House: 10 Episodes I Liked

Now it's time for a happier look back on House. Later in the week I'll be posting my 10 favorite House episodes. I'll be going into some detail for those. There are more than just 10 episodes that I love, so here's the ones on the cusp. Also, there's more than just 20 episodes that I love, so even if it's not on either list, there's a good chance, if it's season 1-5, I probably have some good things to say about it.

Love Hurts (1.20)
After the Vogler saga, a fine story arc on it's own, we have this little gem of an episode. The weekly case was pretty vintage House even if it did underuse John Cho. The reason I like this episode so much is because it's the episode when House and Cameron go on a date. It hints at episodes to come by showing House, perhaps at his most vulnerable, preparing for the date.

Autopsy (2.2)
I don't remember most of the side plots to this one beyond Chase kissing a 9 year old. That's a pretty fun B-story. The A-story of House v. Cancer kid is still one of my favorite cases of the show holding nothing back. I miss the days of taboo breaking week-to-week.

The Mistake (2.8)
This show used to do non-traditional story-telling so well. I loved how they built up the story from testimony and in the process gave a lot of depth to Chase's character. Still one of my favorites to watch.

Half-Wit (3.15)
I badly wanted to find a video of House playing the piano with Dave Matthews. That's why this is on the list and is, without a doubt, a top ten moment in the series for me.

Mirror, Mirror (4.5)
This is one that I don't think the casual fan of the show appreciates as much. The fun of it all is how the patient sees the other characters. The scene at the end where House and Cuddy test the patient to find the dominant one in the relationship is great.

Birthmarks (5.4)
House & Wilson + Road trip = Awesomeness. That's just a fact. I love hearing the story of how House and Wilson met. Plus, there's a great "then and now" joy in seeing the old team and the new team both trying to figure out House's metaphors without him.

Locked In (5.19)
Sure, this episode was mostly gimmick, but it was a well executed one. The first half allows them to have a lot of "fly on the wall" scenes for character insight and all the Mos Def a person could ask for. That's a lie. You can never have enough Mos Def.

Broken (6.1  & 6.2)
I still refuse to buy season 6, so I'm going mostly off memory of this one, but any time Hugh Laurie plays Jack Nicholson circa 1975 in an Emmy-bait showcase mini-movie, I'm on board.

Two Stories (7.13)
Two thirds as good as "Three Stories" still kicks most episodes' asses. A transparent, albeit refreshing reminder of what the show once was.

Last Temptation (7.19)
Like "Half-Wit" this is only on here because I really enjoyed Hugh Laurie singing "Forget your troubles, come get happy". I forget most of the rest of the episode. I'm sure it was overall lacking (just look at the production code. That's late in the run). This is my list though, so I can use whatever weak criteria I want.


One final thought. It's a shame that Park and Masters came late enough into the series that there was not episode that showcased them. I like the actresses and the characters. I really wanted to put the episode that followed Masters on here, for example so that I could mention the chicken contest between House and Wilson, but that was a cheap laugh and not great writing. Oh well. Next up, my top 10.