House Wiki
mNo edit summary
Tag: Visual edit
(Various edits to major events, trivia, and cultural references. Was a fun rewatch, goodbye)
Tag: Visual edit
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==Major Events==
 
==Major Events==
*House tries to get Foreman to lie for him so he won’t have to go to jail until after Wilson has died but instead dumps all of his cases on other doctors so Foreman refuses to help him.
+
*House tries to get Foreman to lie for him so he won’t have to go to jail until after Wilson has died. House then immediately dumps all of his cases on other doctors, breaking his promise, so Foreman refuses to help him.
*House tries to get Wilson to lie for him so he won’t go to jail but Wilson refuses.
+
*House tries to get Wilson to lie for him and take the blame for the flood so he won’t go to jail, but Wilson refuses.
 
*After treating a heroin addict, House meets up with the man to use heroin.
 
*After treating a heroin addict, House meets up with the man to use heroin.
 
*House almost gets trapped in a burning building as he hallucinates about Kutner, Amber, Stacy and Cameron.
 
*House almost gets trapped in a burning building as he hallucinates about Kutner, Amber, Stacy and Cameron.
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==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
 
*"Everybody Dies" is a frequent theme through the series, often as a counterpoint to House's credo "[[Everybody lies]]":
 
*"Everybody Dies" is a frequent theme through the series, often as a counterpoint to House's credo "[[Everybody lies]]":
**In [[Wilson's Heart]], House asks Amber if he's dead and she replies, "Everybody dies"
+
**In [[Wilson's Heart]], House asks Amber if he's dead and she replies, "Everybody dies."
 
**In [[Dying Changes Everything]], House confronts Thirteen by reminding her "People die. You.  Amber. Everyone!"
 
**In [[Dying Changes Everything]], House confronts Thirteen by reminding her "People die. You.  Amber. Everyone!"
  +
**This being the title for the last episode serves as a fitting counterpart to the alternate title of the Pilot episode, which is "Everybody Lies."
 
*There has been discussion on how the last scene was filmed. It starts as a close up with the camera zooming out to a long distance show the characters driving away on their motorcycle.  As a rule, zoom-in shots taken from a distance tend to be jittery, and there is some sign of shaking during the close up shots but it appears a stable platform like a crane could not have zoomed out that far.  
 
*There has been discussion on how the last scene was filmed. It starts as a close up with the camera zooming out to a long distance show the characters driving away on their motorcycle.  As a rule, zoom-in shots taken from a distance tend to be jittery, and there is some sign of shaking during the close up shots but it appears a stable platform like a crane could not have zoomed out that far.  
 
*Entertainment Weekly rated House's faking his death as their third "Single Most Clever Twist" in their 2012 TV Season Finale Awards.
 
*Entertainment Weekly rated House's faking his death as their third "Single Most Clever Twist" in their 2012 TV Season Finale Awards.
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==Cultural References==
 
==Cultural References==
   
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Poets_Society Dead Poets Society] was a 1989 film about an inspiring teacher at a prep school. [[Kurtwood Smith]] and [[Robert Sean Leonard]] played father and son in the film.
+
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Poets_Society Dead Poets Society] was a 1989 film about an inspiring teacher at a prep school. [[Kurtwood Smith]] and [[Robert Sean Leonard]] played father and son in the film. Due to the fact that it is one of Leonard's most well-known roles, mentioning it like this in the final episode was certainly a nod to the actor.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager Pascal’s Wager] is a philosophical argument in favor of a belief in God, saying that that given the near infinite payoff of a belief in the afterlife versus the neutral result of eternal nothingness, it is worth believing in God just in case.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_Wager Pascal’s Wager] is a philosophical argument in favor of a belief in God, saying that that given the near infinite payoff of a belief in the afterlife versus the neutral result of eternal nothingness, it is worth believing in God just in case.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gehrig Lou Gehrig] was a first basemen for the New York Yankees who played a then record 2,130 consecutive games.  His career was ended when he was diagnosed with [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]], which is often called "Lou Gehrig's disease".  His farewell speech at Yankee Stadium is one of the most important events in baseball history.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gehrig Lou Gehrig] was a first basemen for the New York Yankees who played a then record 2,130 consecutive games.  His career was ended when he was diagnosed with [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]], which is often called "Lou Gehrig's disease".  His farewell speech at Yankee Stadium is one of the most important events in baseball history.
*[[Sherlock Holmes connections|Sherlock Holmes]] also dies in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Problem The Final Problem] but it is eventually revealed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Empty_House The Adventure of the Empty House] that he faked his death. The British series [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series) Sherlock] also used this plot device in the last episode of the second series.
+
*[[Sherlock Holmes connections|Sherlock Holmes]] also appears to die in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Problem The Final Problem], but it is eventually revealed in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Empty_House The Adventure of the Empty House] that he faked his death. The BBC series [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series) Sherlock] used this same plot device.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjoy_Yourself_(It%27s_Later_than_You_Think) Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)] is also featured in the [[Season 5]] episode [[Under My Skin]].  The version at end of this episode is by Louis Prima and Keely Smith.
 
