"Poison" is the eighth episode of the opening season from America's "House M. D.", so this is not among the very first episodes, but still relatively early taking into account for how long the series ran altogether. It is also one of my favorite episodes from season 1. I do think there was a little decline in quality from great to good after the first four episodes perhaps, but with this one here, it was a nice return to the finest the show has to offer. This is the story of a young man who falls sick during a mathematics exam and for pretty much the entire episode the team including House, Chase, Cameron and Foreman try to find out what the kid is suffering from exactly. The only thing they know right away is that he was poisoned somehow. Maybe it was a bit too much coincidence eventually that the two boys were in the same bus that there was this incident with the school bus and that they were using the same detergent if we also add the solution and final revelation then that it was actually all about the contaminated jeans and the place they were stored before the boys bought them, but the episode has enough quality to offer that makes it easy to look past this little lack of realism.
There is once again only one patient here with the subplot that is usually included for comic relief rather, even if you will also smile here and there about stuff linked to the central plot. For me the funniest moments involved Chase this time maybe, namely his call towards the end and also the moment he finds out basically that the sick boy's mother filed a complaint about the doctor's drug use. House's comment afterwards about marijuana bags and MTV was kinda hilarious too. But Chase also has one of the best dramatic moments here, namely how he manages to convince the bus driver to let them take a look inside. As for Cameron, her memorable aspect here was pretty much that she was the only one to make a bit of a connection with the mother and get her to trust her and well it is not a Foreman episode. The inclusions of alleged racism definitely feel rushed in, but the comedic shoe parallel with House was kinda funny, already in the boy's apartment, but also during the last shot of the episode then. Oh, and on the lighter side too, we get a little bit elaboration on why Australians are actually British. But I was talking about the subplot earlier and that had two-time Oscar nominee Shirley Knight, who was around the age of 65 back then, play an 80-year-old woman that finds unexpected joy again. There is a real happy ending to her character then, one that includes the best of both worlds for her. Her new spirits stay and also she does not need to worry that those may kill her. Actually, this felt like the epitome of a portrayal and performance you could find nominated for an Emmy in the guest actress category, so I am a bit surprised she did not get in there with her awards background. Anyway, may Knight rest in peace. It was also interesting to see the interactions between House and the character's son. The latter was played by Kurt Fuller and if you love Boston Legal as much as I do, then you will like him as well. Besides, it was also interesting how House really positions himself there and does not hesitate one second to treat the old lady and also makes a stand for once when telling his son that she needs to be treated. Still, this episode probably had more lighter moments than most others, even if you will not find one without any light moments or the sarcasm that House is so full of. No surprise either given Laurie's comedy background.
As for the main case, Roxanne Hart is at the center of it all playing a mother that is maybe too protective of her son, even if she was kinda right three times or so that the treatment they suggested was not right for her son. Still, in the end, the revelation how he acquired these jeans also shows that he is not the angel she thinks he is. But what was up with that comment on when he needs to repeat the math exam. I hope she was not serious about that, but that it was just a case of sarcasm as well, an area that may not exactly be the character's biggest strength. So yeah, tense story here and you wonder what is wrong with the boy. The moment that stays most in the mind in addition to the introduction and the boy's collapse was perhaps when they brought another kid in that had the same symptoms. Good direction by Guy Ferland and writing by Matt Witten and show creator David Shore. A great deal of expertise, experience and competence united there and the result is one of the better, if not best episode from "House MD."'s season 1. I definitely recommend the watch.
0 out of 1 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
