Three Stories (House)

21st episode of the 1st season of House

"Three Stories"

House episode
Episode no.| Season 1
Episode 21
Directed by| Paris Barclay
Written by| David Shore
Featured music| Jon Erlich
Jason Derlatka
Cinematography by| Roy H. Wagner
Original air date| May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)
Running time| 44 minutes
Guest appearances

* Sela Ward as Stacy Warner
* Nicole Bilderback as the caring student
* Andrew Keegan as the rebellious student
* Josh Zuckerman as the keen student
* Brent Briscoe as the farmer
* Stephanie Venditto as Nurse Brenda Previn
* James Saxenmeyer as the man in pain
* Carmen Electra as herself

Episode chronology
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"Love Hurts"  | Next →
"Honeymoon"

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House season 1
List of episodes

"Three Stories" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of House, which premiered on Fox on May 17, 2005. David Shore won an Emmy in 2005 for Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series for this episode. It won the Humanitas Prize in the '60 minute' category for the year 2006.

## Plot

[edit]

House begrudgingly agrees to fill in for a sick professor and give a lecture on diagnostics to a class of medical students. On his way to the lecture, he encounters Stacy Warner, his ex-girlfriend whom he has not seen in five years. Stacy asks him to examine her husband Mark, but he looks at his file and tells her that Mark does not appear to be sick.

At the lecture, House presents three cases of patients with leg pain to the students. The three stories are intercut with each other; the following summary presents each case in chronological order.

The first patient was a farmer who appeared to have been bitten by a snake. Foreman and Chase visited the man's farm and found a timber rattlesnake. However, the farmer suffered an allergic reaction to the anti-venom and a test of the snake’s venom sac indicated that it did not recently bite anyone. The patient continued to decline, and when House informed him that he was dying, he asked what would happen to his dog. House deduced that the farmer was actually bitten by his dog, and bacteria from its mouth caused necrotizing fasciitis. The dog was euthanized and the farmer’s leg was amputated, but he survived and got a new dog.

The second patient was a teenage girl who collapsed at volleyball practice. Cameron took an excessively detailed medical history and put her through several invasive and painful tests, only to discover a thyroid condition causing a depressed mental state and tendinitis. The patient did not improve after thyroxine treatment and suddenly developed hypersensitivity to touch. An MRI revealed a tumor in her leg, and Cameron warned the patient that an amputation might be necessary to remove the tumor. In the end, the tumor was removed without amputation and she fully recovered.

House initially presents the third case as Carmen Electra complaining of leg pain after a round of miniature golf. The patient was in reality a middle-aged man with extreme leg pain, too severe for him to meaningfully explain his circumstances; the students initially write him off as a drug-seeker. House catheterized the patient and discovered that his urine was tea-colored, indicating both blood and waste in the urine. The medical students do not know the differential diagnosis for waste in urine. House's team is by this point observing the lecture, and Cameron suggests muscle death— myoglobin released by dying muscle shuts down the kidneys. House reveals that it took three days for doctors to diagnose the patient properly: he had a clotted aneurysm in his leg, leading to infarction. House’s team members realize that the third patient was House himself, five years earlier.

Cuddy, House's attending, informed him that the only options were to either amputate his leg or perform a risky bypass surgery (which could either lead to a full recovery or kill him). To preserve his career, he opted for the bypass against the advice of both Cuddy and Stacy. The surgery itself went well, but House was left in extreme pain and entered cardiac arrest, clinically dying for almost a full minute. Stacy begged House to agree to the amputation, but he once again refused and asked to be put in a medically-induced coma. While he was unconscious, Stacy (as House's medical proxy) knowingly acted against his wishes and authorized a middle course of treatment: surgery to remove the dead muscle in his leg. As a result, House now has a permanent limp and continues to experience chronic pain, resulting in his Vicodin addiction.

When he has finished telling his story, Cuddy arrives and informs him that the lecture has over-run by twenty minutes. He explains that the original lecturer was sick from using a lead-painted mug from his children, presents the mug to her, and leaves. Later that night, House calls Stacy and agrees to treat her husband.