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjoy_Yourself_(It%27s_Later_than_You_Think) Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)] is also featured in the [[Season 5]] episode [[Under My Skin]].  The version at end of this episode is by Louis Prima and Keely Smith.
 
*The television show that House is watching is the episode of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2352291/ General Hospital] that aired on March 29, 2012.
 
*The television show that House is watching is the episode of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2352291/ General Hospital] that aired on March 29, 2012.

Revision as of 04:24, 15 June 2020

Season Eight Episodes:

  1. Twenty Vicodin
  2. Transplant
  3. Charity Case
  4. Risky Business
  5. The Confession
  6. Parents
  7. Dead & Buried
  8. Perils of Paranoia
  9. Better Half
  10. Runaways
  11. Nobody's Fault
  12. Chase
  13. Man of the House
  14. Love is Blind
  15. Blowing the Whistle
  16. Gut Check
  17. We Need the Eggs
  18. Body and Soul
  19. The C Word
  20. Post Mortem
  21. Holding On
  22. Swan Song and Everybody Dies

Episodes12345678

Wilson: "He was my friend. The thing you have to remember, the thing you can’t forget, is that Gregory House saved lives. He was a healer, and, and in the end…. House was an ass. He mocked anyone - patients, co-workers, his dwindling friends, anyone who didn’t measure up to his insane ideals of integrity. He claimed to be on some heroic quest for truth, but the truth is he was a bitter jerk who liked making people miserable, and he proved that by dying selfishly numbed by narcotics without a thought of anyone. A betrayal <phone rings> of everyone who cared about him. <Phone rings> Phone! A million times he needed me, and the one time that I needed him <phone rings>… OH COME ON! This is a funeral! Just, get it! <Phone rings, phone rings>. Heh, heh, heh, well this is embarrassing. I’d sworn I’d turned this off. This isn’t my phone."
Text message: "SHUT UP YOU IDIOT"
— Everybody Dies


Everybody Dies is the 8th season, the twenty-second episode of the season and series finale of House, M.D.. It first aired on May 21, 2012. The episode was preceded by the hour-long retrospective, Swan Song.

House is remarkably upbeat, even though it's probably the last day of his freedom. His treatment of a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) results in House examining his life, future and personal demons.

As in several previous episodes (Three Stories, Two Stories and Nobody's Fault), this episode is told in Anachronic Order, with the narrative following three main threads.

  • House's internal dialogue with the hallucinations of Kutner, Amber, Stacy and Cameron, which on its own proceeds in chronological order.
  • The diagnosis of the main patient, Oliver, which is told out of chronological order as House thinks through what actions he wishes to take.
  • The interaction between House, his friends and his colleagues over his impending imprisonment, which escalates as House's schemes to avoid prison go awry. This is also more or less told in chronological order.

As the series draws to a close, the patient of the week becomes a sideline to House's real puzzle - how can he avoid jail and spend the time by Wilson's side instead. This mission parallels House's usual method - a series of differentials and risky treatments hoping that, like always, he will be "almost always eventually right". House turns to manipulation in order to accomplish his goal of staying out of jail long enough to see Wilson off.

However, House winds up facing the same choice as most of his patients - solve the puzzle or death. Temptation presents itself in a patient who seems to be a carbon copy of House himself - a former stockbroker who, after a severe leg injury, gets hooked on narcotics and eventually heroin. He even uses the same gambit to try to score drugs in the clinic that House used earlier in the series. Unlike House, whose self-worth comes from his job, the patient seems to have found the happiness and contentment House has always sought by turning to the oblivion of drugs.

