Holy shit this episode was amazing. I absolutely LOVED it. I can't even talk about it. I think it might be my favorite this season but I'll have to watch it again.
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm sorry. I'll try to come back later to formulate thoughts.!

ok well, turns out I can formulate thoughts! I wish some people were around to discuss! I guess I should just go to bed.

BLAH!!
I realise a lot of you have very mixed feelings about this. I think if you look at it from a non-Huddy POV this episode was fantastic.
First of all I love the teaser, it was very well done and captured my attention.

The only thing I can complain aabout is that I was a little annoyed by the 'it's small pox, it's not small pox' back and forth but honestly all those changes had valuable reasons for them
I LOVED Masters in this one, I wasn't sure about her last week but this week she nailed it. I think AT's performance was stronger and the character just had an amazing story, PLUS she saved the day, so you know...
I laughed at some parts and I was pulling my hair out at others, a classic, perfect House episode.

I actually really enjoyed Sam and Wilson with the little girl, it felt real. And I laughed when W said 'or pregnant' or whatever at the end!!

I just really liked the whole dynamic with Masters and House and the rest of the team (and the jokes about Chase)

Now for Huddy. I agree that it may be a bit weird how they are having Cuddy make such a big deal out of this BUT I am glad there is conflict between them and actually House seems to want to work it out. It wasn't going to be all roses for the rest of their relationship and I know it sounds 'anti-Huddy' but I Loved that they are having this 'disagreement' if you will. They have to talk and work this out, and they will...
I think this showed how much House wants this to work and honestly, I LOVE Cuddy but I think she needs to make an effort and do like House is trying to do, seperate work from private. I know it's gotta be hard, but COME ON! he didn't do it to hurt her and she should know this. I can't wait untill they resolve this. (God I hope they do!!!)

I loved the actor who plays the little boy (I thought he looked like Grayson Chance but it turns out he was in Grey's episodes and that's where I remembered him from)

Sorry, this is not really about Huddy, you can ban me from the spot if you want :P
I'm stopping now, can't remember what else I wanted to say!

Ahhhh wow, this ep actually exceeded my expectations. I think there was a scene where House was still in isolation, and he and Cuddy were almost leaning against each other on either side of the glass wall (well their faces were really close) and that just killed me a little. As did the last scene.

I'm not sure why, but I somehow expected the "Office Politics" lie thing to be resolved at the end of this ep (even though the spoilers had already told me otherwise). I'm glad, though, that it hasn't, because this just means that House will have to apologize in the next ep, which will hopefully lead to some make-up sex, and general happiness for us Huddy crazies xD

I'm expecting that some of you (who bashed Cuddy for the being-hurt-by-House's-lie thing before) to be a little angry at her for not forgiving him even after he almost died. Well, IMO, this shows a certain strength on her part. I think this sets Cuddy apart from other women, from other (sappier) dramas, who would have collapsed into tears at the sight of their boyfriends on the other side of that glass wall, and later forgiven them for any horrible thing they had ever done just out of gratitude that they didn't die. I think it's good that Cuddy doesn't fold that easily: I'm 99% sure that House will end up apologizing in the next ep (from the happy promo pics that we've seen), and this will teach him a lesson of sorts that lying to her, even under emergency circumstances, is not okay. This will draw some much-needed lines in their relationship, and, I believe, strengthen it immensely. Huddy is still in the process of settling into a system with certain boundaries, and whether or not they succeed in doing this will determine the fate of the relationship.

On a side note, the moment Sam came into the room when Wilson was with the cancer patient kid, I knew that the "surprising new turn" that their relationship was taking would inevitably be that they wanted to have a child. At first, I tried to deny it because Huddy already as a kid, and I felt like Samson + kid would be a little too cliched (double-playdate, anyone?). But then, I sort of resigned myself to it. I'm also pretty sure that they're never actually going to have a kid, as something else "big" is happening with them in the next ep...

And then, after a few seconds of consideration, I realized that I really didn't care too much. Because HUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHUDDYHU­DDY­HUD­DYH­UDD­Y is the most important thing!!! xD And don't you forget it.

Finally saw it.

Fantastic episode - FANTASTIC. My favorite this season by far - although, "What Now" is in a completely different category and doesn't get compared to anything else.

Here is how i feel about it:

- Cuddy gave him a chance to apologize, he refused; he claims he did nothing wrong - that is only partially true; she needed him to show her some understanding of her difficult position, she needed to receive some appreciation for the wonderful way she has supported his work all those years; and she needed an apology for breaching her trust

- she didn't get any of those; all the while, even while thinking he might be in mortal peril, House was joking about it and not taking her pain seriously one bit; he was dismissing her, simply claiming she should just separate professional from personal, not even showing any kind of understanding for how difficult that is to actually accomplish

- so i don't think it's cruel of her to still be pissed at him; as she said, while she was scared for his life, she showed how much she loves him; but when things are back to normal, they need to address the issue seriously and she needs to get some reassurance that he understands and respects her enough

- the whole "House in danger" thing was impressive, but it wasn't dealt with as dramatically as to justify Cuddy forgetting and forgiving everything

- i think it would have been fake, melodramatic and cheap, if she had just wiped her brain clean of everything because of the danger he was in; that wouldn't have been the premises for a healthy relationship, so i don't blame her for not dropping it

- at the same time, i absolutely don't view this as a serious obstacle, once House has the decency to apologize and show her some understanding. Last week, i thought that she should have been more prepared for House's little tricks to happen. This week, i think she is right to be upset - if not about the lie, then about the way he dealt with her disappointment and pain; he simply dismissed her, and for that, she is right to be mad at him.

