House, "House's Head": Fly in the ointment

Spoilers for part one of the "House" season finale coming up just as soon as I enjoy a bottle of Beer-brand beer...

In my column today, I compared "House's Head" to season two's finale, "No Reason." Mo Ryan, meanwhile, compared it to season one's "Three Stories," still probably the strongest "House" episode ever. Whichever comparison you prefer, it's hard not to hold "House's Head" up against some of the series' previous head trips and wonder if perhaps the writers aren't going to this well too often, with diminishing returns. It's one thing to repeat the show's basic formula in dozens of iterations, but what made "Three Stories" work was how unusual it was. If they're going to go off-format, I'd rather it be in a new way (say, "Airborne") then giving us yet another episode that takes place largely inside the main character's brain.

I had several issues with this one beyond the repetitiveness. First, I never felt like they provided a good reason for why House didn't keep doing the hypno-therapy with Chase. From a writing/production standpoint, I imagine it was more interesting to have him try several different methods of unlocking his memories, but there was never a good in-show rationale, especially as the other methods became increasingly dangerous.

Second, Amber's random appearance during the hypnosis/bar scene was a flashing red light about who the missing injured person was, and if I wasn't already leaning towards her then, I was by the time House's fantasy gal pointed to the fly necklace. (Once you've read/seen "Jurassic Park," it's impossible not to think of the concept of bugs in amber.) "House" is, at heart, a mystery, and when the show telegraphs the solution, it isn't half as entertaining.

Third, while Lisa Edelstein certainly has a rockin' bod, and while the punchline about House's subconscious overruling his prurient desires was funny, Cuddy's striptease was there just to have something to put in a promo. And, as I figured, there was no attempt to follow up on House's epiphany last week about how maybe Cuddy needs to keep him on a tighter leash. As with so many developments on this series -- particularly any that suggest House's behavior might change -- it was ignored as soon as it got in the way of the plot. (Note: I'm not saying that I want House's behavior to change, but I'm tired of all the bogus suggestions that it's going to.)

So, a few questions to ponder until the conclusion next week:

• What were House and Amber doing at the bar together? I think it's been clear he's been attracted to her ever since she got with Wilson, but is it something as simple and sleazy as House having an affair with his best friend's girlfriend? And if that's the case -- and especially if Amber dies as a result -- can Wilson ever forgive him? Or will that relationship be back at status quo by episode two or three next season?
• Was House's joke about Cuddy not knowing Thirteen's name supposed to imply that Hadley isn't her last name, or just that he prefers to think of her as Thirteen?
  

What did everybody else think?