My original review of "Birthmarks" was this: "Squeeee!" But a friend pointed out that you, my loyal readers, might possibly want a bit more than that. So, ever obedient, I've done my best to expand on my initial response.

As you might guess, I enjoyed this episode immensely. It was filled with snappy dialogue, charming and surprising character moments, and a dandy surprise ending.

Let's start with my absolute favorite thing about this episode: Cuddy drugging House. Seriously, when he woke up in Wilson's car and I realized that Cuddy tricked House into standing there with his pants down while she drugged him...I hollered with glee. That was a beautiful bit of revenge for all the crap House has pulled on her (and also a nice moment that reminded me of when House was giving her shots of fertility drugs).

My second favorite thing about "Birthmarks" was, well, pretty much every single House/Wilson moment in it. I could go on for days about how interesting their interaction was, but I think the most important part was how it went from the expected (House dropping Wilson's keys into the sewer) to the unexpected (Wilson getting arrested) to the completely unexpected (the story of House and Wilson met).

In a million years, I would never have guessed that House met Wilson for the first time when the former bailed the latter out of jail. I might have thought that House got Wilson thrown in jail, but I would never have guessed it was all Wilson's fault for losing his temper. Brilliant, just a brilliant turnabout.

But it wasn't only the House/Wilson material that was brilliant here. In fact, the writers managed to give nearly everyone at least good scene, from Cuddy's hoodwinking of House to the original ducklings gathered in harmony as Cameron tried to figure out what kind of flowers House would send to his father's funeral "if he wasn't an ass."

(Bonus points for this moment...Thirteen: "Bubbles." House: "Is that your new stripper name?" Thirteen: "Yes. Also, we inject bubbles into the cyst and see where they float..." Thirteen's calm reaction was great.)

The Patient of the Week was always going to be a bit of an afterthought in an episode that featured the funeral of House's father, but the acting from the POTW was great, and provided an interesting B plot. I liked the way it tied back to House and Wilson, as they brainstormed in the diner, and I was intrigued by the desperation of the adoptive parents and their resignation about their daughter's addiction. (Okay, "the addiction center of the brain" sounded dubious to me, but whatever.)

Kutner's conversation with the POTW about being adopted was neat, especially considering the episode's final revelation that House's dead father wasn't his biological father. After all, House can pretty much always be considered to be "outside looking in" when it comes to the rest of humanity.

I have to wonder if the show will follow up on this. Will House confront his mother? Will we meet the guy who's really House's biological dad? Will House react further to this news?

Speaking of reactions...I'm happy to see that Wilson is returning, but I hope they don't revert to the status quo. I like it when Wilson pushes back, and I think the show will be a hell of a lot more fun if Wilson acts less like a doormat and more like an intelligent man.

Okay, and I wouldn't mind at all if he and Cuddy team up to screw over House. Maybe Lucas could help? That would pretty much be the best thing ever.

You might notice that I haven't yet mentioned House's "eulogy" for his father. I think that's because it was (intentionally) a bit opaque, thanks to House's ability to hide lies among truth and truth among lies. I think it's probably safe to say that his remarks about how his father treated those over whom he had power were truth. But I think that everything else is up for grabs. Yes, he obviously used the last bit of the eulogy as an excuse to get his DNA sample, but that doesn't mean that some of it wasn't the truth. Maybe all of it.

(I can't resist one quibble. For some reason, I thought the embalming process made it impossible to get things like DNA samples. Does anybody know if that's true?)

In any case, "Birthmarks" was House and everyone else in fine form and raring to go. I hope we see more episodes like this, so I can continue to squee.

But before I sign off, I can't forget a big thank you and a virtual cookie to Holley for pointing out in a comment to my last review that Taub had never told his wife about his affair. That made last week's episode significantly clearer in retrospect! Thanks for sorting out your clueless reviewer.