I forgot to remind you all to check out the season finale of House last night, but I should hope that you did so without any prompting from me. And then I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say… EW.

That was some of the grossest shit I've ever seen on television, or anywhere, for that matter. For the most part I managed to look away in time, but still — I knew what was happening. Things that should not be exploding were definitely, visibly, burstingly exploding. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares, or immediately sign up for some long-term therapy.

I'm sure that bursting man is some sort of psychological symbol — House's bloated ego, perhaps? — but I had some trouble making any connections, or paying attention to the "plot," because it was just so goddamn disgusting. And his case didn't exactly end with the satisfying "you're cured! you can go home now!" that most of House's patients receive. He better get cured for real next season double-quick, because I'm so not watching all that stuff happen again.

The episode works well as a cliffhanger, even though the "it's all in your head" plot device is usually a cheap trick. I'll make an exception in this case, because the experience got House to change: he said to tell Cuddy to use the weird drug, realizing that he wanted to be free of the pain even if it made him less of a superman doctor. And he apologized to the man (in his head). He took responsibility. That's some great writing, and equally impressive acting.

And on the not-gross-at-all side of things, Hugh Laurie sported a charming salt-and-pepper two-day beard throughout the episode, and he was both adorably helpless lying in his hospital bed and joyfully active running and jumping and climbing stairs on his miracle-cured leg. And here's him holding a baby:

Oh my God. He loves that baby. You can see it in his eyes.

If Cuddy gets preggers, there'll be plenty more preciousness to come next year. Next year, people. I can't wait. 

On a side note, I only last week figured out that House is based on Sherlock Holmes. House, Holmes. House, Holmes. Wilson, Watson. Wilson, Watson. The drug habit. The solving of mysteries. Yeah… where's that English degree when it's really needed?