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(Moved bit about Chase's age to goofs, because that's what it is. Separated out the iPod goof into two bullets, because they are different enough to warrant that)
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{{Episode Season 2
{{Template:Next Featured Article
 
|Date = March, 2014}}{{Episode Season 2
 
 
| episode_name = Autopsy
 
| episode_name = Autopsy
 
| image = 005HOSATY Sasha Pieterse 005.jpg
 
| image = 005HOSATY Sasha Pieterse 005.jpg
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| writer = [[Lawrence Kaplow]]
 
| writer = [[Lawrence Kaplow]]
 
| airdate = September 20, 2005
 
| airdate = September 20, 2005
| episode_no = 2.1
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| episode_no = 2.2
 
| rating = 9.0
 
| rating = 9.0
 
| guest_star = [[Sasha Pieterse]], [[Hira Ambrosino]], [[Gwen Holloway]]
 
| guest_star = [[Sasha Pieterse]], [[Hira Ambrosino]], [[Gwen Holloway]]
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{{dialogue|House|Is it still illegal to perform an [[autopsy (procedure)|autopsy]] on a living person?|Cuddy|Are you high?|Autopsy}}
 
{{dialogue|House|Is it still illegal to perform an [[autopsy (procedure)|autopsy]] on a living person?|Cuddy|Are you high?|Autopsy}}
   
'''Autopsy''' is a 2nd season episode of ''House'' which first aired on September 20, 2005. A nine year old with terminal cancer who is hallucinating comes to the hospital. House thinks her bravery in the face of imminent death is actually a symptom of her condition. Meanwhile, House tries to get over a cold and test drives a motorcycle.
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'''Autopsy''' is a 2nd season episode of ''House'' which first aired on September 20, 2005. A nine year old with terminal cancer who is hallucinating comes to the hospital. House thinks her bravery in the face of imminent death is actually a symptom of her condition. Meanwhile, House tries to get over his hay fever and test drives a motorcycle.
   
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In one of the most honored episodes of the series, the team deals with a young terminal cancer patient who, if they are lucky, will live another year with successful treatment. The different members of the team each express their views on what many may see as a pointless exercise. However, the decision for House appears to be easy—he's not really concerned about the outcome, only his puzzle.
Screenwriter [[Lawrence Kaplow]] won the Writers Guild of America award for his screenplay for this episode.
 
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However, as he gets closer to the truth, we see in Andie another part of House—the part that is always balancing the pain of continuing with life against the somewhat lesser pain of ending it. Each in their own way, House and Andie are desperately hanging on to life and making the best of it, House in spite of his disability and Andie in spite of her illness. When House talks to Andie about whether she really wants to go through with a dangerous procedure, we can really see that he is assessing his own choice to continue life in pain against the release of death. In contrast, on the outside Andie seems fine with taking the risk she is about to face, but we can also see that deep down, she too is wondering whether she is making the right choice.
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However, as Wilson points out to House, the fact that we all come with an expiry date is no reason not to enjoy life. Andie is truly happy with singing, school, family and thinking about boys despite her baldness and intense drug regimen. House, despite the fact that he clearly has as many years ahead of him as he is willing to bear, is miserable despite having his dream job and being one of the most famous doctors on the planet. However, despite himself, Andie does have an effect on House and he tries to enjoy life more and even finds a little more joy by the end of the episode.
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This investigation of the choice between a miserable life and death is explored in many future episodes, and dominates the character development of [[Thirteen]] later in the series. From [[Lawrence Kutner|Kutner]] to [[Darrien McCurdy|Darrien]], many characters make that choice and, when the doctors have the chance, make sure the patients choose life.
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On the other hand, this episode contains very little character development and, despite the fact that events in the episode have an effect on future episodes, it doesn't really advance any [[story arcs]]. For example, [[Stacy Warner]] is conspicuously absent and even Lisa Cuddy has a secondary role. Many of the characters seem to merely be there to express ethical reservations about performing such complicated procedures on a terminal patient. Poor Jesse Spencer is once again cast at the naysayer and "jerk" who has to point out the ultimate futility of their endeavors. Robert Sean Leonard also appears to portray Wilson as a person who rationalizes their efforts by pointing out that twelve months is a significant period of time for a young person. However, the writers seem to have forgotten that Wilson is usually portrayed as the conscience of the group, a task that in this episode appears to fall, rather clumsily, to House. When House has to point out an ethical dilemma, it's usually because the other characters are blinded by self-interest, not misplaced compassion.
   
 
==Recap==
 
==Recap==
A 9 year old terminal [[cancer]] [[Andie|patient]] has a [[seizure]] and [[hallucination]]s while getting ready for the day.
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Andie, a 9 year old terminal [[cancer]] [[Andie|patient]], is happily singing and dancing at home while preparing for the day ahead. She suddenly has a [[seizure]] and [[hallucination]]s and is found by her worried mother.
   
House comes in with a bad [[common cold|cold]] and is ready to leave, but Wilson intercepts him about the patient. House in intrigued about the hallucinations when he finds out there is no cancer in her [[brain]] and the cancer is in [[remission]]. House agrees to take the case.
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House comes to work with [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_rhinitis hay fever] and has decided to take a sick day, but Wilson intercepts him with details about the patient. House in intrigued by the hallucinations when he finds out her cancer is in [[remission]], and there is no cancer in her [[brain]]. He agrees to take the case.
   
 
The team is reviewing the patient's [[medical history]], which contains a long line of treatment. They can't come up with a reason for the hallucinations. House orders a [[tox screen]] and an [[MRI]]. He tells [[Allison Cameron|Cameron]] not to get attached to the patient.
 
The team is reviewing the patient's [[medical history]], which contains a long line of treatment. They can't come up with a reason for the hallucinations. House orders a [[tox screen]] and an [[MRI]]. He tells [[Allison Cameron|Cameron]] not to get attached to the patient.
   
[[Robert Chase|Chase]] takes the patient to the MRI. The patient is very familiar with all the technology. However, the MRI and tox screen are clear. House excuses himself to go home and orders them to run a lot of tests.
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[[Robert Chase|Chase]] takes Andie to the MRI. Andie is very familiar with all the technology and procedures. The MRI and tox screen are clear. House excuses himself to go home and orders them to run a lot of tests.
   
Chase gets ready to perform an [[angiogram]]. The patient asks him to kiss her because she hasn't been kissed. Chase does so.
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Chase gets ready to perform an [[angiogram]]. Andie asks him to kiss her because she has never kissed a boy, and fears she may have missed her chance. Chase reluctantly does so.
   
House comes in the next morning, not having slept. All the new tests are negative. Foreman suggests it might be [[syphilis]] from involuntary sex. Chase tells them that she hasn't even been kissed and that she asked him to kiss her. House thinks that she is being manipulative and that she did get Chase to kiss her. However, the patient denies ever having had sex and Cameron's examination confirms it.
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House comes in the next morning, not having slept. All the new tests are negative. Foreman suggests it might be [[syphilis]] from involuntary sex. Chase argues against this theory, and tells them that Andie has never even kissed a boy. He backs this up by telling the team that she asked him to kiss her. House thinks that she is being manipulative and that she did get Chase to kiss her. However, Andie denies ever having had sex and Cameron's examination confirms it.
   
House interrupts Wilson to tell him that they have no idea what is wrong with the patient. House is still convinced there is something wrong, and he thinks it might be a [[heart]] tumor because of the low oxygen saturation. However, that would mean she has two different cancers - a statistical unlikelihood. Wilson is sceptical and won't let House do [[exploratory surgery]].
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House interrupts Wilson to tell him that they have no idea what is wrong with Andie. House is still convinced that there are other problems they haven't discovered yet. He thinks she may have a [[heart]] tumor because of the low oxygen saturation. That would mean she has two different cancers - a statistical unlikelihood. Wilson is skeptical and won't let House do [[exploratory surgery]].
   
House meets his team in the locker room so they can listen to the patient's heart to see if there are signs of a tumor. Cameron hears an extra flap in her [[mitral valve]]. House orders [[surgery]] to look at it.
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Citing better acoustics, House meets his team in the locker room so they can listen to recordings of Andie's heart for auditory irregularities which may indicate the presence of a tumor. Cameron hears an extra flap in her [[mitral valve]]. House orders [[surgery]] to look at it.
   