All in all, i hope we'll get a positive resolve of this next week. "Small Sacrifices" - that could be about both of them, right? Both of them reaching out and making sacrifices and compromises in order to fix this... I hope that is the case. I still think this is a too minor conflict to begin with (the whole faked test thing), to allow it to do major damage to Huddy.

hmm---so it will be somewhat disturbing at the end?--I will remind myself that November is sweeps month to get ratings, and then I will watch glee with Gwyneth Paltrow to lift my mood. LOVE Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie Duets where she sang with Huey Lewis.

Ah, and here is the conveniently uploaded screencap of the Huddy moment (my favorite one of the ep) that I was talking about...

ah! trying not to read and look---my eyes, my eyes!! LOL I better go before I'm tempted---glad everyone seems to think this is one of the best if not the best :)

@Delia "- i think it would have been fake, melodramatic and cheap, if she had just wiped her brain clean of everything because of the danger he was in; that wouldn't have been the premises for a healthy relationship, so i don't blame her for not dropping it"

We basically posted the same thing!! xD I totally agree with you, and with this too:

"- she didn't get any of those; all the while, even while thinking he might be in mortal peril, House was joking about it and not taking her pain seriously one bit; he was dismissing her, simply claiming she should just separate professional from personal, not even showing any kind of understanding for how difficult that is to actually accomplish"

I meant to include something about House's not taking the apology very seriously in my post, but I seem to have forgotten to...anyways, once again, you succeed in voicing my opinions much more eloquently than I can :)

@HLF: there were many really intense glances between them, and yes, that moment was the best.

I am glad we agree on the whole melodrama thing, with other women "who would have collapsed into tears at the sight of their boyfriends on the other side of that glass wall, and later forgiven them for any horrible thing they had ever done just out of gratitude that they didn't die."

Couldn't have phrased it better:))))) It would have been cheap and unrealistic and out of character and unhousian. So, so far, so good.

What really matters is next week, and the sneaky bastards are keeping us hanging there... They let out previews for these two eps, and many spoilers, but "Small Sacrifices" is a mystery and not one Huddy fan in the world will wait for it peacefully...

Personally, even though i know we think they are together in January and romantic happy moments happen at the wedding, there is an ounce of doubt that will kill me all week. Because we can never really know with "House", and romantic dancing photos at weddings can turn nasty in an actual episode... I am 99,9% certain it will be just fine, but my post-traumatic-stress-disorder (following "Both Sides Now") will never, ever leave me for as long as i live:(

@HLF: ha ha ha. We posted at the same time, appreciating the other's comment:)

Thank you, my dear, and i return the compliment right back at you:)

@HL
"Well, IMO, this shows a certain strength on her part. I think this sets Cuddy apart from other women, from other (sappier) dramas, who would have collapsed into tears at the sight of their boyfriends on the other side of that glass wall, and later forgiven them for any horrible thing they had ever done just out of gratitude that they didn't die"

Verry good point. thank you, I hate being pissed at Cuddy lol and this is good for me lol

@Delia
love reading you, as always.
Good point also, House keeps making fun out of this situation. I don't know where I stand. I think Cuddy IS overreacting a bit and it would sort of be hyppocrite or whatever of House to say he's sorry if he really isn't just to make this go away, so I LIKE how they are handling this if this is where Cuddy will stand.

and aahhh I don't know what to say, I agree with the end of your post too and that kind of diminishes what I've been saying! lol

@HL again.
This moment was just incredible!

@Delia I would say "great minds..." but I'm undeserving of that compliment so I'll just say that crazy Huddies think alike!! :D

I'm glad that you and @anon also love that moment that I was talking about...I see that @lenasti has uploaded her Huddy scenes compilation for this ep, punctual as usual (I don't know what I would do without those!) so I'm off to go enjoy that moment again...

One last thing, though. I'm now sure if this is a well-known thing or relatively unknown thing, but before watching this ep I had recently discovered RSL's Lamby Tapes on Youtube, so when I saw how the writers managed to actually incorporate it into the show I burst out laughing...I feel like the amazingness of all the cast and crew will never cease to astound me xD

Ooh another interesting Huddy-unrelated tidbit that I thought I'd share: I was watching Unplanned Parenthood again and I realized that there was some heavy foreshadowing in the scene where House and Wilson do an ultrasound on Rachel in the exam room...at one point, House actually says "You're gonna make a great mommy some day".

Haha well finding little things like this excites me, so if you really couldn't give a crap please be patient with me xD

Great sleepy minds! (Night owl post). HEY..you are too..deserving @HLf! So there.

@mysusp, right..speculating is tiring. I quit. (It's much easier to wait & just read BB's review..ha).

Appreciation & thanks to all of you for (partly) explaining Cuddy's position, bc to be honest..not sure I understand. Yes, she was hurt/annoyed that House didn't come to her sooner & confess his lie before HE found out that SHE had already found out.

Guess it didn't matter that House said clearly, making the distinction..that he has not lied in their personal life. I thought that would at the very least be grounds for discussion. My goodness, Wilson advised House, "say nothing!" (terrible).

