It's great to have House back on my TV screen, and better to see him in such fine (and obnoxious) form. There was a lot to love about this first episode after the end of the writer's strike, so let me start with my absolute favorite thing:

Someone other than House got to have the epiphany.

Yeah, this has happened before, but it felt like a really big deal here, especially with House's "That should have been my epiphany." Yes, House, it should have. And if you'd spent less time and energy worrying about how to screw with everyone's minds, maybe it would have been yours.

Not that I think he's really learned a lesson, but still, it was nice to see Kutner get a chance to shine. And although he hasn't been a favorite character of mine, I really enjoyed him in this episode. From his beautifully timed jab at House in the first brainstorming session to his beautifully timed jab at House at the end, he was a lot of fun. Now if only we could learn a little more about him, I might start to care.

Speaking of caring, I can't figure out why I don’t actually care about Wilson and Amber's relationship. After all, I laughed my tuchis off at almost every scene and yet...in the end, I find myself shrugging about the whole thing.

Maybe it's because I feel like this is Cuddy and Wilson trying to teach House and Amber a lesson, when we (and they) know that it's going to be a waste of time. Maybe it's because we can be almost sure that the relationship is doomed. Or maybe it's because I know that as this storyline goes on, the fight between House and Amber is going to go from scenes that make me laugh to scenes that make me cringe.

In any case, despite my deep reservations, I loved House and Amber fighting over Wilson, who's first reading a newspaper and then eating potato chips while they fight. (Kutner coming in and snagging a potato chip as he settles in for the fun was a nice touch.)

And at least because of this storyline I got to see Cuddy. She didn't have a lot to do this week, sadly, but her idea of punishment for House and Amber was just perfect. It may not teach them anything, but I'm sure it made Cuddy feel better to stick them with a poopy job!

I kind of wish that Foreman had gotten to see House doing that job at the end, because I think he really deserved a little love after his ill-treatment by everyone. Literally, everyone. I hope he figures out a way to one-up House and get some authority back, because he deserves it.

Wilson was hilarious throughout, with his little smirks (which my husband especially adored) and fabulous dialogue. ("I’m gonna piss off one of them and they both scare me.")

In fact, the dialogue was great throughout. It felt like the writers were thrilled to be back at work (the nurse's strike can't have been a coincidence). Special dialogue props to such gems as "Are you saying evolution is wrong? Where do you think we are, twenty-first century America?" and "Oh you're selling religion? Sorry, I bought some Islam yesterday."

And let's not forget House and Cameron in the ER, talking about the nice patient: "Is he Canadian?" "He's low-priority." "Is that a yes?"

Oh, right, the Patient of the Week. Am I the only one who felt like there was so much going on that the POTW was sort of an afterthought? I thought the actor did a great job making the niceness work and his wife was interesting, especially when she said, "Before you know it, that naïve idiot you were laughing at has made you a better person."

Of course, I thought that Kutner had a good point when he asked why the patient's niceness was a disease but House's nastiness isn't, and I just rolled my eyes when they diagnosed House with syphilis. I knew immediately that House had planted the sample, mostly because he's pulled that trick before.

I can see why the new ducklings fell for the trick, but Foreman, Chase, and Cameron should have seen through it immediately. Tsk tsk. That was very innocent and trusting of them, when they know what House is capable of.

So, we're back from the writer's strike, which leads me to my final point about the episode: It was so busy, it was hard to keep track of all the storylines. I think the writers were so excited to be back that they tried to fit just a bit too much in. Having said that, this was still a fine House episode and I was happy to sit back and enjoy an hour of fun.