Under My Skin (House)
Encyclopedia
"Under My Skin" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of House
, which aired on May 4, 2009.
and the team are given the challenge of diagnosing a ballerina, Penelope (Jamie Tisdale) whose lungs collapse
during rehearsal. Initially apprehensive over the prospect of never dancing again, the ballerina faces an even more grim possibility when the treatment causes her skin to fall off. House must solve this daunting puzzle, even while going to extreme measures to rid himself of his continuing hallucinations of Amber.
Meanwhile, Cameron informs Chase that she wishes to keep her dead husband's sperm, which they had frozen before his death. She explains that while she wants to marry Chase, the future is uncertain, and she wants to retain her "insurance policy" in case things go wrong. Chase is affronted, responding that he is certain of their future, and does not like the idea of her having a backup plan for their marriage. He indefinitely postpones their marriage until Cameron feels the same way.
House confides in Wilson about his problem, and they create a list of potential diagnoses, ranging from MS
to schizophrenia
. While House tests for and eliminates diagnosis after diagnosis, Wilson consults on House's case, serving as a monitor to make sure House does nothing that goes beyond "House-radical" to "House-out-of-his-head-radical". Meanwhile, House eliminates all possible diagnoses but severe mental illness and Vicodin
addiction -- both prognoses bleak, as House would be unable to practice medicine if taking anti-psychotics, or if in continuous pain after detox. In desperation, House gives himself insulin shock
as an alternative to anti-psych drugs or ECT
. After recovering from the insulin-induced coma, House finds himself free of his hallucination and eagerly returns to the diagnosis of his patient.
Returning to the case, House finds Penelope's boyfriend's devotion suspicious, and believing it to be guilt-induced, tells his team to test him for gonorrhea
. The test returns positive, but it becomes evident that the boyfriend was shocked by this, and that Penelope had been cheating on him, not the other way around. As House realizes that he reached the correct conclusion by accident rather than through accurate observation, he once again starts to have hallucinations of Amber.
This leaves House's Vicodin addiction as the final diagnosis for his hallucinations. Rather than go to a clinic or check into the hospital under a pseudonym, House reveals his situation to Cuddy
and asks her to personally help him. Cuddy spends the night at House's home, destroying any caches of Vicodin and monitoring him as he detoxes, with Amber eventually disappearing. The episode ends with House and Cuddy kissing passionately and disrobing.
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...
, which aired on May 4, 2009.
Plot
HouseGregory 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...
and the team are given the challenge of diagnosing a ballerina, Penelope (Jamie Tisdale) whose lungs collapse
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
during rehearsal. Initially apprehensive over the prospect of never dancing again, the ballerina faces an even more grim possibility when the treatment causes her skin to fall off. House must solve this daunting puzzle, even while going to extreme measures to rid himself of his continuing hallucinations of Amber.
Meanwhile, Cameron informs Chase that she wishes to keep her dead husband's sperm, which they had frozen before his death. She explains that while she wants to marry Chase, the future is uncertain, and she wants to retain her "insurance policy" in case things go wrong. Chase is affronted, responding that he is certain of their future, and does not like the idea of her having a backup plan for their marriage. He indefinitely postpones their marriage until Cameron feels the same way.
House confides in Wilson about his problem, and they create a list of potential diagnoses, ranging from MS
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
to schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. While House tests for and eliminates diagnosis after diagnosis, Wilson consults on House's case, serving as a monitor to make sure House does nothing that goes beyond "House-radical" to "House-out-of-his-head-radical". Meanwhile, House eliminates all possible diagnoses but severe mental illness and Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
addiction -- both prognoses bleak, as House would be unable to practice medicine if taking anti-psychotics, or if in continuous pain after detox. In desperation, House gives himself insulin shock
Insulin shock therapy
Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks...
as an alternative to anti-psych drugs or ECT
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
. After recovering from the insulin-induced coma, House finds himself free of his hallucination and eagerly returns to the diagnosis of his patient.
Returning to the case, House finds Penelope's boyfriend's devotion suspicious, and believing it to be guilt-induced, tells his team to test him for gonorrhea
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...
. The test returns positive, but it becomes evident that the boyfriend was shocked by this, and that Penelope had been cheating on him, not the other way around. As House realizes that he reached the correct conclusion by accident rather than through accurate observation, he once again starts to have hallucinations of Amber.
This leaves House's Vicodin addiction as the final diagnosis for his hallucinations. Rather than go to a clinic or check into the hospital under a pseudonym, House reveals his situation to 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...
and asks her to personally help him. Cuddy spends the night at House's home, destroying any caches of Vicodin and monitoring him as he detoxes, with Amber eventually disappearing. The episode ends with House and Cuddy kissing passionately and disrobing.
Music
- The piece played during the ballet scene is "String Quartet No.2 (Company): II" by Philip GlassPhilip GlassPhilip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
. - The song played in the restaurant is M. Ward'sM. WardMatthew Stephen Ward, known by his stage name M. Ward, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to prominence in the Portland, Oregon music scene. In addition to his solo work he is known as a member of She & Him and Monsters of Folk.-Career:...
"Never Had Nobody Like You." - The song Amber sings is "Enjoy Yourself."
- The song that plays at the end of the episode when Chase and Cameron have their conversation is Dawn LandesDawn LandesDawn Landes is a Louisville, Kentucky-born, New York City-based musician who performs under her own name. She is also a sometimes-member of the band Hem, where she has lent her voice to harmony vocals, and plays glockenspiel. She has worked as an audio engineer at Stratosphere Sound in New York...
' "Drive."