When House's "differential" to avoid prison appears to have sent him into a dead end from which he cannot escape, he follows his patient into oblivion. By chance, the patient dies of an overdose and House is soon presented with the same opportunity, plus a possible glimpse into his future. He must then face a Greek chorus from his subconscious. Kutner represents House's disgust at those who would take their life, a choice House has consistently rejected until now. Amber returns to remind him of how he has always drawn satisfaction from his work, and how the opinions of morons have never mattered to him. Stacy returns to remind House he is capable of both receiving and giving love, even showing him what both he and Dominika have avoided - they really care for each other and could build a life together. Finally, Cameron comes along to appeal what is left to his compassionate side and reminds him that even if he solves the puzzle, he's going to lose Wilson in the end.

However, House's inherent fatalism keeps coming to the fore. He notes that although he solved the patient's puzzle (at the cost of his own freedom), his patient has died anyway. He realizes that despite his effort, all his patients will be dead seventy years from now in any event.

Ironically, his impending death gives him the epiphany he needs to solve his puzzle. He finally realizes that there is one relationship which is worth living for, even if embracing it means he has to toss the rest of his life away.

Yahoo TV chose this episode as one of its 12 Must-See Finales of the 2011-2012 television season. [1]

Recap

House wakes up in the dark. He seems to be in an abandoned building. He sees a used syringe and a man lying unconscious nearby. He goes over to check him but Kutner tells him not to bother because he’s already dead. House looks at him and reminds him he’s dead too. Kutner says the fire isn’t. House looks at the floorboards and sees a red glow beneath.

Kutner says it might be a good idea to get up and head for the exit. However, House thinks he might be hallucinating but can’t figure out why he would be hallucinating about Kutner. Kutner wants to talk about the dead man and asks House how he met him.

We see House in the clinic with the man who says he was in a traffic accident a month ago and he’s run out of medication for the pain he feels from his orbital fracture. House asks him to take off his shirt. When the patient reminds House that it’s his eye, not his chest, House tells him that if he had an eye injury from hitting a windshield, he would also have a chest injury from hitting the steering wheel. If he gives him painkillers without checking his heart function first, the painkillers could kill him. House sees the expected ring of burns around his collarbone. House has noted the patient’s chart shows he said he had an allergy to codeine. House has realized the burns are from falling asleep while smoking sitting up. He accuses the patient of being a drug seeker and tells him he hopes his next doctor is stupid. However, as the patient goes to storm out, House notices bruises on his abdomen. He tells the patient he might get some drugs after all.

1_-_Everybody_Dies

1 - Everybody Dies

One more time!

House brings the patient’s file to his team. They’re astounded he wants to start a new case but Park is even more astounded that House ran tests himself. Taub wants to know how House can be in a good mood when Wilson is dying and House’s parole officer is on his way.

House is back with Kutner, explaining how the patient probably had a perforated ulcer that needed surgery. Kutner wants to know why House ignored Taub’s question about why he was in a good mood. House says he had a plan. Kutner figured he did but wants to know why he didn’t tell the team. He figures it’s because House knew the plan wouldn’t work.

2_-_Everybody_Dies

2 - Everybody Dies

Loophole?

House goes to see Foreman and says he’s about to take on eight new cases. Foreman is trying to fix a rickety table and doesn’t want to deal with House. House asks Foreman to tell the parole board that he needs House to stay around until he can save the patients but Foreman has no intention of lying to the parole board. House tells Foreman that he didn’t mean to flood the hospital - it was just a prank gone wrong. Foreman says that he’s lucky he’s only having to go to jail for six months instead of the usual year or two. House says he will go to jail eventually but doesn’t want Wilson to pay the price. Foreman agrees but says House has to take all the pending cases.

House sees Kutner again and realizes Kutner knows everything he knows. He confronts Kutner with this but Kutner just wants to know why he asked Foreman to “be a friend” about lying to the parole board. He thinks House knew he would need a friend when the plan didn’t work. He also wants to know why House isn’t trying to leave the burning building. He figures House is trying to commit suicide, which explains why he’s hallucinating about Kutner.

