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House Season 1 Episode 21

Three Stories

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9.3

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 5/17/05

House's ex-girlfriend Stacy Warner returns – not for House but to get help for her ailing husband. While House decides whether or not to take her case, Cuddy forces him to present a lecture to a class of medical students. As he weaves the stories of three patients who all present with a similar symptom, House gives a lecture the students will never forget.moreless

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (65)

The twisted flashback, where House turns out to be one of the characters of the 3 stories.

10

By himanish, Jul 10, 2012

the best episode of season 1! If it wasn't for this episode i wodn't be watchin season 4 today! Very well directed and well written. This episode has deserved the ratings it has recieved.

This is my personal favourite of the season because of the difference in this episode and the of the episodes shown on House. It is clear that House has an excellent team of doctors because of Cameroon's catch on the problem with the patient(House)

In this episode we also know the reasons for House's injury, and the kind of person he has become. Easily the best episode of the season!moreless
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Hands down the most impressive episode of House to date.. and with the show entering it's sixth season, it'll probably be the best example we have to date.

9.3

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Nov 23, 2011

I remember watching Three Stories when it first aired back in 2005. After seeing it for the first time, I knew I had seen something great, probably the best episode of the season, but it wasn't until just watching it again that I realized how great the episode was. Six seasons in, and this is still one of the most memorable, clever and entertaining episodes of the show.

David Shore writes the episode in a way where we seem to get the usual cases that House's team usually investigates.. however, over time, we learn that the case that House is presenting to the class is actually HIM; he's telling them about how his leg came to be injured. Of course, watching it again, you can see how he sets it up perfectly so that we could possibly infer that it was him he was talking about the whole time ("Three guys walk into a clinic.. their legs hurt.") But the fun is in watching the stories unfold and combine into House's story. We learn a little bit about him by listening to him tell stories about other people.

This episode also introduces us to his last girlfriend, the last person who was physically and emotionally close with him, which helped us get to know more about him as a person. We learn he was a jerk long before his leg hurt, but that Stacy kept him grounded. Hearing that he would give his leg for her was an entirely different side of House, one that wasn't necessarily there before.

This episode was well-written (I believe it won an award, but don't hold me to it) and well acted. It combined humor, drama.. and, well, a little bit of everything. If you ever need to show somebody an episode of House to convince them to watch it, show them this. It's just too good to pass up.moreless
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The story of House

10

By KennethLeonid, Oct 28, 2011

Looking back after seven seasons (and going into an eighth,) I still see "Three Stories" as my favorite episode out of them all. Sure there have been more exciting episodes; better produced episodes, but "Three Stories" is the one episode I would refer to anyone who has never watched an episode of "House". Though, at this point, I'm quite sure that it would be rather difficult to find one who hasn't.moreless
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"Three guys walk into a clinic. Their legs hurt."

10

By byjillian, May 18, 2011

First of all, this is quite possibly my most favorite House episode of all time. Written beautifully, the acting was flawless, and the story lines flowed spectacularly.

House gives a lecture, because one of the professors is out ill (again). He pulls from his memory three times where three different patients have all had their legs hurt, for significant (or not) reasons.

What is great about this episode is how you can watch the 'class' grow in size over it. At the beginning, you have the three main students who answer House's probing questions. As the episode draws on, and, in particular, at the end of the episode, the room is packed, and even House's team have come to watch at the back of the room. Pretty soon it's not just about the students in the room, but everyone who heard about House's lecture has come to see it, and you are drawn in, learning in this 'lecture'.

A great episode overall, 10/10.moreless
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Best of Season 1

10

By G3ckOz, May 10, 2011

Without a doubt the best this Season had to offer. Don't get me wrong i practically loved all episodes, but this one is impressively clever, interesting, and finally more than just 6 people get to see the "gift" that is House to the hospital. We finally get to see for ourselves why and how did Dr. House lose his leg muscle, all this explained in a fictional story he made up (him being the actual patient, eventually) based on the story of 3 different patients with 3 different lives. Just started re-watching House M.D. episode by episode and this one was the episode i still like the most and probably next time i'll re-watch it it will still be my favorite episode. 10/10 always. Bloody well donemoreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Lisa Edelstein	Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Omar Epps	Dr. Eric Foreman
Hugh Laurie	Dr. Gregory House
Robert Sean Leonard	Dr. James Wilson
Jesse Spencer	Dr. Robert Chase
Jennifer Morrison	Dr. Allison Cameron

