Wilson's Heart

"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of House and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008. It is the second and final part of the two-part fourth season finale, the first part being "House's Head".

Plot

In the second part of the two-part season finale, House remains inhibited by injuries sustained from a bus accident that has also left Amber Volakis rapidly deteriorating from a mysterious condition. Clues inside House's head hold the key to Amber's condition, and House's friendship with Wilson is tested beyond limits as murky memories from the bus accident the night before threaten to change their lives forever. House suffers a seizure during a deep brain stimulation treatment after it succeeds and he recalls the symptom which he saw in Amber before the bus crash. House also remembers the events that led up to him and Amber being on the bus: he got drunk at a bar and the bartender (Fred Durst) took away his keys so House called Wilson for a ride, but he was on call so Amber came instead. House boarded the bus and Amber followed him as he forgot his cane. She took the pills moments before the bus crash due to the flu she had (which explained a few of her other unconnected symptoms, like sneezing).

The symptom House recalled was that Amber had taken a heavy dose of flu pills moments prior to the bus crash. The crash trauma caused such extensive anatomical and physiological trauma (especially the blood loss and shock from her leg injury) that she suffered acute renal failure. This damage to her kidneys made them unable to adequately filter out the amantadine the pills contained, and the tachycardia degenerated into v-fib while being transferred in the ambulance. House agrees to cool her into protective hypothermia in an attempt to buy them more time for a proper diagnosis. However, during the testing, Amber develops liver and neurological damage (multisystem organ failure). Wilson suggests kidney dialysis, however House tells him during the memory of the moments leading up to the bus crash that when unfiltered, amantadine binds to proteins in the kidneys, and therefore dialysis is unable to clear it from the blood. He begins to cry and House throws himself into a seizure while putting rods charged with electricity to zap parts of his brain to induce flashbacks. After his seizure, House falls into a coma.

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 for her. Wilson weans Amber off anesthesia in order to spend her last moments alive with her. 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 passes away.

Back at the hospital, Thirteen discovers she has inherited Huntington's disease and House awakes 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 do not speak. He returns home and finds the note Amber left him in their bedroom saying she went to pick up House and would return home soon, causing him to break into tears. House lies awake in his hospital bed staring blankly into space with Cuddy holding his hand.

Reception

The episode increased ratings from the previous week, with 16.358 million viewers tuning in.^[1]

Soundtrack

An acoustic version of Massive Attack'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 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.

The song that plays as House exits the bus until the end of the episode is "Passing Afternoon" by Iron and Wine.

External links

• "Wilson's Heart" at the Internet Movie Database

Notes

1. ↑ Gorman, Bill (May 28, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 19-25". TVbythenumbers.com. Retrieved June 10, 2011.