Fox’s hit drama, “House M.D.,” premiered Oct. 3 with a surprise for fans everywhere: House is in prison. This, although an immediate shock, is really not all that unbelievable. For seven seasons, fans have watched House deal with drug problems, use questionable medical tactics, and pull off all sorts of ridiculous shenanigans. The real surprise is that it took “House” a full seven seasons to finally end up in jail.

It turns out that this season premiere picks up a year after the conclusion of last season, in which House drove a car through his ex-girlfriend’s house. In last season’s finale, House’s whereabouts were unknown, although it appeared he was on some sort of tropical island. As House meets with his parole board in this new episode, however, most of viewers’ questions from the spring are answered.

Fans learn that after the incident, House fled the country for three months before returning and ending up in jail. Later in the episode, viewers also discover that House only received jail time because he refused to hire a lawyer, represented himself, and then accepted the first deal offered to him. However, some questions still remain. What happened to Cuddy? What happened to Wilson? Viewers have no information about any of the other cast members.

This aside, the episode showed a very typical House. House is still the same rule-breaking, line crossing, sarcastic, rude doctor that he has always been. Yet it is these attributes that make him such an intriguing and loved television character. In this episode, House ruins his possibility of parole in order to prove his diagnosis about a sick inmate is correct. It is clear that prison has not changed him.

While the episode did not suggest any personality changes in Dr. House, viewers wonder what overall changes might be seen throughout season eight. It is confirmed that Lisa Edelstein, who played House’s boss and love interest on the show, will not be returning this season. Edelstein’s departure was announced officially last spring and TV Guide quotes the actress as saying, “After much consideration, I am moving onward with a combination of disappointment at leaving behind a character I have loved playing for seven years and excitement of the new opportunities in acting and producing that lie