Wilson and House discuss the patient's bravery. Wilson is impressed, but House isn't.
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Wilson and House discuss Andie's bravery. Wilson is impressed, but House isn't.
   
They find a tumor in her [[lungs|lung]] and heart, growing along the heart wall. They start to repair it. However, they may have to remove too much of the heart to repair it, and the tumor may have [[metastasis|metastasized]]. During the surgery, the patient's eye starts [[bleeding]].
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They find a tumor in her [[lungs|lung]] and heart, growing along the heart wall. They begin to remove it but worry they they may have to remove too much of the heart to repair it, and the tumor may have [[metastasis|metastasized]]. During the surgery, Andie's eye starts [[bleeding]].
   
However, he heart tumor is benign, and the eye bleeding obviously isn't related to it, and neither are the hallucinations. House thinks it might be a blood [[clot]] in her brain, thrown off by the heart tumor. They start looking for it. However, the angiogram is clean - there is a clot but they can't find it.
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The heart tumor turns out to be benign, and the eye bleeding obviously isn't related to it, and neither are the hallucinations. House thinks it might be a blood [[clot]] in her brain, a consequence of the heart tumor. They start looking for it. The angiogram is clean - if there is a clot, they can't find it.
   
They can't do exploratory surgery on the brain, and they know the clot could cause death at any time.
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They can't do exploratory surgery on the brain, and they know a clot could cause death at any time.
   
House wonders how the patient will be when Wilson tells her she's going to die. An enraged Wilson tells House to go to Hell before storming off.
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House wonders how brave Andie will be when Wilson tells her she's going to die. Wilson tells House to go to hell before storming off.
   
Wilson goes to tell the patient she will die. [[Pam|Her mother]] is more upset than she is. House wonders if the patient's bravery shows some form of brain damage which may be affecting her ability to feel fear. Foreman feels the only way they can find the clot is at the [[autopsy (procedure)|autopsy]]. However, this gives House an idea.
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Wilson goes to tell Andie she will die. [[Pam|Her mother]] is more upset than she is. House wonders if Andie's bravery is a symptom of some form of brain damage which may be affecting her ability to feel fear. Foreman feels the only way they will find the clot is at the [[autopsy (procedure)|autopsy]]. This gives House an idea.
   
House asks Cuddy if he can induce a hypothermic [[cardiac arrest]], drain half the patient's blood and re-infuse the blood to look for the clot with a portable MRI. Despite the risks, Cuddy agrees. Wilson goes to get consent from the mother. House learns that Wilson hasn't told the patient the risks, and surmises that perhaps the patient's bravery is from not knowing what is going on. House goes to talk to her about the risks of the procedure and how long she has to live even if they are successful. The patient doesn't want to die despite the fact that the treatment for her cancer will be painful because her mother needs her and she loves her.
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House asks Cuddy if he can induce a hypothermic [[cardiac arrest]], drain half the patient's blood and re-infuse it to look for the clot with a portable MRI. Despite the risks and lack of FDA approval, Cuddy agrees. Wilson goes to get consent from the mother. House learns that Wilson hasn't told Andie the risks, and surmises that perhaps Andie's bravery is from not knowing what is going on. House goes to talk to her about the risks of the procedure and how long she has to live even if they are successful. Andie doesn't want to die despite the fact that the treatment for her cancer will be painful, because her mother needs her and she loves her.
   
A large surgical team tests the procedure on a [[Marty Randolph|corpse]] several times. They need to complete the procedure within one minute without bumping the body to get useful results. They finally find a solution to keep the blood lines from being moved - bolting them to the table. They start the procedure on the patient with a full house watching from the observation room. They cool her body temperature down to 21C (70F), sending her into [[atrial fibrillation]]. They then drain her blood and re-infuse it. Just after the end of the sixty seconds, [[Eric Foreman|Foreman]] spots a slowdown in blood flow in the [[hippocampus]]. With no time remaining, they start warming her up again. They restart her heart and start surgery. They find the clot where Foreman saw it. The patient recovers, and is still brave. Wilson points out that the bravery obviously wasn't a symptom as the clot wasn't in her [[amygdyla]]. House admits he was wrong, but still isn't impressed. Wilson points out that the patient enjoys life more than House does, and could actually outlive him. The patient leaves the hospital after giving House a hug and then invites him for a walk.
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A large surgical team tests the procedure on a [[Morty Randolph|corpse]] several times. To get useful results they need to complete the procedure within one minute without bumping the body. After numerous failures during the trial runs which would result in Andie's death if occurring during the actual operation, they finally find a solution to keep the blood lines from being moved: bolting them to the table. They start the procedure on the patient with a full house watching from the observation room. They cool her body temperature down to 21C (70F), sending her into [[atrial fibrillation]]. They then drain her blood and re-infuse it. Just after the end of the sixty seconds, [[Eric Foreman|Foreman]] spots a slowdown in blood flow in the [[hippocampus]]. With no time remaining, they start warming her up again. They restart her heart and begin the surgery. After a few tense moments while the surgeon is unable to find anything, they find the clot where Foreman saw it. Andie recovers, and is still brave. Wilson points out that the bravery obviously wasn't a symptom, as the clot was nowhere near her [[Amygdala|amygdala]], the part of the brain regulating emotions. House admits he was wrong, but still isn't impressed. Wilson points out that Andie enjoys life more than House does, and could actually outlive him. Andie leaves the hospital after giving House a hug and then invites him for a walk. He tells her he's not much on walks in the park.
   
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But while going home, House stops by a motorcycle dealership, and takes one of the bikes out on an exciting run through beautiful countryside.
House goes to test drive a motorcycle.
 
   
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== Awards ==
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This is one of the most honored episodes of the series:
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*[[Lawrence Kaplow]] won the Writers Guild of America award for Episodic Drama for this episode
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*The episode won a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television Short Form—Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement
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*The episode was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera series
 
== Clinic Patient ==
 
== Clinic Patient ==
 
[[Brad|The patient]] requests a male doctor. House comes in and sees blood in the patient’s groin. He tried to [[circumcision|circumcize]] himself with some box cutters when his girlfriend reacted poorly to his uncircumcised penis. House sends him to a [[plastic surgeon]].
 
[[Brad|The patient]] requests a male doctor. House comes in and sees blood in the patient’s groin. He tried to [[circumcision|circumcize]] himself with some box cutters when his girlfriend reacted poorly to his uncircumcised penis. House sends him to a [[plastic surgeon]].
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==Zebra Factor 1/10==
 
==Zebra Factor 1/10==
 
Clots are a common complication of many forms of cancer.
 
Clots are a common complication of many forms of cancer.
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==Title==
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The page [[Autopsy (procedure)|Autopsy]], on the procedure known as an autopsy, details what an autopsy is.
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==Reviews==
 
==Reviews==
 
*IMDB users rated the episode an outstanding 9.2, with 54.6% of users rating it a 10.
 
*IMDB users rated the episode an outstanding 9.2, with 54.6% of users rating it a 10.
 
*TV.com users rated the episode a 9.0. Sasha Pieterse was voted the episode's most valuable performer.
 
*TV.com users rated the episode a 9.0. Sasha Pieterse was voted the episode's most valuable performer.
 
*Unified Theory of Nothing Much gave the episode a positive review, but described it largely as a roller coaster ride that had him crying just after laughing. He found it a more gripping episode than [[Acceptance]] depsite a more subdued tone.
 
*Unified Theory of Nothing Much gave the episode a positive review, but described it largely as a roller coaster ride that had him crying just after laughing. He found it a more gripping episode than [[Acceptance]] depsite a more subdued tone.
*Conversely, Polite Dissent gave the episode a negative review with bad medicine and no soap opera plot, as well as creating several false dilemmas for the characters.  He also thought he writers tried to hard to appeal to the emotions of the audience. He rated the mystery a C, the medicine a D- and the overall plot a C-.
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*Conversely, Polite Dissent gave the episode a negative review with bad medicine and no soap opera plot, as well as creating several false dilemmas for the characters.  He also thought the writers tried to hard to appeal to the emotions of the audience. He rated the mystery a C, the medicine a D- and the overall plot a C-.
   
