Robert Chase
Encyclopedia
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. Robert Chase is the longest-serving member of House's staff (he was hired approximately one year before the Pilot episode, as revealed in a deleted scene). Chase has been attracted to Allison Cameron
since the beginning of the show and embarks on a romantic relationship with her in "Human Error".
, and in the Season 1 episode "Damned If You Do," it was revealed that he attended seminary
before becoming a doctor. His reasons for leaving seminary are not entirely clear, but it has been asserted that while there he "failed" his test of faith. He seems to trust House the most and sometimes takes part in House's morally questionable plans when the other members of the team have refused, showing a situational application of ethics and a flexible stance on morality. This leads to tension between Chase and Foreman, who is quick to disagree with House and prove him wrong.
Chase is regarded by most characters as someone who will do anything to protect his job. This is mostly due to an incident in season one when Chase, fearing for his job because House had yelled at him, told Edward Vogler of House's illegal actions.
However, as the show progresses, Chase begins to show his real loyalty and respect for House. Having been on the team longer than anyone else, Chase cares for House, as shown by the hug in the Season Three episode "Half-Wit
". Later, when Michael Tritter is looking for information about House, Chase refuses to work with him, although Tritter tries to make it appear that he does in order to create conflict and distrust within the Diagnostics Department. Tritter's manipulation works and his relationships with Cameron, Foreman and especially House are further strained. However, after being punched by a detoxing House for getting the correct diagnosis in "Finding Judas" Chase begins to develop a more assertive personality and even disagrees with House on several occasions, eventually leading to him getting fired at the end of the third season. His affection for House is also exemplified in the fifth season episode "The Social Contract
," when he helps House give a patient potentially fatal surgery simply because House empathizes strongly with the patient's situation.
As a surgical critical care specialist, Chase performs most of the invasive medical procedures, as well as observing and helping with the team's patients' surgeries when he worked for House. After his departure from the team, Chase becomes a surgeon
in the hospital, a move that House says is "only one step down" from his previous position. He is trained in hypnosis, using this to help House recover lost memories in "House's Head
".
Chase has been shown to be an intensely secretive person. Most of information regarding his background comes from his interactions with patients, although House manages to learn some of his personal history.
He has a strong dislike for substance abusers, and, early in the series, was quick to blame symptoms on drug or alcohol abuse. This is likely due to his experiences with his mother, who drank herself to death after his father left her. He also has a strong dislike of obese patients as is shown in "Heavy", where he believes that a morbidly obese girl's weight is her fault. Later, he is proved wrong when the team find a tumor on her pituitary gland that causes her inability to lose weight.
Chase has, at times, shown a shrewd capability of deducing people's motives, rather similar to House. He correctly deduced that Foreman was ashamed of the reason for his resignation, and then correctly deduced that House was also. He also figured out that House was the one who canceled Foreman's job interview in "The Jerk", for no reason other than to get the staff to mistrust and suspect each other.
He has learned a great deal about diagnostic medicine from House, proven in "The Right Stuff" when he correctly deduces the patient's affliction to be Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
. He was the first diagnostic medicine fellow to correctly make the final diagnosis in "Finding Judas" and he diagnosed the patient of the week in the episode "Airborne."
is Australian himself). Chase has also had a rough relationship with his late father, Rowan, a famous doctor in his own right. Chase talks to House about trying to mend the gap with his father many times, but finding his father simply didn't care. In the episode "Control", Chase is told by House to do an angiogram of a CEO's leg but House later finds out Chase accidentally screwed up the angio, which almost gets Chase fired. Chase later responds "I can't believe I did that."
