The Social Contract (House)
Encyclopedia
"The Social Contract" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of House
. It aired on March 9, 2009.
, but it appears nothing is wrong with him and he continues to insult the book. Then he collapses.
House and his team take on the case. Kutner likens their patient to Phineas Gage
who similarly suffered from personality changes after having a railroad spike speared through his brain. They immediately note Nick has frontal lobe disinhibition, which causes him to speak his mind and have no control over what he says. Thirteen says what is causing the problem could be a tumor
in the nasal cavity and they could check with a nasal scope. When Kutner and Taub are inserting the scope up Nick's nose, Nick once again speaks his mind, offending his wife and Taub.
The scene switches to House inviting Wilson over to a monster truck
show, and is suspicious as to why Wilson declines. Wilson insists he is playing raquetball with Taub. After some careful probing House realizes Wilson was lying and Taub was covering for him. House talks Taub into helping him find out what Wilson is really doing. Taub prints off some deleted emails from Wilson's computer and soon House finds out Wilson has an appointment with a Dr. Gonzales in New York Mercy Psychiatric Hospital. Wilson is going to New York to visit his estranged, homeless brother Daniel Wilson. Wilson didn't want to tell House because he thought House would mock him. House, to Wilson's surprise, offers to go with Wilson to New York to be with him in case things don't turn out as Wilson hoped. The pair go to New York. In the waiting room of New York Mercy, Wilson reveals he last saw his brother 13 years ago in Princeton. House deduces that's why Wilson accepted the job at Princeton in the first place, because his brother was in Princeton as well. Wilson also reveals he feels responsible for his brother's homelessness. Thirteen years ago when Wilson was in med school Daniel was on meds for his schizophrenia
. Daniel used to call Wilson, paranoid and scared, every night and speak to him for a couple of hours. One night Wilson couldn't take anymore, and he hung up the phone. That night his brother ran away from home. Wilson had felt responsible since then and hence tried to overcompensate with his niceness.
Kutner says what's causing Nick's frontal lobe disinhibition isn't nasal cancer. He also remarks that Nick will lose his wife. Later on, House realizes the patient's words unintentionally push away the people closest to him. House, seeing himself in Nick, asks Chase to help him because Nick's marriage will be ruined as soon as he leaves the hospital. Chase agrees to do the surgery on Nick to help him save his career and marriage. However, after the surgery Nick continues to relentlessly speak the truth, further insulting his wife by calling her stupid and saying he regrets marrying her. The team realizes the brain wasn't the problem after all.
In New York, House suddenly realizes that Nick's high glucose levels paired with the "wanna-be" cyst the team found in the full body scan, indicates Doege-Potter syndrome
. Nick's fibroma
s have been creating Human Growth Hormone which acted like insulin
by lowering his glucose levels. The one small fibroma which has been causing the problem has fooled Nick's body to suspect a much more perilous invader. His body has been creating antibodies to fight the benign fibroma and consequently attacked his other systems causing multiple organ failure. House concludes that by taking out the fibroma Nick will return to being a "happy hypocrite" in no time.
In the end, Nick and his wife awkwardly make up. Wilson wonders whether House minds that there is no "social contract
" of forced politeness between them. House replies no. Wilson asks House whether he thinks things will work out with Daniel. House truthfully replies no. Wilson concludes seeing his brother wasn't as magnanimous as he thought it would be, after thirteen years the two are strangers to one another. House asks Wilson whether he truly likes monster trucks. Wilson replies with "absolutely," suggesting that his earlier lie was only to conceal that he was going to New York.
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...
. It aired on March 9, 2009.
Plot
The episode starts with an author, Timothy Moore, making a toast to his soon to be best-seller. After the toast, Nick Greenwald, the editor, insults the book by saying how short stories will not make money. After making the rude remark, he apologizes, only to insult the publisher. When his wife tells him to stop, he notices he has a nosebleedNosebleed
Epistaxis or a nosebleed is the relatively common occurrence of hemorrhage from the nose, usually noticed when the blood drains out through the nostrils...
, but it appears nothing is wrong with him and he continues to insult the book. Then he collapses.
