We watched an unusual episode of House last night.  Instead of a medical mystery to diagnose, the plot was driven by two relationships between doctor and patient:  House and a rape victim, and  Cameron and a terminal  homeless man.  As the young girl was processing through the ugliness she made a connection with House and refused to speak to any medical personnel except him.  Their conversations ranged from the meaning of life, the existence of God, eternity, to justice, the problem of evil, and abortion.

In juxtaposition to House’s patient is the homeless man who wants to spend a night in the hospital.  He refuses pain medication in the last hours/days of his life for a very odd reason. He has no family and no friends and wants to be remembered.  If he took the medicine, it would be an everyday, forgettable cancer death.  In his search for significance he chooses to go through the pain.  There is also an element of atoning for his past in the decision. 

After we turned the TV off, we sat and talked for half an hour about the consistencies and inconsistencies of the philosophical positions presented.  We put our reluctant 15 year old on the spot – how do you answer these valid questions? 

At 4:30 a.m. my husband woke me up to talk about it more.  “I figured it out,” he quietly exclaimed.  “I want to meet this writer.  We were focusing on the wrong storyline.  The man is a Christ figure.  What did he keep saying? ‘Remember me.’ He was doing what his father said.  He wouldn’t take the vinegar.  She washed his wounds after he died. His death was significant.  And how did the show begin? With STDs in young, middle and old people.  What is our disease and how is it transmitted? So House persuaded the girl that life is not significant in contrast to the old man who had no expectations but to die with significance.”

Did anyone see this?  What did you think?    

[Added later: Donna at Quiet Life also blogged about this episode here.  MFS at MentalMultivitamin blogged about it here.]