Rowan Chase is revealed to have left the family when Robert was a teenager, which gave his son no other option but to care alone for his alcoholic mother until her death at least five years later, which was approximately ten years before "Damned If You Do". It is implied that his mother died of an alcohol-related illness and that she went into psychosis
before Chase ever had a chance to say goodbye to her. In "Cursed," Rowan visits the hospital claiming he is in town for a conference, but close observation of his behavior allows House to deduce that he is not attending said conference and in reality, Rowan is dying from terminal lung cancer
. Rowan was at the hospital to visit Dr. James Wilson
, head of Oncology at Princeton-Plainsboro. Initially, Robert is intensely frustrated with his father's presence, but offers to buy his father a drink at the end of the episode. Rowan declines because he says he does not have time before he leaves again, and leaves without ever revealing to Robert his condition. In the Season Two episode "The Mistake," viewers learn that Chase's father died about two months after the visit in "Cursed." Later, in the episode "Forever", House deduces that Chase's father cut him off his will before dying, leaving him no money at all. Chase confirms this in "Finding Judas."
In "Damned If You Do", Chase reveals to a patient that he attended a seminary
, quoting 1 Peter 1:7
. This aspect of his life was shown again in "Forever"," when he said a prayer for the soul of a baby who died under his care. It has also been revealed that he was dating a banker who, as it turned out, liked to be burned. (cf. "Love Hurts")
Chase's attraction to Cameron has been featured early in the series when he asks her on a date, only to be rejected. In the season two episode "Hunting," Chase has a one-night stand
with Cameron while she is high on methamphetamines.
Cameron begins a "friends with benefits" relationship
with Chase in season 3 during "Top Secret." Chase begins to fall for Cameron, but she does not return his feelings. A moment in "Fetal Position" clarifies Chase's feelings for Cameron when she remarks that she had "never seen him glow" like he does in a picture taken while (unknown to Cameron) gazing at a picture of her, although he plays the moment down. However, when he informs her that he wants to take their relationship forward in "Airborne", she ends it. Despite Cameron's refusal to reconcile, Chase asks her out every Tuesday, saying "It's Tuesday...I like you."
At the end of Season 3, Chase is promptly fired by House following an outburst, but the official reason is that he has been around the longest and has learned all he can from House. Later, Cameron realizes her feelings for Chase and the two begin a relationship. Chase then picks up a job heading the surgical team at Princeton-Plainsboro at the start of Season 4, occasionally aiding House with cases and advising Foreman on personal and professional issues.
In Season 5's "Saviors
," Chase proposes marriage to Cameron, who accepts. In "House Divided," it is revealed that Chase is allergic to strawberries, after going into anaphylactic shock while taking a body shot from a stripper wearing strawberry body butter during his bachelor party. Luckily, a resident at the party had an epi-pen, and administered it to him quickly. Chase and Cameron get married in the season 5 finale, "Both Sides Now
". In season six Chase and Cameron return to the Department of Diagnostics under Foreman. Chase murders a patient (a brutal African dictator visiting the US for medical treatment) in the episode "The Tyrant
". Chase fakes a blood test so the patient will be misdiagnosed and given treatment that will be guaranteed to kill him given his actual condition. Foreman finds out and confronts Chase. Chase tells Foreman that the dictator's death saved thousands of lives, as the dictator was plotting an ethnic cleansing in his country, and now there is a chance for peace; but if the world knows that he was murdered, the dictator will be made into a martyr and things will get worse. He then tells Foreman that if he's going to be getting a visit from the police to warn him first so he can explain to his wife. Foreman warns him that someone can't take another person's life without expecting consequences. Foreman is later seen burning the incriminating evidence against Chase, and Chase is seen with Cameron obviously feeling guilty. House eventually discovers the murder, and his prodding along with Chase's conscience leads Chase to confess the fact to Cameron. Cameron soon decides to leave Chase, and he signs the divorce papers during the hospital "Lockdown
", though afterwards they have sex one last time.
In the first episode of Season 7 "Now What?
", Chase proposes sex to a skeptical Thirteen
in a manner similar to his initial attempts to woo Cameron. There was a possibility that the two will embark on a relationship, as this has been hinted by the show's creators. However, Olivia Wilde
left the show in season
8: episode 3 called "Charity Case
". There has also been a a suggested relationship with Jessica Adams as House told her that when he [Chase] looked at her he thought about sleeping with her.
In Dead and Buried it is revealed that Chase has worked as a Aussie stereotyped TV doctor, and he got his eyebrows waxed and a manicure as well as 3 haircuts since the start of the season. In the middle of Season 8, Dr. Park asks him if he would like to go on a sort of date with her, but Chase has some reservations because of his earlier experiences.
