Three Stories
Encyclopedia
"Three Stories" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of House
, which premiered on the Fox
network 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.
(Hugh Laurie
) agrees to lecture on diagnostics in place of the sick Dr. Riley, in exchange for two hours free from clinic duty. On his way over to the lecture theatre, he encounters his ex-girlfriend, Stacy Warner
(Sela Ward
), whom he has not seen in years. Stacy wants him to treat her husband - whom she believes to be sick. House refuses, however. House's lecture consists of three different scenarios, all previous cases House has diagnosed; all three patients complain of leg pain.
The first patient is a 40-year-old farmer, who has an animal bite on his right leg which appears to be caused by a timber rattlesnake. However, when the anti-venom is given, he suffers an allergic reaction. After he is stabilized, the skin from his leg begins to peel off and rot. The results of venom testing leads House to believe the farmer's symptoms cannot be from a snake bite. Out of options, House informs the patient of his impending death. The farmer quickly changes priority, wondering what will happen to his dog. House quickly deduces that the bite was caused by his pet, and that this was not the first time it happened. Dr. Eric Foreman
(Omar Epps
) and Dr. Robert Chase
(Jesse Spencer
) return to the farmer's field and take a sample of the dog's saliva, revealing a form of strep bacteria, more commonly known as the flesh-eating bacteria
. The farmer's right leg is amputated, and his dog is put to sleep, but he is given a prosthetic new leg as well as a new dog.
The second patient is a young 16-year-old female volleyball player. Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison
) believes the patient suffers from tendinitis, due to her thyroid gland causing a depressed mental state, in response to the patient's boy problems, resulting in the inflammation of the tendons. While tests confirm tendinitis, the Thyroxine
the patient is given to level her moods does not work and the team becomes stumped when the patient develops hypersensitivity to touch and raised calcium levels. Chase theorizes parathyroid adenoma
and an MRI is done to confirm. The scan reveals she has osteosarcoma
, a cancerous tumor on her femur. Cameron delivers the news, but warns the patient and her parents that, depending on how large and ingrained the tumor is, amputation might be the only way to recovery. Fortunately for the patient, her leg is not amputated and she makes a full recovery.
The last patient is initially depicted as Carmen Electra
enjoying a round of miniature golf
, however, as House's lecture continues, the patient is revealed to be a male golfer with extreme right leg pain (Electra was a part of House's fantasy). While being examined, the patient grabs a syringe of Demerol
and self-administers the injection. The students deduce the patient was here just for narcotics. When the man returns with leg pain House has him undergo a urine test to see if there are any drugs in his system. When he tells the students that the patient begins urinating blood and waste
, they are stumped as to the cause, which greatly angers House. Cameron shows up at the lecture, diagnosing muscle death
. As Foreman and Chase also arrive, House states an MRI was done to confirm, revealing an aneurysm
that clotted, leading to an infarction
. Foreman deduces the patient in the third scenario was House all along.
A flashback shows House eventually diagnosed himself with muscle death. Stacy, his girlfriend at the time, goes along with Dr. Lisa Cuddy
's (Lisa Edelstein
) suggestion of amputating his leg. House refuses, and wants to restore the circulation, which could save his leg, but also comes with pain and severe risks. House goes into cardiac arrest
, claiming to have died and seen visions of the other two patients. Dr. James Wilson
(Robert Sean Leonard
) enters the lecture, and asks House if he believes his visions were real. House claims he thinks the visions at the point of death are chemical reactions in the brain, as he finds it more comforting to believe that life "isn't simply a test". Back in the flashback, House has Cuddy put him into a chemically-induced coma, during which Stacy exercises the health care proxy that House gave to her and decides (against his will) to take the middle ground of having the dead tissue removed without amputating his leg. While the students debate the ethics of this choice, Cuddy enters, and House discovers the lecture has run twenty minutes over. House tells Cuddy that Dr. Riley is vomiting due to the ingestion of lead-based paint, which House tasted when he drank from Riley's homemade coffee mug during the lecture. House leaves the lecture theatre and, as he walks down the hospital halls, calls Stacy to tell her he will treat her husband.
