House TV Show - Wilson - House Recaps, House Reviews, House Episodes | TWoP

Aired 2009-11-30

We open on Wilson sleeping while guitar music plays. He wakes up and both he and we discover that the music is actually diegetic and coming from the living room, where House had a late-night craving for some George Michael. When George Michael himself has a late-night craving, it so often leads to him being found semi-conscious in cars and getting in trouble with the police. But House just gets in trouble with Wilson, both for waking him up with the opening strains of "Faith" and also filling Wilson's living room with guitars he retrieved from his apartment. The guy downstairs has got to be livid right now, and yet powerless to do anything about it because of gratitude. House acts like he had no idea that Wilson wouldn't be awake already at 6:33 AM. Wilson says he's sleeping in because he's skipping work to go hunting. House will not let Wilson enjoy his few hours of extra sleep, though, following him into his bedroom to accuse Wilson's hunting partner of being a "self-important jerk" based on the fact that he calls Wilson "Jim" instead of James. I think it's more like House hates the thought of Wilson having another friend. What a Jealous Jerry!

Robert Sean Leonard could not look less awkward in his hunting gear holding that rifle if he tried. He fires at nothing and complains that neither him nor his self-important jerk friend Tucker know anything about hunting or guns. Yet there they are shooting them. That doesn't seem like a good idea at all. Tucker suddenly spots some stock footage of wild turkeys and takes aim. He misses, and then it's "time" for what appears to be his and Wilson's annual ritual. If I were them, I'd distance myself from the wild turkeys first, because everyone knows that wild turkeys are vengeful beasts and they will come after you. But perhaps stock footage of wild turkeys is different. Wilson nails an IV bag of chemotherapy to a tree and Tucker speechifies that exactly five years and six months ago, Wilson told him that if the chemo didn't work, he had six months to live. Six months later, he was still alive. Every year after that, he celebrates with a "new and exciting" activity with Wilson in order to thank him. Because nothing says "thanks!" like a hunting trip in the middle of winter in the woods of New Jersey. Wilson writes "Year 5!" on the chemo bag and steps well away from it as Tucker takes aim and blows the bag away. I guess he's not so bad at shooting after all. He sincerely thanks Wilson before firing off another shot -- this time as the result of his arm suddenly becoming paralyzed. Wilson frets over him while the wild turkeys laugh and laugh. "Karma! Karma!" they gobble.

By Sara M

Are we really going to go for the entire rest of this season with opening credits that feature someone who isn't on the show anymore? Apparently so.

Now we're in the PPTH ER, which is of course severely understaffed due to the lack of Cameron, who was apparently the only person who worked there. That means Wilson has to take care of Tucker, coming back with test results that rule out that his arm paralysis is from a stroke. Wilson then takes note of a pretty young blonde woman hovering over Tucker and mistakes her for Tucker's daughter, who he hasn't seen in five years. It's actually Tucker's girlfriend, Ashley. So Tucker and Wilson are such good friends that Wilson hasn't seen Tucker's daughter in five years (and also totally forgot what she looked like, as when we see Tucker's real daughter she looks nothing like Ashley) and didn't know he wasn't married anymore? Okay. Ashley worries that Tucker's cancer is back, but Wilson says the tests show no evidence of this and then has his own epiphany moment. It's not as great as House's usually are, but it is just as rude. He stares at Ashley's mouth for a while before saying "that cold sore -- how long have you had it?" He thinks the virus that caused Ashley's cold sore (that would be herpes, FYI) might have spread to Tucker's spine and caused transverse myelitis and the paralysis. He sets Tucker up with a room and some antiviral drugs. Well, I'm sure that will be that and Tucker will be just fine. Hopefully he won't celebrate with a BJ from Ashley.