## Production

[edit]

The episode was written by series creator David Shore and directed by Paris Barclay.[1][2] As the episode differed from Shore's earlier work, Shore was unsure how the episode would be received,[3] as he stated in an interview with Canadian Jewish News, "it was either the worst thing I had ever written or the best. Honestly I wasn't sure."[4] Shore's narrative device of "false flashbacks" was largely influenced by the 1968 French science fiction film Je t'aime, je t'aime as well as Alfred Hitchcock's 1949 film Stage Fright.[2] Fans have compared the episode's storytelling to the thriller The Usual Suspects (1995), which was directed by House executive producer Bryan Singer.[2]

## Reception

[edit]

"Three Stories" was first broadcast in the United States on Fox on May 17, 2005. The episode was watched by 17.68 million viewers, making House the 14th most-watched program of the week.[5] Shore received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.[6] Shore was "shocked" when he heard he was nominated. He had been nominated for an Emmy Award twice before, as a producer on Law & Order, but felt this nomination was more personal and individual.[7] Shore won the Emmy Award,[8] and also received the 2006 Humanitas Prize in the 60 Minute Category.[9] "Three Stories" is also responsible for the show's Peabody Award win in 2005.[2] Barclay was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award, but lost to Michael Apted, who had directed the Rome episode "The Stolen Eagle".[10]

Critics reacted positively to the episode. Matt Zoller Seitz placed the episode second on his list of 2005's best individual television episodes, calling it a "high-point" for the show.[1] Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune praised the episode for its "twisty, smart and moving storytelling".[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Seitz, Matt Zoller (December 18, 2005). "The perfect 10 - The shows weren't all winners, but these episodes were keepers". The Star-Ledger.
2. ^ a b c d Challen, pp. 172-174
3. ^ Frum, Linda (March 14, 2006). "Q&A with 'House' creator David Shore". Maclean's. Rogers Communications. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
4. ^ Challen, Paul (2007). The House that Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide. ECW Press. pp. 98–99\. ISBN 978-1-55022-803-8.
5. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
6. ^ "The 57th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmys Nominations" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
7. ^ Staff (July 15, 2005). "Hatcher won't hear trifecta talk". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2009.
8. ^ "Full list of Emmy winners". The Sydney Morning Herald. Associated Press. September 19, 2005. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
9. ^ "Winners of the Humanitas Prize 60 Minute Category". Humanitas Prize. Archived from the original on September 14, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
10. ^ Hiestand, Jesse (January 30, 2006). "'Brokeback's' Lee wins DGA Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2009. [dead link]
11. ^ Ryan, Maureen (May 29, 2005). "No fear in the 'House,' even though 'Idol' won't be there". Chicago Tribune. p. 15.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Three Stories.

* "Three Stories" at Fox.com
* "Three Stories" at IMDb

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House

Characters|

* Gregory House
* Lisa Cuddy
* James Wilson
* Allison Cameron
* Remy "Thirteen" Hadley
* Lawrence Kutner
* Stacy Warner
* Michael Tritter

Episodes|

| Season 1|

* "Pilot"
* "Paternity"
* "Three Stories"

|

Season 2|

* "Autopsy"
* "Spin"
* "Hunting"
* "The Mistake"
* "Deception"
* "Failure to Communicate"
* "Need to Know"
* "Clueless"
* "All In"
* "House vs. God"
* "Who's Your Daddy?"

Season 3|

* "Informed Consent"
* "Lines in the Sand"
* "Finding Judas"
* "Half-Wit"

Season 4|

* "Mirror Mirror"
* "Whatever It Takes"
* "Ugly"
* "You Don't Want to Know"
* "Frozen"
* "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
* "Living the Dream"
* "House's Head"
* "Wilson's Heart"

Season 5|

* "Not Cancer"
* "Lucky Thirteen"
* "Last Resort"
* "Here Kitty"
* "Locked In"
* "Simple Explanation"
* "Both Sides Now"

Season 6|

* "Broken"
* "Known Unknowns"
* "Ignorance Is Bliss"
* "Wilson"
* "The Down Low"
* "Remorse"
* "5 to 9"
* "The Choice"
* "Baggage"
* "Help Me"

Season 7|

* "Selfish"
* "Unwritten"
* "Unplanned Parenthood"
* "Office Politics"
* "A Pox on Our House"
* "Small Sacrifices"
* "Larger than Life"
* "Carrot or Stick"
* "Bombshells"
* "Out of the Chute"
* "Fall from Grace"
* "The Dig"
* "Changes"
* "The Fix"
* "Moving On"

Season 8|

* "Twenty Vicodin"
* "Transplant"
* "Charity Case"
* "Risky Business"
* "The Confession"
* "Parents"
* "Dead & Buried"
* "Perils of Paranoia"
* "Runaways"
* "Nobody's Fault"
* "Chase"
* "Man of the House"
* "Love Is Blind"
* "Blowing the Whistle"
* "Gut Check"
* "We Need the Eggs"
* "Body & Soul"
* "The C-Word"
* "Post Mortem"
* "Holding On"
* "Everybody Dies"

