that "House's Head" and "Wilson's Heart
Wilson's Heart
"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of House and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008...
" are their favorite House episodes.
Awards
Cast members Lisa EdelsteinLisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
, Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
and Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
submitted the episode for Primetime Emmy Awards on their behalf. In the categories Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Edelstein), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Spencer) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Laurie). Peter Blake
Peter Blake (writer)
Peter Blake is an award-winning American television writer and producer. He is currently an Executive Producer on the Fox TV series House.- Early Life and Education :Blake was raised in New York City and attended The Collegiate School...
, David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Doris Egan
Doris Egan
Doris Egan is an American screenwriter, producer, and writer. She has worked on Smallville, Dark Angel, and House as well as many other television programs.-Gate of Ivory trilogy:...
, the writers of the episode, submitted the episode on their behalf for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
. The episode was also given up for consideration in the category Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ...
on behalf of director Greg Yaitanes
Greg Yaitanes
Greg Yaitanes is an American television and film director.-Directing career:*Damages **"Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker" **"A Pretty Girl in a Leotard" *Lost...
. Hugh Laurie and Greg Yaitanes' submissions both came through as nominations. Yaitanes won the award, but Laurie lost the award to Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal the father in the Fox situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle, and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he won three consecutive Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
for his performance in AMC's Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
.
External links
- "House's Head" at FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...