It's rather fitting that half of this week's episode of House focused on Wilson rekindling his romance with his first wife, Samantha. These days, it feels like this series really doesn't have anywhere else to go. Whether it's a lack of new ideas for its main character, the clear decision to do absolutely nothing with the supporting cast or the obvious tiredness of the medical mystery formula, House seems to have run its course. With the opening sequence of "Knight Fall" at a Renaissance festival, the show's tragic descent into unwitting camp has become blatantly obvious. The series that used to provide some of the most compelling commentary on human nature has traded in its relentless sense of heartbreak for sheer aimlessness.

The patient this week is a dedicated Renfest lifestyle knight who collapses during his climactic battle with the traditional black knight. The episode returns to the fair grounds not once, but twice, apparently because cliches about people in modern dress at theme festivals are still funny. This also marks the second time this season that Hugh Laurie had to walk on camera in period garb for comic effect.

Let's take a moment out to reflect on what those environment investigation scenes used to do on this show. For a long time, those often illegal snooping expeditions gave us viewers a chance to see into the patient's private life in a way that was a lot more subtle than simple exposition while also getting two of the supporting characters alone where they could discuss some of the philosophical themes of the episode. Now those scenes are more often than not red herrings filled with the clunkiest dialogue of the episode. The Renfest scenes in "Knight Fall" didn't really do anything but provide some silliness and one fake lead on the patient's illness.

As for that illness, it had a lot of interesting symptoms but the big reveal at the end was kind of hollow. The team (re: House by epiphany) discerns that the patient is abusing steroids. Wouldn't that sort of thing come up on at least one preliminary test? If I recall correctly, drugs are usually the first thing House's team rules out, if only to satisfy their cynicism. The irony of the honor-obsessed knight's juicing only works if it makes sense that the best diagnostics team in the country would miss it.

The business with Wilson's ex fared a lot better, if only because it involved the only two characters this show seems to care about anymore. I enjoyed the callback to House's incredible cooking skills and the drag queen prostitute gag. Cynthia Watros held her own against Hugh Laurie and I hope to see her show up in the remainder of the season. In a series that desperately needs some nuance and intrigue, she's a welcome presence.

Best Moment: House confronting Samantha during his home-cooked meal. It was a moment of bare honesty that is startlingly rare in the show as of late.

Notes: I know I've said this before, but why is 13 posited as some sort of relationship expert? She's arguably as screwed up as House, yet she's often some kind of love guru.

Episode Rating: 3/5- The medical mystery came dangerously close to being interesting and the House/Wilson/Samantha plot was genuinely good TV (even if Lucas showed up at the end). But just like watching House pop Ibuprofen like he used to pop Vicodin, the show seems to have permanently lost its edge.