and directed by Paris Barclay
. As the episode differed from Shore's earlier work, Shore was unsure how the episode would be received, 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." 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
. Fans have compared "Three Stories"'s storytelling to the thriller The Usual Suspects
(1995), which was directed by House executive producer Bryan Singer
.
nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
. 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. Shore won the Emmy Award, and, in addition, also received the 2006 Humanitas Prize
in the 60 Minute Category. "Three Stories" is also responsible for the show's Peabody Award
win in 2005. Barclay was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award, but lost to Michael Apted
, who had directed the Rome
episode "The Stolen Eagle".
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. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
praised the episode for its "twisty, smart and moving storytelling".
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, which premiered on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network on May 17, 2005. David Shore
David Shore
David Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
won an Emmy in 2005 for Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series for this episode. It won the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
in the '60 minute' category for the year 2006.
Plot
Dr. Gregory HouseGregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
(Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
) agrees to lecture on diagnostics in place of the sick Dr. Riley, in exchange for two hours free from clinic duty. On his way over to the lecture theatre, he encounters his ex-girlfriend, Stacy Warner
Stacy Warner
Stacy Warner is a fictional recurring character portrayed by Sela Ward on the Fox Broadcasting Company's medical drama House. She was in a relationship with Dr. Gregory House , when he suffered an infarction in his right leg during a game of golf...
(Sela Ward
Sela Ward
Sela Ann Ward is an American movie and television actress, perhaps best known for her television roles as Teddy Reed on the American TV series Sisters and as Lily Manning on Once and Again...
), whom he has not seen in years. Stacy wants him to treat her husband - whom she believes to be sick. House refuses, however. House's lecture consists of three different scenarios, all previous cases House has diagnosed; all three patients complain of leg pain.
The first patient is a 40-year-old farmer, who has an animal bite on his right leg which appears to be caused by a timber rattlesnake. However, when the anti-venom is given, he suffers an allergic reaction. After he is stabilized, the skin from his leg begins to peel off and rot. The results of venom testing leads House to believe the farmer's symptoms cannot be from a snake bite. Out of options, House informs the patient of his impending death. The farmer quickly changes priority, wondering what will happen to his dog. House quickly deduces that the bite was caused by his pet, and that this was not the first time it happened. Dr. Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Omar Epps.-Background:A neurologist, Foreman was a member of Dr. Gregory House's handpicked team of specialists at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital's Diagnostic Medicine Department...
(Omar Epps
Omar Epps
Omar Hashim Epps is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His film roles include Major League II, Juice, Higher Learning, Scream 2, The Wood, In Too Deep, and Love and Basketball. Epps' television work includes the role of Dr. Dennis Gant on the US medical drama series ER,...
) and Dr. Robert Chase
Robert Chase
Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of the third season when House fires him. However, he was then re-hired in season 6...
(Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer
Jesse Gordon Spencer is an Australian actor and musician. He is best known for his current portrayal of Dr. Robert Chase on the medical drama House and for playing Billy Kennedy in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours....
) return to the farmer's field and take a sample of the dog's saliva, revealing a form of strep bacteria, more commonly known as the flesh-eating bacteria
Group A streptococcal infection
The group A streptococcus bacterium is a form of β-hemolytic Streptococcus bacteria responsible for most cases of streptococcal illness. Other types may also cause infection...
. The farmer's right leg is amputated, and his dog is put to sleep, but he is given a prosthetic new leg as well as a new dog.
The second patient is a young 16-year-old female volleyball player. Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Morrison
Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer. She is best known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron in House, whom she played for five-and-a-half years, and also as Zoey Pierson in the sixth season of How I Met Your Mother...