If I follow this correctly, by the time House finally said something..after reading Cuddy's (obvious) signals that she was pissed..therefore knew of his lie..it was too late. Cuddy is only more pissed bc that's WHY he came to her.

Okay, but after the pox scare..why couldn't Cuddy have accepted his offer to go out for breakfast together?! He was buying..ha.
Cuddy had her reasons, but she didn't have to pick up her purse & papers & walk away mad & sad. House nearly-almost-could-have-died-of small pox. Plus, he did come to her office looking to talk, maybe even start to repair the damage. IMO, Cuddy gave him the cold shoulder and basically said "yep..ya lived..so figure it out..I’m not your mommy..I’m outta here." If she would have just thrown him a kiss on her way out the door..something!

I'm takin' my lamby and off to count sheep. Nighty.

OK just seen the ep omg first thing first i now hate sam ditching huddy is not cool in my book anyway the huddy i was enjoying it till the very end and then i cried now thinkig about a little conflict is not a bad thing i want them to talk about it

"Morning people!

It's always nice getting up with some good reading :) Let mw quote, cause you've covered pretty much everything I had in mind already, and let me just tell, yeal I wanted a kiss, BUT I am completely aware that would have just been very very very predictable and stupid. But the romantic girl inside me sometimes would sell a liver for some romance XD

@Delia:

"Cuddy gave him a chance to apologize, he refused; he claims he did nothing wrong - that is only partially true; she needed him to show her some understanding of her difficult position, she needed to receive some appreciation for the wonderful way she has supported his work all those years; and she needed an apology for breaching her trust"

That's the point my dear, that's the point. Still waiting for House to grow up we are :P

" i think it would have been fake, melodramatic and cheap, if she had just wiped her brain clean of everything because of the danger he was in; that wouldn't have been the premises for a healthy relationship, so i don't blame her for not dropping it"

*angry meancious face* Who's blaming Cuddy or something?? Who? Get out if you have the guts? Who's tocuching Lisa??? mY beautiful, lovely, adorable Lisa???? I am ready to kill....I have a coffee up here and a spoon and I am not scared to use those!!!!! XD

Anyway I loved the stares so much =,) How come everytime they look at each other from behind a glass wall one ends up staring at them in awe? =,) What a couple....what actors...amazing. And I believe this might easily become one of my fav ep ever: I mean, I am not for lovey dovey Huddy. Drama, conflict and pain are good. They are real, and as you said they need to work thing out they way they are supposed to. Cuddy is a smart girl, not just some floozy in a bar :P, she knows what's best for her and for them.

So far, so good. In love with season 7 =,)

A pearl of wisdom from our anti-hero just popped into my mind. I have thought about it the other night, but forgot about sharing:

"Almost dying changes nothing, dying changes everything"

Just saying, it's interesting his world of beliefs, so to speak, is getting shattered so violently right now and he found himself "relational"-consfused and unable to do the right thing. When House wasn't in any kind of relationship, he usually was surprisingly good at this kind of stuff. He always gave his patient very insightful advise whereas Wilson or Cuddy herself who weren't supposedly so screwed up, failed at it repeatedly. Now that he has to be the subject of his own reasoning, he's kind have to get his hand in it yet.

Loved the final song BTW. I need to find that. Just rewatched all the Huddy scenes....My God, so so great this ep.

Ode to her knees and calves :P

Just saying

Here @Fran....resurrect ;)

Nice.
Bea, I dont think you have understood the concept of resurection! You're not supposed to kill us all again! :P

Just finished reading your posts and I agree with all of them.
In the end of the episode i was really pissed.To House because he kept behaving well,like House and to Cuddy for overacting...But now after thinking through it all i am not mad at her but i love and admire her even more...
In the last scene we could have the typical happy ending with Cuddy burst into tears saying it doesn't matter any more etc etc.But House md doesn't contain happy people and easy situations.I admire Lisa even more now not only because she was there for him when his life was in danger but for not saying anyhing about the "other"thing.House was the one who mentioned it all the time akwardly trying to approach her and make things right.
Because i can't believe in any way that he didn't try or want to fix it.He is afraid and no matter how brilliant he is.in personal statement he acts like a 12 year old.Just like with the big fight after Amber with Wilson.We saw him to try everything exept apologizing and talk through it all.Now he is doing the same thing.
But Cuddy can't leave in lies and she has every right to feel hurt.She comforted him when he needed but now he has to try to do the same for her.Be himself is ok...but all she needs is an apology after he makes a mistake and have the courage to admit that he was wrong...I have no words to describe my feelings for Lisa...having the courage to keep your punches up when all you want to do is grab and hold him is a very difficult thing.I don't believe she didn't want to be all melodramatic,take him in her arms and say all those words we wanted to hear but she wouldn't never do it because their relationship can't work under those statements....This time he will have to approach her...and show her that she is the most important thing in his life...even if he might hurt her sometimes there is nithing above the "us" he craved for so long...

The thing is, to make a long story short, relationships need compromises: most of the times it's not a matter of who's right and who's wrong but it's matter of what you can give up in order to make it work and meet the other person's needs and expectations. It's a matter of tiny adjustments to each other without betraying the person you are or taming the other at the same time. Quoting Lisa "it's a delicate task". From the inside sometimes is easy, cause noone of us reflect so much about her personl relationships: we usually just go with the flow and when things come naturally, magically so to speak, is a real blessing cause it means you truly are made for each other maybe. Some others find a person with whom things are never so easy, but conflictual, passionate and ultimately a neverending challenge that nevertheless keep you alive.

