Larger Than Life - Recap

In the subway, Daisy is talking to her father Jack as they prepare to catch a train to the zoo. When she asks if they can have pizza, Jack says that he’ll be going on the road again after only two days. He then hears the people say that a woman has collapsed on the tracks he goes down and tries wake her up, and then asks the others for help as the train approaches. The driver tries to stop, and Jack grabs the woman and flattens himself as the train passes overhead and stops. The passengers tell the driver to pull forward, and they share in surprise and shock as they realize that Jack and the woman are alive. He looks up at them and confirms that they’re both okay, but the woman had an epileptic seizure. As Jack tells his daughter that he’s okay, he collapses.

Masters brings Jack’s case to the team after he’s brought to the ER, but House isn’t impressed and notes that there is no such thing as heroes. He systematically demolishes Masters’ examples of heroes, and Taub agrees with him. House tells them that it’s something in his brain and to test for masses in his limbic system.

As Masters checks on Jack, his wife Eva comes in and complains that Jack wasn’t thinking of his family.

House comes to see Cuddy and notes that Wilson has movie tickets and wants House to go. He asks Cuddy to tell Wilson, and notes that he’s upset after his breakup with Sam. Cuddy agrees immediately, and notes that her mother can be a handful. Next, House goes to see Wilson and says that he’d like to go to Cuddy’s birthday, but he’d rather be with Wilson. Wilson tells him that it’s important with Cuddy and tells him to go to the birthday party.

As Taub is driving home, he sees a promotional billboard for Plainsboro with his face on it. When he gets home, Rachel comments that she saw the billboard, and Taub admits he had no idea he was going to be featured. She starts to flirt with him, but Taub notes that things have been tense since she admitted she had feelings for Phil, the support group guy that she’s been talking to on-line. Rachel insists that she wants things to be okay between them and they start to kiss.

Masters asks Chase to show her how to test Jack for cysts, and he starts to walk her through the procedure. Jack’s BP and heart rate go up and Chase tells Masters to get a crash cart as the patient goes into cardiac arrest.

The team goes out to the bus stop and House decides to do differential on the Taub poster and mock Taub. Taub notes that the billboard got him laid. He’s happy to boast that Marketing thinks that he has the most sympathetic face of everyone on the team. The team goes over the symptoms and House settles on systematic autonomic dysfunction, because if he’s right it will “prove” that Jack isn’t a hero, but just a guy with a pituitary problem. Masters persists and House agrees to let her run tests to verify her diagnosis.

Chase tells Jack and Eva about their diagnosis, but Eva would rather have Taub since she figures the hospital wouldn’t put his face on the billboard unless he was a great doctor. Taub cheerfully comes in to help.

In the break room, House is searching the refrigerator when Wilson and Cuddy come in. He realizes that they talked to each other, and explains that he’d rather sit at home, drink Scotch, and watch TV. They tell him to choose, and he chooses Wilson. Satisfied, Cuddy tells him that Wilson is coming to the birthday dinner.

Eva talks to Taub privately and explains that her husband isn’t the hero type, and that he hasn’t been there for his family, and she’s had enough. Taub notes that House thinks that his heroism is a symptom, but if it isn’t, then Jack has changed.

Chase and Foreman discuss Taub’s new popularity, and Foreman notes that Chase is too handsome for patients to trust him. He admits that he isn’t a popular public face because he’s black. As they test Jack, the patient’s O2 stats drop and his breathing stops. They use suction to clear his throat and discover that he has a mucus plug. Jack has fluid in the lungs, which doesn’t fit either theory.

Back in differential, the team figures it’s either the heart or lungs. House focuses on the girl that Jack rescued, Chloe Jefferies, and suggests that she might also be sick, and that Jack cheated with her. He tells Chase and Taub to check out Chloe’s apartment. As they check it out, Taub admits that he’s had sex three times with Rachel, and figures that she’s doing it because she’s hot for her support group friend, Phil. Chase finds one of Jack’s CDs in Chloe’s possession, and Taub finds bug spray.

House sees a patient at the clinic, and she complains about shoulder pains. He isn’t impressed and she asks him why he’s so arrogant. She then talks about her daughter, a doctor, and how she also dismisses her concerns. When House notes that the daughter sounds smart, the woman tells him that Cuddy is her daughter. House goes to see Cuddy.

Taub and Chase confront Jack about his affair, but Jack denies knowing Chloe. Chloe comes in and thanks him, admitting she doesn’t know why he did it. She claims that one of her nurses gave her Jack’s CD. Masters asks for a sputum culture and points out that they obviously don’t know each other, so it can’t be toxic exposure, so her theory of infection must be correct. Jack tries to cough something up and Masters pounds on his back, and Jack winces in pain, complaining that his ears hurt.