 
==Trivia & Cultural References==
 
==Trivia & Cultural References==
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda] or “The Base“ is a militant terrorist group.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda] or “The Base“ is a militant terrorist group.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo,_New_York Buffalo] is the second largest city in New York State and sits on the border with Canada.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo,_New_York Buffalo] is the second largest city in New York State and sits on the border with Canada.
*Chase's age is given as 30, but in an earlier episode, it was given as 26. Jesse Spencer was 26 at the time the episode was released.
 
 
*We don't see House take [[vicodin]] in this episode, but he does admit taking some after Andie's mom approves the procedure, along with other medications for his hay fever.
 
*We don't see House take [[vicodin]] in this episode, but he does admit taking some after Andie's mom approves the procedure, along with other medications for his hay fever.
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*House uses an English variation of the hospital's motto "''Omnes te moriturum amant''" when talking about Andie (If you're dying, suddenly everybody loves you).
*House uses a lot of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish_language Yiddish]
 
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*House uses a lot of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish_language Yiddish]. "Rivkah" is the modern Hebrew for "Rebecca". "Gemutlich" is "comfortable" or "friendly" - a borrow from German. "Shanda" is used to express shame, particularly when Jews are embarrased before non-Jews.  Roughly, he's saying that the clinic patient is ashamed he's not [[circumcision|circumcised]] and wanted to go through with it to make his girlfriend happy.
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham Abraham] is one of the key figures in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In all three religions, he makes the original covenant with God and is often considered to the forefather of the Jewish and Arab peoples.
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*House is right that prostitutes do not kiss their clients on the mouth. It's not an intimacy problem —they just want to avoid catching a [[common cold|cold]], [[influenza]], [[Mononucleosis|mononucleosis]] or other diseases that are transmitted in that manner.
 
*This is the first episode where it appears that House and Wilson's offices are joined by a balcony.  This connecting balcony doesn't appear in the previous episodes, but the characters act like it has always been there.
 
*This is the first episode where it appears that House and Wilson's offices are joined by a balcony.  This connecting balcony doesn't appear in the previous episodes, but the characters act like it has always been there.
 
*House test drives a Aprilia 1000cc RSV Mille.  However, this isn't [[House's Motorcycle]], which is a Honda CBR1000RR
 
*House test drives a Aprilia 1000cc RSV Mille.  However, this isn't [[House's Motorcycle]], which is a Honda CBR1000RR
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_(Manhattan) Broadway] is the only street that runs the length of the island of Manhattan.  It is synonymous with live theatre.
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*"A five-six-seven-eight" is taken from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chorus_Line A Chorus Line], which is also referenced in [[The Down Low]]
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_(musical) Cats] is another Broadway musical.
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines,_Iowa Des Moines] is the capital and largest city in the state of Iowa.
 
===Nessun dorma===
 
===Nessun dorma===
The aria House plays in the shower in order to try out the acoustics before listening to Andie's heart beat is from ''Turandot ''by Puccini.  The plot of the episode mirrors that of Turdandot in several respects (see the link at the House M.D. Guide, below).
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The aria House plays in the shower in order to try out the acoustics before listening to Andie's heart beat is ''[[wikipedia:Nessun dorma|Nessun dorma]]'' from ''Turandot'' by Puccini. ''Nessun dorma'' is a very familiar piece, and many critics stated that they expected the show to use something a little more obscure. That initially appeared to be a fair statement as the show is well known for it's eclectic and varied choice of music. The other music in the episode is a bit more daring – a song by [[Kathleen York]] (who would go on to guest star in [[Season 4]]) and a special cover by Hugh Laurie's friend [[Elvis Costello]] recorded especially for the episode. However, it the plot of the episode parallels the plot of ''Turandot'' in several important respects (see the link at the House M.D. Guide, below) and the choice of ''Nessun dorma'' was to punctuate the similarities. For example:
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[[File:Pavarotti "nessun dorma"|thumb|Nessun dorma]]
*Like the Prince in the opera, House must answer three questions to get to the princess (in his case, why does she have low oxygen levels, where does the clot come from, and why is she so brave).  In all three cases, the answer is "the heart".
 
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*Like the Prince in the opera, House must answer three questions to get to the princess (in his case, why does she have low oxygen levels, where does the clot come from, and why is she so brave). In all three cases, the answer is "the heart".
 
*Turandot herself is seen as cold, and to find the final answer, Andie's body temperature has to be artificially lowered.
 
*Turandot herself is seen as cold, and to find the final answer, Andie's body temperature has to be artificially lowered.
 
*Turandot has numerous suitors, and Andie is universally loved as well.
 
*Turandot has numerous suitors, and Andie is universally loved as well.
*House complains he can't sleep because of his hay fever, and "nessum dorma" translates as "none shall sleep".
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*House complains he can't sleep because of his hay fever, and "nessun dorma" translates as "none shall sleep".
 
*Turandot features beheadings of the unsuccessful suitors, and the clinic patient tries to remove the head of his penis to please his girlfriend.
 
*Turandot features beheadings of the unsuccessful suitors, and the clinic patient tries to remove the head of his penis to please his girlfriend.
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*The Prince brags that his kiss will make Turandot his, and Andie steals a kiss from Chase.
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*The Prince brags that a secret is hidden with him, and Andie has a clot hidden inside her brain.
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==Subsequent references==
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This is a key episode in many respects as the events within it have continuing impacts throughout the series.
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*This is the episode where House starts riding a motorcycle.  He regularly starts driving one after this episode.
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*Both Cameron and Foreman choose this case as the subject for a paper they hope to publish. Foreman is aware of Cameron's paper because she asks for input, but Foreman keeps his article secret from her.  However, Cameron asks House to read her paper before approving it, while Foreman merely asks House to sign it without reading it.  Taking the easier course, House approves Foreman's paper and it gets published in a prestigious journal.  The incident forms a mini arc between [[Sleeping Dogs Lie]] and [[Euphoria (Part 2)]]
   
 
==Goofs==
 
==Goofs==
 
*At the beginning of the episode, Andie is seemingly injecting herself with an empty syringe.
 
*At the beginning of the episode, Andie is seemingly injecting herself with an empty syringe.
*House said he took 1,000mg of [[Benadryl]]. That's forty 25mg capsules. That much would likely result in [[tachycardia]], irregular heart rhythm and likely death.
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*House said he took 1,000mg of [[Benadryl]]. That's forty 25mg capsules. That much would likely result in delirium, [[tachycardia]], irregular heart rhythm and likely death.
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*Chase's age is given as 30, but in an earlier episode, it was given as 26. Jesse Spencer was 26 at the time the episode was released.
*When House casually tosses his iPod into a chair, he's being far too rough with it.  A shock of that nature would most likely damage the internal hard drive.  In addition, he uses the iPod incorrectly. To change from ''Nessun dorma ''to Andie's heartbeat on that model, he should hit the "track change" button above the scroll wheel.  Instead, he rotates the thumb counterclockwise, which would lower the volume. 
 
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*When House casually tosses his iPod into a chair, he's being far too rough with it.  A shock of that nature would most likely damage the internal hard drive. 
*During the procedure, they're using an MRI in a room with metal clamps.
 
  +
*House uses the iPod incorrectly. To change from ''Nessun dorma ''to Andie's heartbeat on that model of iPod, he should hit the "track change" button above the scroll wheel.  Instead, he rotates the thumb counterclockwise, which would lower the volume. 
  +
*During the procedure, they're using an MRI in a room with metal clamps. However, an MRI would only affect ferromagnetic metals. If the clamps, for an example, were copper, it would not be a problem.
 
*The motorcycle House rides at the end of the episode is an Aprilia RSV1000 V-Twin, but the motorcycle sounds are from an inline 4.
 
*The motorcycle House rides at the end of the episode is an Aprilia RSV1000 V-Twin, but the motorcycle sounds are from an inline 4.
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*At the end of the episode, when House snorts the diphenhydramine, the same amount is there after he snorts it as before.
   
