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Mob Rules (House)
Encyclopedia
"Mob Rules" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of House
, which premiered on the Fox
network on March 22, 2005.
. Joey's brother, played by Danny Nucci, who is also a lawyer
and threatening mobster, wants to prevent his brother from testifying, and so tries to cajole or persuade House to delay diagnosing
, treating
or releasing him. Joey surprisingly comes out of his coma and doesn't experience worrying symptoms, but House is curious and doesn't want to release him yet (perhaps now aware of the deeper motives in patient care behind this case). Vogler, tipped off anonymously about the situation, decides to have the police remove him.
Two hours later, Joey returns after having collapsed and fallen back into a coma. Dr. Chase
thinks the coma was induced by Hepatitis C
, but Joey's brother slaps Chase across the face for suggesting it, since Hepatitis C suggests either drug use or homosexuality. House offers to alter the patient's chart so as to protect his reputation
, and the treatment (interferon
) is allowed. House discovers that his car was replaced by a red 1965 Corvette, a "gift" from the Mafia, that he chooses to keep and take advantage of, much to Wilson's concern and delight.
Joey also has a very high level of estrogen
, a symptom not linked to any other. His liver
is shutting down, but House's team still doesn't know what the cause is, so they run his blood through a pig
to clean it. House suggests that his condition may have been caused by a Chinese
herbal supplement designed to help him give up smoking, but his coma returns despite no longer taking the supplement. It turns out that the comas result from Joey's intolerance towards red meat
, provided by his brother instead of the hospital food. The mobster's higher levels of estrogen were caused separately by estrogen injections designed to increase libido
and used by gay men. Joey is homosexual and was willing to testify in order to join the witness protection program and be able to live his life without the pressure from his homophobic mob family. However, when the brother finds out about Joey's homosexuality, he says Joey should testify and go into witness protection, if this would make him happy. Even though he doesn't understand it, they are brothers first, and that is all that matters.
Throughout the episode, Vogler puts pressure on Dr. Cuddy to justify House's place at the hospital. By the end of the episode, House reveals to Wilson
that, under pressure from Vogler, he has to fire one of his staff.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, which premiered on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network on March 22, 2005.
Plot
House treats a man named Joey, serving as a witness in a mob case, who has passed out and entered a comaComa
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Joey's brother, played by Danny Nucci, who is also a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and threatening mobster, wants to prevent his brother from testifying, and so tries to cajole or persuade House to delay diagnosing
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
, treating
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
or releasing him. Joey surprisingly comes out of his coma and doesn't experience worrying symptoms, but House is curious and doesn't want to release him yet (perhaps now aware of the deeper motives in patient care behind this case). Vogler, tipped off anonymously about the situation, decides to have the police remove him.
Two hours later, Joey returns after having collapsed and fallen back into a coma. Dr. Chase
Robert Chase
Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of the third season when House fires him. However, he was then re-hired in season 6...
thinks the coma was induced by Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
, but Joey's brother slaps Chase across the face for suggesting it, since Hepatitis C suggests either drug use or homosexuality. House offers to alter the patient's chart so as to protect his reputation
Reputation
Reputation of a social entity is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria...
, and the treatment (interferon
Interferon
Interferons are proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of pathogens—such as viruses, bacteria, or parasites—or tumor cells. They allow communication between cells to trigger the protective defenses of the immune system that eradicate pathogens or tumors.IFNs belong to...
) is allowed. House discovers that his car was replaced by a red 1965 Corvette, a "gift" from the Mafia, that he chooses to keep and take advantage of, much to Wilson's concern and delight.
Joey also has a very high level of estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
, a symptom not linked to any other. His liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
is shutting down, but House's team still doesn't know what the cause is, so they run his blood through a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
to clean it. House suggests that his condition may have been caused by a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
herbal supplement designed to help him give up smoking, but his coma returns despite no longer taking the supplement. It turns out that the comas result from Joey's intolerance towards red meat
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency , the most common of the urea cycle disorders, is a rare metabolic disorder, occurring in one out of every 80,000 births...
, provided by his brother instead of the hospital food. The mobster's higher levels of estrogen were caused separately by estrogen injections designed to increase libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
and used by gay men. Joey is homosexual and was willing to testify in order to join the witness protection program and be able to live his life without the pressure from his homophobic mob family. However, when the brother finds out about Joey's homosexuality, he says Joey should testify and go into witness protection, if this would make him happy. Even though he doesn't understand it, they are brothers first, and that is all that matters.
Throughout the episode, Vogler puts pressure on Dr. Cuddy to justify House's place at the hospital. By the end of the episode, House reveals to Wilson
James Wilson (House)
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend,...
that, under pressure from Vogler, he has to fire one of his staff.
External links
- "Mob Rules" at Fox.com