Later, House reads an article on Jack, and points out the photo featuring Taub. House still insists that Jack is an idiot not a hero, while Masters insists that the ear pain proves her theory. He suggests a tumor instead, which accounts for the heart and lung. He tells them to run an evoked auditory potential test and leaves to see Cuddy. Taub gets a page and is called away. Cuddy admits that her mother, Arlene, went to see House on her own because Cuddy never says anything about her. House tries to get out of the dinner, saying he’s already ruined things, but Cuddy insists that he’s there and that’s what relationships are all about: averaging misery.

Taub and Rachel have sex in a clinic room. She says that she resolved a disagreement with her sister, and that she discussed it with Phil. Taub asks if she’s in love with Phil. Rachel says that she’s never met him, but Taub isn’t convinced.

Foreman and Chase run the auditory tests but there’s no sign of a tumor. Masters thinks that verifies her theory and wants to get cultures closer to the infection. She prepares to drain the ears to prepare. Once she’s gone, Foreman says that someone has to go with her, and they match to see who. Chase loses.

Jack reads the article on himself and Eva admits that he’s proud of her. He says that he’s reevaluating his life, and realizes that he’s been afraid of screwing things up. Jack tells her that he’s going to quit the band, and Eva says that she and Daisy would like that. Masters comes in to do the ear tests and she starts draining the fluid through his spine. However, once she sticks him in the back, Jack tells them that the ear pain has vanished.

House, Cuddy, Williams, and Arlene gather for dinner, and Arlene complains that Cuddy isn’t feeding Rachel properly. House manages to keep quiet as they argue. The team pages House and he quickly takes the call to tell him what happened with Jack. They assure him they don’t need him, much to his disappointment, and he suggests that Jack is suffering from referred pain. House tells them to check the thyroid and liver, but Masters objects and stands by her infection theory. When House objects, they hang up.

With after-dinner coffee, Arlene asks if House would convert to Judaism if he married Cuddy. Wilson can’t help resist mentioning Sam, and Arlene shuts him down. When Arlene suggests that Rachel shouldn’t be married to a slut, House finally steps in... and Arlene passes out. Cuddy realizes that House drugged her, and Wilson admits that it was a good idea... before he passes out as well.

Masters comes to see Taub in the cafeteria and tries to discuss his marital situation. Taub doesn’t think that Masters knows what she’s talking about, and figures that Crystal isn’t really interested in him. When Masters asks why Rachel is with him, Taub admits that he doesn’t know why she’s still with him. However, he can’t say if he’s going to stop cheating on his wife. Masters says that he’s selfish, and then gets a page that Foreman has confirmed auto-immune hepatitis in Jack’s liver.

House and Cuddy wash dishes and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Jack shows Daisy how to play guitar while Eva looks on, but then goes into convulsions. They call in House the next day, and explain that Jack seized three times and has a fever that has confirmed Masters’ diagnosis of infection. However, they don’t know what type of infection. With time running out, they have to go with the most likely possibility, meningitis. House ducks Arlene, who is waiting in his office, and treats Jack himself.

Jack waits up and finds House sitting next to his bed. He asks if he’s going to die, and House figures that he’ll be famous a little longer if he lives. Jack points out that he’s hiding behind a patient, and House goes to his office. Arlene doesn’t want an explanation, and apologizes instead. She figures she had too much to drink, and has no idea that he drugged her. Arlene is impressed that House didn’t say anything and admits that she’s glad Cuddy has him. She quickly leaves to avoid catching a cold from Rachel, and House gets an idea.

House goes to see Jack and asks if Daisy had a recent rash. He doesn’t find anything, but asks why Daisy is there in the middle of the school day. When Eva says that there’s been an outbreak of chicken pox, House explains that 5% of cases present without visible symptoms, and Jack has a lethal adult case. He prescribes treatment and insists that he’s no hero.

As Jack recovers, Eva comes to visit. He says that the band wants him back to perform for three weeks. Afterward, Eva comes to see Taub and says that Jack hasn’t changed, and he’s ducking his family again. She notes that there’s nothing worse than loving someone who continually disappoints you, and walks away.

Masters gives House the culture revealing that Jack has chicken pox. House tells her that Jack is no hero because he’s abandoning his family. He cheerfully points out that he was right twice and she was wrong twice.

Taub comes home and tells Rachel that they should get a divorce. He admits he can’t handle her feelings for Phil, but it’s his fault for hurting her over and over again. She says that they love each other, but has to admit that she’s not happy.

In her office, House gives Cuddy a present of sedatives in case Arlene comes back for another visit. He then says that he has to go bowling with Wilson, and Cuddy insists that he go. House gets an idea and then goes to see Wilson.

Taub drives to one of the billboards and starts throwing paint at it until it’s covered over.

House sits at home, drinks Scotch, and watches TV... alone.

Share this article with your friends