 
==Music==
 
==Music==
*''In The Deep''performed by [[Kathleen York]]
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*''In The Deep'', during the operation, performed by [[Kathleen York]]
*''Beautiful, ''performed by Christina Aguilera at the beginning and [[Elvis Costello]] at the end.
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*''Beautiful, ''performed by Christina Aguilera with Sasha Pieterse singing along at the beginning and [[Elvis Costello]] in a version specially commissioned for the episode at the end.
*''Nessun dorma ''(None shall sleep) from the opera ''Turandot''
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*''Nessun dorma ''(None shall sleep) from the opera ''Turandot''performed by Bruce Sledge
   
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
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  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''And *you* stay away from the patient.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Allison Cameron: '''What'd I do?''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Oh well, you'd just get all warm and cuddly around the dying girl and insinuate yourself; end up in a custody battle.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Robert Chase: '''If she's never kissed a boy, it's a fair bet she's never had sex.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Tell that to all the hookers who won't kiss me on the mouth.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''We've got a patient who for no obvious reason is hallucinating. Since it's not obvious, I thought we'd go with subtle.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Allison Cameron: '''It doesn't matter. If her SAT percentage is off, that means her blood isn't getting enough oxygen; that's a problem with her lungs, not her heart.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Eric Foreman: '''And a lung problem isn't causing hallucinations.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Robert Chase: '''But the lungs could lead us somewhere that is.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Welcome to the end of the thought process.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''I'm taking a sick day.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Lisa Cuddy: '''Take some Claritin.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Everyone's a doctor suddenly.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Cancer doesn't make you special.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''[referring to the lid of a pill bottle] I loosened it.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. James Wilson: '''I opened it!''<br/>
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'''''Dr. James Wilson: '''We can't do exploratory surgery on her brain.''<br/>
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'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Are you sure you're not a neurologist?''<br/>
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  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''She's a rock.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Allison Cameron: '''She's brave.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Yeah, yeah, yeah...''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''These cancer kids, you can't put them *all* on a pedestal. It's basic statistics. Some of them have gotta be whiney little fraidy-cats.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. James Wilson: '''Terminal kid trumps your stuffy nose.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Oxygen saturation is 94%, check her heart.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Eric Foreman: '''Her oxygen saturation is normal.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''It's off by one percentage point.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Eric Foreman: '''Within range. It's normal.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''If her DNA was off by one percentage point, she'd be a dolphin.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''[Smugly] You did it, didn't you?''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Robert Chase: '''It... it wasn't sick. It was just one kiss. One kiss for a dying girl.'' [Cameron puts her hands over her mouth and gets a disgusted look on her face. Foreman turns away in disgust]<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Robert Chase: '''One kiss. Thank you. Thanks.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Gregory House: '''Nobody wants to die. But you are going to.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Wilson: '''What's the theory here? This girl's body's a lemon? Faulty manufacturing? Everything's falling apart?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''The tumor is Afghanistan, the clot is Buffalo. Does that need more explanation? Ok the tumor is Al Qaeda. Big bad guy with brains. We went in and wiped it out but it had already sent out a splinter cell; a small team of low level terrorists quietly living in some suburb of Buffalo, waiting to kill us all.''<br/>
  +
'''''Foreman: '''Whoa, whoa, you're trying to say that the tumor threw a clot before we removed it.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''It was an excellent metaphor. Angio her brain for this clot before it straps on an explosive vest.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''I want to induce a hypothermic cardiac arrest. Once the patient's on bypass we siphon off two liters of blood then perfuse the brain while she's in an MRI.''<br/>
  +
'''''Cuddy: '''You're actually talking about killing her.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Just for a little while, I'll bring her right back.''<br/>
  +
'''''Cuddy: '''Oh, well, in that case go ahead. Why are even talking?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''If we do nothing she's dead in a day, maybe a week; the kind that lasts.''<br/>
  +
'''''Cuddy: '''We need FDA approval for any surgical technique used for diagnostic purposes.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Absolutely. If we were doing anything invasive; but there's nothing invasive.... You know, I'm not cutting into her head I'm just looking for a clot.''<br/>
  +
'''''Cuddy: '''Not invasive? You're killing her.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Don't split hairs. If it works she lives.'''<br/>
  +
'''''Cuddy: '''Make sure the mom understands that this is a million to one shot.'''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''I'll see that Wilson passes that along.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Thank you for joining me for tonight's dress rehearsal. Playing the part of Andie is Morty Randolph. For his donation to science we give our thanks. Once Andie is cool and goes off bypass we have 60 seconds to get two liters of blood out of her body and back into her for the pictures to find the clot in her head. If our star is bumped tomorrow while... MRI is on, these red lights will go off which will mean we have no useable test results. No test results; it's goodbye Broadway. You guys will be wearing bad cat suits in Des Moines. Neurosurgeons here, with a view of the monitors. Cardiac surgeon there, in case we need to open her up. Anesthesiologists, one by the cardiac bypass machine, one by the cooling apparatus. Girls in the chorus if you're over 5' 10 stick with me. Okay give me 60 seconds on the clock. Showtime. A five, six, seven, eight... siphon off the blood through the arterial line WHOOSH, sound of blood draining. More whoosh. Glug, glug, glug and we... [Red lights go off] Kill her. Again. [And there are Red lights again] ...How hard can this be? {after continually setting off the alarms---]''<br/>
  +
'''''Foreman: '''We could bolt her to the table.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Gruesome and low tech. Kiss me I love it. A five, six, seven, eight...''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Wilson: '''So... the little kid dying of cancer; I shouldn't like her?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''If you're dying, suddenly everyone loves you.''<br/>
  +
'''''Wilson: '''You have a cane; nobody even likes you.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''I'm not terminal; merely pathetic. You wouldn't believe the crap people let me get away with.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Well the clot's not gonna go away quietly; it could go at any time. Are you going to let them know?''<br/>
  +
'''''Wilson: '''I guess so.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Can I come with?''<br/>
  +
'''''Wilson: '''To tell Andie she's going to die? That's very un-you.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''She's such a brave girl. I want to see how brave she is when you tell her she's going to die.''<br/>
  +
'''''Wilson: '''...Go to hell.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''It's not lupus. Well, not everyone can operate a zipper. Up, down, what comes next?''<br/>
  +
'''''Patient: '''My new girlfriend ... never been with a guy who wasn't circumcised. So she freaked, and ...''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Aha, and you wanted Rivkah to feel all gemutlicht. I get it. It’s a shandah.''<br/>
  +
'''''Patient: '''I got some boxcutters. And, um ...''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Just like Abraham did it.''<br/>
  +
'''''Patient: '''I sterilized them, which I was told you're supposed to ...''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Stop talking. I'm going to get a plastic surgeon. To get the Twinkie back in the wrapper.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''You're treating your stuffy nose with cocaine.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Diphenhydramine. Antihistamine. New delivery system. It's a blood-brain barrier thing.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''It's all about speed, isn't it? One thing to another, never standing still. You're pretty good at that.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''I know my way around a razor blade.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Bagels. (drops a bag of bagels on the table)''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Foreman: '''You didn't sleep in.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Didn't sleep, didn't breathe. I'm dying.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Union rules. I can't check out this guy's seeping gonorrhea this close to lunch.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Cuddy: '''Exam Room One.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Well, it's sexist, and a very dangerous precedent. If people could choose the sex of their doctors, you gals would be out of business.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Cuddy: '''Exam Room One!''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Idolizing is pathological with you people. You see things to admire where there's nothing.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''Yeah, well, we're evil.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''True. Cardiac tumor was benign.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''That's impossible.'''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Statistically...''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''Oh shut up. If the tumor's benign that means it did not cause her hallucinations.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''That's why I'm mentioning it.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''So the tumor is a coincidence.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''This is bad--you're starting to state the obvious.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Foreman: '''That CT shows no meningial involvement.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''True. Get a tox screen and MRI.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Foreman: '''We can do that if you want to ignore what we just discussed.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Sounds good.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''What's your problem?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''These cancer kids. Can't put them all on a pedestal. It's basic statistics. Some of them have got to be whiney little fraidy cats.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''You're unbelievable!''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''If there's not one yellow-belly in the whole group then being brave doesn't have any meaning.''
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Chase, I want you there. I don't like reading surgeon's reports. They're boring.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Chase: '''I'm not really sure I should be spending more time with her.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''She'll be unconscious. You'll be safe.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Chase: '''She's had one hallucination. Why are we operating on her? Why are we risking her life?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Because Wilson thinks it would be nice to give the girl a year to say goodbye to her mommy. I guess maybe she stutters or something.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Foreman: '''What are we trying to hear?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''A tumor.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Chase: '''They tend to keep quiet on account of them not having any mouths.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Chase: '''If it were me, I'd just stay home and watch TV or something and not lie here under a microscope.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Don't worry. If anything happens to you, nobody's gonna lift a finger.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''And not that it matters, but if you fix whatever's going on in her head, you give her maybe another year. Long time for a nine-year-old.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''No. It'll just fly by.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''That's exactly why you can't touch my markers!''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''I'm not going to kiss you, no matter what you say.''<br/>
  +
'''''Andie: '''It's sunny outside. You should go for a walk.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Not much for the long walks in the park. Git.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''She enjoys life more than you do.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Right.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''She stole that kiss from Chase. What have you done lately?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''I'm pacing myself. Unlike her, I have the luxury of time.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''She could outlive you.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Genuinely is a self-sacrificing saint, whose life will bring her nothing but pain, which she will stoically withstand, just so that her mom doesn't have to cry quite so soon. I am beside myself with joy.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Andie: '''Lot of people.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Big musical number, kiddo. Lot of people here to make you look good.''<br/>
  +
'''''Andie: '''You're kinda freaking me out.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Chase: '''He gets that sometimes.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Cameron: '''Whoa, you're letting me touch the markers?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''It's written down in my advanced health care directive. Should I be incapacitated in any way you run the board, then Foreman. Chase, you're just not ready yet.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''Hayfever?''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''You must be a doctor at everything.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Differential diagnosis. On your marks, get set...''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Foreman: '''Hallucinations could be caused by...''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Whoa whoa whoa! Wait for it. And…go.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''What the hell is this?!?''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Cameron: '''Black walnut and ginger.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''It's nice.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''I should have been out of here 20 minutes ago.''<br/>
  +
'''''Nurse Brenda: '''You got here 20 minutes ago.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''House: '''Cancer doesn't make you special. Molestation, on the other hand...''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''...with a patient.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Is she dying?''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Wilson: '''No.''<br/>
  +
'''''House: '''Then she can wait.''<br/>
  +
  +
'''''Clinic Nurse: '''The patient in exam room 1 asked for a male doctor.''<br/>
  +
'''''Dr. Cuddy: '''(to House) The balls are in your court.''<br/>
   
