“Human Error” spoilers below:

Things that happened

This Cuban couple decides it is necessary to risk their lives to get to House because the wife, Marina, has something wrong with her but no doctors in Cuba can figure out what it is. Of course the end up shipwrecked and rescued in the middle of a giant storm, and because it is television and not real life they are actually allowed to go see House instead of just getting deported like the rest of the Cubans who get found.

There is something wrong with her heart. They have no idea at all what it is. Foreman has several theories and House decides to continuously agree with them even though they aren’t really pushing any envelopes. Foreman also accidentally breaks the woman’s arm because she is made of toothpicks or something. When they decide to do an angiogram, her heart stops. Completely. But she can still talk. This is extremely weird. So House decides to make Cameron and Foreman do CPR FOR THREE HOURS, while House bothers Wilson in surgery and Cuddy while she is teaching her first year med class to find answers, but to no avail. Cuddy finally forces House to put Marina on bypass, mostly because she doesn’t want House killing Cameron and Foreman in the process of doing endless CPR.

During the bypass, no one can find anything wrong with Marina’s heart, nor can they get it started again. The surgeon decides Marina needs to be declared dead. House doesn’t really want to – not because the husband is praying like a fool and stalking him, but because he really wants to know why she was talking while her hear wasn’t working. It’s a pretty good question. Cuddy pulls her “it’s my hospital” card again and make him pull the plug, but not before House has a there-is-a-god/there-is-no-god argument with the husband, which was kind of fruitless because the husband doesn’t believe either, he is just praying because he knows his wife would want him too. This husband – who has the worst facial hair I have ever seen – is totally whipped.

House pulls the plug and just as she is supposed to die she comes back to life! It’s a miracle! Or is it?! This leads to more annoying “medical vs. miracle” talk, which, I’m sorry to say, is so very tired on this show. We need a new back-up storyline, David Shore.

In the end, House convinces the husband to do another angiogram – because he wants to prove he is better than god – and there they find a never before seen heart condition that is surprisingly fixable. Hooray for house! He is better than god! Well, definitely better than Jesus!

All this was going on as Foreman prepares for his last day. No one wants Foreman to leave, but he is completely set on it because he would rather save lives than solve problems. Chase yelling at House doesn’t work, Cameron giving him a present doesn’t work, Wilson and Cuddy reasoning with House doesn’t work and – most amazingly of all – House giving in to Cuddy and Wilson and telling foreman not to go and he needs him here doesn’t work! Oh no! We may never see Foreman again! (Don’t worry – we will. Omar Epps renewed his contract!)

In other news, Chase gets so riled up he gets himself fired. This is sad because he was really proving to be the only follower in this episode who was actually thinking about stuff. He seems pretty okay with it all, probably because a soon as he stopped showering Cameron with Tuesday-only affection, she threw herself at him. And, because Cameron realizes she can never be with House and Chase is a pretty good catch for someone who is settling for second best, she quits her job! Man, why couldn’t she have been the one to get fired?!

Things that were good

• While overall I didn’t really like this episode, it has set up the show really nicely for next year. There’s a lot of room to take House in new creative directions and to introduce new characters. While I love this show, after three years this formula is getting a bit stale and there is only so much you can do with characters you can’t really challenge anymore.
• Cane air guitar! I feel Hugh Laurie has professional experience in the air guitar world. That scene was delightful!
• I enjoyed the fact that Foreman gave the Cuban husband House’s home number. And that House refused to pick up!
• I’m glad Cameron quit. It would have been disappointing if it wasn’t all-or-none. However, it does leave me troubled about the introduction of new followers next year. While I want new characters and for this show to be inspired, I don’t want too much too soon. This show needs to remain true to its origins and it’s creative, innovative writing and strong characters.

Things that were not so good

• Chase was unbelievably annoying this episode. I can’t really pinpoint why. He didn’t do anything extraordinarily out of character.
• The second Cameron loses attention she seeks it out again. See, people?! See why I hate her?!
• All the God and miracle talk was really annoying and old. It is a debate that will never be resolved – and I know every medical show needs to deal with it at least once! – but nobody has done anything new and innovative with it. Something happened I can’t explain! It’s a miracle! No it’s not! Wait, it could be! Also, House has dealt with it so many times, I feel it sits on the shelf and the writers pull it down when it is needed. You recycle during slow periods! Not season finales!
• It took every ounce of my imagination to actually believe that a young Cuban couple with no adorable child or solid documentation of grave medical illnesses would actually be allowed to get to House after getting scooped up by the Coast Guard.
• It just didn’t feel like a finale.

Worth watching if….

You want to watch next season and don’t want to be horribly confused as to why there are new characters, old people in new positions and just have everything discombobulated. And if you love it when medical dramas talk about Jesus. Like I said, this episode did a fantastic job of wrapping up this season and all the loose ends that were hanging about as well as carving out a new path for next season. However, as a stand alone episode, it’s nothing worth drooling over.

In Five Words

She’s Dead! Now She’s Not!

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