Michael Oberlander

Legendary jazz musician, John Henry Giles, checks in to Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital believing he's dying from ALS and signs a DNR to avoid a slow death. Yet House disagrees with the diagnosis and goes against everyone's wishes when he violates the DNR to save Giles' life. The decision lands House in court, drives Foreman to consider another job, and results in Giles' paralysis to worsen. Despite everything, Giles makes a connection with House, and agrees to his treatment. But Dr. Cuddy and the team are not so convinced.

Tony Rosatti (Lou Bonacki), a well-to-do contractor with mob connections, is found dead in his brownstone. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) immediately suspect the work of a professional and try to find the deceased's much younger second wife. Tony's wife, Sherri (Gretchen Egolf), was gone all weekend. She was supposed to be at a spa in Connecticut but she never checked in. She tells the cops she changed her mind, and at the last minute went to Bermuda. The detectives do some digging and figure out she wasn't alone; she was with Randy Porter (Bobby Cannavale), an electrician who worked for her husband. An off-duty cop, who was hired by Tony, also provides photos of the two in compromising positions.

With Tara as second chair, Alan defends a hypochondriac who is suing his medical doctor for malpractice. Sally assists Lori defend a man who killed a guy who beat him up four years ago with a martial art punch.

The detectives investigate when an anonymous letter prompts a man's body to be exhumed for an autopsy, which reveals he died from poisoning.

In part two of the two-part season premiere, Don and his team close in on finding fellow agent Megan, who is being held hostage by Crystal, a disturbed woman on a vicious crime spree. The FBI faces a standoff with Crystal, who refuses to let Megan go unless the FBI releases her boyfriend in exchange. During the wait, however, Megan manages to get Crystal to open up about her motive, which triggers a violent reaction and puts Megan in even more danger. Guest stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Kim Dickens, David Gallagher.