The episode "Brave Heart" starts off at lightning speed. Two police officers pursue a criminal on foot in a chase that could rival those found in some action movies. It was a fun way to start off the episode. That is, until one of the officers attempts to leap across a building, and plummets thirty feet, landing on his back.
Problems of the Heart
The fall lands the officer in the ER under Cameron's care. It is there she learns from the officer's partner that the jump was just another in a series of reckless behavior brought by the officer believing he will be dead in the near future. Both his father and grandfather suffered cardiac failure right after their fortieth birthday's, and the officer's is coming up soon. Cameron brings the case (even though it isn't really a case yet) to House and the team. It was nice to see House try to get out of taking the case like he used to, and he has gone right back to his quips and witty comments to the rest of the team. It looks like his nice streak is finally and officially over.
The case itself was pretty cool as well. After finding nothing wrong with the patient's heart, he is discharged (after House gives him a sugar pill for a disease he made up on the spot). As soon as the patient leaves, however, he collapses and is declared dead. When Foreman and House attempt to do an autopsy in order to find the cause of death, the patient wakes up right as Foreman is cutting into his chest. (Side note: Foreman has a pretty ridiculous scream) The patient then begins feeling various pains, including in his jaw. It gets so intense that he resorts to pulling out his teeth in an attempt to lessen the pain.
Eventually, House figures out that the problem is an aneurism in the back of the patient's brain. As he (and his father and grandfather) got older, the aneurism grew, pushing against various parts of the brain. These cause the pains, and eventually it would get big enough to stop blood flow to the heart. After a quick brain surgery, the patient is right as rain.
Background Noise
There was also a lot going on in the background during "Brave Heart." Chase has started feeling guilt about having murdered Dibala and lying to cover it up. In fact, the police officer is in the same room Dibala was in, so every time Chase goes near it he begins to have panic attacks. He eventually seeks confession with a priest. But when the priest tells him the only way to obtain absolution is to turn himself in, Chase opts to get drunk and come home late to a worried Cameron instead.
House, meanwhile, is ordered to complete 120 hours of rounds before Cuddy will certify him to get his license back. He tackles this in his old be-a-pain-in-the-ass-until-they-give-in mentality, which eventually works in the end. There was also a sub-plot with House moving into the room Wilson used to share with Amber, and hearing whispers at night. The whispers end up being Wilson talking to the deceased Amber every night as a form of comfort coming through the air vents. While not vital to the overall plot, it provided a touching moment at the end of the episode.
Overall Thoughts
"Brave Heart" succeeded by bringing back the best parts of House over the years while still utilizing new story lines. House's inappropriate manner during rounds was just as humorous as his behavior with clinic patients in past seasons. And his banter and interaction with his team, which is one of the things that made the show so appealing in the first place, was back in full force.
It's also nice to see that the Dibala story line is still in play, and more importantly still feels organic to the overall plot. Chase's relationship with his seminary background has always been interesting, and watching him grapple with the notion that he has gotten away with killing the dictator was engaging. The way this complicates his marriage with Cameron will also be something to look forward too.
On a slightly sadder note, it looks like Thirteen is gone for good. The "new team" story line that started in season four seems to have come to a close, and the old gang that started the series have returned. Hopefully the shows writers will continue to find intriguing ways to make the old dynamic feel fresh, as they did with this episode.
