Top Secret (House)
Encyclopedia
"Top Secret" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of House
and the sixty-second episode overall.
. One man drags out a soldier with a severed leg into a clearing and the soldier is shown to be House. The whole scenario turns out to be House's dream, and when he wakes up, Cuddy presents him with a new case. House recognizes him as the man who dragged him out of the burning vehicle from the dream. House treats the man, whom Cuddy reveals to be the nephew of a hospital donor and a recently discharged Marine
, who complains of Gulf War syndrome
. The fact that House had a dream in his office just before being given the case that included this patient causes House to try to figure out how he could have possibly met this man before. House sends his team to investigate the patient's identity as well as his condition.
During a test, the patient is left alone in an observation room during which Cameron "seduces" Chase into having sex next door. Foreman casually comes in to check on the patient, who can smell a bad smell, which turns out to be bacteria in his mouth. Foreman questions Cameron and Chase later about why they were absent. Cameron admits having sex with Chase, keeping a deadpan face, which Foreman takes as a joke. While this is going on, House is unable to urinate and is having trouble sleeping.
The patient eventually loses his hearing. The team decides he has cancer, and a scan proves this by showing 6 or more tumors. This doesn't fit as all the patient's previous scans show no tumors and so many tumors couldn't possibly develop so fast. Wilson says it must be brain cancer, but during an operation on his brain, no tumors show up on the imaging. They stop the procedure. House suggests it isn't cancer. Meanwhile, the patient develops paralysis in his legs, which ascends to his stomach and then his diaphragm. House ultimately relieves his urination problem by inserting a catheter
in himself. Following this relief, he is able to sleep, leading him to have another dream.
House manages to figure out some facts about the near future, such as the team treating the patient for a diagnosis House dismissed, but also learns that he is dreaming. House wakes up and correctly diagnoses the patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
, surprising the team. House later approaches Cuddy for lying to him that the patient was the nephew of a hospital donor. House realizes where he met the patient before, one of Cuddy's dates, and confronts Cuddy who responds that House only remembered the man because he was Cuddy's date. Cuddy tells House to get over her.
The episode ends with House catching Cameron and Chase in a storage closet, using the excuse he had to dispose of some files, leaving both with shocked expressions on their faces at House's seemingly apathetic attitude to catching them. House is later seen grinning in a self-satisfied way as he walks towards his office.
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 sixty-second episode overall.
Plot
The episodes opens with an US Army Humvee being hit by RPG in IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. One man drags out a soldier with a severed leg into a clearing and the soldier is shown to be House. The whole scenario turns out to be House's dream, and when he wakes up, Cuddy presents him with a new case. House recognizes him as the man who dragged him out of the burning vehicle from the dream. House treats the man, whom Cuddy reveals to be the nephew of a hospital donor and a recently discharged Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, who complains of Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness describes a medical condition that affected veterans and civilians who were near conflicts during or downwind of chemical weapons depot demolition, after the 1991 Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have included fatigue, musculoskeletal...
. The fact that House had a dream in his office just before being given the case that included this patient causes House to try to figure out how he could have possibly met this man before. House sends his team to investigate the patient's identity as well as his condition.
During a test, the patient is left alone in an observation room during which Cameron "seduces" Chase into having sex next door. Foreman casually comes in to check on the patient, who can smell a bad smell, which turns out to be bacteria in his mouth. Foreman questions Cameron and Chase later about why they were absent. Cameron admits having sex with Chase, keeping a deadpan face, which Foreman takes as a joke. While this is going on, House is unable to urinate and is having trouble sleeping.
The patient eventually loses his hearing. The team decides he has cancer, and a scan proves this by showing 6 or more tumors. This doesn't fit as all the patient's previous scans show no tumors and so many tumors couldn't possibly develop so fast. Wilson says it must be brain cancer, but during an operation on his brain, no tumors show up on the imaging. They stop the procedure. House suggests it isn't cancer. Meanwhile, the patient develops paralysis in his legs, which ascends to his stomach and then his diaphragm. House ultimately relieves his urination problem by inserting a catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...
in himself. Following this relief, he is able to sleep, leading him to have another dream.
House manages to figure out some facts about the near future, such as the team treating the patient for a diagnosis House dismissed, but also learns that he is dreaming. House wakes up and correctly diagnoses the patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia , also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu disease and Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, is a genetic disorder that leads to abnormal blood vessel formation in the skin, mucous membranes, and often in organs such as the lungs, liver and brain.It may lead to nosebleeds, acute...
, surprising the team. House later approaches Cuddy for lying to him that the patient was the nephew of a hospital donor. House realizes where he met the patient before, one of Cuddy's dates, and confronts Cuddy who responds that House only remembered the man because he was Cuddy's date. Cuddy tells House to get over her.
The episode ends with House catching Cameron and Chase in a storage closet, using the excuse he had to dispose of some files, leaving both with shocked expressions on their faces at House's seemingly apathetic attitude to catching them. House is later seen grinning in a self-satisfied way as he walks towards his office.
External links
- "Top Secret" at Fox.com