 
==Cast==
 
==Cast==
Line 107: Line 321:
 
*[[Robert Sean Leonard]] as [[James Wilson]]
 
*[[Robert Sean Leonard]] as [[James Wilson]]
 
*[[Jennifer Morrison]] as [[Allison Cameron]]
 
*[[Jennifer Morrison]] as [[Allison Cameron]]
*[[Jesse Spencer|Jesse Spencer&nbsp;as]] [[Robert Chase]]
+
*[[Jesse Spencer]] as [[Robert Chase]]
*[[Sasha Pieterse|Sasha Pieterse&nbsp;as]] [[Andie]]
+
*[[Sasha Pieterse]] as [[Andie]]
 
*[[Jewel Christian]] as [[Pam (mother)|Pam]]
 
*[[Jewel Christian]] as [[Pam (mother)|Pam]]
 
*[[Randall Park]] as [[Brad]]
 
*[[Randall Park]] as [[Brad]]
*[[Stephanie Venditto|Stephanie Venditto&nbsp;as]] [[Brenda Previn]]
+
*[[Stephanie Venditto]] as [[Brenda Previn]]
 
*[[Eamon Hunt]] as [[Neurosurgeon One]]
 
*[[Eamon Hunt]] as [[Neurosurgeon One]]
*[[William Jones|William Jones&nbsp;as]] [[Dr. Murphy]]
+
*[[William Jones]] as [[Dr. Murphy]]
 
*[[Hira Ambrosino]] as [[Dr. Chen]]
 
*[[Hira Ambrosino]] as [[Dr. Chen]]
 
*[[Gwen Holloway]] as [[Neurosurgeon Two]]
 
*[[Gwen Holloway]] as [[Neurosurgeon Two]]
 
*[[Jonathan Fraser]] as [[Motorbike Salesman]]
 
*[[Jonathan Fraser]] as [[Motorbike Salesman]]
 
*[[Nicole Prochnow]] as [[Nurse (Autopsy)|Nurse]]
 
*[[Nicole Prochnow]] as [[Nurse (Autopsy)|Nurse]]
  +
 
==Release Dates==
 
==Release Dates==
 
*United States - September 20, 2005 on Fox
 
*United States - September 20, 2005 on Fox
Line 130: Line 345:
   
 
==In Other Languages==
 
==In Other Languages==
  +
*France and Quebec - ''Leçon d'espoir ''(Eng. Lesson of Hope)
  +
*Spanish - ''Autopsia ''(Eng. Autopsy)
  +
*German - ''Autopsie ''(Eng. Autopsy)
   
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
Line 144: Line 362:
 
*[http://www.scribd.com/doc/77017012/Managerial-Style-in-House-MD-S02E02-Autopsy Lesson plan on management styles based on events in the episode]
 
*[http://www.scribd.com/doc/77017012/Managerial-Style-in-House-MD-S02E02-Autopsy Lesson plan on management styles based on events in the episode]
 
*[http://www.tv.com/shows/house/autopsy-467768/ Episode page at TV.com]
 
*[http://www.tv.com/shows/house/autopsy-467768/ Episode page at TV.com]
  +
*[http://clinic-duty.livejournal.com/6272.html Episode transcript at Clinic Duty]
   
 
==Video==
 
==Video==
  +
[[File:House M.D tribute to Beautiful|thumb|left|335 px|Clips from the episode]]
   
  +
<!--this goes at the bottom of the article-->
 
  +
  +
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  +
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  +
[[File:Autopsy, House MD best quote.|thumb|left|335 px|The quote!]]<!--this goes at the bottom of the article-->
  +
{{Template:Featured articles
  +
|previous month = February
  +
|previous year = 2014
  +
|current month = March
  +
|current year = 2014
  +
|next month = April
  +
|next year = 2014
  +
|previous article = The Down Low
  +
|next article = Love is Blind}}
 
{{episodes|previous=Acceptance|next=Humpty Dumpty}}
 
{{episodes|previous=Acceptance|next=Humpty Dumpty}}
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'''''This article was the featured article for March, 2014'''''
   
 
[[de:Autopsie]]
 
[[de:Autopsie]]
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[[Category:Award Winners]]
 
[[Category:Award Winners]]
 
[[Category:Zebra Factor 1]]
 
[[Category:Zebra Factor 1]]
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[[Category:Featured articles]]

Revision as of 22:35, 26 November 2019

Season Two Episodes:

  1. Acceptance
  2. Autopsy
  3. Humpty Dumpty
  4. TB or Not TB
  5. Daddy's Boy
  6. Spin
  7. Hunting
  8. The Mistake
  9. Deception
  10. Failure to Communicate
  11. Need to Know
  12. Distractions
  13. Skin Deep
  14. Sex Kills
  15. Clueless
  16. Safe
  17. All In
  18. Sleeping Dogs Lie
  19. House vs. God
  20. Euphoria (Part 1)
  21. Euphoria (Part 2)
  22. Forever
  23. Who's Your Daddy?
  24. No Reason

Episodes12345678

This article is about the episode. For the procedure see Autopsy (procedure)

House: "Is it still illegal to perform an autopsy on a living person?"
Cuddy: "Are you high?"
―Autopsy

Autopsy is a 2nd season episode of House which first aired on September 20, 2005. A nine year old with terminal cancer who is hallucinating comes to the hospital. House thinks her bravery in the face of imminent death is actually a symptom of her condition. Meanwhile, House tries to get over his hay fever and test drives a motorcycle.

In one of the most honored episodes of the series, the team deals with a young terminal cancer patient who, if they are lucky, will live another year with successful treatment. The different members of the team each express their views on what many may see as a pointless exercise. However, the decision for House appears to be easy—he's not really concerned about the outcome, only his puzzle.