Wilson is passing off cases to another doctor. Foreman comes in to look for House but Wilson doesn’t know or care where he is. However, Wilson figures something is up and follows Foreman into the hall. Foreman says no-one’s seen or heard from House since two nights ago. Wilson says House is probably having a good time. Foreman reminds Wilson the last time House was going to jail, he was probably hoping that Wilson would be waiting for him. Wilson asks if Foreman’s concerned House is going to do (or has already done) something stupid. Foreman is afraid that “stupid” is the best they can hope for.

House confronts Kutner about not even letting him get stoned in peace. He reminds Kutner he’s about to lose his job, his best friend and his freedom. Kutner tells him he’s being evasive even with his subconscious and reminds him that death isn’t interesting. He figures House doesn’t find life interesting anymore either. Suddenly, it’s not Kutner but Amber telling him to stop being a pathetic idiot. House wants Kutner back. Amber asks about the patient. When House wants to know why she wants to know, she reminds him that he’s the one obsessing about the case in the middle of a burning building. House tells her the patient went code blue.

3_-_Everybody_Dies

3 - Everybody Dies

Countdown

Back at the hospital, the patient appears to have a clot in his lungs and Adams wants to take him to an operating room. However, Park doesn’t think there’s enough time and wants to try to remove the clot right away. House starts looking through medical supplies while Taub asks him to make a decision. House administers a drug to the intravenous line. While Adams asks what he gave the patient, House starts counting down. Suddenly, the patient sits bolt upright in bed. His vital signs return to normal and he starts struggling with the team who have to restrain him. House explains he gave the patient naloxone. It appears one of his visitors smuggled in heroin and he was suffering from an overdose. The patient shouts he’s not going to stop doing drugs because it’s reality that sucks.

Amber starts to laugh. She realizes the patient wouldn’t have been lucid enough on naloxone to say what House says he did. Amber realizes House talked to the patient later which is when he said those things. Amber knows House never talks to patients unless he’s trying to diagnose them and wants to know why House spoke to this patient.

House is sitting in the room with the patient. He asks him how he’s feeling. The patient says he’s not going to stop using drugs. House has found out the patient used to be a married stockbroker, and grew up in a good home. The patient says he was still miserable. House says he’s just rationalizing screwing it up. The patient admits screwing things up, but says he’s not miserable anymore. He says he got hooked when he had a skiing injury and switched from prescription painkillers to heroin. He says it made him feel like God had gone inside him and eliminated the pain of him and everyone else. House reminds him that he lost everything. The patient says everything wasn’t enough and it was reality that sucked.

Amber wants to know if House thought the patient was a good role model. House says he was happy. Amber reminds House he’s dead. Amber wants to know why House even listened to the patient.

House is still in the patient’s room when Foreman comes in, furious that House has reassigned all the cases he promised to take. House says the other cases weren’t interesting. Foreman reminds him that they were the excuse for the parole board. House tells him to think of something else. Foreman realizes he’s been set up and asks House why he’s risking destroying himself. House says there is no risk - he knows Foreman will lie. Foreman tells House he won’t and leaves.

Back at the burning building, House says the patient is happy. Amber replies that the patient is dead.

Amber states House wasn’t worried about going back to jail. House says he was, since his initial plan had failed. Amber says that she knows the plan's failure, Wilson, and jail didn’t matter - only the puzzle did. House admits he was intrigued by a twitch in the patient’s thenar eminence.

House tells the patient he’s dying. He has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis which is progressing quickly. However, House then notices the patient’s body isn’t symmetrical. Amber highlights a gap in the story and wants to know what happened. House says the patient was just saying he was going to live life the best he could in the time he had left. Amber doesn’t believe him. House finally notices there was a bulge on the right side of the patient’s neck. He goes to get the ultrasound machine. He examines him and tells him it’s good news.

The team operates to remove a small branch. The patient probably inhaled it while outside. Most people would have coughed it up but the cough reflex in addicts is suppressed. It set off an autoimmune reaction that mimicked ALS.

Amber notices House is smiling. House says he’s stopped because a momentary triumph doesn’t make up for a friend dying. Amber tells him it does - House will cry over Wilson for a while and go back to work because he loves it. House says that despite that, in seventy years all of his patients will be dead too. Amber reminds him that when he solves a puzzle, it makes the world make sense, and there will always be more puzzles. They make him happy. She tells him to go home. House gets up off the floor, gets his cane, and heads for the door. However, the exit is blocked by fire.

