Dr Gregory House and Dr Lisa Cuddy finally confront their feelings for each other and try to make a relationship work. Meanwhile ‘Thirteen’ is unusually absent, Taub’s marriage is under threat and Chase is experiencing personal problems of his own. As always, they all have to put these issues aside and help House save the lives of his patients...

The seventh series of House picks up where season six left off. Cuddy saves House from slipping back into drug misuse. As a result the two start seeing each other, which throws up other issues. For starters Cuddy's not too keen on introducing House to her pre-school daughter, Rachel, as she feels she needs security. But when she does the results are often amusing (in Unplanned Parenthood House and Wilson are concerned that Rachel has swallowed a coin and have to run tests on her without Cuddy finding out; and in Carrot or Stick House goes to incredible length to help Rachel get into a prestigious preschool).

Also this season Thirteen leaves the show early on due to the fact that Olivia Wilde took a break from the show because she wanted to focus on her film career and when she returns there's an interesting twist in why her character departed without saying anything to her colleagues.

Stand out episodes in this season include:

Unwritten: When a writer is admitted to the hospital after having a seizure, House is particularly interested in the case. Not only is there a mystery to solve here, as the seizure prevented the woman from blowing her own brains out when she tried to commit suicide, but she's also the author of House's favourite teenage books about a boy detective.

Unplanned Parenthood: This episode is worth watching for comedic elements that come out of House and Wilson attempting to work out if Rachel has swallowed a coin.

Small Sacrifices: A man believes he owes a debt of gratitude to God. He's admitted to the hospital after his yearly crucifixion ends with him having a seizure. While under House's care, the man constantly refuses treatment as he believes it's not God's will.

Larger Than Life: A man jumps onto an underground track to save the life of a woman who has fallen from the platform. They both survive the ordeal, but he ends up passing out and the doctors at the hospital can't work out what's wrong with him. The man becomes an over night celebrity for his act of heroism and he's not the only one, as Taub's face is plastered on huge billboards as the new face of the hospital - the result being that more patients request to be treated by him.

Carrot or Stick: This episode has additional comedic values as Chase attempts to track down who has hijacked his social networking account and has also started using his credit card to buy expensive items.

Two Stories: When two school children are caught kissing they are sent to wait outside their headmaster's office. Already there, also waiting to be disciplined, is House. As the episode progresses we discover the circumstances behind House's brush with authority.

Bombshells: More comedic value is had by a number of bizarre dream sequences that spoof bad American sitcoms; zombie movies; the idyllic '50s home life; and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Fall from Grace: A homeless man is admitted to the hospital with burns. There are numerous things wrong with the man, who refuses to tell them who he is and keeps lying about his past. The ending to this episode is well worth the wait. There's also much comedy in this episode as House brings a prostitute into the hospital, he's planning on marrying her so that she can get her Green Card, and he insists on riding a Segway PT around the corridors.

Changes: A lottery winner collapses and is taken to hospital. He was attempting to track down an old flame and, while he believes that there is such a thing as true love, members of the team try to warn him that his money may be all that his old girlfriend will be interested in.

Moving On: The episode starts with the police interviewing Cuddy and Wilson about an incident that seems to have been caused by House. Cuddy wants him arresting and even Wilson seems to have given up on him. What has House done? We discover over the course of the episode.

Notable guest stars include Jack Coleman (Heroes's Noah Bennet) in Office Politics; and Matthew Lillard in Larger than Life.

Extras include Meet Martha Masters (6 min, 48 sec look at the new member of the team which includes an interview with Amber Tamblyn); Huddy Dissected (8 min, 11 sec look at the House/Cuddy relationship story arc. Be warned though as this extra is on disc one and has plot spoilers for later on in the season); Anatomy of an Episode: Bombshells (22 min, 22 sec look at the spoof genre segments in the episode Bombshells); Thirteen Returns (4 min, 32 sec); and audio commentaries on Bombshells, The Dig and Moving On (which reveals that Lisa Edelstein isn't returning for the show's eighth season).

So, what we end up with is yet another impressive season which is well worth adding to your collection.

9

Darren Rea