Veteran actor Michael "Caddyshack" O'Keefe plays a tongue-tied journalist who speaks firmly but nonsensically, and House and the gang must find a way to decipher his upside-down utterings before the poor guy buys the farm. O'Keefe is terrific in the role of a man who is harboring a deep, dark and very sad secret that may hold the key to his recovery. Erica Gimpel has a nice moment as O'Keefe's distraught wife when she learns his secret. This gimmicky episode has House aiding his team via cell phone as he prepares to return from a trip to Baltimore, with Stacy at his side. It works pretty well, especially with the very realistic premise that has them trapped in the airport due to bad weather. In one supremely arch moment, House is seen writing up his usual diagnostic scribbles on an airport wall while Stacy lies on the floor behind him, snoozing away. This occurs just moments after they have begun to settle down for the night in a hotel room Stacy had the forethought to reserve in case of just such a delay.
Review of Failure to Communicate