. However, he was impressed with the show once his agent showed him the scripts, and found out that Bryan Singer
was producing the show.
Jesse Spencer's character was originally intended to be American. However, it was later changed to an Englishman. Spencer persuaded the producers to change his character into an Australian since Spencer himself is Australian. He said to them that the scripts have been changed anyway and that it is rare to see Australians on American television.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the Fox medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
House
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...
. He is portrayed by 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....
. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under 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...
until the end of the third season when House fires him. However, he was then re-hired in season 6. Robert Chase is the longest-serving member of House's staff (he was hired approximately one year before the Pilot episode, as revealed in a deleted scene). Chase has been attracted to Allison Cameron
Allison Cameron (House)
Allison Cameron, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House, portrayed by American actress Jennifer Morrison. An immunologist, Cameron was a member of Dr...
since the beginning of the show and embarks on a romantic relationship with her in "Human Error".
Characterization
An Australian, Chase is portrayed as an eager fellow of House during the first 3 seasons, often supporting his opinions and carrying out his orders without question. He was raised CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, and in the Season 1 episode "Damned If You Do," it was revealed that he attended seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
before becoming a doctor. His reasons for leaving seminary are not entirely clear, but it has been asserted that while there he "failed" his test of faith. He seems to trust House the most and sometimes takes part in House's morally questionable plans when the other members of the team have refused, showing a situational application of ethics and a flexible stance on morality. This leads to tension between Chase and Foreman, who is quick to disagree with House and prove him wrong.
Chase is regarded by most characters as someone who will do anything to protect his job. This is mostly due to an incident in season one when Chase, fearing for his job because House had yelled at him, told Edward Vogler of House's illegal actions.
However, as the show progresses, Chase begins to show his real loyalty and respect for House. Having been on the team longer than anyone else, Chase cares for House, as shown by the hug in the Season Three episode "Half-Wit
Half-Wit (House)
"Half-Wit" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of House and premiered on the FOX network on March 6, 2007. Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Dave Matthews guest stars in the episode as Patrick, a savant and piano prodigy who comes under the care of Dr. House for a rare movement disorder....
". Later, when Michael Tritter is looking for information about House, Chase refuses to work with him, although Tritter tries to make it appear that he does in order to create conflict and distrust within the Diagnostics Department. Tritter's manipulation works and his relationships with Cameron, Foreman and especially House are further strained. However, after being punched by a detoxing House for getting the correct diagnosis in "Finding Judas" Chase begins to develop a more assertive personality and even disagrees with House on several occasions, eventually leading to him getting fired at the end of the third season. His affection for House is also exemplified in the fifth season episode "The Social Contract
The Social Contract (House)
"The Social Contract" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of House. It aired on March 9, 2009.- Plot :The episode starts with an author, Timothy Moore, making a toast to his soon to be best-seller. After the toast, Nick Greenwald, the editor, insults the book by saying how short stories...
," when he helps House give a patient potentially fatal surgery simply because House empathizes strongly with the patient's situation.
As a surgical critical care specialist, Chase performs most of the invasive medical procedures, as well as observing and helping with the team's patients' surgeries when he worked for House. After his departure from the team, Chase becomes a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
in the hospital, a move that House says is "only one step down" from his previous position. He is trained in hypnosis, using this to help House recover lost memories in "House's Head
House's Head
"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...
".
Chase has been shown to be an intensely secretive person. Most of information regarding his background comes from his interactions with patients, although House manages to learn some of his personal history.
He has a strong dislike for substance abusers, and, early in the series, was quick to blame symptoms on drug or alcohol abuse. This is likely due to his experiences with his mother, who drank herself to death after his father left her. He also has a strong dislike of obese patients as is shown in "Heavy", where he believes that a morbidly obese girl's weight is her fault. Later, he is proved wrong when the team find a tumor on her pituitary gland that causes her inability to lose weight.
