TVSquad

Boy, it sure feels like it's been a while since we saw Dr. House and his band of merry ladies and gentlemen, and by peeking at the last time we had a new episode, it most certainly has. But, as usual, the intro to the show leaves off pretty much hours after the last episode closed, with House & Stacy attempting to leave Baltimore in the throes of a snowstorm. Hearing Wilson and Cuddy talk about the new skip in House's step was kind of amusing, in an "omigosh did he just lose his virginity?" kind of way. And smartly, we're reminded of the fact that it's just about time for Cameron to get her HIV test and that Foreman's time as the "boss" is almost up.

Seeing that survey on the FOX page asking whether or not Stacy and House should "get together" for such a long time stay stagnant in the 50% each way also had me thinking whether or not we'd ever see these two actually hit the sheets - not that producers are influenced by the outside world, per se - and as it turns out we'd find out what would happen this week, all with a tidy little bow tied up around the story. Who knew?Half of me wants to totally ignore the case at hand for the Houseketeers, and the other half wants to only ignore it a little bit. But I digress. Seeing House rattle (followed by Stacy talking like a little schoolgirl to Cuddy) to Wilson about his "kiss" with Stacy in Baltimore was more than amusing, and the look he got from Cameron when she must have figured out brought the swing in his step was classic. And Cuddy's impersonation of Stacy, accent included, was a riot. Every once in a while you get a peek into Cuddy's thoughts and background, and I've got to say I like it and am almost as curious about her as I am about Cameron.

Anyway, back to the skinny. What was that, we get a chest shot of the good doctor, but none of Stacy? Sheesh, I would have thought that FOX would throw a little bedsheet enclosed cleavage our way, but I guess they're being conservative this week, network censors and all. Had the show not ended the way it did, I can see House making jokes about his "cane" left and right - hell, he probably still will.

For the first time, I really thought that the task at hand - helping a patient with a peculiar movement disorder - was an interruption to the real story between House and his ex. This has come close to happening before, but never like this. In a million years I really didn't think that Stacy would end up being the one looking for love and House ... doing the right thing, for lack of a better explanation. And even when he was doing that, he was being a complete jerk to Mark. I mean, a man who is in physical therapy so he can get back to walking normally climbing steps when he shouldn't be out of his wheelchair has got to hit someone hard, and apparently did just as much with House as it did with us.

I had known that Stacy would only be on for a limited amount of episodes, but I guess there really is some finality with it here. Seeing her pack the boxes up in her office as Wilson strolls by tells a tale to which we'll probably never know the ending. But does it re-open the possibilities for Cameron, or has her former crush's bedding of his former love stalled that permanently? I'll definitely miss Stacy, though, and can see the show sticking to the case at hand and less about personal issues now that Cameron has been cleared of HIV and House's distraction is out of the way and back in Short Hills. Well, unless Chase's penchant for dominatrixes comes into play, that is.