By Hannah Misner

Staff Reporter

“Everybody lies; the only variable is about what.” Not to discredit the wise words of Dr. Gregory House, but in a world full of lies, one truth still remains: “House” is one of the best shows on TV.

Throughout the series’ three seasons, Hugh Laurie has commanded attention with his flawless portrayal of the devilishly brilliant House. Laurie has won two Golden Globes for the shrewd timing and mannerisms that have transformed the character of House into a person the audience knows and loves – and hates.

With the help of his team of three young doctors, House has solved the unsolvable cases and beaten the unbeatable odds. However, when viewers tune in for Season 4, those dependable sidekicks are gone. At the end of last season, House fired Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer), while Dr. Foreman (Omar Epps) and Dr. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) resigned.

The season opener focused more on House’s need for a replacement team than it did on the actual patient. Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and Dr. Cutty (Lisa Edelstein) try everything, from kidnapping House’s guitar to refusing to help him save his patient, to convince him to hire a new team.

With an unending span of medical knowledge, House needs a team of people to help narrow down and elaborate on his numerous ideas for a particular case.

The patient in question during the season premiere is a woman who had been badly injured when her office building collapsed while she was on the phone with her boyfriend. Her face is mangled, she cannot speak and House, not surprisingly, is convinced she had been lying to her boyfriend. According to House, the only explanation for the patient’s medical problems unrelated to the actual accident were birth control, depression and alcoholism. Her boyfriend adamantly denies these accusations, claiming that he knows her too well for this to happen. While this medical drama is kept somewhat on the sidelines, House stalks Cutty to help him brainstorm while desperately trying to find his guitar that is being held ransom by Wilson.

Both veterans to the show do everything in their power to convince House that he needs a team. But House, being the stubborn, emotionally and tactfully void person he is, initially refuses.

At the close of the show, it turns out that the patient had been misidentified and that she was actually the boyfriend’s similar-looking co-worker. Alas, his actual girlfriend had not been lying to him, but she was dead. As shocking and unbelievable as this twist was, even more surprising was House’s surrender to Cutty and Wilson when he agrees to hold interviews for a new team.

While the loss of three main characters would typically have detrimental effects on a show, House’s old team was hardly missed. Frankly, Laurie makes the show and can be surrounded by just about anyone and still maintain one of the best shows on the air.

The episode concluded with a room full of hopeful interns listening to a speech from House concerning the hardships they are about to face in the interview and evaluation process.

“House” fans can barely wait to see what House will make these prospective employees do in order to get the coveted position with Princeton’s most brilliant physician.

Regardless of whom he picks, as long as House is there next week, an amazing hour of television is guaranteed.