Broken (House)

Last updated
"Broken"
House episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 1+2
Directed by Katie Jacobs
Written by
Featured music"No Surprises" by Radiohead
"Seven Day Mile" by The Frames
"Love Vigilantes" by Iron & Wine
Original air dateSeptember 21, 2009 (2009-09-21)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Both Sides Now"		Next →
"Epic Fail"
House season 6
List of episodes

"Broken" is the title for the first and second episode of the sixth season of the television series House . The two-part season premiere was first broadcast on Fox on September 21, 2009. The narrative follows series protagonist Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) as he overcomes his Vicodin addiction and psychological problems at Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.

Contents

Receiving season-high ratings, the episode garnered positive reviews from critics. The performance of Hugh Laurie was also applauded.

Plot

House awakens in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital after suffering through the painful effects of Vicodin withdrawal. He asks to leave knowing that they legally cannot keep him because he voluntarily committed himself. However, Dr. Nolan (Andre Braugher) refuses to sign a recommendation that he is able to return to practicing medicine. House resigns himself to staying at the hospital and getting his clearance. He meets his bipolar roommate, Alvie (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and begrudgingly participates in group therapy with Dr. Beasley. He also meets and is intrigued by Lydia (Franka Potente), a woman who plays piano for her sister-in-law Annie (Ana Lenchantin), an unresponsive patient in the ward who was a cellist.

House attempts to be kicked out by making the patients' and workers' lives miserable, starting by humiliating the patients by deducing their problems during a group therapy session but only succeeds in being placed in solitary confinement. House then goads his fellow patients into creating havoc in the ward over not being allowed table tennis paddles, but Dr. Nolan calms them by giving them the paddles. From the hospital window, House sees Dr. Nolan get into a car with a woman. House convinces Alvie to break into Nolan's office to get information on him, but Alvie finds nothing useful. House then phones Wilson to ask for help blackmailing Nolan, but Wilson refuses, saying that Nolan had warned him that House may try to do something like this and that he should let Nolan do his job. House starts to adjust to life inside the institution. His only respite is Lydia's regular visits, during which they talk and discuss music.

A new patient named Steve (Derek Richardson), who insists on the name "Freedom Master", believes he is a superhero that can fly. During one of his episodes, the doctors drug him into a catatonic state. House is infuriated by this, and, with Lydia's help, kidnaps Steve and takes him to a carnival. House and Steve go on a wind tunnel ride which makes it appear as if they are really flying. Steve is overjoyed, but then actually believes he can fly and jumps off a parking structure. With Steve badly injured, Dr. Nolan tells House he cannot possibly treat someone so uncooperative. As Nolan leaves, however, House softly calls him back and says, "I need help." He begins therapy with Nolan and House says, "I want to get better." House takes his medication for the first time, and tells Alvie that his new plan is to cooperate, much to the chagrin of Alvie, who feels betrayed.

Nolan brings House a suit and has him mingle at the hospital's fund-raising party. His assignment is to make connections with strangers. It is difficult for House at first, but then he has fun toying with people. Lydia becomes his accomplice and before she leaves, she kisses House.

House discusses the kiss with Nolan. Lydia is married. He also feels guilty about what happened to Steve, and Nolan tells him to apologize personally. During group therapy, Dr. Beasley suggests the patients put on a talent show. House has an idea of how to help Steve, who had been trying to "save" the silent girl, Annie, with a music box confiscated in the nurse's station. Steve calls it her "voicebox". House convinces Beasley to allow them to get the music box, but Dr. Nolan comes in to break up the group and wheels Steve away, saying that House was "trying to fix, instead of moving on".

House rebuffs Lydia because he knows that, in the end, someone will get hurt. House is given a day pass by Dr. Nolan who requests his presence. He arrives at a hospital to find Nolan at the bedside of his dying father; a tearful Nolan asks House for a consultation. House has nothing to add to the diagnosis, confirming that Nolan Sr.'s condition is terminal. House accuses Nolan of having no one else to turn to but his own patient (House himself). Nolan tells House that he does not need him to make deductions, and House realizes that what he needs is company, so he stays and sits in silence.

When House returns to Mayfield, he finds Lydia upset over her sister-in-law. He apologizes and dances with her. They find an empty room and make love.

The residents hold a talent show. House does not participate at first, but is coaxed into helping Alvie when he cannot finish his rap on stage.

House apologizes to Steve, and as he wheels him away, Steve breaks his silence and gives the silent Annie the music box he was holding. For the first time, she speaks to say 'thank you'. Lydia arrives and House takes her in to see the group watching her sister-in-law playing "Bach's Cello Suite No. 1" on the cello.

