That was actually very well done.

For a few moments near the conclusion of "Out of the Chute," I feared the episode would conclude on a cliffhanger that showed House standing on his hotel balcony railing, contemplating suicide, viewers left to supposedly wonder about the fate of the show's main character.

Even though such fate would never be in doubt, of course.

Fortunately, House really did leap... but only into a pool. It was a wild action, something symbolic of how far into the mental deep end House has fallen, and it took place in front of Wilson. It capped a solid episode that didn't merely give us a glimpse into House's wounded psyche, but offered a look into the helplessness felt by his best friend, as well.

And I'll take all the Robert Sean Leonard I can get.

I'll also take all the Charlie Sheen mockery I can get, intentional or not.

For the second consecutive episode, the show made references to that troubled actor, first by having House don a wacky golf shirt during one of last week's fantasy sequences; and here by having his meltdown highlighted by time spent drinking, doing drugs and hanging out out a hotel - with an endless steam of prostitutes in his bed. And his mantra in the end? All about winning.

Based on House's shooting schedule, it seems hard to believe the show could have actually planned such a spoof. But, wow. What timing, huh? Were you taking notes, Charlie? This is not a healthy way to live.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by an installment that didn't simply wallow in House's broken heart. We got some more of Masters, which is always welcome; a lot of Wilson; and an admission from Cuddy that she thought she could be with House just as he is. But she was wrong, and she summed up her basis for dumping him with the following, apt quote:

Cuddy: When things go wrong, I don't wanna hope I'm not alone, I wanna know it. | permalink

Pretty hard hard to blame someone for feeling that way, isn't it?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.