House Training

A young female scam artist named Lupe collapses while participating in a Three-Card Monte scam on the street. She suffers from a lack of blood to the brain which temporarily paralyzed her ability to make decisions or exercise free will. Based on her background, Foreman immediately suspects Lupe's condition stems from drug abuse, while Chase looks for other possibilities. Lupe senses Foreman's disdain for the decisions she's made in her life, and Foreman grapples with his own humble past when his parents come to visit him.

When Lupe's symptoms worsen and her organs begin to shut down, Foreman and the team suspect autoimmune disease to be the culprit. When treatment does not work, the team thinks it must be cancer. Foreman presses for a full-body radiation treatment. However, severe pain after the radiation leads the team to the final, correct diagnosis: an infection. The radiation treatment has destroyed Lupe's immune system and there is nothing anybody can do to save her. Foreman tells her the news and helps her cope with it.

Meanwhile, Cuddy and Wilson go out on a date to see an art exhibit together after House asked Cuddy to go to a play with him and she declined. House probes Wilson's ex-wife about Wilson and his dating habits.

Lupe eventually dies and when House performs an autopsy, he learns that she had a staph infection from a scratch due to her bra hook, and the team didn't notice it because the strap covered it. House feels disappointed by the patient's death; however, unlike Foreman, House feels that the team took an appropriate course of action, stating that their unconventional decision-making abilities make them better doctors.

The episode ends with small talk between Foreman and his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. It is a bittersweet moment, as he realizes at the end of their conversation that she was not aware that he was her son. Foreman asks, "Do you know who I am, Mom? It's Eric," with her replying "Of course. My little boy's name is Eric."

Omar Epps submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" on his behalf for the 2007 Emmy Awards.[1]

The song playing in the background towards the end is Matthew Ryan's Follow The Leader.

• FOX.com - House official site