After learning that Annie is being released from Mayfield, House goes to Nolan's office to confront him. Dr. Nolan tells House that Lydia and her husband are taking Annie to a rehab facility in Arizona. House demands an overnight pass, and over Nolan's objections he goes to see Lydia at her home. He is startled when Lydia's young son answers the door. House wants her to stay, and Lydia says she wants to but ends up asking House to leave. Back in the Mayfield parking lot, House talks to Dr. Nolan about his feelings, which, in conjunction with House getting close enough to someone to be hurt in the first place, convinces him that House deserves the recommendation to the medical board, showing that he learned to talk about his problems instead of abusing Vicodin and deserves his medical license back.

Mayfield gives House a good-bye party with House even shoving his face into the cake, surprising everyone in the room, and House is discharged and gets on a bus back to Princeton, sitting at the back of the bus where it's revealed he's also wearing a t-shirt Alvie had earlier, one that has a big smiley face on it. After the departure of House, Alvie decides he wants to get better and goes back on his medication.

Production

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital was used for exterior shots of the hospital. [1]

Reception

The episode was well received by critics. [2] Metacritic reported generally favorable reviews with a score of 77/100 based on 8 reviews. [3] The show earned a 9.5 rating out of 983 votes on TV.com. Entertainment Weekly stated "a trite, untrue mental-illness mystery insults the show's high IQ, but doesn't diminish the opener's capture-the-imagination thesis: that a redeemed House can be just as compelling as a rude House." Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said "the episode has a few sentimentality issues (any plot point involving a music box walks a very fine line), but it doesn't matter much because the characters are so vivid they even outshine House at times, which can only be good for him." Alan Sepinwall from The Newark Star-Ledger praised the episode saying "for one night, this is the best House, and its leading man, have been in a long time." The episode also won for Best Episodic Drama at Writers Guild of America Awards 2009. [4]

Rating

In its original broadcast, "Part One" was viewed by an estimated 16.5 million viewers, [5] with "Part Two" bringing in approximately 17.25 million viewers. [5] Compared to the rest of the sixth season, the episodes became the highest-rated in front of "Epic Fail", which received only 14.44 million viewers. [6]

The two-hour season premiere garnered the top Nielsen Ratings on the first night of the broadcast networks' premiere week. The show averaged a 6.7/16 with 17.1 million viewers. The rating was a significant rise from the previous year's season premiere, which averaged a 5.6/16 and 14.4 million viewers. [7]

4.43 million Canadians watched this episode, making it the most viewed program of the week. [8]

Related Research Articles

House is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on the Fox network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. Its main character, Dr. Gregory House, is an unconventional, misanthropic, cynical medical genius who, despite his dependence on pain medication, successfully leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. The series' premise originated with Paul Attanasio, while David Shore, who is credited as creator, was primarily responsible for conceiving the title character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory House</span> Protagonist of the American television series House

Gregory House is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the American medical drama series House. Created by David Shore and portrayed by English actor Hugh Laurie, he leads a team of diagnosticians and is the Head of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in Princeton, New Jersey. House's character has been described as a misanthrope, cynic, narcissist, and curmudgeon, the last of which terms was named one of the top television words of 2005 in honor of the character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Cuddy</span> Fictional character

Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the dean of medicine of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. Cuddy quit her job after the events of season seven's finale "Moving On".

"House's Head" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of House and the eighty-fifth episode overall. It was the first part of the two-part season four finale, the second part being "Wilson's Heart". Co-written by several House producers and directed by Greg Yaitanes, "House's Head" premiered on May 12, 2008 on Fox.

Michael Tritter is a recurring fictional character in the medical drama series House, portrayed by David Morse. He is the main antagonist of the third season, which ran between 2006 and 2007. Tritter is a police detective, who tries to get Dr. Gregory House to apologize for leaving him in an examination room with a thermometer in his rectum. After House refuses to apologize, Tritter researches House's background and discovers his Vicodin addiction. Tritter turns people close to House against him and forces House to go to rehab. When the case ultimately comes to court, the judge sentences House to one night in jail, for contempt of court, and to finish his rehabilitation, telling Tritter that she believes House is not the drug addict he tried to make him out to be.

"And in the End..." is the series finale of the American medical drama television series ER. The two-hour episode, which serves as the 22nd episode of the fifteenth season and the 331st episode overall, was written by John Wells and directed by Rod Holcomb and aired on NBC on April 2, 2009. It was preceded by a one-hour retrospective special.

"Both Sides Now" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the fifth season of House. It originally aired on Fox on May 11, 2009.