House and his team take on the case. Kutner likens their patient to Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage
Phineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman now remembered for his improbablesurvival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, and for that injury's reported effects on his personality and...
who similarly suffered from personality changes after having a railroad spike speared through his brain. They immediately note Nick has frontal lobe disinhibition, which causes him to speak his mind and have no control over what he says. Thirteen says what is causing the problem could be a tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
in the nasal cavity and they could check with a nasal scope. When Kutner and Taub are inserting the scope up Nick's nose, Nick once again speaks his mind, offending his wife and Taub.
The scene switches to House inviting Wilson over to a monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
show, and is suspicious as to why Wilson declines. Wilson insists he is playing raquetball with Taub. After some careful probing House realizes Wilson was lying and Taub was covering for him. House talks Taub into helping him find out what Wilson is really doing. Taub prints off some deleted emails from Wilson's computer and soon House finds out Wilson has an appointment with a Dr. Gonzales in New York Mercy Psychiatric Hospital. Wilson is going to New York to visit his estranged, homeless brother Daniel Wilson. Wilson didn't want to tell House because he thought House would mock him. House, to Wilson's surprise, offers to go with Wilson to New York to be with him in case things don't turn out as Wilson hoped. The pair go to New York. In the waiting room of New York Mercy, Wilson reveals he last saw his brother 13 years ago in Princeton. House deduces that's why Wilson accepted the job at Princeton in the first place, because his brother was in Princeton as well. Wilson also reveals he feels responsible for his brother's homelessness. Thirteen years ago when Wilson was in med school Daniel was on meds for his schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. Daniel used to call Wilson, paranoid and scared, every night and speak to him for a couple of hours. One night Wilson couldn't take anymore, and he hung up the phone. That night his brother ran away from home. Wilson had felt responsible since then and hence tried to overcompensate with his niceness.
Kutner says what's causing Nick's frontal lobe disinhibition isn't nasal cancer. He also remarks that Nick will lose his wife. Later on, House realizes the patient's words unintentionally push away the people closest to him. House, seeing himself in Nick, asks Chase to help him because Nick's marriage will be ruined as soon as he leaves the hospital. Chase agrees to do the surgery on Nick to help him save his career and marriage. However, after the surgery Nick continues to relentlessly speak the truth, further insulting his wife by calling her stupid and saying he regrets marrying her. The team realizes the brain wasn't the problem after all.
In New York, House suddenly realizes that Nick's high glucose levels paired with the "wanna-be" cyst the team found in the full body scan, indicates Doege-Potter syndrome
Doege-Potter syndrome
Doege-Potter syndrome is a paraneoplastic syndrome in which hypoglycemia is associated with the presence of one or more non-islet fibrous tumors in the pleural cavity. The hypoglycemia is the result of the tumors producing insulin-like growth factor 2...
. Nick's fibroma
Fibroma
Fibromas are benign tumors that are composed of fibrous or connective tissue. They can grow in all organs, arising from mesenchyme tissue. The term "fibroblastic" or "fibromatous" is used to describe tumors of the fibrous connective tissue...
s have been creating Human Growth Hormone which acted like insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
by lowering his glucose levels. The one small fibroma which has been causing the problem has fooled Nick's body to suspect a much more perilous invader. His body has been creating antibodies to fight the benign fibroma and consequently attacked his other systems causing multiple organ failure. House concludes that by taking out the fibroma Nick will return to being a "happy hypocrite" in no time.
In the end, Nick and his wife awkwardly make up. Wilson wonders whether House minds that there is no "social contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
" of forced politeness between them. House replies no. Wilson asks House whether he thinks things will work out with Daniel. House truthfully replies no. Wilson concludes seeing his brother wasn't as magnanimous as he thought it would be, after thirteen years the two are strangers to one another. House asks Wilson whether he truly likes monster trucks. Wilson replies with "absolutely," suggesting that his earlier lie was only to conceal that he was going to New York.
Music
- The song that plays at the end of the episode while House and Wilson leave the hospital is "The Shining" by Badly Drawn BoyBadly Drawn BoyDamon Gough is an English alternative music singer/songwriter. He was born on 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England....