Published at 9:02 PM on October 5, 2009

House Review:
"The Tyrant" (Episode 6.3)

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House returns to Princeton, where Taub has quit and Foreman has fired Thirteen. So the old regulars -- Chase and Cameron -- come back to their jobs and are under Foreman's supervision. (As House says, "It's three years ago! Does that mean I'm still crazy?") The difference is that now that House is no longer licensed to practice medicine, he too has become Foreman's employee. Unsurprisingly, he does not take well to the change and makes Foreman's job difficult. What is surprising is that Foreman, frustrated over his problems with Thirteen, refuses to humor House and eventually, satisfyingly, stands up to him.

James Earl Jones turns in a brilliant performance as an African dictator who is engineering a Rwandan style genocide in his home country. He is intense and unflinching, and his highly believable performance is bone-chilling.

At the same time, some aspects of this episode are not believable. It seems odd that Cuddy would order Cameron and Chase to return to diagnostics at a moment's notice, when they have regular jobs elsewhere in the hospital, simply because Foreman needs a team. What is even more unbelievable is the scene between Chase (Jesse Spencer) and General DiBala (Jones), well-acted though it is by both. It is implausible that Chase would have an audience with the dictator without any of his advisors or lieutenants around, that he would so fearlessly confront him about his policies, and that DiBala would actually address his concerns and give him a response.

Though the writing in this episode is sometimes sloppier than usual, "The Tyrant" showcases some excellent acting. Plus, Foreman's character is gaining dimensions, growing in its problematic, even ugly, complexities. And, although it feels like an easy solution to House's slowdown, the return of Chase and Cameron to the diagnostic team is familiar and not altogether unwelcome. Still, Taub and Thirteen (and the late Kutner, for that matter) were appealing additions to the cast, and it would be a shame to have to say good-bye to them all for good. Here's hoping that's not what House's writers have planned.

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