So, House is a set of lungs that need to be revived. And by House, I mean the series. No, wait, House is the patient that needs the set of lungs, as he is struggling to breathe given his inability to adapt to an episode without Wilson by his side. 

Or, hold on, House is Dr. Park (Charlyne Yi) who just needs to confront her parents and the attending that harassed her. On "Transplant," we see House struggle for about 30 seconds before getting his way. And we see another fellow comment on his medical metaphors. Do you think I'm stupid, she wonders. I would ask the same to the creators of the series since there is basically no payoff whatsoever for House being in jail. He hasn't changed. He feels guilty. He skipped a year in his middle-aged life and now Cuddy's gone.

Hilson, take 2.

This episode was quite similar to season 5's premiere, "Dying Changes Everything." In it, Wilson is grieving the loss of Amber after House indirectly killed her. Remember the whole bus accident thing? When this series was still incredibly innovative? We see Wilson walk away from a stunned House and sayung things like "We were never friends."  T

Tonight, it was "I don't like you." I was actually getting into the idea that Wilson and House would be separated for awhile, that Wilson was finally standing up to House.  And then 20 minutes later, Wilson is punching House in the face with forgiveness.

And how about Foreman being the new Dean of Medicine? Does this series have a short memory? Remember when Cuddy wouldn't give Foreman a letter of recommendation because he switched the medication for that Huntington's study? So now all of a sudden, he's Dean? Foreman's newly remodeled office space looks more like prison than House's cell in the premiere, which is, I suppose, a tribute to Foreman's personality.

Out goes strong good chemistry between House and his boss. In comes Dr. Park, the awkward new, and only member of House's team. Where's 13, Taub, and Chase, asks Dorothy, waking up in a black and white Kansas without his Eames chair. "Why, Dorothy," Foreman says, "We couldn't afford to keep your department." 

So we're stuck with the girl who punched out her attending because he grabbed her posterior. Lovely that House and Dr. Park can bond over attacking their superiors. Last year we got Masters, the socially awkward, but genius girl medical student. Is the main difference here that Dr. Park has graduated medical school? And she's Asian? And maybe a little funnier and more deadpan?

I get it. I really do. House is transplanted back into the hospital after nearly a year in prison. It's a bumpy transition for all of two days before House gets his office back.  And it looks like next week, he'll be getting some of his team back, albeit for an episode before Olivia Wilde runs off and makes another movie.  Tell me again why the episode "The Dig" was so vital to the series if 13 is no longer going to be a character in the show? 

And where's Cuddy, viewers might be wondering? Well, she left the day after "the incident" as Foreman so poignantly called it and House is not interested in the details. Shame? Perhaps. Guilt? Definitely. Avoidance? Priceless.

So House admits to being wrong. One step forward. "But I haven't changed." And three steps back. I can't expect anything different from this series. David Shore has made it painfully obvious this is a series about a man who has tried and failed to change. But let me ask this, what is the point of putting him through everything he's gone through if he isn't affected by any of it? It was clear to me that hearing about Cuddy was too much for him. But it doesn't matter. Guilt is something House will always feel. One thing that did interest me tonight was something House said when he was talking with Dr. Park. He seems to have accepted that he's just not a great person. In the past, House has tried to be happy, especially in season 6. Now he's just accepting of his unyielding misery, and I suppose I have no choice but to accept it as well. 

Remember last week when I spoke about there being two types of fans? Let me expand that to the "Hilson" group. The Hilsons of the world are rejoicing tonight since the band is back together again. I will admit to laughing aloud when House brought in some Celine Dion to seduce Wilson into being his one and only friend. Wilson tried to play the angry card, and I would have realistically thought that the show would have dragged it out a bit more, but hey, everyone wants to see Wilson and House up to their crazy hijinks again, right? And lest we forget, it's been about a year since they've seen one another. Maybe now they can play a joke on Foreman, and House can make sinful comments about his suits and...oh, wait.  Maybe I'd just rather watch some old DVDs. 

Next week, the only female character left on the series that I care about returns (promo HERE). For one episode. Any predictions on 13's exit strategy this time around? And oh, by the way, where is Chase? I said last week he was one of the only people left on the series that I liked and he wasn't even in this episode! Hugh Laurie once said he wants this show to go out with a bang, not a whimper. We find out soon if this season is House's last. I'm hoping it will be. 

Leave some comments below on tonight's episode and on the future of the series.