However, as he gets closer to the truth, we see in Andie another part of House—the part that is always balancing the pain of continuing with life against the somewhat lesser pain of ending it. Each in their own way, House and Andie are desperately hanging on to life and making the best of it, House in spite of his disability and Andie in spite of her illness. When House talks to Andie about whether she really wants to go through with a dangerous procedure, we can really see that he is assessing his own choice to continue life in pain against the release of death. In contrast, on the outside Andie seems fine with taking the risk she is about to face, but we can also see that deep down, she too is wondering whether she is making the right choice.

However, as Wilson points out to House, the fact that we all come with an expiry date is no reason not to enjoy life. Andie is truly happy with singing, school, family and thinking about boys despite her baldness and intense drug regimen. House, despite the fact that he clearly has as many years ahead of him as he is willing to bear, is miserable despite having his dream job and being one of the most famous doctors on the planet. However, despite himself, Andie does have an effect on House and he tries to enjoy life more and even finds a little more joy by the end of the episode.

This investigation of the choice between a miserable life and death is explored in many future episodes, and dominates the character development of Thirteen later in the series. From Kutner to Darrien, many characters make that choice and, when the doctors have the chance, make sure the patients choose life.

On the other hand, this episode contains very little character development and, despite the fact that events in the episode have an effect on future episodes, it doesn't really advance any story arcs. For example, Stacy Warner is conspicuously absent and even Lisa Cuddy has a secondary role. Many of the characters seem to merely be there to express ethical reservations about performing such complicated procedures on a terminal patient. Poor Jesse Spencer is once again cast at the naysayer and "jerk" who has to point out the ultimate futility of their endeavors. Robert Sean Leonard also appears to portray Wilson as a person who rationalizes their efforts by pointing out that twelve months is a significant period of time for a young person. However, the writers seem to have forgotten that Wilson is usually portrayed as the conscience of the group, a task that in this episode appears to fall, rather clumsily, to House. When House has to point out an ethical dilemma, it's usually because the other characters are blinded by self-interest, not misplaced compassion.

Recap

Andie, a 9 year old terminal cancer patient, is happily singing and dancing at home while preparing for the day ahead. She suddenly has a seizure and hallucinations and is found by her worried mother.

House comes to work with hay fever and has decided to take a sick day, but Wilson intercepts him with details about the patient. House in intrigued by the hallucinations when he finds out her cancer is in remission, and there is no cancer in her brain. He agrees to take the case.

The team is reviewing the patient's medical history, which contains a long line of treatment. They can't come up with a reason for the hallucinations. House orders a tox screen and an MRI. He tells Cameron not to get attached to the patient.

Chase takes Andie to the MRI. Andie is very familiar with all the technology and procedures. The MRI and tox screen are clear. House excuses himself to go home and orders them to run a lot of tests.

Chase gets ready to perform an angiogram. Andie asks him to kiss her because she has never kissed a boy, and fears she may have missed her chance. Chase reluctantly does so.

House comes in the next morning, not having slept. All the new tests are negative. Foreman suggests it might be syphilis from involuntary sex. Chase argues against this theory, and tells them that Andie has never even kissed a boy. He backs this up by telling the team that she asked him to kiss her. House thinks that she is being manipulative and that she did get Chase to kiss her. However, Andie denies ever having had sex and Cameron's examination confirms it.

House interrupts Wilson to tell him that they have no idea what is wrong with Andie. House is still convinced that there are other problems they haven't discovered yet. He thinks she may have a heart tumor because of the low oxygen saturation. That would mean she has two different cancers - a statistical unlikelihood. Wilson is skeptical and won't let House do exploratory surgery.

Citing better acoustics, House meets his team in the locker room so they can listen to recordings of Andie's heart for auditory irregularities which may indicate the presence of a tumor. Cameron hears an extra flap in her mitral valve. House orders surgery to look at it.

Wilson and House discuss Andie's bravery. Wilson is impressed, but House isn't.

They find a tumor in her lung and heart, growing along the heart wall. They begin to remove it but worry they they may have to remove too much of the heart to repair it, and the tumor may have metastasized. During the surgery, Andie's eye starts bleeding.

The heart tumor turns out to be benign, and the eye bleeding obviously isn't related to it, and neither are the hallucinations. House thinks it might be a blood clot in her brain, a consequence of the heart tumor. They start looking for it. The angiogram is clean - if there is a clot, they can't find it.

They can't do exploratory surgery on the brain, and they know a clot could cause death at any time.

House wonders how brave Andie will be when Wilson tells her she's going to die. Wilson tells House to go to hell before storming off.

Wilson goes to tell Andie she will die. Her mother is more upset than she is. House wonders if Andie's bravery is a symptom of some form of brain damage which may be affecting her ability to feel fear. Foreman feels the only way they will find the clot is at the autopsy. This gives House an idea.

House asks Cuddy if he can induce a hypothermic cardiac arrest, drain half the patient's blood and re-infuse it to look for the clot with a portable MRI. Despite the risks and lack of FDA approval, Cuddy agrees. Wilson goes to get consent from the mother. House learns that Wilson hasn't told Andie the risks, and surmises that perhaps Andie's bravery is from not knowing what is going on. House goes to talk to her about the risks of the procedure and how long she has to live even if they are successful. Andie doesn't want to die despite the fact that the treatment for her cancer will be painful, because her mother needs her and she loves her.

A large surgical team tests the procedure on a corpse several times. To get useful results they need to complete the procedure within one minute without bumping the body. After numerous failures during the trial runs which would result in Andie's death if occurring during the actual operation, they finally find a solution to keep the blood lines from being moved: bolting them to the table. They start the procedure on the patient with a full house watching from the observation room. They cool her body temperature down to 21C (70F), sending her into atrial fibrillation. They then drain her blood and re-infuse it. Just after the end of the sixty seconds, Foreman spots a slowdown in blood flow in the hippocampus. With no time remaining, they start warming her up again. They restart her heart and begin the surgery. After a few tense moments while the surgeon is unable to find anything, they find the clot where Foreman saw it. Andie recovers, and is still brave. Wilson points out that the bravery obviously wasn't a symptom, as the clot was nowhere near her amygdala, the part of the brain regulating emotions. House admits he was wrong, but still isn't impressed. Wilson points out that Andie enjoys life more than House does, and could actually outlive him. Andie leaves the hospital after giving House a hug and then invites him for a walk. He tells her he's not much on walks in the park.

But while going home, House stops by a motorcycle dealership, and takes one of the bikes out on an exciting run through beautiful countryside.

Awards

This is one of the most honored episodes of the series:

  • Lawrence Kaplow won the Writers Guild of America award for Episodic Drama for this episode
  • The episode won a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television Short Form—Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement
  • The episode was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera series

Clinic Patient

The patient requests a male doctor. House comes in and sees blood in the patient’s groin. He tried to circumcize himself with some box cutters when his girlfriend reacted poorly to his uncircumcised penis. House sends him to a plastic surgeon.

Major Events

  • House starts riding motorcycles for the first time since his infarction.

Zebra Factor 1/10

Clots are a common complication of many forms of cancer.

Title

The page Autopsy, on the procedure known as an autopsy, details what an autopsy is.

Reviews

  • IMDB users rated the episode an outstanding 9.2, with 54.6% of users rating it a 10.
  • TV.com users rated the episode a 9.0. Sasha Pieterse was voted the episode's most valuable performer.
  • Unified Theory of Nothing Much gave the episode a positive review, but described it largely as a roller coaster ride that had him crying just after laughing. He found it a more gripping episode than Acceptance depsite a more subdued tone.
  • Conversely, Polite Dissent gave the episode a negative review with bad medicine and no soap opera plot, as well as creating several false dilemmas for the characters.  He also thought the writers tried to hard to appeal to the emotions of the audience. He rated the mystery a C, the medicine a D- and the overall plot a C-.