It's matter of who we are and what we need but basically both models work smoothly if we are willing to meet us halfway at some point. We need to be able to see each other's viewpoints, accept it and recognize the partial truth in them, without giving up on what we want, not settling for anything less than what we deserve.

I think Cuddy would have been willing to move on and drop the passive-aggressive strategy if he hadn't made fun of her or anyway if he had for once being serious about it and drop the facade, being honest, telling her he was sorry but that he wasn't sure he would act differently next time. I higly recommend the Couple Counseling article I shared: that girl says thing so much better than me. But I'd like to quote a bit that perfectly voices my feelings:

M: I’m curious about something: did you think Cuddy would never find out you lied to her? Did you really think you’d get away with it that easily?

H: I… Uh… This is not exactly that simple…

M: Yes, it is. It is exactly that simple. Lying is one thing. But dealing with the consequences of your lie is another thing. You duped Cuddy for medical reasons, but you chose not to tell her about it afterwards and that’s when the real lie began.

H: She found out, anyway.

M: That’s a little convenient, don’t you think? The real question is: would you have told her? If she hadn’t found out first, would you have gone to her and confessed what you’d done?

H: (looking down): I don’t know… Why make such a big fuss out of it, anyway? It was work related. It had nothing to do with her. I didn’t do her any harm.

M: Is that what you really think? I mean, seriously?

H: Ok, all right. But I didn’t mean to! Why can’t she just compartmentalize? Things would be easier that way.

M: They surely would be. In a perfect world, where nothing ever goes wrong and no one has to lie…

Good morning and afternoon.

Great and shameless plug by internet sex girl for Hugh being the "sexiest man alive". (Take notice People's Magazine)

Wilson gives the worst relationship advice and could be tried and convicted in a court of women. They would give him the death penalty.

The glass between House and Cuddy last night was an immoveable object and symbolic. Dishonesty in a relationship is an elephant in the room. That gray house that Dr. Greg is living in will not have a roommate called Cuddy living in it with him.
As always she put everything aside to try to get him to safety and keep him from destroying himself last night. She loves him and there is no doubt nor has there ever been but she wants House to trust her.
I don't think she is asking him to change as much as she is asking him to let her in all the way and in return she will let him in. With House you have to remove the walls he has around himself because of much bigger issues. She is trying to establish a faith and honesty between them so when the bigger things come they want lose each other.
House asked her to compartmentalize things. In a relationship closed doors create distance. I think Cuddy is drawing the line between business and pleasure as thinly as she can.
House saved the patient's life but off the clock he should have told her. so professionally he is still the best doctor she has ever known. I think Cuddy looks ahead and sees the potential danger that lies between them if they have secrets.
The issue I guess that stands out is the vicodin. If that leg begins to bother him past ibuprophen he needs to be able to let her help him or she will lose him.
It is either she deals with it on this small level right now or when the big things come it will destroy them. She could just push it away and let it go and just go on with the relationship. But he means too much to her for her to do that.
When sh esaid she didn't want him to change she menat it and if he will try to trust her she can prove that to him. It is not changing she is asking for it is trust.

hello :-)

My first impressions about this wonderful episode that has caused me a lot of emotional reactions, conflicts, questions, emotions like the old school episodes. I like House when it triggers mixed reactions.
H&C: They made me feel funny. I like the conflict between them but this kind of conflict...seriously? I need more drama (masochistic-side talking)

@anon "I LOVE Cuddy but I think she needs to make an effort and do like House is trying to do, seperate work from private."
This

@BH "Cuddy had her reasons, but she didn't have to pick up her purse & papers & walk away mad & sad. House nearly-almost-could-have-died-of small pox. Plus, he did come to her office looking to talk, maybe even start to repair the damage."
I agree, totally

@deliaB, @HL, @bea, @evropia - I understand also your position (mixed reactions ;-) ) about the behavior of Cuddy but Cuddy to me seems out of place. I will constantly compare their behavior with my own so I think if the man you love was a risk to life and then manages to take out the skin... the first thing I would do would be to jump on him and not to beat him! No kidding: no hug?? I know that asking for a little wild sex would be too much, but at least a hug! The writers should do more effort to create a true obstacle. The head to head for power between H&C is not new for both of them and I don't understand why now it would be a problem. I'm on the H side, it was a white lie, there is no need to make a matter of principle. The problem would have a different weight if he was lying on a personal level but he was not. House is honest in relationships, assuming the risk to get hurt. It is inappropriate to mix the personal level with the business plan and this will be the main source of their problems (at least for Cuddy).

@bea "The thing is, to make a long story short, relationships need compromises"
pearls of wisdom

@tammy "For Cuddy it is all or nothing. Her house is black and white and she will not compromise."
We have seen that Cuddy has taken a step back introducing the 'do not lie on any level' request to House. I wonder what could be the Cuddy's behavior that could take a House's step back.

"House cared about living and dying last night. He showed fear. He didn't want to die. Our usually destructive doctor has a reason to live now."
Yes, I feel physically his fragility.

