So wait a minute -- they've done it?

An outstanding return to form (and from the Idol bloat hiatus) for House last night. Snarky commentary? Plenty. Wildly inappropriate relationships? Check. Mystery ailment? Yep. Solid guest star? Yes (more on that in a moment). Medical babble and disgusting symptoms? Uh Huh. (so hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia can cause some nasty foaming vaginitis in your mouth? ugh. Sounds like something you might catch in Columbus if you don't check the backstory).

There were too many great lines to write down last night, but a few that I managed to remember:

"...has a rich uncle Cuddy is trying to avoid fellating..."

"Selfish bastard." "Selfish bitch."

"Easy. Nice ass, no boobs and you're got hands like a longshoreman."

"Have you appeared in a porno?"

Plus, the whole House and Wilson conversation at the urinal was priceless. I don't quite know what to make of the fact that Wilson is an expert on the Village People and their various costumes (though sadly, I realized the cogent points of the argument). And having been through kidney stones myself, I definitely could have gone the rest of my life without seeing a self-catheritization. Ouch.

That brings us to the POTW (patient of the week). Marc Blucas played the soldier with the wacky symptoms, who had made out with Cuddy at some point. I thought he did a fine job with the material, but then again, I'm one of the 0.01% of Buffy fans that actually liked his performance and character as Slayer doormat and Captain America, Riley Finn. After the darkness of her relationship with Angel, a farm raised white bread hero was a perfect counterpoint, and aptly demonstrated the difficulty of maintaining a relationship when you've got the weight and fate of the world resting on your size 2 shoulders. Also, his later descent into dark territory (vamp brothels, anyone?) only further showed the toll taken on anyone coming into Buffy's orbit, and how nice guys really do finish last.

Finally, in a well played but almost throwaway bit of dialogue we learn that House and Cuddy once made the beast with two backs? Woah. Didn't see that coming. They've been hinting at the characters' mutual "obsession" with each other for 2+ seasons, and it will be fascinating to see this explored as we move on.

Great Stuff. Solid A.