I love my Thursday night TV double whammy of House at 9 and then Grey’s Anatomy at 10. Such yummy medical goodness. But alas and alack, last night’s episode of House was number 19 out of 24, which means an unwanted disruption to my nice scheduling is looming at the end of August – boo hiss. Still, I am determined to enjoy it while I can and last night’s episode of House was another cracker.

I really don’t know how the House team keep it up – every episode (barring that silly one with the rape victim) is of the highest quality and if anything, it just seems to get better and better. Yes, the cases are involving and suspenseful but they’re just the sideshow to the complicated personal lives of the doctors at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. And with Cameron having dumped Chase last week, there seemed to be an unprecedented outbreak of romantic entanglements.

Since their break-up, Cameron was very short-tempered and snippy with Chase. He asked why she got to be the angry one after it was her who had ended things between them, with her huffing something about him having ruined things by breaking the rules. This all important rule being that their dalliance is accepted as nothing but sex by both parties. This wasn’t dating, it wasn’t that teeth-gratingly awful American term ‘going steady’, it was just sex. After Chase confessed that he had feelings for, she scrambled for the exit sign and bluntly and crudely called time on their affair.

Now, where this plot became even more interesting was through Foreman’s analysis of it. He asked Chase to consider the two possible explanations for Cameron getting her grump on. Either she truly was cold-hearted and unfeeling or the polar opposite – she cared too deeply. Chase knew which option he preferred and continued in his pursuit of Cameron, though she persisted in making it difficult for him. Once the case was solved (I’m getting to that bit), she found some flowers he had left for her and surely her heart would melt just a little? She remained firm – that she didn’t want a relationship with him, but Chase played it cool “I just know that you like flowers.” Awww – come on Cameron. He’s cute, he’s a doctor (I know you are too, but it never hurts to get a second medical opinion) and he is clearly smitten with you. Stop being House and enjoy yourself!

Moving on to House, he too became involved in some amorous antics with Wilson and Cuddy. No, don’t get the wrong idea – the medical drama didn’t go all ménage-a-trois, but it did indulge a little playground who-fancies-who behaviour that was fun to behold. It all began with House giving Wilson two tickets to the theatre that he had received from a grateful ex-patient. Wilson invited Cuddy to accompany him to the play and so it began.

To House, the only reason for ever attending a theatrical performance with a woman is because you are attracted to her and want to get in her knickers. Of course, Wilson denied any sexual interest in Cuddy but House saw an opportunity to play with his two colleagues and so the fun began. Wilson received a bouquet of flowers with a card signed from Cuddy with two kisses thanking him for the night out and saying that they should do it again. Soon. “Soon is a sentence all of its own” panicked Wilson as he told House of his fear that Cuddy liked him in a way that he couldn’t reciprocate.

Before we, the audience, became all excited at the prospect of a possible romance between Cuddy and Wilson, House slyly revealed in a quiet aside, meant only for our ears, that he was, in fact, the sender of the flowers. Ooh – naughty. Next followed a hilarious scene between House and Wilson, where the latter claimed to have thought more on the issue and had realised his deep and passionate feelings for Cuddy. House encouraged him to go for it and Wilson declared that he would march into the Dean’s office and without talking, kiss her full on the lips. “Either I’ll end up with a girlfriend or I’ll be fired” mused Wilson.

House continued to encourage his friend, knowing all the while that it was he who had sent the flowers and set up the whole saga. Wilson strode confidently out of House’s office on his mission only to return seconds later with accusations and much finger-pointing. See that Wilson’s no mug, as he revealed that he had known House was behind the flowers and was incredulous that his chum would let him escalate matters in such a dramatic fashion. Wilson confirmed that he had no romantic designs on Cuddy and he and House wryly pondered on how they had played each other.

Wilson: You! You! You! You were gonna let me do that.
House: You made a compelling argument.
Wilson: You sent those flowers to me.
House: Yes, because you took her to a play. And because actually you do wanna march right there and kiss her.
Wilson: No, I don’t.
House: Yes, you do.
Wilson: You’re right, I do.
House: Seriously?
Wilson: No. You’re a jerk.
House: Night, Wilson.
Wilson: Night, House.

On the medical front, a little girl and later her brother were admitted to the hospital, both found to be suffering from advanced hormones. These had led the girl to begin premature menstruation and the boy to saucily snatch Cameron’s bottom and aggressively attack Chase. Of course, no real harm came to either nipper as House found their father’s sex romps with a young daycare helper had caused the harm. In his bid to keep up with the much younger woman, the dad had sought some extra help ‘down there’ that was rich with hormones. Just by coming into contact with his precious tots, the dad had passed on the harmful hormones and voila – unwanted periods and ass-grabbing.

As the children and the May-December romance exited the hospital, the show was neatly book-ended with House’s final moment with Cuddy, with him asking her to accompany him to go watch a play. Our ears pricked up as we remembered that he had said the only reason a man asks a woman to the theatre is because he fancies her – oh good one!