"House" has never been subtle. But I've never found the show to be overly preachy either. It has, in the past, managed to deal with some tough questions on morality, life, religion -- all that jazz. This week felt like an attempt to do that, but with the grace of an elephant doing ballet. It was like the show was hitting the audience over the head with a hammer a bazillion and a half times.

The moral question of the day: what makes a man manly? The answer: not testosterone.

House (Hugh Laurie)'s patient this week was a marriage counselor who tried to teach men that the only way to be successful in life and relationships was to be more like women. More caring, more compromising, more forgiving. Now that doesn't sound that bad, does it?

But, the only reason he was so, shall we say, progressive, was because he had gotten in a fight a few years prior and got kicked in the balls, thus making him dangerously low on testosterone. So, as House pointed out, he was pretty much a girl.

Lesson No. 1: Only men who have their manhood removed can be emotional.

The show continued to nail that coffin for the whole episode, and just stood as a reminder of how a show that once was able to tackle deep and interesting questions with tact has become a pissing contest at the Hair Club for Men.

Lesson No. 2: Men are only successful because they are ruthless and angry and like to piss on things.

Soapbox aside, the case was pretty boring, and I actually hoped that House had gotten it right at the start of the show (now there's a twist I wouldn't see coming), and we would spend the rest of the episode in a break from tradition by exploring House and the return of his lovely imported wife, Dominika Patrova (Karolina Wydra).

Now, say what you want about Dominika, but her and House's side storyline was light years ahead of the medical drama this time out. Just the fact that House risked medicine, his one true love, to help somebody out, even if it was for $30,000, was interesting. I know, I know, she isn't Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), she isn't House's perfect match and all that useless garbage. House and Cuddy were a horrible relationship from the start, and their relationship triggered the start of the show's decline, if you ask me.

House brought in Park (Charlyne Yi) to help him and Dominika cram for the green-card test so she could stay in the country. Park pulled some good time here, and in being the only one to step up to be considered for House's "team leader" position. I'm not sure why House wants a team leader, but it was an interesting enough side-side story.

Back to the newlyweds. Of course the marriage was a sham, but after extensive studying and redecorating the duo managed to fool the system. That is, until the Immigration officer decided to check with a neighbor to corroborate the story. I was shocked to think that House -- brilliant House -- had forgotten to cross every t in his plan, but good ol' Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) showed up and pretended to be House's next door neighbor. Shame that the real neighbor showed up just in time to blow the whole thing and get House and Dominika another meeting with immigration. And a lawyer.

I was a little confused as to how Wilson thought of something House hadn't, and it is such a foreign concept that House actually forgot anything to begin with. Cue the down spiral of believability

But, as we all know, House is incapable of ever facing real-world consequences for his actions. Dominika gave some batting-eye speech, and got to stay in the country as long as she stays with House. The immigration office will continue to monitor them at random times over the next six months.

Things kind of fell apart at the end, mostly because I bet everything that I don't know about U.S. immigration law that some half-assed love speech by a pretty Ukrainian girl won't get her and her husband off for breaking the law. It was interesting, however, that House did not give Dominika up, and it was her who ended up saving him.

And there lies lesson No. 3: All men need a good woman to save them.

Shoved-down-your-throat gender politics aside, the big question now is if House can play by the rules and put up with Dominika for six months. Her dance exercising already seemed to get on his nerves, and I can't see him enjoying making her renovations to his room permanent. Either way, looks like she is here for good. And who knows, maybe House will actually be, gasp, happy with her as the show reaches its series finale.