Wilson tracks House down in some room full of crazy medical equipment, the Cottages, House's latest patient, and House himself. Chase and Hadley do an ultrasound on the patient's stomach as he groans in pain and says things in Spanish about his stomach and his mariachi band. This guy seems interesting. Too bad we have to spend the episode with Tucker. Wilson proudly tells House about his Housian diagnosis, but House rains on his parade and says it's wrong. He already knows all about Tucker's case thanks to a bribe he gave the redhead down in medical records, and in his opinion, Tucker has cancer. While Wilson absorbs this, House's patient whines that his stomach is being ripped open by "the Hand of God." So a cheating Argentinian soccer player ripped open the guy's stomach and then claimed that he did it with his head? Okay. Wilson refuses to believe Tucker has cancer despite House's insistence, saying all tests showed no signs of a recurrence. House thinks Wilson just doesn't want to see what the most likely cause of Tucker's condition is because he's his friend and also a really crappy oncologist. Always one to find opportunity in the misfortune of others, House decides to make some money off of Wilson's emotions and bets him $100 that Tucker has cancer. Wilson takes the bet as House diagnoses the patient with something having to do with him having a past as a tennis pro. Sorry, House, but that guy does not look like he was ever a tennis pro.

By Sara M

Wilson stops by the nurse's station and talks to a woman who is either a nurse or his physician's assistant. She's sassy, too, and makes a crack about the age of Tucker's girlfriend before sending Wilson off to see Dell, one of his regular patients, whose grandkids Wilson is happy to have just missed a visit from. I wouldn't even bring them up, but they Will Be Important Later. And by later, I mean right now, as Wilson says hello to Dell and says his tests are looking good following his latest round of chemo. This is seriously boring, so Wilson gets a page to somewhere better. Before he goes, he asks Dell about his grandkids. When Dell simply says "they're fine" and doesn't brag about their latest accomplishments nonstop, Wilson asks if he's feeling depressed. Well, more depressed than usual given the fact that he has cancer and has endured five rounds of chemo, which can't be fun. "I guess I'm feeling a little more down than usual. Can you give me something?" Dell says, totally trying to score some extra morphine. Why not? I would. Wilson says he's going to order some extra tests on Dell just to make sure that his new depression isn't a sign of something else. So now Dell's insurance company can be depressed, too.

Wilson heads for Tucker's room to respond to the page. Tucker's foot is feeling a bit tingly, and Ashley is very worried. Wilson says it could be nothing and sends her out of the room, which basically says quite clearly that it's not nothing. Even Ashley can figure that out, but leaves the room anyway. Wilson says the antivirals aren't working, but he still thinks it's transverse myelitis and is going to add some more to give them a boost. Tucker drops the brave act he was putting on for Ashley's sake and asks if this could be his cancer coming back. Wilson says he did every possible test and it's not cancer. He does not mention that one of the best diagnosticians in the world thinks that it is. Tucker doesn't seem too reassured, based on the fact that he asks Wilson to call his daughter Emily about this. He'd do it himself, but she's not really speaking to him because of the whole thing where he left her mom for Ashley. Good for Emily.

By Sara M

So now Tucker's oncologist and "friend" is on the phone with Emily begging her to come to PPTH. Cuddy stops by and asks Wilson about Tucker, as apparently she knows him as well. Or maybe she remembers him from when he was a patient five years ago? It doesn't matter. Wilson tells Cuddy about his diagnosis of transverse myelitis. "What does House think?" Cuddy asks. Understandably, Wilson doesn't appreciate the lack of trust in his abilities. Cuddy says she's just concerned because doctors shouldn't treat friends. And then she gives up the real reason why she's talking to Wilson: to ask if his ex-wife Bonnie is still a realtor. Wilson says she is, the poor thing. Life can't be going well for realtor Bonnie these days. Cuddy wants to know this because she is in need of a realtor because she's moving in with Lucas and apparently her suburban mansion isn't big enough. Suddenly, the Cottages roll by with their patient, who is in dire straits with Foreman sitting on top of him doing CPR. "It wasn't the tennis!" Taub says. Heh. I am enjoying seeing PPTH from someone else's perspective with House and the Cottages weaving their way in and out of things. Wilson totally calls Cuddy out for being perfectly able to seek Bonnie out herself but going to Wilson to get to her as a way to get his (and thus House's) "permission" to move in with Lucas. "I don't need House's blessing," Cuddy says. Maybe not, but she sure does want him to know about it, doesn't she? Wilson just walks away.