"That glass between them was an immovable object last night but they can still see each other."
In this episode there were so many screens: the glass between them, the glass between the patient and his wife, the House's glass mask, the TV screen. Curious.


To finish, I liked Sam who got about House much more than Wilson (not for nothing he has been divorced three times ... luckily House does'nt follow his advice). Her non-partisan point of view allowed her to really grasp the meaning of events. Wilson claims to be impartial but he is not, because he is too involved. So it's good the look of a person who can make a mirror because she is foreign.

As you can see I have a few ideas....and well-mixed XD XD XD

P.S. about Couple counsueling, did you read her season 6 reviews? She published those reviews on Fox official site. I preferred that way than this.
Here the link if anyone is interested
link

About the lie thing i understand House but that doesn'mean he is right.It would be ok if Cuddy was gonna make a big deal about it...But Cuddy being Cuddy If he told her the truth maybe she'd feel a little mad or hurt but her reaction would be similar to her reaction in Selfish...The "i should probably be more mad at you"quote says sth about how she acts and feels about their relationship at work.Plus she might feel bitter because in the past he wouldn't even fake the test...he would just treat...They might argue but the patient would be saved and they'd move on like always.But now he faked the test and tried to convince her that he respects her enough now.She thanks him thinking that's the truth...that he had come a long way.And then she found out it was all a lie.She isn't hurt only because he lied to her...but also because she might think that he deceived her in some way....

@Fran2 - the first thing I would do would be to jump on him and not to beat him! No kidding: no hug?? I know that asking for a little wild sex would be too much, but at least a hug!

So funny. I would be up for the wild sex.

House is her soulmate and she wants him forever not just a little while. She has always been in this role of caretaker with him. She has been the watchman on the wall protecting him and loving him and removing all the Tritters and Voglers from his life. She has earned honesty.
I do think she is scared and she needs to communicate to him why she is afraid but even in that I think she is afraid he would make light of it.
Trust and faith in each other are the elephants in the room with them right now. Immoveable objects meets the immutable force. Will love be enough?

Love is always enough...not because it's magical but because is the force that makes us want and try to make things right.For those two there is no turning back.This lie is only a little rock that made them triple.Whomever of them will stand first will pull the other up too...it's nothing they can't get through.Because as @tammy said they are soulmates.And the glass may represent the lie and all the future obstacles but they can still see in each other soul..The only thing left is to find the strength and go to the other side...All they have to do is to make some things clear and reach for each other's hand...bc love not only can shutter glass and brake walls but change whole worlds...And i think House's world needs a little colour...besides shades of grey....

@evropia - And i think House's world needs a little colour...besides shades of grey....

Beautifully said

H: (looking down): I don’t know… Why make such a big fuss out of it, anyway? It was work related. It had nothing to do with her. I didn’t do her any harm.

@Bea -
M: Is that what you really think? I mean, seriously?

H: If I had told her it would have been this big fuss

M: and wha texactly is it now?

H: I don't understand why sh ecan't see the patient would have died.

M: She can but can you see that if you lied to her face about this what will you do if you can't make the pain in your leg go away?

@fran2 - In this episode there were so many screens: the glass between them, the glass between the patient and his wife, the House's glass mask, the TV screen. Curious.

And in all those instances House put the mask on by covering up the lie he told to Cuddy and House went into the room and put that glass between them by using the patient has his reason to lie.

He had to put the mask on to protect himself from being getting the disease. Just as he puts a mask on when he does wrong because he is trying to portect himself.
The room signifies that with his lying comes a consequence of being alone. If you push people away you wind up alone.

Ok, my last to cents on the matter, just to make my point clear.

First things first:

@Fran:
"H&C: They made me feel funny. I like the conflict between them but this kind of conflict...seriously? I need more drama (masochistic-side talking)"

LOL!

@Tammy:

"So funny. I would be up for the wild sex"

Dear, everybody is at this point. We are dying to see some action. Remember that release of sexual tension Hugh&Lisa were talking about in the TVGuide interview? Well, turns out sexual tension is back and has regenerated itself. I don't know how but apparently it can ressurect from its own ashes as the fenix cause I found myself even more stressed and restful than I have been for 7 years at this point XD

But moving on....this is besides the point, I guess.

*folds back sleeves*

Let's get down to us. I'll try to make sense this time. I realized, maybe I kinda rushed it last time without explaining myself properly.

- I don't think House made the wrong call with that dying patient. At all. I totally back him up on his choice, cause frankly the alternative wasn't acceptable. Had he listened to Cuddy and let him die cause he hadn't a medical proof it wouldn't have been House and personally I think it was worth a shot, even if a "potentially deadly" one.

- I don't think Cuddy made the wrong choice in denying him the permission to go on with a 86% risk of mortality procedure. Medically, and given her professional position, she made the only choice possible for her and the hospital.

- I do think House should have told her he had lied to her when she said him it meant something to her he hadn't overrulled her for once. He freaked out and he messed up. Doing things on her back in one thing, lying openly to her face is another, cause he ended up hurting her as a woman, showing disrespect for her intelligence. I would feel the same way: no matter how irrational, feelings aren't debatable propotitions and you can try to act on them but eventually you have to cool down on your own before accepting something that
1) Had hurt you deeply
2) Represents all your worst fear coming to life: your professional life messing up with your private life when it comes to deal with a man who's a pain in the ass and at same time maybe the very unspoken reason why you love your job so much. Your ultimate challenge. And this goes for both of them BTW.

