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House Season 8 Episode 9

Better Half

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AIRED: Jan 23, 2012

8.3

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Episode Summary

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House and his team treat an Alzheimer's patient who flies into violent rages and throws up blood. Meanwhile, Wilson copies with a patient who claims that there is no sexual relationship in her marriage.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

Why not do your homework?

6.0

By ma_j, Feb 01, 2012

I mean, if you choose your character to be Brazilian, you should give him a Brazilian name, give a Brazilian accent to his English and he should sound Brazilian when he speaks Portuguese. And, of course, his Portuguese should not sound like literally tranlated English.
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more of the same. . .

4.5

By ActiveSparkles, Jan 30, 2012

So House has boiled down to a formula now.

Meaningless backstory on the team that is not interesting or relevant to anything.

The medical case means little to nothing at this point. The entire run time is dedicated to peoples motives and beliefs being questioned endlessly.

It is boring and I am finding it harder and harder to watch House, with only my belief that it can be as good as it once was, for company.moreless
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Actually some good writing

8.0

By DeadRookie, Jan 24, 2012

This episode has some good interpersonal dialogue explaining the motivations of characters actions....Wilson tells House exactly what he will do...House tells Foreman what he is about..and down the line. Park says she has had sex with 30 men and then admits it's a lie...but Adams wants to know...which WAY is it a lie..MORE than 30 ..or LESS. The PATIENT story was boring unfortunately...the case doesn't really show any great emotional interplay and wasn't all that interesting. It has been almost 2 months since the last "new " episode aired...so I would have thought a more engaging case would emerge. Still, it was good for the characters knowing the others minds inside and out. But this show seems to have outlived its heydey...there really have been NO episodes above almost any episode of Season 1-7.moreless
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Better Half

6.2

By thefanof, Jan 24, 2012

I feel kind of bad giving this episode just a 6.2 out of 10, because they really had two good storylines, first with the Alzheimer's patient as well as the couple that was asexual. The problem I had with it was that it was just too slow-moving, almost at a snail's pace, and in today's television environment fans wanted flashiness. This show is not "artistic" enough like Mad Men to progress at that kind of speed and that is why I found myself looking at the clock often during tonight's episode. The premise was fine, but the execution just was not there.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Hugh Laurie	Dr. Gregory House
Omar Epps	Dr. Eric Foreman
Robert Sean Leonard	Dr. James Wilson
Jesse Spencer	Dr. Robert Chase
Odette Annable	Dr. Jessica Adams
Charlyne Yi	Dr. Chi Park

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Melanie Lynskey	Natalie	Guest Star
Corri English	Kayla	Guest Star
Ivo Nandi	Andres	Guest Star
Tracy Vilar	Nurse Regina	Recurring Role
Bobbin Bergstrom	Nurse	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Hugh Laurie and guest star Melanie Lynsk...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Hugh Laurie on House from "Better Half".

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Jesse Spencer and Odette Annable on Hous...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Hugh Laurie on House from "Better Half".

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (7)
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- Dr. Wilson: You know that one percent of the population identifies as asexual?
  House: We really gotta get you laid. If I have to plow that furrow myself, so be it.
  Dr. Wilson: I have a patient who's asexual.
  House: Is she a giant pool of algae?
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- Dr. Chase: You're letting (House) get inside your head. He could do a lot of damage in there.
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- House: Start him on plasmapheresis. Unless.. unless, I need to say, "Mother, may I?" And mother is an abbreviation.
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- Dr. Adams: Sex releases oxytocin. it's the neurochemical basis for bonding.
  House: And that's why men always marry their right hands.
  Dr. Adams: It's different for girls.
  Dr. Park: No it 's not. I've tapped over 30 guys and I've never wanted to see most of them again. (everyone stares) I live next to a Jewish frat.
  House: We are veering wildly off track. Please continue.
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- Dr. Adams: Thirty?
  Dr. Park: Everybody lies.
  Dr. Adams: Higher or lower?
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- Dr. Wilson: Two people are happy, and your natural impulse is to destroy it.
  House: How do you know she's happy? Did she tell you?
  Dr. Wilson: No, chirping birds flew out of her butt carrying a banner.
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- Dr. Wilson: I think they were happy. Even if it was based on lies.
  House: Most happiness is. Better to have schtupped and lied than never to have schtupped at all.
  Dr. Wilson: We can't smoke in here.
  House: We also can't summon people into the clinic based on a lie motivated by a petty bet, and yet it happens. It's an imperfect world.
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NOTES (3)
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- Peter Jacobson is credited but doesn't appear.
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- Music: Simply Human (Morgan Taylor Reid)
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- International Airdates:
  Canada: January 23, 2012 on Global
  Israel: February 29, 2012 on HOT3
  Germany: September 4, 2012 on RTL
  Sweden: October 30, 2012 on TV4
  The Netherlands: January 31, 2013 on SBS6
  Czech Republic: February 4, 2013 on TV Nova
  Slovakia: March 5, 2013 on STV1
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ALLUSIONS (2)
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- House: With great power comes great micromanaging.
  Referencing the line commonly attributed to the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The line, as first used in Amazing Fantasy #15, is actually "With great power there must also come great responsibility."
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- House: You're seen Spartacus, right?
  Referencing the the famous scene in Spartacus (1960) where Crassus and his legions have defeated and captured Spartacus and his rebel slaves. When they guarantee the safety of the slaves if they turn over Spartacus, each slave steps forward and say, "I'm Spartacus!
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