202: Autopsy

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"AUTOPSY"

House Episode Number: 202

House Season: 2

Original Air Date: September 20, 2005

Writer: Lawrence Kaplow (won a award for best written dramatic episode of the TV series House episode "Autopsy")

Director: Deran Sarafian

Special Guest(s): Stephanie Venditto (Brenda) , Hira Ambrosino (Anesthesiologist), Gwen Holloway (Neurologist #2), Jewel Christian (Pam), Randall Park (Brad), William Jones (Dr. Murphy), Eamon Hunt (Neurologist), Sasha Embeth Pieterse (Andie), Jonathan Fraser (Salesperson)

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◄ Go home: House

Dr. Wilson convinces House to take the case of one of his patients, a young girl with terminal cancer who starts suffering from hallucinations.

House finds evidence of a tumour on Andie's heart. They operate to remove it and find an 'octopus sized tumour' covering almost the entire heart. After a biopsy is done on the removed tumour, the team discovers it is benign, and House will not accept the coincidence.

HOUSE EPISODE'S MEDICAL MYSTERY: PATIENT OF THE WEEK (POTW)

Location of incident:	Andie's home
Name / occupation / age / sex of POTW:	Andie/Child/9/Female
POTW symptom(s):	Hallucinations Shock Bleeding from eye
Team mis-diagnoses:	Tumor in her heart Blood clot near her brain
House team's rule violation(s) / ethical breaches:	House offers the nine year old a way out if she would prefer not to undergo anymore suffering.
House's "Aha!" moment:
POTW final diagnosis:	Blood clot (not in that place House suggested)
Other / clinic patient(s):	A guy's new girlfriend had never been with a man who wasn't circumcised so he tried to do the job himself.

Best Episode Moments

House talks to Andie about the risks of the procedure, and what little time she has left even if they succeed (1 year) and despite the pain she will suffer for the coming year (for cancer treatment), she doesn't want to give up even though she's tired of the pain. Because she loves her mother and doesn't want to hurt her emotionally.

Emotional heart to heart conversation between House and Andie.

House enters room

House: I'm doctor House.
Andie: I've seen you around.
House: Did your mom tell you, what were going to try?
Andie: Sor'ta.
House: Tommorow's test could take 10 hours, in your present condition..you might not even make it through.
Andie: My mom did a lot of research.
House: How do you feel about it? We figured you maturity came from how much time you got left instead of how long you've been here this should be your call.
Andie: I don't have i choice, do I?
House: I could give you one.
Andie: I wanna get better.
House: You have cancer, and if i fix this.
Andie: I have a year.
House: A year of this. A lot of people wouldn't want that. A lot of people would...just want it to be over.
Andie: Your asking if i wanna die?
House: Nobody wants to die, but your going to. My question is how? how much your gonna suffer...and how long? I'm asking if you want this to be over?
Andie: [silence] what would you tell my mom?
House: I would give her 10 excellent medical reasons, why we can't do this procedure.
Andie: [saddened voice] I can't just leave her because I'm tired.
House: But you can't stay for her either.
Andie: [saddened] But she needs me here.
House: This is your life, you can't do this just for her.
Andie: [cries] But i love her.

In the end Wilson said; She enjoys life more then you (House) do (despite all the pain she has, and will have), she stole a kiss from Chase. What have you done lately? She could outlive you.

Chase kissing Andie (in a sweet, non-sexual way)

House Quotes

"I've got drugs for that." (House's reply to Andie at the end of the episode when she tells him that a hug might make him feel better--but the line was cut from the episode and it appeared only in an episode preview!)

"Is it still illegal to perform an autopsy on a living person?"

"Union rules. I can't check out this guy's seeping gonorrhea this close to lunch."

House Episode Trivia

The song in the end was a cover (specially made for House Season 2 Episode 2 Autopsy) of beautiful song by Elvis Costello.

In the bathroom scene House listens to the Aria Nessun Dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. He had undergone an operation for cancer of the throat and died from a heart failure as a complication he developed. ( an obvious connection between Andie and him)

The music before Elvis Costello ( when Andie wakes up) is from Bird York - In the Deep

The song Andie sings in the bathroom is Beautiful sung by Cristina Aquilera.

Lisa Edelstein says in one of her interviews that she was speechless watching this little girl act. She did not know a 9 year old could play such an emotional character. (I am not being mean and neither was Lisa, she just underestimated this girls ability).

HOUSE EPISODE PICTURES & VIDEOS