Wilson and Foreman are at 221B Baker Street. Wilson is worried because House has left food out for several days which he never does. Foreman notes that House’s suitcases are still there. Wilson is worried that they screwed up but Foreman assures him they have done the right thing. Suddenly, they hear House’s phone. Foreman answers it. It’s House’s regular prostitute, complaining he stood her up and asking for money. Wilson goes through the outgoing calls - one to the prostitute, one to Wilson which he didn’t answer, one for Chinese food, and four calls to an unknown number.

Back at the burning building, House is looking for a way out. The floor gives out under him and he falls through it to the burning floor below.

Wilson and Foreman break into one of Darryl Nolan’s group therapy session - he’s the one House called. Nolan reminds them anything he could say would be a breach of confidentiality. Foreman replies that it doesn’t apply if House is a danger to himself or others. Nolan excuses himself. Foreman tells Nolan that House left without taking anything, even his phone. Wilson realizes from Nolan’s hesitation that House didn’t mention anything about suicide but there is something relevant. Nolan says suicide isn’t the only road to oblivion. Foreman notes House would have used Vicodin but suddenly remembers his last patient was a heroin addict. Nolan asks if they’re done. Wilson realizes they have to check the hospital files for the patient‘s address.

Stacy is now House's hallucination and she asks why he’s staying when he was about to leave. House realizes she’s asking if House now believes in God. She says falling through the floor may have been a sign. However, House insists he doesn’t believe in God at all. She says she knows he believes in love.

House is asking Wilson to take the fall for the flooding. Wilson asks if House remembers that he’s dying. House figures that the court will never send Wilson to jail. Wilson says it will never work - there’s too much evidence it was House. He’s also afraid he will go to jail or spend most of the rest of his life in court hearings. Wilson is also worried about his reputation. However, House reminds him that if Wilson lets him go to jail, they won’t be able to spend any more time together. Wilson finally agrees and House thanks him. However, as House starts to leave, Wilson stops him and says he’s not going to falsely confess. House says it’s their only option. Wilson reminds him that the reason it’s their only option is because House has backed himself into a corner with everyone else. House figures Wilson will cave and goes to leave but Wilson runs after him and stops him. He reminds House that in six months there will be no-one to bail him out of trouble and if he does it now House won’t learn to put limits on his own behavior. Wilson finally turns him down.

Stacy tells House Wilson was right. He’s never had to develop a conscience with Wilson around. House says he’s not just going to spontaneously develop a conscience. Stacy tells him he’s wrong and that Wilson’s death will be good for him - he will be able to find things within himself. House stands up again. He hallucinates that Stacy is handing him their child. House says this is merely what his life could have been but Stacy tells him his life can still be like that. He reminds her she’s married and Cuddy is gone. Stacy counters they’re not the only two women in the world who could love him. She motions him towards the couch where he and Dominika are sitting. House then raises the stakes and sees himself surrounded by a group of cheerleaders. He sits back down again. Stacy urges him to get up and insists that he doesn’t have to die.

House sees another figure around him and asks if hell is a series of people telling him to live. Cameron wonders why he thinks she’s there to convince him to live.

House says he didn’t think Cameron hated him. She says she doesn’t, she loves him. He asks why she thinks he deserves to die. Cameron says it’s not a punishment, it’s a reward. She feels he’s suffered and given enough and deserves a chance to just give up, like Wilson did.

Wilson and Foreman arrive at the patient’s address - an unused lot. Wilson thinks he smells smoke. They run and see a building on fire.

Cameron is urging House to let go. House is saying he had a choice to avoid this. Cameron says he’s had a lot of chances to avoid things. He goes back to the conversation with the patient and admits he skipped a part.

After the patient was told he would die quickly, he asked for an opportunity to take the fall for House’s prank. House said the patient doesn’t owe him anything. The patient countered that House tried to save him. House said he failed. The patient wants to know why House is trying to talk him out of it. The patient even has a plan - they will falsify the records to say the patient came in before the flood, House treated him badly so he stole the tickets and flushed them. House agrees and thanks the patient. He asks the patient if he’s doing it because he’s dying. The patient says it’s because he has nothing left to lose. House says it’s ironic that the patient is now more willing to help someone than he ever was during the time he didn’t think he was going to die. He also thinks it’s ironic that things are going to work out better because he didn’t save the patient. He then realizes the patient’s true condition and wonders why he’s about to tell him.