Later that night, Tucker's arm is still paralyzed and now he has a cough. Ashley frets about this until Emily and ex-wife Melissa walk in and probably give her even more to be nervous about. Melissa offers to leave if it's weird, but Tucker claims it's fine. Wilson hugs Melissa because it's never too early to lay the foundation in dating your friend's ex-wife. "You must be Ashley," Melissa says by way of introduction. "Hi," Ashley says. Fortunately for everyone except Tucker, his coughing gets worse and puts an end to what could be an awkward moment. The monitors start beeping and Wilson says this can't be transverse myelitis.

And so, Wilson must head to House's office for help. House isn't in the meeting room but the Cottages are, standing or sitting around and looking bored. Foreman says they solved the case of the Mexican non-tennis pro: he ate ten bags of microwave popcorn a day, causing him to develop "popcorn lung" from inhaling the butter topping fumes. I remember hearing about a real case like this a few years back and wondering when House would get around to giving it to a patient. Now I'm just waiting for someone to get sick from too much muscle cream. Taub says House is off hiding from Cuddy to avoid getting a new case. Hadley guesses he's eating lunch in the morgue. Gross. Wilson takes advantage of the House-less room to get a differential on Tucker from the Cottages, who are more than happy to help out if it means helping Wilson win his bet over House. Although it's not like they can do anything to prevent House from winning or losing. If Tucker has cancer, that's not going to change whether the Cottages help out on his case or not. Hadley comes up with a fungal infection, prompting Wilson to think of aspergillus fungus balls in Tucker's lungs that spread to his spine, causing both the paralysis and the coughing. Oh, I don't like that at all. Fungus balls sound gross.

By Sara M

Wilson informs Tucker and family and also young girlfriend about his latest theory and its treatment, which involves shooting BB-sized pellets of antifungal medicine into the affected areas. Which means they'll have to open Tucker up. Tucker asks Ashley what she thinks, and she's hesitant to agree to the surgery with Tucker so weak. Not to mention the reasons for the surgery being a diagnosis Hadley helped Wilson pull out of his ass. "You should do whatever you think is best," Ashley tells Tucker. Melissa speaks up and asks Wilson if there's any other way to treat it. Of course there isn't, nor is there time to test Tucker and confirm the diagnosis. She makes Wilson promise to be there for the surgery and urges Tucker to agree to it. He does, happy to have a woman make his decisions for him.

Wilson asks his assistant to page Chase to the OR to do the surgery even though Chase isn't PPTH's only surgeon anymore. Or maybe he is and the economy has forced Cuddy to make him work as House's fellow and be PPTH's only surgeon. The assistant interrupts Wilson's commands to say one of his patients wants to speak to him. He wouldn't tell her what he wanted to talk to Wilson about because she's just an assistant, the assistant says, clearly not pleased. "Oh, and House is looking for you," she adds, even less pleased. Wilson stops by his patient's room, where the guy says he's "very tired" and "can't sleep." So Wilson ups his morphine. Those patients really need to stop asking Wilson for morphine because sooner or later he's going to just euthanize them. As the patient passes out, Wilson hears a toilet flush. Yes, that's right -- House is in the patient's bathroom waiting for Wilson to show up and hiding from Cuddy at the same time. Speaking of Cuddy, House wants to know what she was talking to Wilson about earlier. Wilson only tells him about the part where she checked up on him on Tucker's case, leaving out the part where she announced she was moving in with Lucas. House is really deserving of such sensitivity from Wilson, which he demonstrates by asking Wilson to cough up the $100 for the bet he made that Wilson's patient and friend has cancer. He knows about Wilson's fungus diagnosis, thanks to some tattling Cottages, and says it's not correct although he won't go so far as to prevent what he believes is unnecessary and risky surgery on Tucker. Wilson just rolls his eyes and tries to escape, only to bump into Cuddy, who starts talking to him about her conversation with Bonnie even though Wilson already made it pretty clear to her that he doesn't want to know. Wilson tries to rush her out of the room (that has a sleeping patient in it, so professional) before she can say something that House will overhear, but he's unsuccessful as she loudly whispers about a loft Bonnie found for her that Cuddy thinks is a great way to re-capture her lost urbanness. I really don't understand how an urban loft is a better place to raise a kid than the mansion with that nice backyard. Nor do I understand how Lucas is going to help pay for it on his decidedly un-doctor-like salary.

