Yesterday's House is the episode that FOX is bound to submit for Emmy consideration at the end of the season: every aspect of the show — writing, acting, direction, production design, etc. — was at the top of its game.

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We've already seen Candice Bergen excel in her role as Cuddy the Elder, but in that episode, her role was more "comic relief" than anything else. Last night, the veteran actress got to bring the thunder... somewhat literally, as rain painted the background of almost every scene.

This is one of those cases where we could excerpt ANY scene from the show to properly recap the drama and emotions on display, so we strongly recommend that you find a way to watch the whole episode. We've chosen to edit the two scenes together above because they highlight Bergen's portrayal of a surprisingly realistic realist of a mother, and also to shine a spotlight on the always-entertaining Amber Tamblyn. House and the gang spent most of the episode keeping Tamblyn's honesty-obsessed character in the dark regarding their plot to treat Cuddy's mom in secret, and it's incredible to watch her react as House slowly reveals the trap he's caught her in.

...and just why was Mrs. Cuddy dying, anyway? Despite the hypochondria theme that was driven home from act 1, scene 1, almost all of the kooky old lady's symptoms could be traced to a completely legitimate source, which House realized (as usual) in the nick of time: cobalt poisoning, from a faulty hip replacement.