Ep 1. Twenty Vicodin

House season 8 episode 1, titled "Twenty Vicodin," kicks off the final season of the popular medical drama series. The episode begins with House serving a prison sentence after driving his car into Cuddy's home in the previous season's finale. As he enters his eighth month in prison, House turns to Vicodin to cope with his physical and emotional pain.

The opening scene shows House's daily routine in jail, which includes throwing a ball against a wall, reading books, and answering the daily calls from his lawyer. However, his routine is disrupted when a new inmate named Mendelson (portrayed by Michael Paré) arrives at the prison. Mendelson is a former CIA agent and offers to buy Vicodin from House in exchange for protection from other inmates.

At first, House refuses to sell Mendelson any Vicodin. However, the physical pain and loneliness of being in prison begin to take a toll on him, and he eventually agrees to sell Mendelson twenty Vicodin pills. In the meantime, House's team at Princeton-Plainsboro is struggling to move on without him, and they soon receive a patient who appears to be suffering from a mysterious illness.

The patient, a homeless man named Benjamin (portrayed by Wentworth Miller), is found unconscious in a park and brought to the hospital. The team initially suspects that Benjamin is suffering from a drug overdose, but they soon realize that his symptoms do not match any typical overdose case. As the team tries to diagnose Benjamin's condition, House's absence is deeply felt, and they struggle to come up with answers without him.

Back in prison, House's exchange with Mendelson goes awry when the other inmates find out about the deal. A fight breaks out, and both House and Mendelson are forced to fight for their lives. In the chaos that ensues, House ends up taking more Vicodin than he had planned, and his physical and emotional state deteriorates even further.

As the team continues to work on Benjamin's case, they start to uncover some clues that lead them down a surprising path. With House out of commission, the team must rely on their own skills and cunning to find a diagnosis and save their patient. However, as they work through the case, it becomes clear that House's shadow looms over their every move, and they are constantly reminded of just how much they miss him.

In the final scenes of the episode, House is back in his cell, nursing his wounds and struggling with his addiction. As he stares at the twenty remaining Vicodin pills, he realizes that he needs to find another way to cope with the pain. In typical House fashion, he comes up with an unconventional solution, one that hints at the unpredictable, thrilling final season of the show.

Overall, House season 8 episode 1 sets up the final season of the show by plunging House into a new environment and highlighting the struggles of his team in his absence. The episode hints at the stakes and emotions at play in the upcoming season and promises an exciting, unpredictable ride for fans.