By Sara M

Wilson goes over the surgery with Tucker, who says that Ashley is more scared of it than he is. "At her age ... she's not supposed to be dealing with issues of life and death," Wilson says. Well, neither is Tucker. He's not 80. People of all ages get cancer. Wilson really wants to know why Tucker left Melissa. Tucker admits that he doesn't know.

House joins Wilson in the OR balcony, if only to be there when Wilson finds out that the surgery was not necessary. Oh, and also to yell at Chase for doing surgery when he's supposed to working for House now. And thirdly, to talk to Wilson about Cuddy moving in with Lucas. House claims that he's fine with Cuddy and Lucas's relationship now even though just last week he was trying to split them up and take Cuddy for himself. With no small amount of wishful thinking, House says the fact that Cuddy is buying a loft suggests to him that their relationship is not actually that serious. He doesn't think Cuddy really wants to "discover her lost city girl youth" and "two bedrooms just reeks of commitment issues." As opposed to the ten bedrooms she has in her current living space? Wilson points out that one of the bedrooms is probably for the kid. "This is classic midlife Cuddy crisis," House tells himself. At this point, Chase interrupts to say that he hasn't found any fungus balls but there is lung damage indicative of PCP pneumonia. And if you're wondering what that means, House explains that PCP pneumonia is only seen in three types of cases: HIV, acquired SCID, or Wilson owes him $100.

By Sara M

Wilson is in the middle of what appears to be his regular oncology conference where he goes over his latest cases with a team of doctors. He talks about his patient Dell, who had something wrong with him after all: a CT scan showed a lesion on his left lung. The only meeting attendee who's been paid to have lines asks Wilson why he did a CT scan on someone whose cancer was in remission. Wilson explains that he noticed Dell was depressed and ordered the extra tests. "Wow, that's quite a call," the doctor says. Oh, stop sucking up, lady. And then House bursts in to interrupt, which is no doubt a weekly occurrence so no one looks very surprised. He hands Wilson a page of test results that say Wilson owes him $100.

After the break, Wilson informs Tucker that he does, indeed, have cancer. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, to be precise. Wow, way to suck at diagnosing cancer, Wilson! You gave the guy unnecessary antivirals and surgery all because you wouldn't do whatever test House did that showed what was actually wrong. Oh, and you got his hopes up that it wasn't cancer. Tucker reaches for Melissa's hand at the news, which does not escape Ashley's notice. Melissa asks if this is a recurrence of Tucker's cancer. In fact, Wilson says, it isn't. It's a new type of leukemia. Lucky Tucker! In fact, he probably got this cancer from the chemo that saved his life the last time around. "Maybe they can rename it Ironic Leukemia," Tucker says, as the cancer has not yet spread to his sense of humor. Although he's still not as funny as Wilson's other friend. Wilson says there's good news -- the cancer is only in Tucker's brain. Ashley acts how brain cancer can possibly be good news. I guess that's supposed to show that she's young and doesn't know anything about cancer or whatever, but I think most of us would also ask that question. Wilson explains that the cancer won't spread to the rest of his body because of the blood brain barrier. Yeah, but that also means the cancer is IN HIS BRAIN. Melissa asks for just the facts, and Wilson says there's a 90% chance that Tucker will be cured by chemotherapy. If he's in the 10% that isn't, he's got a good six months left. So, if he's in the 90% that is cured by chemotherapy can he then look forward to a third cancer in another few years?

By Sara M

On the way to the OR to place a chemo-dispensing shunt in Tucker's brain, Wilson says he'll need to pick someone to act as his health care proxy in case the shunt bumps into the wrong part of Tucker's brain and he can't make decisions for himself anymore. Tucker asks for Melissa, which Ashley does not appreciate. Oh, come on, Ashley. You're his girlfriend. Melissa is the mother of his daughter, who should really be the person chosen as the health care proxy but I'm assuming she's too young. The Cottages run past with a gurney and a new patient and cut off Wilson's trip to the OR. House shoves a revised OR schedule in Wilson's face and says Tucker's surgery was cancelled for House's patient because House lied that he was bleeding out of his eyes. Meanwhile, the guy with brain cancer has to wait to receive proper treatment. Nice, PPTH. I don't know why people go there.

