Broken (House)

"Broken" is the joint title for the first and second episodes of the sixth season of the television series House. It is a two-part season premiere, being first broadcast on Fox on September 21, 2009. The narrative follows series protagonist Dr, Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) as he overcomes his vicodin addiction and psychological problems at Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.

Receiving season-high ratings, the episodes garnered positive reviews from critics. The performance of Hugh Laurie was also applauded.

House awakens in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital after suffering through the painful effects of Vicodin withdrawal. He asks to leave knowing that they legally cannot keep him because he voluntarily committed himself. However, Dr. Nolan (Andre Braugher) refuses to sign a recommendation to the board of medicine saying he is able to return to work. House resigns himself to stay at the hospital and get his clearance. He meets his manic-depressive roommate, Alvie (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and begrudgingly participates in group therapy with Dr. Beasley. He also meets and is intrigued by Lydia (Franka Potente), a woman who plays piano for her sister-in-law Annie (Ana Lenchantin), an unresponsive patient in the ward who was a cellist.

House attempts to be kicked out by making the patients' and workers' lives miserable, starting by humiliating the patients by deducing their problems during a group therapy session but only succeeds in being placed in solitary confinement. House then goads his fellow patients into creating havoc in the ward over not being allowed table tennis paddles, but Dr. Nolan calms them by giving them the paddles. From the hospital window, House sees Dr. Nolan get into a car with a woman. House convinces Alvie to break into Nolan's office to get information on him, but Alvie finds nothing useful. House then phones Wilson to ask for help blackmailing Nolan, but Wilson refuses, saying that Nolan had warned him that House may try to do something like this and that he should let Nolan do his job. House starts to adjust to life inside the institution. His only respite is Lydia's regular visits, during which they talk and discuss music.