- I don't think Cuddy should expect him to act differently next time. She knows who he is. She put him before an impossible choice and she knew he would behave as he did. She can't change him. She was fooling herself. She needs to grew up on this.

- I don't think House should expect her to just admit he was right and move on, compartementalyzing their lives so easily. He is in a relationship now: he has to deal with the personal consquences of the choices he makes. So far he's been avoiding them. Lying doesn't solve the issue: you've to face your choices and their consequences, and hoping for the other person to meet you halfway. Fitgh for your beliefs if necessary. Argue. Yell. But lying...it's basically like putting a death sentence on your story, before giving it a chancea at survaival, overcoming the obstacles along the way. Together.

So where does truth stay for me? In the middle. Predictably I know, but still.

Cuddy, professionally, made the right choice.
House, medically, made the riskier one, but humanly he is a winner caused he saved a life. On a personal level, he made a tough choice but avoided the consequence and instead of dealing with the problem, he shut Cuddy's out and lied to her, denying her any right to get angry or even argue his ways.
Cuddy needs to aknowledge her personal life and her professional life can't help but ending up compartementalyzed BUT House shouldn't have pointed it out to her like that.

- first time he went to her office he was almost condescending, as if she was making a big fuss out of something unrelevant. That's not conducive to any relationship. He refused to realize sometimes while fighting for your rights defending your choices you've also to give in to the other person apologizying just for the sake of it, and in this case it would have meant really something cause he felt guitly about lying to her since minute one, so it wouldn't be just a empty geasture. If words meant nothing, but actions matter....apologies are the most difficult things to deliever in a relationship but one of the most powerful ones too, cause they mean "I am human. I am sorry I hurt you. I am willing to be more careful about it next time. Please forgive me, cause I love you". All of this can't be given for granted. A woman needs to hear those words once in a while...we aren't rocks

-Second time he went to her office, she was pissed once again, cause not only he was back teasing her about it and wasn't willing to meet her halfway BUT he had even put himself into a dangerous situation, basically risking his life and HERS at the same time. When you'r a couple you're thinking for two not for one anymore. If you've family you've to think to you kids. If you've a wife you've to take care about her before everybody else. So yeah, she was pissed because he had been reckless and stubborn.

That doesn't mean she's being mean or stubborn, just a woman, in love with a wonderful man who's an insane choice for everyone who wanted to have a shot at normality, but that nevertheless IMO makes your life worth to be lived.
And he did went to her office, he really was willing to talk but that wasn't enough. She had been making so much for him for all these years and she deserves so much more than just that IMO. House is a wonderful person and one can't help loving him but he needs to realize relationships are what they are....ergo I believe the following step will be going for the first samll sacrifces. On both sides hopefully.

Now they just have to find the right dosage of milk to put into theor coffee as @rrennie would say (I would like to point out that this is NOT a sexual metaphore of anykind for once XD) Noone's totally right IMO. And noone's totally wrong. Everyone's just reacy according to their personality, emotional background, psychology, set of fears and inscurities.

Waiting for a mutual step forward reaching for each others's hands ;)

Now I'll run away, cause when @Anon comes back and have to catch up on all of this, I'll be in so much troubles XD

Things between those two were never simple and they might never will be.Honesty in one of the most important thingd in their relationship.House by lying to her showed her that he doesn't respect as a boss nor as a person.On the other hand he might jut wanted to protect their relationship from the risc he'd take to save his patient.

Honesty is what made them come where they are together in te first place.The whole Cuddy speach in Help Me is the ultimate proof of that.She took her life and heart and put them in his hands.No melodrmatic things like don't brake me,i know you can change etc....Just stay who you are...be yourself...be with me...Nothing more nothing less.
Lisa isn't afraid to feel the pain of his wounds,to be screwed up with him,to carry the burdens for both of them.But she is unable to do that when he keeps her in arms length with all this.I know he didn't mean to hurt her or anything but he should comfort her apologize and make up to her.@Bea is right...a woman once in a while needs to hear those words.And even if House thinks that words don't matter but actions are he should do sth to show her that he is sorry and what she means to him.

He is afraid to make any step because he afraids their relationship is too fragile.Now he has to put himself out there and dare...Cuddy isn't going anywhere...she is always here he just needs to find the way to pull her in his arms again...

"He is afraid to make any step because he afraids their relationship is too fragile.Now he has to put himself out there and dare...Cuddy isn't going anywhere...she is always here he just needs to find the way to pull her in his arms again..."

I love this part. Couldn't agree more with you =,)

*spills tears*

I am dying to see that smile again....They will be just fine...You can't hold the rose too tight without bleeding from the thorns...

Hey there!

I was finally able to watch episode 6 and 7. It was a very intensive half an hour, I should say :) But I loved it.
Yes, there wasn't that much Huddy-moments in it but those were very intense and they gave us a lot of things to think about. And that's why I love House. Don't misunderstand me, I love simple moments and scenes once in a while but House is about drama and torture and thinking and lying. And yeah, crying.
I prefer those moments more than "cheesy" stuff. The honey moon-phrase was great but let's face it: it was time for House to make a mistake.

All in all: these episodes are in my favorite list from this season :)

@wendus provided new materials...God bless her and her skills ;)

Ops...wrong thread XD Enjoy the sight anyway :P

@HLF: "undeserving"... That is ridiculously modest of you:)

That is an amazing catch, with RSL's Lamby. Will look it up, to see what it's about.