Cameron wonders what the point is - that House cared more about the patient than about himself? She knows the truth is that he cared more about the puzzle than about himself. Cameron says he’s afraid of the decision whether he should live or die and wants it to be in the hands of fate so he doesn’t have to make it. She says he’s taking the cowardly way out and he’s too cowardly to even admit it. House admits it but says he can change. House stands up again and starts walking towards the door. Foreman and Wilson see House in the building just as the ceiling crashes down. The building then explodes. Wilson looks for House but can’t see him.

The next morning the entire team is at the site of the smouldering ruins. Adams hopes that House could have gotten out. Park is still optimistic; some people are found even in collapsed buildings. Taub sees the firemen remove a body.

Back at the hospital, the tests conclude that the body was House’s.

Park tells those at the memorial service that House hired her when no-one else would. Adams tells how House got her fired. Masters tells the audience how House gave her the courage to quit. His mother tells them House was a good son. Stacy tells them he was a trying boyfriend who she never stopped loving. Dominika says he was her husband and she couldn’t help but love him. Foreman says House was his boss, his employee and someone from whom he always learned. Taub says House made him a better parent. Thirteen states House was willing to kill her, a fact for which she will always be grateful. Chase says House wasn’t easy to deal with. Cameron says that somewhere inside him he knew how to love.

Wilson says that House was his friend. He saved lives but was an ass. The audience is astounded. Wilson goes on, saying House mocked everyone - patients, co-workers and his dwindling pool of friends or anyone who didn’t live up to his insane ideal of integrity. He says House sought the truth but the truth was he was a bitter jerk who enjoyed making people miserable. He died selfishly, numbed by narcotics, without a thought for anyone else. He betrayed everyone who cared for him. Suddenly, someone’s cell phone goes off. Wilson asks whoever it is to take care of it. He tries to talk again about how he was there for House a million times but House was never there the one time he needed him, but the phone rings again. Wilson finally realizes it’s his phone and apologizes. He swears he turned it off. He pulls it out of his pocket and realizes it isn’t his phone. There is a text:

“SHUT UP YOU IDIOT”

Wilson falls silent.

The scene changes to Wilson pulling up in a car. He sees House sitting on a nearby stoop. As Wilson stumbles to him in awe, House says that he managed to get out the back of the building and then switched out his dental records for the patient’s. Wilson tells him he is destroying his entire life; he can never go back. If he does, he will go to jail for years and can never be a doctor again. In response, House says that he is dead and asks Wilson how he wants to spend his last five months. Wilson laughs.

In the final visit to PPTH, we see Chase has taken over as the head of diagnostic medicine with Adams and Park working as his fellows; his name is now on House‘s old office door. Taub manages to get along with both Rachel and Ruby so he can spend more time with his daughters. Cameron goes back to work as the head of the emergency room in Chicago. She gazes at a picture of the old team before she runs over to her husband and child. Foreman goes back to work as Dean of Medicine. He notices his previously shaky table is steady. He looks down to find House’s hospital pass leveling the short leg. He muses for a moment and then starts smiling; he knows House is still alive.

House and Wilson are on separate motorcycles on a old-fashioned bridge in the country. Wilson starts to talk about what House should do when the cancer gets worse but House, with the final line of the series, simply says, "Cancer's boring." Finally, they ride down a rural road to a reprise of “It’s Later Than You Think”.

Major Events

  • House tries to get Foreman to lie for him so he won’t have to go to jail until after Wilson has died. House then immediately dumps all of his cases on other doctors, breaking his promise, so Foreman refuses to help him.
  • House tries to get Wilson to lie for him and take the blame for the flood so he won’t go to jail, but Wilson refuses.
  • After treating a heroin addict, House meets up with the man to use heroin.
  • House almost gets trapped in a burning building as he hallucinates about Kutner, Amber, Stacy and Cameron.
  • House fakes his death so he can be with Wilson during Wilson’s last five months.
  • Cameron is revealed to have married for a third time and now has a child.
  • As a result of House's "death", Chase becomes the new head of Diagnostic Medicine with Adams, Park and (presumably) Taub working for him.

Zebra Factor 9/10

As House noted, in most cases someone inhaling a large piece of wood will cough it out. As such, it’s very rare for someone to have a small branch lodged in the airways in any event.

