The first episode of season six rebuilt House as a reformed character. The second episode, “Epic Fail,” is the focused on the opposite process; instead, it destroys House’s team so that by the end of it you’re left with a situation that looks oddly familiar. Or, as House says in the episode four preview: “Oh my god, it’s three years ago … Does that mean I’m still crazy?”

SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP
Summary: After House is released from Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital, he quits his job at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital from fear that he might relapse into his Vicodin addiction. House takes up cooking as a hobby to distract him from his leg pain, which eventually becomes a full-fledged obsession, with House staying up nights to create his delectable delights.

Meanwhile, Foreman takes charge of the diagnostic team as the interim head of diagnostic medicine. He’s faced with the responsibility of solving the case in order to keep the department open. What is the case? A videogame tester who sounds like Vin Diesel is on the job when he feels his hands start to burn up, and he goes to Princeton-Plainsboro to figure it out.

Long summary short, Taub says he’s leaving in the middle of the episode because he wanted to work with House, the videogame tester offers anyone on the internet $25,000 to solve his case, and when Foreman realizes what the true diagnosis (Fabry Disease) is, Thirteen has already implemented the solution after reading an Internet response—coincidentally, one that was written by House. The episode ends with House talking to Nolan about how the only thing that truly helped his leg pain was coming up with a diagnosis. Nolan ends the episode with saying that the only thing worse for House than going back to diagnostic medicine is not going back.

Character Development: More like character regression—after Kutner’s “suicide,” we see the new team dismantle.

- Taub leaves because his intention was working with House.
- Foreman fires Thirteen because being her boss might end up hurting their relationship.
- House decides that he will return to the hospital to reclaim his throne, which Foreman has usurped for now.
- Wilson and Cuddy stay in the same place character wise, basically.

The question now is: If Taub left because House was gone and Foreman fired Thirteen because he was now her boss, how does House coming back affect all this?

The medicine: Is not spectacular in this episode, but it’s also not the focus. It is more centered on the patient’s interactions with Foreman and his use of the Internet and House handling being out of the hospital. This was a transition episode, so we’ll have to wait for next week to find out.