"Massage Therapy" Recap and Review

I think possibly "Massage Therapy" has been the best episode of House so far this season.  The premiere was probably the favorite of Huddy fans, but as far as a quality episode of House goes, "Massage Therapy" gets my vote for best episode so far.

So, in this episode there's three plot lines going on.  One, the patient, a young woman named "Margaret" who supposedly stole a woman's identity to hide from an abusive ex-husband.  We, however, eventually find that she's hiding an even bigger secret that causing her symptoms.  House's job would be so much easier if he wasn't always right when he says "Everybody lies."

I probably should have seen the diagnosis coming from the beginning.  While maybe her imagining someone was in the house may not have actually been caused by her condition since she was still on her meds at that point, I think it was still mean to be foreshadowing.  I, however, didn't see it coming until a few seconds before she said it.  Also, the scene where we first see her hallucinations was great, and a bit scary.  Those are the sort of things I have nightmares about. 

Plot line two: Chase's new hire for the team.  Chase has hired Dr. Kelly Benedict, or Dr. Kelly as House calls her.  Unfortunately, Dr. Kelly is underqualified, which House, Taub, and Foreman all notice and aren't really happy with.  Chase pretty much just hired her because he likes her and wants to sleep with her.  House put her through a test, and she basically fails, despite her effort.  In the end, House says that he'll give her another chance, but she decides to quit knowing that she will eventually be fired, and Chase asks her out.

Onto the third plotline: House and Cuddy.  Cuddy has an issue (as she probably should) with the fact that House's massage therapist is also a hooker, and he has had sex with her in the past.  Cuddy wants him to find a new massage therapist, and House is resistant.  He asks Wilson for advice, Wilson says that he needs to learn to make sacrifices, and House, of course, ignores this and comes up with a different plan.  Instead, House sends a massage therapist to give Cuddy a massage in her office, a man who turns out to be a prostitute...a gay prostitute.  So, not exactly the same situation as Cuddy obviously wouldn't be having sex with a gay man...but I guess House figured it's close enough.

Cuddy accuses House of trying to keep her at a distance, and House says that she's actually the one who's doing that.  She won't let him sleep over at her house, and she won't let him be around Rachel.  She says that she doesn't want to let him into Rachel's life if there's a chance he's going to disappear.  In the end, House decides to give up his hooker massages, and Cuddy finally invites House to stay over.  The ending scene with them having dinner with Rachel and House's awkwardness with the kid sets up what we can expect from House's adventures in babysitting in next week's episode "Unplanned Parenthood".

I enjoyed the episode.  It felt like an episode of House.  It feels a bit like the season didn't really get into the swing of things until now.  So, that was nice, something has felt a little off with this season so far.

Let me know your thoughts on the episode!  Leave me comments, please.