House Wiki
Advertisement

Season Seven Episodes:

  1. Now What?
  2. Selfish
  3. Unwritten
  4. Massage Therapy
  5. Unplanned Parenthood
  6. Office Politics
  7. A Pox on Our House
  8. Small Sacrifices
  9. Larger than Life
  10. Carrot or Stick
  11. Family Practice
  12. You Must Remember This
  13. Two Stories
  14. Recession Proof
  15. Bombshells
  16. Out of the Chute
  17. Fall From Grace
  18. The Dig
  19. The Last Temptation
  20. Changes
  21. The Fix
  22. After Hours
  23. Moving On

Episodes12345678

Wilson on Cuddy's role in House's life:

"You're the first boss he's ever had who could handle him. Before you, he was either fired or buried under a mountain of malpractice suits. He needs someone to say 'no'. He needs someone he'll listen to when they say 'no'. If you really care about House, you'll stop feeling sorry for him, and get out there, and start kicking him where he needs kicking."
―Fall From Grace

Fall From Grace is a 7th season episode of House which first aired on March 21, 2011. It's directed by Tucker Gates and written by John C. Kelley. A homeless man with history of drug abuse is admitted to hospital with burns and scars on his chest. Meanwhile, House presents to the team to a woman called Dominika played by Karolina Wydra, who appears to be his fiance. As the patient gets worse, the team must find his history in order to understand his situation. On the other hand, Cuddy reveals her guilt to Wilson about breaking up with House.

Recap[]

Two boys are launching a model rocket. Unfortunately, after it gets airborne and releases its chute, it bursts into flames and falls into the woods. When they chase it down, they find it has started a fire near what appears to be a sleeping homeless man. The fire reaches him and he yells in pain as his arm catches on fire. The boys extinguish the flames on his arm and when they ask if he's okay, he responds that the burnt flesh smells like liquorice before he collapses.

House's team is waiting for him to arrive. He finally comes in on a Segway with a very attractive young woman in tow. Martha M. Masters tells him about the patient, who is having problems interpreting smells. House realizes that this symptom can point to a number of conditions and agrees to take the case. He orders an environmental scan, prednisone and an odor test. He also tells Masters that Ferris Bueller is a made up name, and the team is astounded Masters didn't know that. He introduces the woman with him as Dominika and tells them he's marrying her on Friday.

The patient is enjoying his meal and wondering if he has to leave. He says he's had the problem with smells for a couple of months. Foreman asks him what his name is because they have to look at his medical history. He won't tell them his name and says he's always been healthy. Foreman asks him about scars and burn marks on his chest and back, and the patient tells them they were inflicted by his father. He says he was never hospitalized because his father never left any marks that couldn't be covered up. When Masters shows some pity, the patient tells her he's over it, but he doesn't like talking about his past.

House is cruising around the halls on his Segway when Cuddy tells him he can't use it in the hospital. He gives her a wedding invitation and tells her that New Jersey's handicap accommodation laws allow the use of Segways in buildings. However, Cuddy is way ahead of him - the law only allows motorized wheelchairs and scooters. House complains that his leg hurts and Cuddy says she doesn't care. When House acts in a great deal of pain when he tries to dismount the device, Cuddy gives in and says she will make an exception, but that he should check first before doing something like that again.

Wilson comes in to "congratulate" House and to meet Dominika. Wilson thinks House is trying to screw with Cuddy. House denies it because it's such an obvious ploy. House also reminds Wilson that he's been married three times. He finally tells Wilson that Dominika needs a green card and he needs a live in maid, personal assistant, cook, therapist and whore. He has a report showing he will save $33,000 a year. They signed a prenuptial agreement to that effect.

The patient has received a shave and haircut and now looks rather boyish. They give him an odor test and he can't get any of them right. Taub and Chase are back from the park and have found drugs. The patient insists they are vitamin supplements. They have also found out his name, Danny Jennings, because all the books they found have his name in them. The patient goes to leave, but starts complaining of stomach pain and Foreman sees rectal bleeding from the digestive tract.

Dominika is giving House and Foreman foot massages. Masters reports on the results of the "drugs" - they were just Vitamin A and Vitamin B12. House still thinks the patient is a heroin user, but the tox screen was clean. However, House had his hair tested, which showed traces of the drug. Snorting heroin would explain the smell problems, but not the bleeding. Chase says the bleeding can be explained by the vitamins - an overdose. House agrees that it's unlikely that a patient would have two problems, but given the patient's homelessness, multiple problems are likely and the conditions they suspect are easy and safe to treat. He orders treatment for the vitamin overdose. Masters objects because an intestinal blockage could also explain the bleeding and might be fatal. House agrees to let her do scans.