Trivia & Cultural References

  • Afghanistan is a country in central Asia with a population just less than that of California.
  • Al-Qaeda or “The Base“ is a militant terrorist group.
  • Buffalo is the second largest city in New York State and sits on the border with Canada.
  • We don't see House take vicodin in this episode, but he does admit taking some after Andie's mom approves the procedure, along with other medications for his hay fever.
  • House uses an English variation of the hospital's motto "Omnes te moriturum amant" when talking about Andie (If you're dying, suddenly everybody loves you).
  • House uses a lot of Yiddish. "Rivkah" is the modern Hebrew for "Rebecca". "Gemutlich" is "comfortable" or "friendly" - a borrow from German. "Shanda" is used to express shame, particularly when Jews are embarrased before non-Jews.  Roughly, he's saying that the clinic patient is ashamed he's not circumcised and wanted to go through with it to make his girlfriend happy.
  • Abraham is one of the key figures in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In all three religions, he makes the original covenant with God and is often considered to the forefather of the Jewish and Arab peoples.
  • House is right that prostitutes do not kiss their clients on the mouth. It's not an intimacy problem —they just want to avoid catching a coldinfluenzamononucleosis or other diseases that are transmitted in that manner.
  • This is the first episode where it appears that House and Wilson's offices are joined by a balcony.  This connecting balcony doesn't appear in the previous episodes, but the characters act like it has always been there.
  • House test drives a Aprilia 1000cc RSV Mille.  However, this isn't House's Motorcycle, which is a Honda CBR1000RR
  • Broadway is the only street that runs the length of the island of Manhattan.  It is synonymous with live theatre.
  • "A five-six-seven-eight" is taken from A Chorus Line, which is also referenced in The Down Low
  • Cats is another Broadway musical.
  • Des Moines is the capital and largest city in the state of Iowa.

Nessun dorma

The aria House plays in the shower in order to try out the acoustics before listening to Andie's heart beat is Nessun dorma from Turandot by Puccini. Nessun dorma is a very familiar piece, and many critics stated that they expected the show to use something a little more obscure. That initially appeared to be a fair statement as the show is well known for it's eclectic and varied choice of music. The other music in the episode is a bit more daring – a song by Kathleen York (who would go on to guest star in Season 4) and a special cover by Hugh Laurie's friend Elvis Costello recorded especially for the episode. However, it the plot of the episode parallels the plot of Turandot in several important respects (see the link at the House M.D. Guide, below) and the choice of Nessun dorma was to punctuate the similarities. For example:

Pavarotti_"nessun_dorma"

Pavarotti "nessun dorma"

Nessun dorma

  • Like the Prince in the opera, House must answer three questions to get to the princess (in his case, why does she have low oxygen levels, where does the clot come from, and why is she so brave). In all three cases, the answer is "the heart".
  • Turandot herself is seen as cold, and to find the final answer, Andie's body temperature has to be artificially lowered.
  • Turandot has numerous suitors, and Andie is universally loved as well.
  • House complains he can't sleep because of his hay fever, and "nessun dorma" translates as "none shall sleep".
  • Turandot features beheadings of the unsuccessful suitors, and the clinic patient tries to remove the head of his penis to please his girlfriend.
  • The Prince brags that his kiss will make Turandot his, and Andie steals a kiss from Chase.
  • The Prince brags that a secret is hidden with him, and Andie has a clot hidden inside her brain.

Subsequent references

This is a key episode in many respects as the events within it have continuing impacts throughout the series.

  • This is the episode where House starts riding a motorcycle.  He regularly starts driving one after this episode.
  • Both Cameron and Foreman choose this case as the subject for a paper they hope to publish. Foreman is aware of Cameron's paper because she asks for input, but Foreman keeps his article secret from her.  However, Cameron asks House to read her paper before approving it, while Foreman merely asks House to sign it without reading it.  Taking the easier course, House approves Foreman's paper and it gets published in a prestigious journal.  The incident forms a mini arc between Sleeping Dogs Lie and Euphoria (Part 2)

Goofs

  • At the beginning of the episode, Andie is seemingly injecting herself with an empty syringe.
  • House said he took 1,000mg of Benadryl. That's forty 25mg capsules. That much would likely result in delirium, tachycardia, irregular heart rhythm and likely death.
  • Chase's age is given as 30, but in an earlier episode, it was given as 26. Jesse Spencer was 26 at the time the episode was released.
  • When House casually tosses his iPod into a chair, he's being far too rough with it.  A shock of that nature would most likely damage the internal hard drive. 
  • House uses the iPod incorrectly. To change from Nessun dorma to Andie's heartbeat on that model of iPod, he should hit the "track change" button above the scroll wheel.  Instead, he rotates the thumb counterclockwise, which would lower the volume. 
  • During the procedure, they're using an MRI in a room with metal clamps. However, an MRI would only affect ferromagnetic metals. If the clamps, for an example, were copper, it would not be a problem.
  • The motorcycle House rides at the end of the episode is an Aprilia RSV1000 V-Twin, but the motorcycle sounds are from an inline 4.
  • At the end of the episode, when House snorts the diphenhydramine, the same amount is there after he snorts it as before.

Music

  • In The Deep, during the operation, performed by Kathleen York
  • Beautiful, performed by Christina Aguilera with Sasha Pieterse singing along at the beginning and Elvis Costello in a version specially commissioned for the episode at the end.
  • Nessun dorma (None shall sleep) from the opera Turandot, performed by Bruce Sledge

Quotes

Dr. Gregory House: And *you* stay away from the patient.
Dr. Allison Cameron: What'd I do?
Dr. Gregory House: Oh well, you'd just get all warm and cuddly around the dying girl and insinuate yourself; end up in a custody battle.

Dr. Robert Chase: If she's never kissed a boy, it's a fair bet she's never had sex.
Dr. Gregory House: Tell that to all the hookers who won't kiss me on the mouth.

Dr. Gregory House: We've got a patient who for no obvious reason is hallucinating. Since it's not obvious, I thought we'd go with subtle.
Dr. Allison Cameron: It doesn't matter. If her SAT percentage is off, that means her blood isn't getting enough oxygen; that's a problem with her lungs, not her heart.
Dr. Eric Foreman: And a lung problem isn't causing hallucinations.
Dr. Robert Chase: But the lungs could lead us somewhere that is.
Dr. Gregory House: Welcome to the end of the thought process.

Dr. Gregory House: I'm taking a sick day.
Dr. Lisa Cuddy: Take some Claritin.
Dr. Gregory House: Everyone's a doctor suddenly.

Dr. Gregory House: Cancer doesn't make you special.

Dr. Gregory House: [referring to the lid of a pill bottle] I loosened it.
Dr. James Wilson: I opened it!

Dr. James Wilson: We can't do exploratory surgery on her brain.
Dr. Gregory House: Are you sure you're not a neurologist?

Dr. Gregory House: She's a rock.
Dr. Allison Cameron: She's brave.
Dr. Gregory House: Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Dr. Gregory House: These cancer kids, you can't put them *all* on a pedestal. It's basic statistics. Some of them have gotta be whiney little fraidy-cats.

Dr. James Wilson: Terminal kid trumps your stuffy nose.

Dr. Gregory House: Oxygen saturation is 94%, check her heart.
Dr. Eric Foreman: Her oxygen saturation is normal.
Dr. Gregory House: It's off by one percentage point.
Dr. Eric Foreman: Within range. It's normal.
Dr. Gregory House: If her DNA was off by one percentage point, she'd be a dolphin.

Dr. Gregory House: [Smugly] You did it, didn't you?
Dr. Robert Chase: It... it wasn't sick. It was just one kiss. One kiss for a dying girl. [Cameron puts her hands over her mouth and gets a disgusted look on her face. Foreman turns away in disgust]
Dr. Robert Chase: One kiss. Thank you. Thanks.

Dr. Gregory House: Nobody wants to die. But you are going to.

Wilson: What's the theory here? This girl's body's a lemon? Faulty manufacturing? Everything's falling apart?
House: The tumor is Afghanistan, the clot is Buffalo. Does that need more explanation? Ok the tumor is Al Qaeda. Big bad guy with brains. We went in and wiped it out but it had already sent out a splinter cell; a small team of low level terrorists quietly living in some suburb of Buffalo, waiting to kill us all.
Foreman: Whoa, whoa, you're trying to say that the tumor threw a clot before we removed it.
House: It was an excellent metaphor. Angio her brain for this clot before it straps on an explosive vest.

