Now, I must admit I am a bit of a cynic, but I'd like to believe there's a sense of realism to it.
First of all, I'm in the balance of good/bad review, mainly because the story was well written and it left me on the edge of the seat...until about the last 10 minutes. I also applaud drama writers constantly trying out the "kidnap/hostage" situations in their episodes when they needed something that was budget-efficient, and this was one of those episodes (actual sets used are only 4: FBI Office, House, School, Truck) and at the same time, displaying some very prominant and young actors. It was intense, plot twists were prominant, character revelations about Matt and Emily are excellent and cute near the end. Here's the problem; this episode would've worked so much better in a 2-parter. Instead of just making this about one demented kid who clearly needs help (but I'm sure by the end he feels society hasn't given up on him, aww) they could've written a much longer series which revealed the characters. I'm NOT saying this should be a <i>Criminal Minds</I> rip-off, but "Underneathe every crisis lies a broken relationship", so why aren't we seeing more of the crisis of the characters? Besides Owen and Carry, we hardly see why these kids are so pissed off and ready to go to jail.

Here's where my cynicism actually comes in: In the real world, the ending would've been much more violent, if not newsworthy. Even if the ending were to happen, society would not change. The bullies would still remain bullies, because their parents are and have always been "proud of their strong will" and the geeks will remain tortured souls/geeks who statistically are more likely to become serial killers when they grow up. A cheesy music number to a cheesy ending ruined it for me. We all knew this should've ended with a realistic darker tone, as long as this show is still about realism.

If you're an avid House fan you should know by now they like to hire guest stars from time to time making more conflict for House. From Chi McBride to Sela Ward and now David Morse, audience will also know they are nothing BUT to pose conflict. This makes me wonder about Brian Singer's tactics. Does he not trust his writing staff enough that they think bringing major changes to the show will up its rating?

I personally love the show for the fact that it doesn't friggin change characters every week (ex. lost) but wins us by having a great team of writers to make it every week to the show and bring a great medical drama. Not because I think House needs to kill someone this week and stretch it out to a 6 episode write up.

Please I urge you to get rid fo David Morse. Yes, we get it, he's House's counterpart (or twin). He's saying the same thing House says, except he's an authority figure. I could go on about the similarities, but I'm pretty sure the writers just cloned House's character and decided David Morse is low on cash. He is definitely worse than the previous two guest stars. Please find a better way for House's character to be revealed rather than a cheap emotional "the one" rip.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with House, in fact that's my point. Stop trying to change House to those who already love it to death.

You don't need to be any kind of TV expert to know what kind of last minute storyline they put together for this. First of all, why is Wolf wasting money on two prominent TV, only for them not to come through? There's a reason why Bob Saget hasn't had too many acting jobs since Full House. Please let him stick with game shows and voiceovers. Great standup comedian maybe, dramatic actor? not from this episode at least. Secondly, Catherine Bell is supposed to be sexy right? So it's not just me who think her "special billing" was a bunch of cash thrown down the toilet? Let's put aside her gorgeous image and say she's going for the serious actor attitude. I certainly didn't see that with only few lines that neither her seductive or a relatable character. Other than the laughable back-and-forth she had with Bob Saget, there wasn't really much for her to do on the show except look pretty, which she didn't even bother to do.

Stop wasting money on has been guest stars and put more thought into the writing like the ending lines of this episode (which was very telling and only part of the episode that didn't seem last minute) for those who love svu.

This was an exceptional episode because it was daring. Think of episodes of shows that breaks into three, most notably, three different stories told by three different characters. Episodes like that keep the audience on pace and lets them know the producers have more up their sleeves than just quippy sex humour (because we know Fox isn't afraid to do that...for every show). This episode included some of my favorite elements of movies.

The plot itself is ripped from Vanilla Sky. That is, not to say Vanilla sky doesn't take stuff from other movies. But those that have watched the movie will know this episode screams of the second half. Most people probably won't know where the gore elements came from.
There is usually some sort of gore which is "medically relevant" to the show. but this particular episode has distinct parallel to Ichi The Killer (Jap movie from 2001) such as the widening of the mouth and the guts spilling out from a cut down the middle. The eyeball popping out was just gross (not to mention fun) which is similar to many asian horror gore films.

Aside from the fact these elements are ripped they are almost presented as an homage to foreign films more than stealing.

I was honestly scared for a while, can you imagine if House wasn't handicapped anymore? It'd probably be damaging to the show. But...in the end, he asked for ketamine. Please don't tell me this is some cheesy plot twist and next Foreman becomes the House character.

I wasn't thrilled of the ending, as it merely lasted less than 30 seconds (from when he wakes up). I was actually hoping for a cliffhanger to grab more people into watching the third season...i mean...They Did It In Prison Break! those bastards. I felt sort of ripped because there was no character development revealed, just a really intense show that gives us no afterthought as to how "House" will progress in the following years. Yet, I enjoyed it, i was on the edge of my seat, and some scenes where i couldn't be far enough away from it.

I have one main beef with this episode: Why would you use someone like Keri Lenn Pratt (Amy Harrington) in a role where she plays someone who is in her 20s? (she's actually 28) First of all, she's blessed with her innocent child-like look. She can play someone who is 16 but somehow they cast her a young 22 year old? Why not cast her in the previous episode where she could've played a 16 year old supermodel (who was actually a 27 year old and looked like it). Such a waste of a veteran actor who could've done a controversial role instead of a helpless albeit cute 22 year old.
Except that, everything else went great (my 9.3 rating is based on the writing of the show, not the producers). Although I'm starting to see signs of struggling for ideas. This episode has become a CSI-like formula which has an A-B story scheme. Bringing in two veteran guest stars is also another sign. I don't question of this show one bit but I'm starting to see the stress seeping through this season (at least Stacy's gone).

Foreshadow of the episode: House to Wilson - Would you rather sleep on my lumpy couch?