House: The Cheese Stands Alone

House was about the importance of community this week. Or rather, the importance of having a small cadre of sycophantic underlings around to keep you from killing people. Whatever, same difference. Dr. House learned that it's hard to treat patients without his team, particularly given his aversion to talking to patients or doing any actual medical work. It occurs to me watching this show that House is less a doctor than a medical consultant. Which is to say, House is better at thinking about the practice of medicine than actually practicing medicine. Like all consultants, this makes him useless in virtually any setting. I assume it also makes it hard for him to describe his job to strangers. All the consultants I know make their job sound like a cross between study hall and being a restaurant hostess. I know what you're thinking -- House would make a terrible restaurant hostess. Well, I want you to think about the last nice restaurant you went to. How friendly and helpful was the hostess? Exactly.

Next week House selects his new team, Survivor-style. I hope there's mud wrestling.