So this gives Tucker and Ashley some time to talk about how Tucker would rather have Melissa as his proxy than her. Tucker says that when it comes to medical matters, he trusts Melissa more than Ashley because he went through it with Melissa before. That makes a lot of sense, actually. But Ashley thinks it means that Tucker still loves his ex-wife. "Don't make this into more than it is," Tucker says. And also don't make the guy with second cancer who's about to have brain surgery feel bad right now. Save it for later, Ashley.

The day, Tucker's condition has not improved despite the chemo shunt and Ashley isn't around because she's having a sulk, because Tucker doesn't have enough to deal with right now. Wilson tells Tucker that the chemo isn't working, mostly likely because the leukemia is resistant to it thanks to that first round of chemo five years ago. Whoops! And the sad piano music is playing, so you know Wilson has some bad news to deliver. Yes, Tucker is in the 10% of people who don't get cured. OR IS HE?

By Sara M

Wilson goes to House, who brags about how his latest patient had a screw removed from his lung. How did the screw get in the lung in the first place? Surely he didn't inhale it. Unless it was a very tiny screw. Anyway, he's still not better, which House claims he's telling Wilson to make some kind of point that Wilson's idea to double Tucker's chemo dose is a stupid one. Wilson thinks it'll thwart Tucker's chemo resistance and that he's just thinking like House. House reminds him that Wilson is Wilson and House is House. "I can handle when things go wrong. You can't," House says. Yes, because House really handles things so well. But I guess he means when things go wrong with the patients that he doesn't care about.

Wilson tells Tucker, Melissa, and Emily about his wacky double chemo plan and how dangerous it could be. But it could also save Tucker's life. Tucker asks Melissa what he should do. She says he should call his girlfriend. "You're my family. I'm sorry I forgot that," Tucker says. I guess the hot young girlfriend isn't quite as appealing now. Meanwhile, Emily is thrilled to see her parents reunited and says that Tucker should do the double chemo because if it works then they'll have Tucker with them for as long as possible. Of course, it could also means he'll be with them for a lot less time, but no one really thinks about that. Wilson hooks up the double chemo.

Time passes, and what do you know? Tucker's arm is moving and he's feeling cancer-free! Everyone is happy until Wilson notices that Tucker's eyes are looking very orange. Uh oh.

House enters the lab to find Hadley and Taub discussing how their latest patient is a dead man and Wilson looking terribly sad in front of a microscope. House quickly informs Taub and Hadley he isn't in there for them -- he's there for Wilson. Wilson says the double chemo cured Tucker's cancer, but it also fried his liver. In just 24 hours, half of it has died. Hadley and Taub respect Wilson's ability to destroy organs. House is very supportive of his devastated friend and says that this will serve as a good lesson to everyone else to never double a chemotherapy dose. By the way, what happened to the blood brain barrier? Didn't they say that the cancer couldn't get to the rest of Tucker's body because of it? And they were administering the chemo directly to his brain, so wouldn't that mean the chemo couldn't get to the liver?

By Sara M

Wilson decides to give Tucker and family the good news first: the cancer is gone! Followed by the bad news: he'll be dead in 24 hours if they can't find him a new liver. Melissa wants something they can do, but Wilson says there's nothing but waiting at this point, since neither she nor Emily (nor Ashley, whose blood type is apparently on file) match Tucker's blood type so they can't do a live liver donation. House takes this moment to walk in and be the bearer of some actual good news, albeit delivered in usual House style. First of all, he's soaking wet, the result of some crazy test he had to do on his latest patient in a shower. The ER shower, to be specific, which is where he saw a brain-dead motorcyclist being wheeled in who matches Tucker's blood type. The only problem is he's not an organ donor. But House got the address of his of kin sister so he and Wilson can go convince her otherwise. That can't be ethical, right? Surely there must be some kind of rule against doctors going to dead non-organ donors' of kins' homes and making them feel guilty and about not sharing?

