- It's election season, and in the midst of a tight campaign, an incumbent New Jersey senator's campaign manager falls ill with liver failure and temporary paralysis. Cuddy pushes House to add a female doctor to his team by hiring brilliant third-year medical student Martha Masters in Thirteen's absence. House and the team are wary of the young doctor's lack of experience and medical perspective, but are forced to give their new by-the-book teammate a chance to prove herself. After the campaigning senator makes a surprising announcement, House and the team look to the candidate to find clues about the patient's condition. Meanwhile, Foreman learns that Taub has a past connection to Masters, and in an effort to save his patient's life, House must make a critical decision that may compromise his relationship with Cuddy.—Fox Publicity
- Open with a political ad painting an opponent out to be soft on immigration. We see Senator Hal Anderson discussing the ad with his top aide Joe Dugan. Anderson doesn't like ad but Joe wants to run it. Joe starts scratching his arm. We see some scary-looking marks forming.
Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) tells House (Hugh Laurie) that she hired a wunderkind third-year medical student to join his team named Martha Masters.
The team talks about Joe's case, which came to them after a special request from Anderson. Joe has a rash and liver damage. Masters joins the team at a table but is very quiet after answering a few questions which prove her to be insanely smart. House orders a search of Joe's house and snaps at Masters that she needs to start having an opinion if she wants to remain on the team.
Foreman (Omar Epps), Taub (Peter Jacobson) and Masters visit Joe's house. She refuses to go inside when she realizes they are breaking in without Joe's permission. Taub doesn't sound excited about having a med student on the team. Foreman finds an empty jug of unpasteurized cider in the kitchen.
Foreman suggests to House that E.coli could have been contracted from the cider if the apples came in contact with manure.
Taub and Masters perform a test on the cider and argue over telling Joe about breaking in to his house.
While treating Joe with antibiotic, Masters tells him about breaking in. He doesn't seem to care. During a debate over ethics, Joe slips into a paralysis.
The paralysis is subsiding. Hosue challenges Masters' strangely strong sense of ethics while a few possible diagnoses are tossed around. One possibility is a tumor Chase (Jesse Spencer) thinks is possible because the ad from the opening has been leaked. News of the ad is supposed to be terrible Anderson's campaign and Chase thinks this is a sign of poor judgment, a symptom of this type of tumor. House thinks Masters' morality is screwed up.
Cuddy tells House he can't fire Masters without a valid reason.
Masters goes to see Cuddy and says she scared she'll get fired. She says she's not good at working with other people. Masters is starting to think choosing medicine was a stupid idea. Cuddy assures her all House cares about is the case.
Chase and Foreman look at a CT and discuss Masters. Lying on the table, Joe assures them that they will not find a tumor since his judgment is fine. He did not leak the spot, but thinks whoever did has done something good for Anderson. Joe admits the ad is completely dishonest, but doesn't seem to care since it will be effective. They do not find a tumor.
Taub (who has been accused of resenting Masters because she makes him feel old) challenges Foreman to a game of basketball that night.
Anderson visits Joe in the hospital and admits he was the one who leaked the ad. Recent polls indicate the move seems to be working. Foreman and Taub come in and notice Joe's kidneys are now failing.
Based on the blood in Joe's urine, they come up with another suggestion for Joe. The options are chemotherapy or steroids. House and Masters argue about whether or not to tell Joe about the steroids, which is the less dangerous option but one also less likely to be effective. She thinks they are morally obligated to give the patient every option.
House is proved correct when Joe chooses steroids in the face of Masters telling him chemo is the better option. Joe doesn't want the side effects of chemo so close to the election.
Foreman beats Taub in one-on-one, but Taub very much holds his own.
Masters finds out House is giving Joe chemo despite the patients request. When she threatens to tell Joe, House fires her and even threatens to have her kicked out of med school if she decides to talk to Joe anyway.
Foreman tells House he thinks firing Masters was a mistake. The chemo has not accomplished anything meaning they are back to square one in terms of a diagnosis. The plan is to check Joe's fish tank for toxins caused by his exotic fish.
Cuddy tells House she thinks Masters is a budding star and wants her at the hospital. House shoots back she should find a place for her outside his team.
While looking at the fish, Foreman, Taub and Chase end up getting arrested. They call House who isn't interested in bailing them out.
With the team in jail, House asks Masters to help. They toss around ideas while watching a press conference where Anderson fires Joe for leaking the ad. House stares at Anderson on the screen and has an idea.
House tells Joe that based on Anderson's sweating and a rash, he noticed he must have Hepatitis C. House thinks Joe must have it as well, suggesting it could have been spread by sharing a coke straw. Joe's liver is preventing his body from registering a positive for Hep C. House knows he has the disease but can't prove it.
In jail, Taub admits to the other guys he was nasty to Masters because he interviewed her for a different med school and she doesn't remember the hour-long conversation.
Masters tells House a study she read about indicated 15 percent of Hep C sufferers could be cured by being given Hep A. Of course, the other 85 percent die quickly.
Cuddy tells House and Masters they can only give Joe Hep A if they prove he has Hep C.
Taub suggests testing Joe enough times that they come up with a false positive.
House tells Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) he feels guilty about lying to Cuddy.
House draws blood from Anderson but places Joe's name on the vials.
House shows Cuddy the test showing Joe has Hep C. She thanks him for coming to her honestly.
House asks Masters to come back to the team. Her final test is to help get Joe to let them inject him with Hep A.
Masters convinces Joe his only shot is to let them give him Hep A, going as far as to tell him since House is risking suspension, this must be the only way. Out in the hall, House indicates to Masters that she is part of the team.
Joe responds to the treatment. Masters tells Taub she remembers him from the interview and apologizes.
House fills out the paperwork to officially hire Masters.
We see Joe watch Anderson's speech after he won re-election.
A nurse mentions to Cuddy that she saw Anderson in the hospital at the exact same time Joe's positive test was wrong. She asks Cuddy is everything is okay: "I don't think so," is Cuddy's response.
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