Trivia

  • "Everybody Dies" is a frequent theme through the series, often as a counterpoint to House's credo "Everybody lies":
    • In Wilson's Heart, House asks Amber if he's dead and she replies, "Everybody dies."
    • In Dying Changes Everything, House confronts Thirteen by reminding her "People die. You.  Amber. Everyone!"
    • This being the title for the last episode serves as a fitting counterpart to the alternate title of the Pilot episode, which is "Everybody Lies."
  • There has been discussion on how the last scene was filmed. It starts as a close up with the camera zooming out to a long distance show the characters driving away on their motorcycle.  As a rule, zoom-in shots taken from a distance tend to be jittery, and there is some sign of shaking during the close up shots but it appears a stable platform like a crane could not have zoomed out that far.  
  • Entertainment Weekly rated House's faking his death as their third "Single Most Clever Twist" in their 2012 TV Season Finale Awards.
  • The hallucination of Stacy Warner isn't wearing her ever-present cross.
  • Lisa Cuddy was the only main character from the series who did not return for the series finale.
  • Implied by the events in the episode but not depicted, is that before turning to heroin, House tried to reach out to Dr. Nolan.
  • Chase's patient shares the same symptoms (seizures, pulmonary edema, gadolinium allergy) as Rebecca, House's patient in the pilot episode.

Cultural References

  • Dead Poets Society was a 1989 film about an inspiring teacher at a prep school. Kurtwood Smith and Robert Sean Leonard played father and son in the film. Due to the fact that it is one of Leonard's most well-known roles, mentioning it like this in the final episode was certainly a nod to the actor.
  • Pascal’s Wager is a philosophical argument in favor of a belief in God, saying that that given the near infinite payoff of a belief in the afterlife versus the neutral result of eternal nothingness, it is worth believing in God just in case.
  • Lou Gehrig was a first basemen for the New York Yankees who played a then record 2,130 consecutive games.  His career was ended when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is often called "Lou Gehrig's disease".  His farewell speech at Yankee Stadium is one of the most important events in baseball history.
  • Sherlock Holmes also appears to die in The Final Problem, but it is eventually revealed in The Adventure of the Empty House that he faked his death. The BBC series Sherlock used this same plot device.
  • Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) is also featured in the Season 5 episode Under My Skin.  The version at end of this episode is by Louis Prima and Keely Smith.
  • The television show that House is watching is the episode of General Hospital that aired on March 29, 2012.
  • The song playing as we see the rest of the characters go about their lives after the funeral is "Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile" by Warren Zevon, who died in 2003 two weeks after the album was released. The song is his epitaph.

Cast

Quotes

Wilson: When the cancer starts getting really bad...
House: Cancer's boring.

Kutner: Death is the opposite of a cool puzzle, it's eternal nothingness.

Kutner: Don't bother. He's dead.
House: You're dead too.
Kutner: The fire isn't.

House: Cullen's sign. But the ultrasound showed air as well as blood. Now, I know what you're thinking. Hemorrhagic pancreatitis. But I also know what I'm thinking. Doesn't explain the pneumoperitoneum.
Adams: You took a new case?
Park: You ran tests yourself?
House: I saw the chance to help someone in need, and I instinctively — Oh, no, wait, that was someone else's instinct.
Taub: Wilson is dying. Your parole officer is probably on his way here right now. How are you possibly in a good mood?
House: Did you never see Dead Poets Society? Carpe diem.

Kutner: You were looking at six months of prison instead of five months of Wilson. Why happy?
House: Obviously I had a plan.
Kutner: Obviously, obviously you had a plan. The more interesting question is why you didn't tell the team. I think it's because part of you knew from the start that the plan wouldn't work.

Amber: Stop being an idiot.
House: Can I have Kutner back, please?

Oliver: I'M NOT GONNA STOP DOING DRUGS! IT'S REALITY THAT SUCKS!
Amber: <laughs>
House: You're saying I'm lying… to my subconscious?
Amber: People do it all the time. And like it or not, you are a person.
House: He said every one of those things.
Amber: But not then and not like that. This guy was going nuts from the naloxone. He couldn't be rational if you wanted him to be, which you did. Why?
House: I compressed the story a little—
Amber: Context matters. You never talk to patients for non-diagnostic reasons, but this guy…

Amber: When you solve a puzzle, the world makes sense, and everything feels right. And you'll always have another one, because people always get sick. It's shallow and it's insignificant, but if you don't give a damn if idiots live, why would you possibly give a damn about shallowness? It makes you happy. And why would you need more than that? Go home.

