Guardian Angels (House)
Encyclopedia
"Guardian Angels" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of House
and the seventy-fourth episode overall. It aired on October 23, 2007.
) hallucinates that she's being raped by one of the corpses she's working on. The fellowship applicants think it might be Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(the human form of Mad Cow Disease), caught from one of the corpses at her job. They dig up the corpse and biopsy its brain, but the result is negative. The applicants soon discover that the patient acts as if her dead mother is in the room. She also claims to see the ghost of Stark, the patient from the previous episode who died as a result of a mistake by Thirteen, which unsettles the young doctor.
Meanwhile, House begins to go out of his way to harass the Mormon
doctor, Cole, and makes a bet with Dr. Cameron that he won't physically or verbally retaliate. House says he's probably going to fire him next, but Cameron advises Cole to stick up for himself. Elsewhere, Cuddy asks Foreman to return to her hospital, and offers him a raise, but he refuses. Foreman interviews for other jobs only to find that no one will hire him because he's too much like House.
Henry points out that Rina isn't just suffering hallucinations; it's also a delusion if she doesn't realize that her mother is dead. Although the doctors don't have access to her family's medical records (since they were probably lost in Ukraine
), Henry suggests that they ask the patient to ask her mother about her mother's symptoms. Rina doesn't acknowledge that her mother has died, but she realizes that there was a time in the past when she was sick, and she is able to remember the symptoms from that time. Based on that, House diagnoses her with hereditary Parkinson's Disease
.
The doctors run more tests based on the assumption, but Rina soon develops wounds on her arms, an enlarged spleen and a necrotic liver. As they continue to test her, Thirteen finds Stark's dog's collar in one of the labs. However, she realizes that Dr. Amber Volakis was behind it all, and was only trying to unsettle her. Meanwhile, an extended tirade by House causes Cole to punch him, and he loses the bet to Cameron.
Amber eventually realizes Rina's symptoms might result from ergot
poisoning from mold
in the organic bread that she eats, causing LSD
-like hallucinations, worsened by the bromocriptine
they gave while assuming Parkinson's Disease, and that the reason Rina kept requesting milk is that it is a natural treatment for the contamination of the bread. The team treats her, and it works. In the end, House fires Henry, who accepts with grace, in a Bachelor-inspired elimination. While he discovers that Henry has a lot of great ideas, and he and House seem to be on the same wavelength, House fires him because he needs people with ideas different from his own.
After other job rejections, Foreman tells Cuddy that he has rethought things and will accept her offer if he gets an office, an assistant and the pay raise she promised him plus 5%. Cuddy says she's not going to give him any of those requests, and she's not even going to give him the raise she originally offered. When he asks why, she says that he hasn't rethought things - he just got rejected because he was "House-Lite," i.e., simply a version of House and his doctoring style, and had no choice other than to return to the one who hired "House Classic." The episode ends with Foreman saying: "I can start Monday."
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
and the seventy-fourth episode overall. It aired on October 23, 2007.
Plot
While having a seizure, a funeral-home cosmetician named Rina (Azura SkyeAzura Skye
Azura Skye is an American actress who first gained recognition for her role as Jane on The WB television sitcom, Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane...
) hallucinates that she's being raped by one of the corpses she's working on. The fellowship applicants think it might be Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD is a degenerative neurological disorder that is incurable and invariably fatal. CJD is at times called a human form of mad cow disease, given that bovine spongiform encephalopathy is believed to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans.CJD...
(the human form of Mad Cow Disease), caught from one of the corpses at her job. They dig up the corpse and biopsy its brain, but the result is negative. The applicants soon discover that the patient acts as if her dead mother is in the room. She also claims to see the ghost of Stark, the patient from the previous episode who died as a result of a mistake by Thirteen, which unsettles the young doctor.
Meanwhile, House begins to go out of his way to harass the Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
doctor, Cole, and makes a bet with Dr. Cameron that he won't physically or verbally retaliate. House says he's probably going to fire him next, but Cameron advises Cole to stick up for himself. Elsewhere, Cuddy asks Foreman to return to her hospital, and offers him a raise, but he refuses. Foreman interviews for other jobs only to find that no one will hire him because he's too much like House.
Henry points out that Rina isn't just suffering hallucinations; it's also a delusion if she doesn't realize that her mother is dead. Although the doctors don't have access to her family's medical records (since they were probably lost in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), Henry suggests that they ask the patient to ask her mother about her mother's symptoms. Rina doesn't acknowledge that her mother has died, but she realizes that there was a time in the past when she was sick, and she is able to remember the symptoms from that time. Based on that, House diagnoses her with hereditary Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
The doctors run more tests based on the assumption, but Rina soon develops wounds on her arms, an enlarged spleen and a necrotic liver. As they continue to test her, Thirteen finds Stark's dog's collar in one of the labs. However, she realizes that Dr. Amber Volakis was behind it all, and was only trying to unsettle her. Meanwhile, an extended tirade by House causes Cole to punch him, and he loses the bet to Cameron.
Amber eventually realizes Rina's symptoms might result from ergot
Ergot
Ergot or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps. The most prominent member of this group is Claviceps purpurea. This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals who consume grains contaminated with its...
poisoning from mold
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are not considered to be microbes but microscopic fungi that grow as single cells called yeasts...
in the organic bread that she eats, causing LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
-like hallucinations, worsened by the bromocriptine
Bromocriptine
Bromocriptine , an ergoline derivative, is a dopamine agonist that is used in the treatment of pituitary tumors, Parkinson's disease , hyperprolactinaemia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.- Indications :Amenorrhea, female infertility, galactorrhea, hypogonadism, and acromegaly...
they gave while assuming Parkinson's Disease, and that the reason Rina kept requesting milk is that it is a natural treatment for the contamination of the bread. The team treats her, and it works. In the end, House fires Henry, who accepts with grace, in a Bachelor-inspired elimination. While he discovers that Henry has a lot of great ideas, and he and House seem to be on the same wavelength, House fires him because he needs people with ideas different from his own.
After other job rejections, Foreman tells Cuddy that he has rethought things and will accept her offer if he gets an office, an assistant and the pay raise she promised him plus 5%. Cuddy says she's not going to give him any of those requests, and she's not even going to give him the raise she originally offered. When he asks why, she says that he hasn't rethought things - he just got rejected because he was "House-Lite," i.e., simply a version of House and his doctoring style, and had no choice other than to return to the one who hired "House Classic." The episode ends with Foreman saying: "I can start Monday."
External links
- "Guardian Angels" at Fox.com