House: I want to induce a hypothermic cardiac arrest. Once the patient's on bypass we siphon off two liters of blood then perfuse the brain while she's in an MRI.
Cuddy: You're actually talking about killing her.
House: Just for a little while, I'll bring her right back.
Cuddy: Oh, well, in that case go ahead. Why are even talking?
House: If we do nothing she's dead in a day, maybe a week; the kind that lasts.
Cuddy: We need FDA approval for any surgical technique used for diagnostic purposes.
House: Absolutely. If we were doing anything invasive; but there's nothing invasive.... You know, I'm not cutting into her head I'm just looking for a clot.
Cuddy: Not invasive? You're killing her.
House: Don't split hairs. If it works she lives.'
Cuddy: Make sure the mom understands that this is a million to one shot.'
House: I'll see that Wilson passes that along.

House: Thank you for joining me for tonight's dress rehearsal. Playing the part of Andie is Morty Randolph. For his donation to science we give our thanks. Once Andie is cool and goes off bypass we have 60 seconds to get two liters of blood out of her body and back into her for the pictures to find the clot in her head. If our star is bumped tomorrow while... MRI is on, these red lights will go off which will mean we have no useable test results. No test results; it's goodbye Broadway. You guys will be wearing bad cat suits in Des Moines. Neurosurgeons here, with a view of the monitors. Cardiac surgeon there, in case we need to open her up. Anesthesiologists, one by the cardiac bypass machine, one by the cooling apparatus. Girls in the chorus if you're over 5' 10 stick with me. Okay give me 60 seconds on the clock. Showtime. A five, six, seven, eight... siphon off the blood through the arterial line WHOOSH, sound of blood draining. More whoosh. Glug, glug, glug and we... [Red lights go off] Kill her. Again. [And there are Red lights again] ...How hard can this be? {after continually setting off the alarms---]
Foreman: We could bolt her to the table.
House: Gruesome and low tech. Kiss me I love it. A five, six, seven, eight...

Wilson: So... the little kid dying of cancer; I shouldn't like her?
House: If you're dying, suddenly everyone loves you.
Wilson: You have a cane; nobody even likes you.
House: I'm not terminal; merely pathetic. You wouldn't believe the crap people let me get away with.

House: Well the clot's not gonna go away quietly; it could go at any time. Are you going to let them know?
Wilson: I guess so.
House: Can I come with?
Wilson: To tell Andie she's going to die? That's very un-you.
House: She's such a brave girl. I want to see how brave she is when you tell her she's going to die.
Wilson: ...Go to hell.

House: It's not lupus. Well, not everyone can operate a zipper. Up, down, what comes next?
Patient: My new girlfriend ... never been with a guy who wasn't circumcised. So she freaked, and ...
House: Aha, and you wanted Rivkah to feel all gemutlicht. I get it. It’s a shandah.
Patient: I got some boxcutters. And, um ...
House: Just like Abraham did it.
Patient: I sterilized them, which I was told you're supposed to ...
House: Stop talking. I'm going to get a plastic surgeon. To get the Twinkie back in the wrapper.

Dr. Wilson: You're treating your stuffy nose with cocaine.
House: Diphenhydramine. Antihistamine. New delivery system. It's a blood-brain barrier thing.
Dr. Wilson: It's all about speed, isn't it? One thing to another, never standing still. You're pretty good at that.
House: I know my way around a razor blade.

House: Bagels. (drops a bag of bagels on the table)
Dr. Foreman: You didn't sleep in.
House: Didn't sleep, didn't breathe. I'm dying.

House: Union rules. I can't check out this guy's seeping gonorrhea this close to lunch.
Dr. Cuddy: Exam Room One.
House: Well, it's sexist, and a very dangerous precedent. If people could choose the sex of their doctors, you gals would be out of business.
Dr. Cuddy: Exam Room One!

House: Idolizing is pathological with you people. You see things to admire where there's nothing.
Dr. Wilson: Yeah, well, we're evil.

House: True. Cardiac tumor was benign.
Dr. Wilson: That's impossible.'
House: Statistically...
Dr. Wilson: Oh shut up. If the tumor's benign that means it did not cause her hallucinations.
House: That's why I'm mentioning it.
Dr. Wilson: So the tumor is a coincidence.
House: This is bad--you're starting to state the obvious.

Dr. Foreman: That CT shows no meningial involvement.
House: True. Get a tox screen and MRI.
Dr. Foreman: We can do that if you want to ignore what we just discussed.
House: Sounds good.

Dr. Wilson: What's your problem?
House: These cancer kids. Can't put them all on a pedestal. It's basic statistics. Some of them have got to be whiney little fraidy cats.
Dr. Wilson: You're unbelievable!
House: If there's not one yellow-belly in the whole group then being brave doesn't have any meaning.

House: Chase, I want you there. I don't like reading surgeon's reports. They're boring.
Dr. Chase: I'm not really sure I should be spending more time with her.
House: She'll be unconscious. You'll be safe.

Dr. Chase: She's had one hallucination. Why are we operating on her? Why are we risking her life?
House: Because Wilson thinks it would be nice to give the girl a year to say goodbye to her mommy. I guess maybe she stutters or something.

Dr. Foreman: What are we trying to hear?
House: A tumor.
Dr. Chase: They tend to keep quiet on account of them not having any mouths.

Dr. Chase: If it were me, I'd just stay home and watch TV or something and not lie here under a microscope.
House: Don't worry. If anything happens to you, nobody's gonna lift a finger.
Dr. Wilson: And not that it matters, but if you fix whatever's going on in her head, you give her maybe another year. Long time for a nine-year-old.
House: No. It'll just fly by.

House: That's exactly why you can't touch my markers!

House: I'm not going to kiss you, no matter what you say.
Andie: It's sunny outside. You should go for a walk.
House: Not much for the long walks in the park. Git.

Dr. Wilson: She enjoys life more than you do.
House: Right.
Dr. Wilson: She stole that kiss from Chase. What have you done lately?
House: I'm pacing myself. Unlike her, I have the luxury of time.
Dr. Wilson: She could outlive you.
House: Genuinely is a self-sacrificing saint, whose life will bring her nothing but pain, which she will stoically withstand, just so that her mom doesn't have to cry quite so soon. I am beside myself with joy.

Andie: Lot of people.
House: Big musical number, kiddo. Lot of people here to make you look good.
Andie: You're kinda freaking me out.
Dr. Chase: He gets that sometimes.

Dr. Cameron: Whoa, you're letting me touch the markers?
House: It's written down in my advanced health care directive. Should I be incapacitated in any way you run the board, then Foreman. Chase, you're just not ready yet.

Dr. Wilson: Hayfever?
House: You must be a doctor at everything.

House: Differential diagnosis. On your marks, get set...
Dr. Foreman: Hallucinations could be caused by...
House: Whoa whoa whoa! Wait for it. And…go.

House: What the hell is this?!?
Dr. Cameron: Black walnut and ginger.
House: It's nice.

House: I should have been out of here 20 minutes ago.
Nurse Brenda: You got here 20 minutes ago.

House: Cancer doesn't make you special. Molestation, on the other hand...

Dr. Wilson: ...with a patient.
House: Is she dying?
Dr. Wilson: No.
House: Then she can wait.

Clinic Nurse: The patient in exam room 1 asked for a male doctor.
Dr. Cuddy: (to House) The balls are in your court.

Cast

Release Dates

  • United States - September 20, 2005 on Fox
  • Canada - September 20, 2005 on Global
  • Italy - September 3, 2006
  • Germany - October 24, 2006
  • Estonia - February 9, 2007
  • Hungary - March 28, 2007
  • France - April 19, 2007
  • Japan - July 3, 2007
  • Finland - September 20, 2007

In Other Languages

  • France and Quebec - Leçon d'espoir (Eng. Lesson of Hope)
  • Spanish - Autopsia (Eng. Autopsy)
  • German - Autopsie (Eng. Autopsy)

Links

Video

House_M.D_tribute_to_Beautiful

House M.D tribute to Beautiful

Clips from the episode







Autopsy,_House_MD_best_quote.

Autopsy, House MD best quote.

The quote!

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