Hysterical Blindness (<i>Heroes</i>) 4th episode of the 4th season of Heroes

"Hysterical Blindness" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-third episode overall. The episode aired on October 12, 2009.

"Baggage" is the twenty-first episode of the sixth season of the American medical drama House. It aired on Fox on May 10, 2010. The episode deals with Dr. Nolan trying to help House by getting him to recount the events of the past week. The critical response was generally positive.

"Snow Falls" is the third episode of the American fairy tale/drama television series Once Upon a Time. The series takes place in the fictional seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine, in which the residents are actually characters from various fairy tales that were transported to the "real world" town by a powerful curse. This episode centers on the first meeting of Snow White and Prince Charming, when the former steals his mother's ring; Charming hunts her down, but they later part amicably. Meanwhile, Snow's Storybrooke counterpart, Mary Margaret (Goodwin), develops a personal bond with a comatose John Doe (Dallas) while reading him fairy tales. During the night, he awakens and escapes the hospital; Mary Margaret locates the amnesiac man, but is dismayed to learn that he is married.

"Twenty Vicodin" is the eighth season premiere episode of the American television medical drama series House and the 156th overall episode of the series. It aired on Fox on October 3, 2011. The episode introduces a new regular cast member to the series, Odette Annable, who plays Dr. Jessica Adams. Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel on the ABC show Family Matters, makes a guest appearance in the episode. In the episode, the storyline picks up eleven months after the season seventh finale with House in prison.

Pilot (<i>Revenge</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Revenge

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American drama television series Revenge. It aired on ABC on September 21, 2011, and was written by Mike Kelley and directed by Phillip Noyce.

Trust (<i>Revenge</i>) 2nd episode of the 1st season of Revenge

"Trust" is the second episode of the first season of the American drama television series Revenge. It aired on ABC on September 28, 2011, and was co-written by Mike Kelley and Joe Fazzio and directed by Phillip Noyce.

Guilt (<i>Revenge</i>) 5th episode of the 1st season of Revenge

"Guilt" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American drama television series Revenge. It aired on ABC on October 19, 2011, and was written by Nikki Toscano and directed by Kenneth Fink.

"Nobody's Fault" is the eleventh episode of the eighth season of House and the 166th overall. It aired on Fox on February 6, 2012. This marked director Greg Yaitanes' 30th and final directorial effort on House.

Everybody Dies (<i>House</i>) Final episode of House, M.D.

"Everybody Dies" is the series finale of the American medical drama television series House. It is the 22nd episode of the eighth season and the 177th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 21, 2012. While treating a drug-addicted patient, House is forced to examine his life and future. The title references the series' first episode and House's mantra "Everybody Lies".

Slabtown (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 4th episode of the 5th season of The Walking Dead

"Slabtown" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on November 2, 2014. The episode was written by Matthew Negrete and Channing Powell, and directed by Michael E. Satrazemis, who is the series' director of photography. In the episode, Beth Greene finds herself in an operational hospital in Atlanta after being abducted in the previous season. Beth discovers that the hospital is ruled by a brutally enforced system and slowly plans her escape. Emily Kinney and Melissa McBride are the only regulars to appear in this episode, though McBride only appears in the final scene, whereas Kinney appears throughout the episode.

"Takiawase" is the fourth episode of the second season of the psychological thriller–horror series Hannibal. It is the 17th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Scott Nimerfro and series creator Bryan Fuller, and directed by David Semel. It was first broadcast on March 21, 2014, on NBC.

"Yakimono" is the seventh episode of the second season of the psychological thriller–horror series Hannibal. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Steve Lightfoot and series creator Bryan Fuller, and directed by executive producer Michael Rymer. It was first broadcast on April 11, 2014, on NBC.

"Asylum" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Person of Interest. It is the 89th overall episode of the series and is written by Andy Callahan and co-executive producer Denise Thé and directed by Frederick E. O. Toye. It aired on CBS in the United States and on CTV in Canada on April 28, 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "'House' television show returns to Greystone Park hospital to shoot additional scenes". 21 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "crazycite". Metacritic . Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  3. ↑ "House". Metacritic .
  4. ↑ "2010 WGA Awards TV Nominees Announced". Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  5. 1 2 Seidman, Robert (September 22, 2009). "Updated TV Ratings: House premieres big Dancing, Heroes & The Jay Leno Show fall". TVbytheNumbers.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  6. ↑ Seidman, Robert (September 29, 2009). "TV Ratings: House down, still tops; Trauma's explosions lead to ratings implosion". TVbytheNumbers.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Updated TV Ratings: House premieres big Dancing, Heroes & The Jay Leno Show fall". TV by the Numbers. 2009-09-22. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2009-09-23.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-11-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.