Three Stories

Season 1, Episode 21, Aired
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Episode Summary

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
9.3
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Fan Episode Reviews (65)

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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
    "Superb"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Nov 23, 2011 Report Abuse
    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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    8 2

  • The story of House

    10
    "Perfect"
    By KennethLeonid, Oct 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    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
    "Perfect"
    By byjillian, May 18, 2011 Report Abuse
    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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    6 1

  • Best of Season 1

    10
    "Perfect"
    By G3ckOz, May 10, 2011 Report Abuse
    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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    5 2

  • this wasd a good ep

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cube2k8, May 10, 2011 Report Abuse
    in this ep of the show house . house is forced to give a lexure to a group of medical students and he tells them three stores of people that came in and one of them is about him and its really very interesting to find out and also in this ep houses ex comes back but not for him but to get help for her ill husband and house does not really want to take the case he does not know if he can deal with it this was a good ep i thought very intense and that is why i gave it a 9moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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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." Edit

  • Notes

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    • This episode was nominated for a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night. Edit
    • 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." Edit
    • David Shore won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for this episode. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Caring Student: It's the patient's call. Rebellious Student: The patient's an idiot. House: They usually are. Edit
    • Stacy: God, you're an idiot. House: I think I'm more of a jerk. Edit
    • House: The truth of the human condition is that everyone lies. The only variable is about what. Edit

  • Allusions

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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. Edit
    • 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. Edit
    • 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. Edit

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Three Stories
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