Couple Counseling – House, 7×06 “Office Politics”
Cuddy alone in session.
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Cuddy : House was right, it’s not gonna work.
Maya: Why are you saying this? What happened?
Cuddy: He lied to me.
Maya: About what?
C: Why do you care? A lie’s a lie.
M: Yes… and no. Some lies are meant to hurt, some are meant to protect. There’re all sorts of lies… So which was it?
C: He faked a blood test to get my approval on a risky procedure.
M: How did you find out? Did he confess what he did to you?
C: House, confess? Are you kidding? … No, I found out por myself.
M: I see. Tell me how you feel.
C: I feel hurt!
M: But what hurts you the most − the fact that he lied, or the fact that he didn’t tell you?
C: I don’t understand. You’re implying one should be less hurtful than the other?
M: Well, obviously House’s lie is not just a professional issue to you.
C: Of course it’s not! We’re in a relationship. He betrayed my trust. I know this is House we’re talking about and that he doesn’t care about rules. But…
M: You think because you two are in a relationship, he’s going to act differently now?
C: Well I hope so! Am I being unreasonable? Isn’t that the minimum I’m entitled to expect from a man who says he loves me?
M: Of course it is. But you said it: it’s House. He’s lied to you before to treat a patient. Why would he be truthful to you now mais than before?
C: Is this some kind of sick joke? Are you asking me why trust is important in a relationship for real or are you just trying to mess with me?
M: I’m trying to define where your priorities are. So, do you think House’s actions were meant to purposely hurt you?
C: That is a stupid question! Do you realize what you’re asking me to consider?
M: Yes. And, did you?
C: Pfff! That’s crazy… I mean, he did it to save a life…
M: So his motives were good. You acknowledge that.
C: Yes. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that what he did ultimately hurt me. I’m sure he knew it would.
M: So it was intentional then?
C: Stop playing with words! You’re just jerking me around.
M: Let’s examine the medical aspect of that then. What were House’s alternatives?
C: He faked a test. Something I had specifically told him not to do.
M: You’re not answering my question. If he hadn’t faked the test, would you have approved the treatment?
C: No.
M: And would the patient have survived?
C (puffing): This is unfair.
M: Why?
C: You make it sound like my decision was completely heartless.
M: No, I’m saying you’re confronted por hard, difficult decisions, maybe even conflicting sometimes. But my pergunta is: when you asked House not to administer the treatment, who was asking him that?
C: What? I don’t understand.
M: Did you ask him that as the Dean or as Lisa Cuddy?
C: As the Dean but…
M: And who do you think overruled you? House or the Head of Diagnosis Department?
C: House.
M: That’s an interesting difference, don’t you think?
C: There’s no difference. Especially not after I’d specifically told House it meant a lot to me that he could respect me enough not to lie to me. And then he did it anyway.
M: But who did? You’re saying you asked House not to overrule your order as the Dean and–
C: You don’t understand: I’m Lisa Cuddy and the Dean of Medicine. When House lied to me as the Dean, he hurt me as his girlfriend. I’m sorry, but I can’t separate the two of them.
M: You’re saying you can’t but actually you are.
C: What do you mean?
M: You’re angry and hurt because of what House did when he lied to you, but you refuse to consider his medical motives.
C: That’s not true. I told you I understood he did that in the patient’s best interest.
M: Yet, you only hold your boyfriend House responsible for the lie. Not the Head of Diagnostics. So the truth is, you’re perfectly capable of separating the two… Cuddy, you know medicine is an extremely important thing in House’s life. You know what kind of great lengths he’s ready to go to just for the sake of saving a patient, even putting his own life in danger sometimes, like he did with Amber…
C: So what? I should encourage him to do mais crazy things?
M: No. What I’m saying is: this is not a one-sided thing. When House faked that test, he didn’t just overrule you. But you tend to think that was his primary motive. Why?
C: Because I can’t believe he didn’t care at all. I’m sure he thought about it!
M: I’m sure he did. But maybe not in the way you think he did. Maybe he wanted to protect you from the risks. Maybe it was his way of showing you respect.
C: That’s just crap! He lied. Period. Lying does not equal respect.
M: It’s not easy to draw the line, is it?
C: What line?
M: The line between what you can demand from House as his boss and what you can only request as his girlfriend.
C: Are you saying respect is a double-standard concept that changes whenever it’s convenient?
M: No. What I’m saying is, at work you’re entitled to expect him to defer to you. But what about outside the hospital? You don’t order him around there, do you? Because then, you cease to see yourself as his boss, correct?
C: Of course!
M: Yet, you want House to keep considering you as his boss.
C: I do not! It’d be insane!
M: Unconsciously that’s what you do. When you think a decision he makes in a professional context determines how he treats you as a woman, you are the one taking away his chance of showing you respect the way you ask him to because you force him to always keep in mind that you’re his boss.
C: So this is all my fault?
M: No. You are both responsible. House, as your employee, should defer to you. He didn’t and, as his boss, that’s something you have the right to be angry at. But you’re mixing up your expectations. House is not going to change his way of practicing medicine and you know that. Be honest, your feelings for him would probably not be the same if he was not the kind of doctor he is. A part of you admires him for that. You’re talking about double standards but you’re right in the middle of one because you’re angry for unclear reasons, even to you. The truth is House gives mais importance to you as a woman than he does to you as his boss. I get why this is annoying, but just ask yourself this: do you really feel House respects you less as a woman because he challenges your authority at work?