Chase has, at times, shown a shrewd capability of deducing people's motives, rather similar to House. He correctly deduced that Foreman was ashamed of the reason for his resignation, and then correctly deduced that House was also. He also figured out that House was the one who canceled Foreman's job interview in "The Jerk", for no reason other than to get the staff to mistrust and suspect each other.
He has learned a great deal about diagnostic medicine from House, proven in "The Right Stuff" when he correctly deduces the patient's affliction to be Von Hippel-Lindau Disease
Von Hippel-Lindau disease
Von Hippel–Lindau is a rare, autosomal dominant genetic condition in which hemangioblastomas are found in the cerebellum, spinal cord, kidney and retina. These are associated with several pathologies including renal angioma, renal cell carcinoma and pheochromocytoma...
. He was the first diagnostic medicine fellow to correctly make the final diagnosis in "Finding Judas" and he diagnosed the patient of the week in the episode "Airborne."
Fictional Biography
In the episode "Cursed," House speculates that Chase's father's accent is "Czech with about 30 years Aussie," which the father confirms (Jesse SpencerJesse 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....
is Australian himself). Chase has also had a rough relationship with his late father, Rowan, a famous doctor in his own right. Chase talks to House about trying to mend the gap with his father many times, but finding his father simply didn't care. In the episode "Control", Chase is told by House to do an angiogram of a CEO's leg but House later finds out Chase accidentally screwed up the angio, which almost gets Chase fired. Chase later responds "I can't believe I did that."
Rowan Chase is revealed to have left the family when Robert was a teenager, which gave his son no other option but to care alone for his alcoholic mother until her death at least five years later, which was approximately ten years before "Damned If You Do". It is implied that his mother died of an alcohol-related illness and that she went into psychosis
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
before Chase ever had a chance to say goodbye to her. In "Cursed," Rowan visits the hospital claiming he is in town for a conference, but close observation of his behavior allows House to deduce that he is not attending said conference and in reality, Rowan is dying from terminal lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. Rowan was at the hospital to visit 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,...
, head of Oncology at Princeton-Plainsboro. Initially, Robert is intensely frustrated with his father's presence, but offers to buy his father a drink at the end of the episode. Rowan declines because he says he does not have time before he leaves again, and leaves without ever revealing to Robert his condition. In the Season Two episode "The Mistake," viewers learn that Chase's father died about two months after the visit in "Cursed." Later, in the episode "Forever", House deduces that Chase's father cut him off his will before dying, leaving him no money at all. Chase confirms this in "Finding Judas."
In "Damned If You Do", Chase reveals to a patient that he attended a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, quoting 1 Peter 1:7
First Epistle of Peter
The First Epistle of Peter, usually referred to simply as First Peter and often written 1 Peter, is a book of the New Testament. The author claims to be Saint Peter the apostle, and the epistle was traditionally held to have been written during his time as bishop of Rome or Bishop of Antioch,...
. This aspect of his life was shown again in "Forever"," when he said a prayer for the soul of a baby who died under his care. It has also been revealed that he was dating a banker who, as it turned out, liked to be burned. (cf. "Love Hurts")
Chase's attraction to Cameron has been featured early in the series when he asks her on a date, only to be rejected. In the season two episode "Hunting," Chase has a one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
with Cameron while she is high on methamphetamines.
Cameron begins a "friends with benefits" relationship
Casual relationship
A casual relationship, colloquially known as a fling, is a physical and emotional relationship between two people who may have a sexual relationship or a near-sexual relationship without necessarily demanding or expecting the extra commitments of a more formal romantic relationship...
with Chase in season 3 during "Top Secret." Chase begins to fall for Cameron, but she does not return his feelings. A moment in "Fetal Position" clarifies Chase's feelings for Cameron when she remarks that she had "never seen him glow" like he does in a picture taken while (unknown to Cameron) gazing at a picture of her, although he plays the moment down. However, when he informs her that he wants to take their relationship forward in "Airborne", she ends it. Despite Cameron's refusal to reconcile, Chase asks her out every Tuesday, saying "It's Tuesday...I like you."