@Anon: Well, i am not expecting hypocritical excuses. I think House should be honest and open with her, at least now: tell her why he did it, why he felt he had no other choice, why he thought she would never approve of the treatment, thus making the lie necessary.
He should acknowledge how that affected her and the difficulty, for her, to separate professional from personal - because trust is trust and it's very hard to compartimentalize without becoming schizofrenic.
Nothing would be hypocritical or superficial about it - we know, and she should know, that he is not sorry for trying everything to save his patient. But he should be sorry for the impact it had on her - that are completely different things: what he did and why he did it, versus how she experienced it and how it hurt her. He did zero acknowledging of the latter, so...

Nothing i can add to what Tammy, Bea, Evropia have said so eloquently. I agree with all of you.

"Small Sacrifices". Boy, i hope this title is the most accurate in "House" history and we'll witness an episode of wise compromises and hands reaching out lovingly and honestly.

@Bea

...those eyes...

Hey my girlies! love what you've had to say! havent had the chance to read everything but i generally agree with your viewpoints and especially @pc's about them fighting. i really love that they finally are! the honeymoon stuff was REALLY starting to get on my nerves, even as Huddy! imagine what non-huddys were feeling like....hahaha

ive really felt that their relationship is much more realistic the past 2 episodes. they are back to their normal bickering so its so much more intense and in depth now, because they are in love with each other. and i like that raw feeling between them. and i also like that they are reacting to it normally: OF COURSE House is gonna lie to save his patient OF COURSE Cuddys gonna freak out about it. thats just who they are. they'll figure out how to make it through this. first fights in the relationship are always the hardest. especially when you have 2 of the most stubborn people on the face of this planet....

p.s. where did chase keep going last night? is cameron coming back soon maybe? we're heading into the 8th episode (thats crazy!!!)

Where, oh where is the promo for "Small Sacrifices"? Shouldn't it have aired last night, after the episode?

As i said, i am 99% sure they'll get through this and be OK (given the Cuddy's mother storyarc etc), but there are a lot of fear and excitement and anticipation that i feel too. So i am waiting for Monday's episode with a level of excitement that is really... well, exciting:)

@HJ
"the honeymoon stuff was REALLY starting to get on my nerves, even as Huddy! " -- me too!!!

"they are back to their normal bickering so its so much more intense and in depth now, because they are in love with each other. and i like that raw feeling between them. and i also like that they are reacting to it normally: OF COURSE House is gonna lie to save his patient OF COURSE Cuddys gonna freak out about it. thats just who they are." -- exactly!

No @rrennie!! I totally see your point but I wouldn't think differently if it had been the other way around. I mean I have spent 7 seasons seeing things the way House did: I have justified him, understood him, cared for him even when he was being a total ass to Cuddy. I have always tried to see things though his eyes and you know what? He has been alone for so many years that he is used to his own viewpoint.

Now it's Cuddy's turn. He has to put himself in her shoes for once. Cause this is how relationships work. She has been there, like we have been, very understandable, at each step down the road. So now I think, even if she rationally has no reason to stay pissed at him, unrationally we could give her this little personal moment: she needs to be reassured with caring words he respects her more than he has never been able to tell her or would ever be able to show her. I think, for once in a life time she deserves a great speach, even if just made up of a few words. She doesn't just want him to apologize, she wants to feel special.

My opinion, which can perfectly cohesist with yours XD

exactly the problem could come back and this time with more conquences @bea you made a valid point for years we have seen things the way house sees them now he does need to put himself in cuddy shoes and understand her point of view as well he needs to make her feel special and i hope he does that in the next ep

" Stalking out of a room says nothing and gets them nowhere"

I don't think we see thing so differently after all my dear ;)

Pleased to read all of your posts! Really amazing stuff :)

I remember house once saying "once you're dying, everybody loves you" i think we saw an example of that in this episode. House and cuddy were in a fight and she was very mad, which she had her rights to be (but com'on, house is house and she knows that) but then they all think that house is going to die and she says that the fight "doesn't matter right now". And instead of being blessed with happiness from house surviving she just kept on being mad on him? I really don't understand her somestimes. She should be thrilled and hug him and everything but as house again once said "almost dying changes nothing". I think this is an example were these to qoutes fits perfetctly. And still i don't really get why cuddy just carries on like nothing happened..

Grreat posts..shout outs to everyone! I have so many favorite lines from your comments..I don't know where to begin..so sorry, I'll just jump in quick.

We were warned by Hugh & TPTB to "fasten our seat belts." I guess this is the first BUMP in the road. Yes..House needs to walk a mile in Cuddy's high heels..except for his bad leg.

My view is closer to @rrennie & @fran, because the prospect of losing House..would shake me up enough to let go of ANY recent upset. Especially in that first moment he walked into her office..pox free. I'm not talking melodramatic reunion, just a heart felt “thank the heavens you are alive!”
To be fair, I guess House could have dropped to his knees..begging forgiveness or simply tackle Cuddy to the floor & tickle her fancy, but her big STOP sign was in the way.

