Babies & Bathwater

While driving a car with her husband Sean, the pregnant Naomi Randolph collapses and is moved to House's hospital. Edward Vogler is forcing the dismissal of House, pressing the board with his investment of one hundred million dollars in the hospital. The team finds that Naomi has small-cell lung cancer, needing to be submitted to radiation, but she refuses the caesarean section and the treatment to give a better chance of survival to the baby. Meanwhile, the baby of a young couple is losing weight, and House finds that the baby is being fed by the vegetarian parents only with a vegan diet. The direction of the hospital calls the social service and the police and the parents are arrested.

"Babies & Bathwater" was released in Brazil as a "special gift" for buyers of DVDs like me with the title "Pilot Episode", as a means of promoting this show. This episode is very realistic and too technical, but even non-expert in medicine are able to understand the illness and the recommended treatment. In spite of being not familiarized with the series, the situations and the characters are interesting for those that may like dramas in hospital. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil) "Episódio Piloto" ("Pilot Episode")

Vogler is doing everything he can to sack House for making the damaging speech. He is determined to fire anyone who stands in his way of getting rid of House.

House is trying to save a pregnant woman, and the choice is coming down to her or the baby. He finds a way to save both, but Vogler stops him.

he is also working with a baby that is exhibiting failure to thrive, and social services has the parents arrested. He manages to save both babies while Cuddy stands up to Vogler.

One can only imagine that things are going to be very different between Cuddy and House next season.

This is a wonderful episode from the series, and one of the truly rare instances where House doesn't always get his way. The main plot, regarding the pregnant woman, shows House at its dark best, and the advancement of that story shows House having to recognize his cynicism is not always appropriate. But the real treat is the Vogler storyline, which shows Vogler at his diabolical best. If House is truly Sherlock Holmes, then Vogler is unquestionably his Moriarty - the one nemesis who has truly gotten the best of House, and this is the episode where that happens. Their final confrontation is funny, nerve-wracking and surprising, as it should be. Also, to correct an earlier comment, the trashy woman with strange bruises who is having sex is NOT in this episode. She appeared in the previous episode, "Role Model."