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Carmen Electra	Herself	Guest Star
Andrew Keegan	Rebellious Student	Guest Star
Josh Zuckerman	Keen Student	Guest Star
Stephanie Venditto	Brenda	Recurring Role
Bobbin Bergstrom	Nurse #2	Recurring Role
Sela Ward	Stacy Warner	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- During the differential diagnosis of the volleyball player, House has "tendonitis" written on the white board. While this is a commonly used and technically correct spelling, inside the medical profession the word is spelled "tendinitis."
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QUOTES (19)
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- Caring Student: It's the patient's call.
  Rebellious Student: The patient's an idiot.
  House: They usually are.
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- Stacy: God, you're an idiot.
  House: I think I'm more of a jerk.
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- House: The truth of the human condition is that everyone lies. The only variable is about what.
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- House: So I should help (Stacy) because she hates me?
  Dr. Wilson: She doesn't hate you. She loves you. She just... can't stand to be around you.
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- Carmen Electra: Can I put my pants back on now?
  House: I'd rather you didn't.
  Caring Student: Which Carmen Electra is this?
  House: The first one. The golfer.
  Keen Student: Then why isn't she wearing pants?
  (House just stares at him in disbelief)
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- Stacy: (to House) I know you're not too busy. You avoid work like the plague. Unless it is the plague.
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- Stacy: Did you think I wasn't going to get married?
  House: Not to someone so poorly endowed. This guy's pancreas is pathetic.
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- House: Three guys walk into a clinic. Their legs hurt. What's wrong with them?
  (keen student raises his hand)
  House: I am not going to like you, am I?
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- House I'll do the lecture for four hours off clinic.
  Dr. Cuddy: Two. I know you'd rather spend a couple of hours listening to yourself than listening to patients.
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- House: (about a lecture) I'm not doing it. (leaves, then stops) You're supposed to stop me. Renegotiate.
  Dr. Cuddy: Hmm, and you were supposed to keep on walking. Sorry, I guess we both screwed up. Go on, do it again.
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- House: (to Keen Student) I saw the way you were looking at Carmen. She's mine, stay away.
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- Stacy: You're in pain; you're not thinking clearly.
  House: That's why I need the damn morphine!
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- Chase: I don't care if he's scratching your nads off, don't let go.
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- House: (describing a case) And C... (cut to a mini-golf course) ...we've got Carmen Electra. Golfing.
  Keen: Whoa, you treated the Baywatch chick?
  House: The Baywatch thespian. And no, I've gotta disguise the identity of each of the patients and I got tired of using the middle-aged man. Carmen seemed like a pleasant alternative. Also, she's apparently quite the golfer.
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- House: How am I doing? Well, the last five years have been like… you ever see those "Girls Gone Wild" videos?
  Stacy: Your life has been like that, or been spent watching them.
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- House: I like my leg. I've had it for as long as I can remember.
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- Dr. Cuddy: Dr. Riley is throwing up; he obviously can't lecture.
  House: You witnessed the spew, or you just have his word for it? I think I'm coming down with a little bit of the clap. I may have to go home for a few days.
  Dr. Cuddy: Dr. Riley doesn't have a history of lying.
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- House: (walking away from the class) Can you still hear me?
  Rebellious Student: No.
  Caring Student: A little.
  Keen Student: Not really.
  House: If you can't hear me, how do you know what I asked?
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- House: Why is it always me?
  Cuddy: Because the world hates you. Or because it's a class of diagnostics. Pick whichever reason feeds your narcissism better.
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NOTES (3)
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- This episode was nominated for a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night.
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- This episode won a Humanitas cash prize of $15,000. saluted for "its poignant probe into the pain and confusion that comes when someone we love disappoints us."
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- David Shore won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for this episode.
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ALLUSIONS (3)
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- House...you ever see those Girls Gone Wild videos?
  Girls Gone Wild is a series of videos with young women in various states of drunkenness and nudity.
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- House: I assume that Cujo bit one of your neighbors a while back.
  Cujo is a novel about a rabid St. Bernard that bites folks, written by Stephen King.
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- House: The Baywatch thespian
  The syndicated tv hit, Baywatch, tended to be dismissed, acting-wise, due to the setting: lifeguards in skimpy bathing suits on a California beach.
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