By the time Wilson and House arrive at the sister's home, she's out. Wilson finds it odd that she'd run out and do errands just after hearing about her brother's death, but it does give Wilson and House time to talk. House, wearing Wilson's hunting cap, asks if Cuddy brought a new house yet. Wilson says no, and asks if House is okay about it all. House says he is. "Are you really okay?" Wilson asks. "NO!" House barks; "I am not okay. Not even close." Well, I'd have more sympathy for him if I didn't suspect that part of his desire for Cuddy has to do with the fact that she's with someone else. Wilson congratulates House on being honest and sincere about his feelings for once, and then the sister arrives home.

Inside her house (as she apparently let two strange men she's never met before inside because she's an idiot), she launches into a long and boring story about her relationship with her brother, which was a rocky one until the death of their parents, who apparently both died at the same time. I hope they didn't also die in a car accident. If so, then the sister is insane to drive anywhere after hearing that her brother has joined her parents in a premature motor vehicle-related death. Wilson starts in with the organ donation arm-twisting, but Sister cuts him off, saying that if she agrees to donate her brother's liver, then his body will be defiled and that's bad for whatever religion they believe in. "It will save my patient's life," Wilson says, not adding that said life is currently in danger because Wilson decided to pump it full of chemo. House comes through with the argument that can convince Sister to do the right thing for both Tucker and her brother. First, he calls her an idiot. Then, he says that they can arrange it so that Brother doesn't donate his entire liver after death, but donates a part of it while alive, thus allowing his body to remain un-defiled. Way to find the loophole in the religious doctrine, House! Sister likes this very much, but it turns out that her little run to Target for some shampoo has sealed Tucker's fate: Wilson gets a page saying that thanks to the delay, Brother's liver is no longer viable for transplant. Wait, so Brother wasn't hooked up to machines to keep him alive all this time? Then why were they arguing for a live donation at all? Oh, well. At least we killed a few minutes. And now House doesn't have to be nice to Sister at all, so he accuses her of killing Tucker and leaves. What a great day Sister is having!

By Sara M

Back at PPTH, Tucker is feeling very sorry for himself. He says he's not ready to die now that he just got his family back together, as if it's anyone's fault but his own that said family wasn't together before, and then points out to Wilson that he would have had six months with them if he hadn't given him that liver-killing chemo dose. That Tucker agreed to, knowing there were risks. But he needs to make Wilson feel like it's totally his fault in order to make him guilty enough to agree to donate a part of his liver to Tucker, as Wilson's blood transfusion to Tucker five years ago during his first encounter with cancer tells him that they are a match. "I'm your doctor," Wilson starts. "You're my friend. Should I die because you're also my doctor?" Tucker asks. Well, yes. But not because of the liver donation. Because Wilson is a terrible doctor and you should have picked a better oncologist. "You're fired. Now you're just my friend. Now you can do what's right," Tucker says. Whatever, Tucker. I wouldn't give my liver to someone who just fired me. Not in this economy!

Wilson arrives home late from the bar where he did some guilt drinking. House asks where he was, and Wilson is in no mood to deal with him, especially after he sees that House took all of his frozen meals out of the freezer to make room for his cane-shaped margarita Jell-O shots. That's impolite, but I'd rather have Jell-O shots than frozen meals. Wilson finally tells House about Tucker's request, and House assumes that he went out drinking because he's actually thinking of doing it. Wilson points out that drinking isn't exactly the best thing to do to a liver you might be donating a piece of. House says his attempt at deflection tells House that he's going to do it. Wilson says it's his fault that Tucker's liver is failing in the first place. "You cured his cancer!" House says, chalking up the fact that the cure killed his liver up to "quibbles." That's true. Wilson is a cancer doctor. He's not a liver doctor. That's someone else's problem. Wilson says he feels morally responsible for this. House is confused, as he doesn't understand such feelings. So he just lashes out at Wilson and calls him a "doormat." Wilson says donating a part of his liver won't make him a doormat to House because he obviously already thinks of Wilson as such, judging by how he filled Wilson's living room with guitars and his kitchen with thawed frozen meals. And just to show House that he isn't a doormat after all, he throws out his Jell-O shots and knocks something else of House's over before rather twirling his hand and pointing at the door as he tells House to move out of his apartment.