Wilson: You're not saying anything, which means he didn't specifically mention suicide, but you came out here to talk to us, so he must have said something that worries you.
Nolan: There are other ways of reaching oblivion.
Wilson: Vicodin?
Foreman: He always has his Vicodin. There's no reason to call a shri— His last patient was a heroin addict.
Nolan: So I guess we're all done here.

Wilson: Wait! Wait.
House: You want the fries back?
Wilson: I'm not gonna take the fall.
House: Don't do this to me, Wilson. This is our only option.
Wilson: Exactly, because you overplayed your hand with Foreman, because you knew you had me as a backstop. Even with me dying, you-you just assumed I'd be here to bail you out.
House: Since you're here, and you are bailing me out, it seems like a pretty safe assumption.
Wilson: Hey! I won't be here soon. If I do this, I'm teaching you that your bad behavior will always be rewarded. You need to learn—
House: How to act when you're gone? 'Cause if that's the lesson, we got a really great opportunity coming up.
Wilson: You'll just try to find someone else, and it won't work, and it shouldn't work!
House: So that's the great wisdom you're imparting? That I'll always be alone?
Wilson: There's only one person you can count on.
House: I thought there were two.
Wilson: I need to do this… for you.

House: Is this hell? An eternity of people trying to convince me to live?
Cameron: Who says I'm here to convince you to live?

House: You're the last one I thought would hate me.
Cameron: I don't hate you. I love you.
House: And yet you think I deserve to die.
Cameron: But not as a punishment. As a reward. I think… you've suffered enough. You've given enough. I think you deserve a chance to just… give up.
House: Like Wilson did?
Cameron: Like Wilson did. You accepted his choice — that ending the pain was better than the pain. Why can't you give yourself that gift?

Park: House hired me when no one else would.

Adams: He got me fired. He gave me the guts to get fired.

Masters: He gave me the courage to quit.

Blythe: Gregory was — he was a good son.

Stacy: He was a trying boyfriend, but I… never stopped loving him.

Dominika: He was my husband for real. I couldn't help but love him.

Foreman: He was my boss. And… my employee. And both times… I learned from him.

Taub: He made me a better parent, whether he meant to or not.

Thirteen: He was willing to kill me. And I'll always be grateful.

Chase: He wasn't always easy to deal with.

Cameron: But somewhere in there… he knew how to love.

Foreman: You're asking me to perjure myself.
House: Tiny white lie. No offense. Especially since, from what I hear, nothing black is tiny. Except your penis, I guess.

Wilson: You think he could've done something stupid?
Dr. Foreman: I think stupid is our best-case scenario.

House: Isn't this just an incredibly simple calculation? I'm going to jail, losing my job, losing my best friend. Do I need more?
Kutner: You think that's the sum total of who you are? A doctor? A friend to Wilson?
House: I'm also a tremendous baritone.

Stacy: Wilson's right. He's always right. he's always been your good side.
House: I always wondered why I photographed so poorly.

Reviews

Reviews for the episode were decidedly mixed.  For example, TV Fanatic's critic gave it an astounding 4.8 out of 5, but the Onion's AV Club gave it a pathetic D+.  

  • IMDB users rated this episode an 8.9, with 86% of voters giving it an 8 or better, and 61.7% rating it a 10.
  • TV.com users rated this episode a 9.0.

International airdates

United States of America May 21, 2012
Spain May 21, 2012
Belgium (Flanders) June 3, 2012
Latin America June 21, 2012
Australia August 10, 2012
Finland June 12, 2012
Hungary November 7, 2012
Germany December 4, 2012
Canada May 21, 2012
United Kingdom May 24, 2012
Israel June 13, 2012

In Other Languages

French - T out le monde meurt ("Everybody dies")

German - Letzer Akt: Reichenbachfall ("Last act: Reichenbach Falls")

Spanish - Todo el mundo muere ("Everybody dies")

Portuguese - Todos morrem ("Everybody dies").

Links

This article is also available in Spanish at es.dr-house.wikia [2]

This article was the featured article for March 2013.


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