+++Warning, this review contains major season four spoilers, and a couple of hints, but no major giveaways from season five+++
The fifth season of House is another very good one, especially in the last third of the season. It starts out a couple of months after the events that ended season four, with Wilson returning to wrap up his practice at Princeton Plainsborough, intending to find a new job after Amber's death. Of course, Robert Sean Leonard did not end up leaving the show so he eventually overcomes his resentment of House, but the first part of the season is really about repairing their relationship. Then, the show becomes the traditional case-of-the-week procedural mixed with serial storylines. The big storyline for the middle part of the season is 13's participation in a Huntington's drug trial that is being run by Foreman, and a great storyline involving Cuddy. Then, in the latter half of the season, another major death rocks House and launches into the storyline that ends the season and sets up season six. This season sees another round of great guest and recurring characters/stars including: Michael Weston, Breckin Meyer (from Clueless), Emily Rijos, Zeljko Ivanek, Jimmi Simpson, Jay Karnes, Mos Def, and Collen Camp. The writers also found a way to bring back the character of Amber (Anne Dudek) as a part of the final big storyline of the season.
For those who get the DVD set, the extras include a commentary track on the episode "Locked In" which is one of the most unique episodes of the series that was partially inspired by an episode of M*A*S*H*. Then there is a featurette on the 100th episode (which aired later in the season than it normally would have because of the shortened season four), a featurette on Cuddy's storyline, the featurette on the medical accuracy of the show, one on filming the teaser opening to one of the episodes, and a featurette on the guest cast members that have appeared throughout the first five seasons of the show. The total running time for all of the featurettes comes in at a little under an hour. So, there is a lot of good bonus content if you like to watch the bonus features.
Overall, the season is very good. The show does a good job balancing the large cast, which of course, got larger during season four with the addition of Olivia Wilde, Peter Jacobson, and Kal Penn. All of the cast members got pretty significant storylines, some definitely longer than others, however, including Cameron and Chase who I felt were underused a bit during season four. The show continues to be well-written and very well-acted even though the character dynamics have changed from the first few seasons. But, if you were a fan of the prior seasons, the show is definitely still worth sticking with.
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