By Sara M

The day, Wilson walks through the oncology wing and finds his assistant, who sadly tells him that Tucker's doing worse before adding that Dell is doing much better. Well, good. Now Wilson won't have to donate part of his lung to Dell. He heads to Dell's room to tell him the good news -- that he no longer has to worry about the tiny yet potentially deadly dot on his lungs that he wasn't worried about in the first place. Dell tells Wilson he's amazing for this. If he was really amazing then Dell wouldn't be on his fifth round of chemo. He'd be better already. Quibbles.

Wilson heads for Cuddy's office. She thinks he's there to talk about her problems, and so starts in with complaining about how she made an offer on the loft but the seller turned her down. Ha! Way to be picky in this real estate market, New Jersey property owner. Wilson doesn't offer Cuddy any advice, simply saying "I want to donate a lobe of my liver to Tucker." Cuddy calls him ridiculous. "You're a doctor, not a donor!" she Dr. McCoys. Wilson asks her why she made him the head of oncology. "Not because you have the most organs," she says. Well, why not? It certainly isn't because he's the best (or even a good) oncologist, seeing as how on this one case alone he: 1. Ignored the advice of one of the world's leading diagnosticians that his patient had cancer; 2. Only discovered he had cancer after an unnecessary operation on the patient's lungs showed evidence of it; 3. Was not able to successfully treat the cancer that 90% of people recover fully from; and 4. Finally cured the cancer at the expense of the patient's liver, thereby giving him even less time to live than he had before. That is poor. Cuddy says Wilson is "thoughtful" and "caring." Although in this particular case, caring is not a strength. Why can't Cuddy just admit that the reason why she chose Wilson is that PPTH doesn't have any other oncologists? Wilson says this isn't about guilt over destroying Tucker's liver, but friendship. He wants to save his friend's life. Cuddy approves, but makes her Pained Expression as he walks out.

By Sara M

Wilson heads to House's office and gives him the news about the donation, saying he's doing it because Tucker is his friend. House says he's Wilson's friend, too, so when he no doubt needs a liver (and that will be soon, considering how much abuse House has given his liver), he'll be expecting Wilson to give him some, too. "I'm not here for an argument," Wilson says. "No, right, that's room 12A," House says, because now is a great time for a Monty Python reference. What Wilson is there for is to invite House to be there for him when he has the operation House doesn't want him to have. House refuses. "Why?" Wilson asks, shocked. "Because if you die, I'm alone," House says. Well, as long as it's about you, House.

And so, Wilson changes into a surgical gown and gets on the gurney as Tucker is wheeled in. "Thanks, Jim," he says. Wilson smiles and seems to think he made the right decision. Hopefully he chose a real surgeon to do the transplant and not Chase. Because that would be the wrong decision. As the anesthesiologist puts Wilson under, he looks up to the OR balcony and sees House is there for him after all. Probably more to make sure they don't screw up than to make Wilson feel better, but still.

And House is waiting at Wilson's bedside in the recovery room when he wakes up. And then keeping him company and laughing and joking with him as he gets better. Although I'm not sure if the laughing is a good idea, given how Wilson suddenly grimaces and touches his stitches.

Wilson wheels into Tucker's room and finds him packing up to go to a rehab facility. Tucker acknowledges that Wilson saved his life, and then tells him that he's back with Ashley again. You see, "Melissa's great in a crisis, but the person you want when you're dying isn't the same as the person you want when you're living," Tucker explains. Um, well, actually I'm pretty sure it is for most people, but I guess that's because most people aren't callous assholes. Wilson makes a face like "I'm so glad I gave one of my four precious liver lobes to this guy." Ashley walks in and says "hi, Jim." "Actually, it's James," Wilson says. And now Tucker and Ashley can wonder why Wilson took five years to tell them that. Anyway, I hope Melissa isn't too upset. No doubt Tucker will be getting cancer again soon after that double chemo dose and then he'll come running back to her.