I'm thinking Martha is the new Master of the House, and she will play a key role in opening doors for Huddy..that have been closed for a long time.
House will be able to use MM to help figure out Cuddy "personally," (smart female view) and Cuddy will be able to use MM to keep tabs on House "professionally."
Wilson will be too busy making a baby with Sam, (his desire to play "hand puppet" is getting stronger each episode).

@tammy, so true, you mentioned Cuddy just wants to be let in, not kept in the dark.
@bea, please let us know that song if you find out.
@delia, your optimism cheers me.
@sarahousemd, oh..perfect quote!

"I'm not talking melodramatic reunion, just a heart felt “thank the heavens you are alive!”

Well @BH, the way I see it, she was scared but didn't reach a breaking point that might justify something like this. I mean he didn't get close enough to death. She was worried but not scared enough to forgive him everything just because he was alive.

Differently, I think she proved herself capable of forgiving him everything in Wilson's Heart. I mean they guy had got drunk and dragged an innocent, beautiful, selfless girl (and it might as well have been Wilson *cries*) out of her home at 3am and he had ended up killing her in a bus accident. Coincidence? Fate? Bad luck? Whatever...the point is, you can dress it up anyway you want but...it was his fault. Up to some extent but that was a burden he would have carried on with him for the rest of his life. So, normally he wasn't exaclty worth any kind of pity in that situation, cause a girl had died and he had made that possible. But there she was, holding his hand, comforting him, showing love. She didn't care he had shattered somebody else's lives this time, cause she knew he was a good man and a screwed up one. She understood him. And worked for Wilson to forgive him.

Ahhhh I don't have time to read all of your posts right now (I will be sure to later), but during school today, while contemplating Huddy instead of the actual work that I was supposed to be doing, I thought of something and just wanted to share. So, here goes...(I apologize if someone has already said this, since I just skimmed through the previous posts)

Before watching this ep, I thought that the whole House-jeopardizing-his-own-life thing was included by the writers as the way for Huddy to resolve the "white lie" issue. I foolishly thought that after House came out of the isolation room, Cuddy would just run into his arms, with tears of relief streaming down her face, and everything would be okay. But, fortunately, this did not happen. (The side of me that yearns for some serious Huddy sweetness is appalled that I would say that, but my more rational side realizes that what the writers decided to do in this ep is a testament to their prodigious skills).

So, now, I think that the writers decided to add this short House-might-die storyline in order to reassure Huddy fans. I mean, things are evidently going to be different when there is a possibility that one person in a relationship may lose their life. Cuddy says this herself, at the end of ep. Therefore, when the danger of death is looming over House and Cuddy, their true feelings are revealed. Fear strips away people's armor, leaving only their vulnerable, true selves behind. So, we are able to see how much Cuddy truly loves House, because of the way she acts towards him when he is "dying". We also get some insight into House's current emotions: the Huddy FF Thread actually predicted this part in a way. The part in the middle when Broda (CDC guy) refuses to move House to the other isolation room, a decision which could have resulted in House's death, House actually panics a little. There is a passionate urgency in his voice when he rails against Broda for making his decision just because a move would be "inconvenient". This, I believe, shows how much House loves Cuddy. There was a time, not too long ago, when he would not have been too afraid of death. In fact, he may even have welcomed it. In this ep, though, we see that House finally feels he has something to live for, something that he doesn't ever want to lose.

(Hint: Cuddy)

However, after all the emotional-ness of the isolation room scenes, we, along with House, are jolted back to reality in the last scene. House is back to his usual snarky self, foolishly assuming that Cuddy has forgiven him because he almost just died. But circumstances are different now, and she still needs a sincere apology from him before she can put the "white lie" thing behind her. I think that this will be good for House: he needs to learn how to make sacrifices for their relationship. This might actually tie into the name of the next ep, "Small Sacrifices": by apologizing to Cuddy, House will have to sacrifice a little bit of his pride in order to redeem himself. I think that this bodes well for Huddy in the next episode.

My final, overarching observation though, is: I think that the purpose of the smallpox scare, and the possibility that House might die, was included to really reveal what House and Cuddy truly feel (as I explained before). I see this as a reassurance from the writers that Huddy is a strong relationship, that will endure for a long time. However, Cuddy's strength and determination not to let her fear that House would die completely wash away his wrongdoing is a necessary obstacle. It's necessary because House's lying, and his apparent ignorance of some of the boundaries in their relationship, is a problem that Huddy has to confront some time or another. If they get through this, which I believe they will, this obstacle will strengthen their relationship and ensure that it lasts for a very long time.

So, in my long, winding, rambling way, I hope that I got my point across. Although I'm still very frustrated that we didn't get so much as a PECK in this ep, I really think that this is going to be healthy for the Huddy relationship in the long run. Also, I'm really hoping (and also pretty sure...although I don't want to jinx it) that we will get some Huddy sexiness in the next ep. Or at least, CONTACT in some form...preferably a "Known Unknowns"-esque slow dance (with happy ending!) although that might be a little too much to ask...

At any rate, excited for next week! Is it seriously only Tuesday...*sigh* I can't keep living life waiting for the next Monday to come.......another symptom of an unhealthy obsession!!

@Delia In case you haven't seen it yet:

And the promo, in case you didn't get that yet either...the next POTW looks intriguing.

"This might actually tie into the name of the next ep, "Small Sacrifices": by apologizing to Cuddy, House will have to sacrifice a little bit of his pride in order to redeem himself"

Precisely my point @HL ;) Great post!!