House (Hugh Laurie, right) meets his roommate Alvie (guest star Lin-Manuel Miranda, left) when he arrives at the psychiatric hospital in the "House" season premiere episode "Broken." Photo by Mike Yarish | Fox.

First: Brilliant!

Monday night’s House season premier was well worth the nearly four months we had to wait for it.

It went in places we did not expect, it did not go in places we were afraid it might and definitely stretched Hugh Laurie and his character in a few ways that will make it harder to deny him one of those trophies they handed out Sunday night.

There were moments that felt like homages to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – including a basketball game and House leading an uprising for more privileges, ping-pong paddles instead of watching a baseball game — as House was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after his breakdown at the end of last season. You also had this fear that the script might navigate toward some predictable moments of realization, but it didn’t, though there were a few predictable twists at the end.

But one thing we did get was House finding some trust and empathy, which makes you wonder where we go from here.

House with a bedside manner almost feels like Sam and Diane hooking up on Cheers. The good doctor discovering he can trust other people seems like Agent Cooper finding out who killed Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks. This House could seem as unreal as that dream season on Dallas where J.R. was nice.

It’s a change that removes central tensions from the show that make it work.

What last night’s episode didn’t provide was real clues as to how profoundly House’s newfound humanity will play out when he gets back to his colleagues Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. This 2-hour season premier took place entirely away from the show’s regular setting and supporting cast, save for one scene well before House’s come-to-Jesus moments.

So, as interesting as it was to see House kick his Vicodin addication and come to terms with some of his demons, it will probably be even more interesting to see how far he has actually come and how that will play out in the coming season.