Kids

An outbreak of bacterial meningitis at a heavily attended school swim meet means House and his colleagues must cope with dozens of people being bused to the clinic to ascertain if they are infected. One 12-year-old girl, played winningly by Skye Bartusiak, seems to have something altogether different going on. You can guess, but you will be wrong. House splits his time between treating her and checking on the seemingly endless stream of clinic arrivals. Cameron returns, but on one condition: She demands a date with House. This series clearly costs some bucks to put together, and this is no more evident than in this very busy episode. Some real ERs and clinics would probably love to have access to all the paraphernalia and equipment seen on this fictional N.J. setup.

This was a really good episode. It involves treatment of a very young competitive diver. She contracts what appears to be meningitis, but treatment involves a hospital full of people who must be screened for the disease. Since she was swimming at a big venue, people are bused in in herds. Cameron is gone and the doctors must split their time between the routine stuff and this really dicey case. This little girl is really a good actress, showing her mettle as they do all these things to her in the most inclement settings. There is lots of anger all around. Meanwhile, it is obvious that House needs Cameron back but she is resistant. The final scene is downright weird.