House comes to Cuddy's office on his Segway to add Dominika to his health insurance. However, Cuddy declines because she thinks it's fraudulent. House calls in Dominika, who offers Cuddy a gift of food. Cuddy reminds House if they don't get married and Dominika uses the insurance, House will lose coverage with their carrier. He acknowledges that and Cuddy finally signs.

Masters confronts the patient about his heroin use, but he claims he's been clean for three months, ever since he was clinically dead from an overdose. He tells them he still wants to be a doctor - he had a scholarship to a pre-med program out of high school. Masters calls Chase over - there were thirteen masses in his colon that don't appear to be either tumors or parasites. House takes some Vicodin and when Masters asks him to stop doing it in front of her, he declines. House thinks it might be a fungus and orders antifungals and a colonoscopy.

Taub and Foreman do the colonoscopy while they discuss if they will go to House's wedding. However, they do find the problem - the masses that caused the bleeding were bone. However, the patient has an explanation - a chef at a restaurant gives him eating challenges to see how far he will go in exchange for a real meal. When they tell him how dangerous that was, he starts complaining that his vision makes it look like he's at the bottom of a well.

House and Dominika fly remote control helicopters around the lobby while his team tells him the symptoms. He shoots Taub with a missile when he makes a stupid suggestion. Chase thinks it might be a tumor pressing on the nerves and House agrees to an MRI. He and Dominica then buzz a couple of donors. Cuddy explains it away by saying it was kids.

The patient complains being in the MRI feels like when he was locked in a closet as a kid. Taub think he's making it up and that his scars might be from fighting. The patient vomits while in the machine.

The scan does show dark spots in the parietal cortex, but they aren't tumors. House and Dominika play table tennis across the scan table with Foreman and Chase. House thinks it's a sign of schizophrenia causing delusions, but Masters asks what are they going to do after they treat it.

Wilson comes in and tells House that he has to figure out how to deal with Cuddy now that their relationship is over. House says that it's no problem and Cuddy probably feels guilty about dumping him and is letting him get away with everything. Wilson tells House he's a lot of things, but not a sadist, and he's beating up someone who can't fight back.

Taub goes to make a point with Masters. He puts a hockey stick shaped pencil in his lab coat and bets Masters $50 that the patient will say hockey is his favorite sport. Instead, the patient says he hates hockey. As Masters explains how to get follow up care for schizophrenia, the patient complains of severe arm pain, like it's burning. They go to remove the bandages from his burned right arm, but he says it's his left arm that hurts.

House drives a monster truck up to the hospital and parks it in his handicapped space. He brings the team for a ride as they discuss the case. House agrees the pain is real and not a delusion. There are many conditions that could cause the pain and they don't have time to test for them all before House leaves on his honeymoon. A better medical history would help but the patient doesn't know where his mother is and won't tell them where his father is. House tells them to trick the patient into telling them.

House gets a new television from Cuddy and is applying for a grant when Taub comes in to say he's found Danny's father. However, he really wants to know why he's not part of the wedding party. House is amazed he's upset about it. All of a sudden Dominika appears from beneath the desk, but House says she was just installing cable. Taub leaves and Dominika asks if there is something they can do about him because he's so unhappy.

Masters and Chase arrive at the father's house, tell them they're there about Danny and ask about genetic diseases. The "father" tells them Danny died of a drug overdose three months ago.

House goes to see the patient, and the patient wonders who House is. House tells the patient Danny Jennings is dead. The patient still refuses to disclose his real name. He denies being a criminal. He says he won't tell anyone because his father is looking for him. He says if he sees his father again, he will kill him. House then notices the patient can't judge distances properly.

The cerebellar ataxia with the other symptoms points to only one diagnosis - early onset Parkinson's disease - progressive and incurable. House orders L-Dopa and DNA tests to confirm.

Wilson goes to Cuddy to say House has gone too far by taking up four handicapped parking spots with the monster truck and turning the chapel into a catering hall. Cuddy says it will all be gone in a couple of weeks. Wilson warns her not to appease House, but Cuddy wants to know why he cares. Wilson reminds her that she's the only boss House has ever had that didn't either fire him or let him get away with so much he was buried in malpractice lawsuits. House needs someone who will stand up to him and Cuddy has to step up and do it.

Cuddy goes to see House in the chapel and kicks him out, telling him it's not her problem that they don't have alternative space and he's sent out invitations. She then tells him she wants the TV back.

The patient tells Masters they should just let him die. Masters tells him the depression is normal. The patient admits his overdose was a suicide attempt. He admit he's done horrible things and hurt people. When he didn't die, he thought God had forgiven him, but now it appears that God wants him to suffer. Masters tells him he doesn't deserve it. The patient says he had a girlfriend in college who he almost killed when he snapped and started hitting her. He figures he's evil like his father. All of a sudden, the patient feels dizzy and lapses into unconsciousness. Masters calls for a crash cart and starts CPR.

