"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of ''
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'' and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008, on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
. It is the second and final part of the two-part fourth season finale, the first part being "
House's Head
"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'' pro ...
".
Plot
In the second part of the two-part season finale,
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
remains affected by injuries
sustained in a bus crash that has also left
Amber Volakis
This page is a comprehensive list and description of the various characters who appear, from time to time, in the television series ''House''. The list is divided episode-wise, as well as character-wise, and includes recurring characters, such as ...
rapidly deteriorating from a mysterious condition. Clues inside House's head hold the key to Amber's condition, and House's friendship with
Wilson
Wilson may refer to:
People
* Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...
is tested as murky memories from the bus accident threaten to change their lives forever.
The episode begins with House and Wilson at Princeton General Hospital, where the eight overflow victims of the bus crash that weren't taken to Princeton-Plainsboro ended up being taken, including Amber, who up until now was only known as Jane Doe #2 due to a lack of ID on her. The
attending physician
In the United States and Canada, an attending physician (also known as a staff physician or supervising physician) is a physician (usually an M.D. or D.O.) who has completed residency and practices medicine in a clinic or hospital, in the speci ...
at Princeton General cannot explain Amber's sudden onset
tachycardia
Tachycardia, also called tachyarrhythmia, is a heart rate that exceeds the normal resting rate. In general, a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute is accepted as tachycardia in adults. Heart rates above the resting rate may be normal (su ...
, but explains that whatever is causing this condition isn't from the bus crash. House demands that she be moved via ambulance to Princeton-Plainsboro, which the attending initially refuses, until House says that her "husband" Wilson can demand she be moved, which Wilson does.
While being moved via the ambulance, Amber's tachycardia degenerates into
v-fib. House goes to shock Amber to stabilize her heart, but Wilson demands he stop and put her into
protective hypothermia. He tells House that if he restarts her heart now, it will keep racing, shoot off
free radicals
In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron.
With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Many radicals spont ...
, and kill her brain. In an attempt to buy more time for a proper diagnosis, Wilson figures protective hypothermia along with
dialysis is her best option. House agrees; however, during the further testing that follows, Amber develops multisystem organ failure, including liver and neurological damage.
In an attempt to remember exactly what he saw that caused his initial concern and help definitively diagnosis Amber, House decides to undergo
deep brain stimulation
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure involving the placement of a medical device called a neurostimulator, which sends electrical impulses, through implanted electrodes, to specific targets in the brain (the brain nucleu ...
at Wilson's urging, with House asking Wilson if he is willing to risk House's life in the process and Wilson reluctantly answering affirmatively. During the stimulation, he recalls the symptom which presented in Amber before the bus crash. House also remembers the events that led up to him and Amber being on the bus to begin with: he got drunk at Sharrie's bar, and the bartender (
Fred Durst
William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums.
He ap ...
) took his keys away, so House called Wilson for a ride, but he was on call so Amber came instead. House angrily stormed off after Amber wouldn't drink with him, and boarded a bus. Amber followed him to give him his cane, which he had forgotten as he left her to pay his tab at the bar.
House recalls that, during the bus ride, Amber sneezed, reached for a Kleenex, and complained that she had the
flu
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
. He then recalls what caused his concern; after she wiped her nose, she reached into her purse and pulled out prescription pills, which turned out to be
amantadine
Amantadine, sold under the brand name Gocovri among others, is a medication used to treat dyskinesia associated with parkinsonism and influenza caused by type A influenzavirus, though its use for the latter is no longer recommended due to wid ...
. She took a heavy dose of two or three amantadine pills, right as the garbage truck plowed into the bus. The crash caused such extensive anatomical and physiological trauma (especially the blood loss and shock from her leg injury) that she ended up suffering from
acute kidney failure
Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden decrease in kidney function that develops within 7 days, as shown by an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output, or both.
Causes of AKI are cla ...
. This damage to her kidneys made them unable to adequately filter out the amantadine, causing her to overdose and thus causing injury to her organs and all of her unexplained symptoms. Wilson suggests dialysis as a treatment, but House tells him that unfiltered amantadine binds to the proteins in the body; therefore, it is too late for dialysis. House and Wilson begin to cry, and House goes into a
seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
while still connected to the deep brain stimulation equipment. The seizure makes the equipment shift, causing House's brain to bleed, leading to him falling into a
coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
.
The team confirms House's diagnosis of Amber. With all of her organs damaged, she is unable to qualify for a heart transplant, and so there is nothing they can do to treat her, with Foreman noting that as soon as her
heart
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...
degenerated into
v-fib, there was nothing anyone could do. Wilson weans Amber off anesthesia in order to spend her last moments alive with him. The team comes in one by one to say goodbye to Amber, and after Wilson himself says goodbye, he shuts off Amber's bypass and she dies peacefully in Wilson's arms. An unconscious House has a vision of Amber, who persuades him not to give up on life and die, telling him, "You can't always get what you want."
Back at the hospital,
Thirteen
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14
* One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013
Music
* 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band
Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ...
discovers she has inherited
Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unst ...
, and House awakens with Cuddy at his side. Taub crawls into bed with his wife, Kutner watches TV alone, and Chase and Cameron meet Foreman in a restaurant. Wilson visits House, but the two just silently stare at each other as House awakens. Wilson returns home and finds the note Amber left him in their bedroom saying she went to pick up House, causing him to break down in tears. House lies awake in his hospital bed, staring blankly into space with a sleeping Cuddy holding his hand.
Reception
The episode increased ratings from the previous week, with 16.358 million viewers tuning in.
Soundtrack
An acoustic version of
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall.
The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...
's "
Teardrop," the show's opening theme, can be heard in the middle of the episode in a short montage, by
José González.
The song "Re:Stacks" by
Bon Iver
Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon.
Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
is used during Amber and Wilson's final moments together.
The song that plays near the end of the episode when House and Amber are on the bus is "Light for the Deadvine" by
People in Planes
People in Planes were a Welsh alternative rock band from Porthcawl, active from 1998 to 2013. They were signed to Wind-up Records. Prior to 2003, they were known as Tetra Splendour (during which time they moved to Cardiff), and before that, they ...
.
The song that plays as House exits the bus until the end of the episode is "Passing Afternoon" by
Iron and Wine
Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a li ...
.
External links
*
Notes
{{House (TV series)
House (season 4) episodes
2008 American television episodes
fr:… Dans le cœur de Wilson
it:Episodi di Dr. House - Medical Division (quarta stagione)#Il cuore di Wilson