Related|

* Cast list
* Accolades
* Soundtrack
* Nurse Jeffrey
* Doctor Tyrsa [ru]
* Doctor Richter
* Hekimoğlu

* Category

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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

1950s|

* Reginald Rose for "Twelve Angry Men" (1955)

1960s|

* Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1960)
* Rod Serling for The Twilight Zone (1961)
* Reginald Rose for The Defenders (1962)
* Robert Thom & Reginald Rose for "The Madman" (1963)
* Ernest Kinoy for "Blacklist" / Rod Serling for "It's Mental Work" (1964)
* David Karp for "The 700 Year Old Gang" (1965)
* Millard Lampell for "Eagle in a Cage" (1966)
* Bruce Geller for "Mission: Impossible" (1967)
* Loring Mandel for "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" (1968)
* JP Miller for "The People Next Door" (1969)

1970s|

* Richard Levinson & William Link for "My Sweet Charlie" (1970)
* Joel Oliansky for "To Taste of Death But Once" (1971)
* Richard Levinson & William Link for "Death Lends a Hand" (1972)
* John McGreevey for "The Scholar" (1973)
* Joanna Lee for "The Thanksgiving Story" (1974)
* Howard Fast for "Benjamin Franklin: The Ambassador" (1975)
* Sherman Yellen for "John Adams: Lawyer" (1976)
* William Blinn & Ernest Kinoy for "Show #2" (1977)
* Gerald Green for "Holocaust" (1978)
* Michele Gallery for "Dying" (1979)

1980s|

* Seth Freeman for "Cop" (1980)
* Michael Kozoll & Steven Bochco for "Hill Street Station" (1981)
* Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll & Jeff Lewis & Michael Wagner & Anthony Yerkovich for "Freedom's Last Stand" (1982)
* David Milch for "Trial by Fury" (1983)
* John Ford Noonan, John Masius & Tom Fontana for "The Women" (1984)
* Patricia Green for "Who Said It's Fair, Part 2" (1985)
* Tom Fontana, John Masius & Joe Tinker for "Time Heals, Parts I & II" (1986)
* Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher for "The Venus Butterfly" (1987)
* Paul Haggis & Marshall Herskovitz for "Business as Usual" (1988)
* Joseph Dougherty for "First Day/Last Day" (1989)

1990s|

* David E. Kelley for "Blood, Sweat, and Fears" (1990)
* David E. Kelley for "On the Toad Again" (1991)
* Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider for "Seoul Mates" (1992)
* Tom Fontana for "Three Men and Adena" (1993)
* Ann Biderman for "Steroid Roy" (1994)
* Lance A. Gentile for "Love's Labor Lost" (1995)
* Darin Morgan for "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (1996)
* David Milch, Stephen Gaghan and Michael R. Perry for "Where's Swaldo?" (1997)
* David Milch, Nicholas Wootton and Bill Clark for "Lost Israel: Part II" (1998)
* James Manos Jr. and David Chase for "College" (1999)

2000s|

* Rick Cleveland & Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo" (2000)
* Mitchell Burgess & Robin Green for "Employee of the Month" (2001)
* Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." (2002)
* Mitchell Burgess & David Chase & Robin Green for "Whitecaps" (2003)
* Terence Winter for "Long Term Parking" (2004)
* David Shore for "Three Stories" (2005)
* Terence Winter for "Members Only" (2006)
* David Chase for "Made in America" (2007)
* Matthew Weiner for "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (2008)
* Kater Gordon & Matthew Weiner for "Meditations in an Emergency" (2009)

2010s|

* Erin Levy & Matthew Weiner for "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." (2010)
* Jason Katims for "Always" (2011)
* Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff for "Pilot" (Homeland) (2012)
* Henry Bromell for "Q&A" (2013)
* Moira Walley-Beckett for "Ozymandias" (2014)
* David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Mother's Mercy" (2015)
* David Benioff & D. B. Weiss for "Battle of the Bastards" (2016)
* Bruce Miller for "Offred" (2017)
* Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for "START" (2018)
* Jesse Armstrong for "Nobody Is Ever Missing" (2019)

2020s|

* Jesse Armstrong for "This Is Not for Tears" (2020)
* Peter Morgan for "War" (2021)
* Jesse Armstrong for "All the Bells Say" (2022)
* Jesse Armstrong for "Connor's Wedding" (2023)
* Will Smith for "Negotiating with Tigers" (2024)

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