At the end of Season 3, Chase is promptly fired by House following an outburst, but the official reason is that he has been around the longest and has learned all he can from House. Later, Cameron realizes her feelings for Chase and the two begin a relationship. Chase then picks up a job heading the surgical team at Princeton-Plainsboro at the start of Season 4, occasionally aiding House with cases and advising Foreman on personal and professional issues.
In Season 5's "Saviors
Saviors (House)
"Saviors" is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of House. It aired on April 13, 2009.-Plot:Cameron cancels a vacation with Chase, saying she wants to make sure House takes the case of an environmental activist named Doug who collapsed at a rally...
," Chase proposes marriage to Cameron, who accepts. In "House Divided," it is revealed that Chase is allergic to strawberries, after going into anaphylactic shock while taking a body shot from a stripper wearing strawberry body butter during his bachelor party. Luckily, a resident at the party had an epi-pen, and administered it to him quickly. Chase and Cameron get married in the season 5 finale, "Both Sides Now
Both Sides Now (House)
"Both Sides Now" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the fifth season of House. It originally aired on May 11, 2009.-Plot:...
". In season six Chase and Cameron return to the Department of Diagnostics under Foreman. Chase murders a patient (a brutal African dictator visiting the US for medical treatment) in the episode "The Tyrant
The Tyrant (House)
"The Tyrant" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of House. It first aired October 5, 2009.- Plot :The team treats a brutal African dictator named Dibala who has fallen ill;...
". Chase fakes a blood test so the patient will be misdiagnosed and given treatment that will be guaranteed to kill him given his actual condition. Foreman finds out and confronts Chase. Chase tells Foreman that the dictator's death saved thousands of lives, as the dictator was plotting an ethnic cleansing in his country, and now there is a chance for peace; but if the world knows that he was murdered, the dictator will be made into a martyr and things will get worse. He then tells Foreman that if he's going to be getting a visit from the police to warn him first so he can explain to his wife. Foreman warns him that someone can't take another person's life without expecting consequences. Foreman is later seen burning the incriminating evidence against Chase, and Chase is seen with Cameron obviously feeling guilty. House eventually discovers the murder, and his prodding along with Chase's conscience leads Chase to confess the fact to Cameron. Cameron soon decides to leave Chase, and he signs the divorce papers during the hospital "Lockdown
Lockdown (House)
"Lockdown" is the seventeenth episode of the sixth season of the American medical drama House. It aired on April 12, 2010. This episode also marks the directorial debut of Hugh Laurie on the show....
", though afterwards they have sex one last time.
In the first episode of Season 7 "Now What?
Now What?
"Now What?" is the first episode of the seventh season of the American medical drama House. It first aired on September 20, 2010.-Plot:In the aftermath of last season's finale in which House and Cuddy admitted they had feelings for each other, the seventh season opener finds the two exploring the...
", Chase proposes sex to a skeptical 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...
in a manner similar to his initial attempts to woo Cameron. There was a possibility that the two will embark on a relationship, as this has been hinted by the show's creators. However, 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...
left the show in season
8: episode 3 called "Charity Case
Charity Case
"Charity Case" is the third episode of the eighth season of the American television medical drama series House and the 158th overall episode of the series. It aired on Fox Network in the United States on October 17, 2011...
". There has also been a a suggested relationship with Jessica Adams as House told her that when he [Chase] looked at her he thought about sleeping with her.
In Dead and Buried it is revealed that Chase has worked as a Aussie stereotyped TV doctor, and he got his eyebrows waxed and a manicure as well as 3 haircuts since the start of the season. In the middle of Season 8, Dr. Park asks him if he would like to go on a sort of date with her, but Chase has some reservations because of his earlier experiences.
Concept and creation
When his agent suggested that Spencer audition for the role of Chase, he expected House to be a medical drama similar to General HospitalGeneral Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. However, he was impressed with the show once his agent showed him the scripts, and found out that Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
was producing the show.
Jesse Spencer's character was originally intended to be American. However, it was later changed to an Englishman. Spencer persuaded the producers to change his character into an Australian since Spencer himself is Australian. He said to them that the scripts have been changed anyway and that it is rare to see Australians on American television.
External links
- Robert Chase at House Wiki
- Robert Chase on TVIV
- Fox's House Site