"Role Model" is the seventeenth episode from season one of "House M. D." and this aired in April 2005, so it is now roughly 19 years old and maybe over 20 when you get here a little later. The director was Peter O'Fallon who worked on several episodes of the show, but not too many and the writer is Matt Witten, who wrote screenplays also for several episodes, but worked on many more in another area. Or I should say co-writer because series creator David Shore is also credited here. The first season is slowly coming to an end with these over 44 minutes that still had a lot of action going on. Maybe this is one reason why House was so successful back then and is still very much worth a watch I would say. It goes away from the traditional concept that each episode has to end the way it started. The biggest twist here is of course Cameron announcing their resignation in the last scene. How will this continue? Will she change her mind? Will we never see her again? Will another (female) doctor join the team? You surely want to find out in the next episode. What you also want to find out is what Vogler will do after House gave that speech that must have totally upset him. The quantity of Vicodin joke at the end then was a good one for sure, but overall this speech by House will only cast further tensions for sure. I am sure there is no way anybody will stop watching the series after this episode. Certainly one of the finest from season one and I have not even talked about the key case this time. Before I do, there's other stuff worth mentioning, namely the entire Cameron-House storyline and especially what Cameron has to say to House on several occasions, especially the one when she makes a connection to God. Perhaps the best scene of the episode. One of the funniest was House talking (or not talking) to Wilson about his potential feelings for Cameron. As for Chase, he was not featured a lot here during this episode and mostly only in it because of his relationship with House getting worse. No respect from the latter there after Chase makes a right diagnosis early and also the reference to Chase's face expression. What was still more memorable than that was Chase finally admitting or rather telling House that he was the one feeding information to Vogler. I mean House pretty much knew anyway, but still.
With Foreman, there is not too much to say about this episode. He was mostly memorable for being the one who connected the most with the key patient here, a successful Black senator with the intention to run for President soon. Even if the man in here is much older than his real-life role model, you see where this is leading a little while before Obama hit things really big in America. Two to three years later in fact, so this episode was a bit of foreshadowing then, even if the patient (played by Joe Morton, who won an Emmy almost a decade later) in the end admits that he will not win, but running is already a step into the right direction for another Black man to win one day. It went faster than expected you can say. In reality. This was also a good moment, maybe the best when it comes to Morton's performance here and how the character was written too. I think he would have deserved some awards recognition, especially for his portrayal in those scenes where he was clearly physically suffering, but still the character's dedication shone through many times. The episode made a brief reference to H. I. V. Too, but this was not a huge factor to the episode, especially not in the second half when it turned out that the first test was a false positive. I mean if the probability is really as low as they say on one occasion during this episode, then perhaps it did feel unrealistic and should have been left out. What absolutely should not have been left out was the other case about the pregnant woman who has not had sex in a long time. I mean I am not sure how realistic all this was from a medical perspective or a perspective that neither she nor her ex did not realize something was wrong, but well, it was surely enigmatic and entertaining. Probably also helped that the actress Missy Crider was pretty attractive and I usually don't have much of a thing for blondes. This is also pretty much all I have to say then about this episode. The action is still tense and interesting and all characters contribute something. Cuddy was not in it too much because the tension is now between Vogler and House directly, but even she had an interesting moment when she talks about whose choice it is to pick a certain form of therapy.
Oh and I must not forget: We see House's apartment during this episode and we realize that he plays the piano. I mean this was almost a bit too much in the end depicting him so sophisticated there and have Cameron arrive the exact same moment. I am sure some people maybe expected a kiss even when it was her standing at the doorstep, but it became a totally different development. He also did not really have the option to not open the door as she must have heard the music coming from inside. It is incredibly difficult to pick one moment from this episode that I would call the best from these almost three quarters of an hour as there are at least a dozen contenders, but one moment I would definitely consider is when House holds the senator after giving him back access to his respiratory aid there and what he says that moment. You will probably pick something entirely different, but while it was a bit of a moment of harmony, it also brought back the God reference somehow with House making sure one of the most important men of the country still gets to live and breathe a little longer. Well, not a just a little, but way longer as his recovery turns out to be exemplary. So yeah, this was another mighty fine episode and I cannot wait it continue. "House M. D." is worth seeing now as much as it was seeing 20 years ago and I envy those a bit who have never watched the show. But only if they do something about it, otherwise it is 100% their loss. "Role Model" is an episode where the title consists of two words, which is not too often the case with this series or at least the first season and I have two words for this episode as well: Highly recommended.
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