The patient's heart is failing and it is likely he will need a transplant. However, given his condition, he will never be approved. House thinks they are missing something - the patient has gotten worse too fast. The smelling problem lasted for two months and he was admitted as a burn victim. Since he was admitted, his symptoms have exploded. All of sudden, the meal cart comes by an House stops it to look at the patient's meal plan. He realizes the patient has been eating nothing but vegetables since he was admitted. The patient prefers a vegetarian diet, but couldn't have one when he was homeless. He has Adult Refsum's disease - the chlorophyll in the food is poisoning him. House orders a diet change, plasmapheresis and a genetic test.

The wedding ceremony takes place in House's apartment. Chase officiates and they exchange vows. However, as the ceremony concludes, Cuddy gets a panicked look on her face and leaves. Wilson finds her in House's bedroom. She admits the wedding got to her.

The patient starts feeling better and Masters tells him if he sticks to the right diet and gets checked regularly, he will be fine. Masters tells him he's not bad, he just made mistakes. She advises he get counselling. He says that maybe God is just testing his resolve. As Masters leaves, he reminds her Danny isn't his real name.

House and Dominika relax on the couch to watch videos. Dominika says she knows the marriages isn't real, but she really likes House. House says he likes her too. They embrace, but House says he can't have sex with her and goes to bed, leaving her with the couch.

The next morning, Masters arrives at the hospital and finds that Danny has disappeared with FBI agents searching his hospital room. When she asks what's going on, Foreman tells her that Danny's DNA sent off alarm bells all over the country as Danny is in fact a serial killer wanted in ten states for thirteen murders where he ate his victims.

"And we saved him," Taub remarks grimly.

It then cuts to Masters who looks devastated and close to tears.

Major Events[]

  • House marries a woman so she can get her green card.
  • The patient turns out to be a serial killer who gets out of the hospital just before the authorities arrive.

Zebra Factor 8/10[]

Adult Refsum's disease is very rare.

Trivia and Cultural References[]

  • The patients 13 bone fragments, 13 victims, and the suspicion of Huntington's disease foreshadow the return of Thirteen.
  • More about Model rockets.
  • More about the Segway Personal Transporter.
  • The Green card is a colloquialism for permanent resident status in the United States - a non-citizen who is allowed to live and work indefinitely in the U.S.. Spouses of U.S. citizens are generally allowed to get permanent resident status.
  • Ferris Bueller is the title character of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a 1986 comedy about a high school student who skips school.
  • Kulich is a type of bread, often made to celebrate Easter. It is generally served frosted with white icing.
  • "North, Miss Teschmacher," and asking "What color is my underwear?" are lines from Superman II.
  • Amber Tamblyn and Chris Marquette also worked together on Joan of Arcadia, where Marquette played Joan's on-again, off-again boyfriend Adam Rove.
  • When the fellows ride with House in his monster truck, Chase is the only one who appears to enjoy himself. This seems to lend some credence to Cameron's assertion in Teamwork that House has "ruined" him.
  • House's monster truck is named "Colossus".
  • House's cap reads "Low Rider", a type of car with modified shock absorbers that can lower the body close to the road surface.
  • Despite his denial, House depicting Dominika's under-the-desk activity as "installing cable" could actually be a sexual metaphor tracing back to the Coen brothers' movie The Big Lebowski, which features the first minutes of a "beaver picture" (pornographic movie, in the parlance of our times) entitled Logjammin', where the "expert" Karl Hungus (aka Uli Kunkel) drops by Bunny LaJoya's home to "fix the cable".
  • The Champs-Élysées is a major avenue in Paris. Wilson is specifically referring to how the German military famously marched down the avenue after the surrender of Paris in World War II.
  • In Cuddy's office, House says in Russian "Войди, моя малышка"(Voidy, moja malyshka) before Dominika comes in. Translated in English, it means, "Come in, my baby/dear."
  • House calls Lou the janitor "Blue" again.
  • House references 'negative reinforcement,' but this is erroneous. He is demonstrating positive punishment - adding a stimulus ('positive') and discouraging a behaviour ('punishment'). Negative reinforcement would entail removing a stimulus to encourage a behaviour. See operant conditioning.

End Credits Message[]

Video[]

Fall_From_Grace_1

Fall From Grace 1

Entrance

Fall_From_Grace_2

Fall From Grace 2

Introducing Dominika

Fall_From_Grace_3

Fall From Grace 3

A rare patient


Previous episode:
Out of the Chute

Fall From Grace
Next episode:
The Dig
Advertisement