) believes the patient suffers from tendinitis, due to her thyroid gland causing a depressed mental state, in response to the patient's boy problems, resulting in the inflammation of the tendons. While tests confirm tendinitis, the Thyroxine
Thyroxine
Thyroxine, or 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodothyronine , a form of thyroid hormones, is the major hormone secreted by the follicular cells of the thyroid gland.-Synthesis and regulation:...
the patient is given to level her moods does not work and the team becomes stumped when the patient develops hypersensitivity to touch and raised calcium levels. Chase theorizes parathyroid adenoma
Adenoma
An adenoma is a benign tumor of glandular origin. Adenomas can grow from many organs including the colon, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thyroid, prostate, etc. Although these growths are benign, over time they may progress to become malignant, at which point they are called adenocarcinomas...
and an MRI is done to confirm. The scan reveals she has osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...
, a cancerous tumor on her femur. Cameron delivers the news, but warns the patient and her parents that, depending on how large and ingrained the tumor is, amputation might be the only way to recovery. Fortunately for the patient, her leg is not amputated and she makes a full recovery.
The last patient is initially depicted as Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
enjoying a round of miniature golf
Miniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
, however, as House's lecture continues, the patient is revealed to be a male golfer with extreme right leg pain (Electra was a part of House's fantasy). While being examined, the patient grabs a syringe of Demerol
Pethidine
Pethidine or meperidine Pethidine (INN) or meperidine (USAN) Pethidine (INN) or meperidine (USAN) (commonly referred to as Demerol but also referred to as: isonipecaine; lidol; pethanol; piridosal; Algil; Alodan; Centralgin; Dispadol; Dolantin; Mialgin (in Indonesia); Petidin Dolargan (in Poland);...
and self-administers the injection. The students deduce the patient was here just for narcotics. When the man returns with leg pain House has him undergo a urine test to see if there are any drugs in his system. When he tells the students that the patient begins urinating blood and waste
Myoglobinuria
Myoglobinuria is the presence of myoglobin in the urine, usually associated with rhabdomyolysis or muscle destruction. Myoglobin is present in muscle cells as a reserve of oxygen.-Causes:...
, they are stumped as to the cause, which greatly angers House. Cameron shows up at the lecture, diagnosing muscle death
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down rapidly. Breakdown products of damaged muscle cells are released into the bloodstream; some of these, such as the protein myoglobin, are harmful to the kidneys and may lead to kidney failure...
. As Foreman and Chase also arrive, House states an MRI was done to confirm, revealing an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
that clotted, leading to an infarction
Infarction
In medicine, infarction refers to tissue death that is caused by a local lack of oxygen due to obstruction of the tissue's blood supply. The resulting lesion is referred to as an infarct.-Causes:...
. Foreman deduces the patient in the third scenario was House all along.
A flashback shows House eventually diagnosed himself with muscle death. Stacy, his girlfriend at the time, goes along with Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. She also becomes House's love interest through the...
's (Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
) suggestion of amputating his leg. House refuses, and wants to restore the circulation, which could save his leg, but also comes with pain and severe risks. House goes into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
, claiming to have died and seen visions of the other two patients. Dr. James Wilson
James Wilson (House)
James Evan Wilson, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend,...
(Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
) enters the lecture, and asks House if he believes his visions were real. House claims he thinks the visions at the point of death are chemical reactions in the brain, as he finds it more comforting to believe that life "isn't simply a test". Back in the flashback, House has Cuddy put him into a chemically-induced coma, during which Stacy exercises the health care proxy that House gave to her and decides (against his will) to take the middle ground of having the dead tissue removed without amputating his leg. While the students debate the ethics of this choice, Cuddy enters, and House discovers the lecture has run twenty minutes over. House tells Cuddy that Dr. Riley is vomiting due to the ingestion of lead-based paint, which House tasted when he drank from Riley's homemade coffee mug during the lecture. House leaves the lecture theatre and, as he walks down the hospital halls, calls Stacy to tell her he will treat her husband.
Production
The episode was written by series creator David ShoreDavid Shore
David Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
and directed by Paris Barclay
Paris Barclay
Paris K.C. Barclay is an American television director and producer. He has directed over 100 episodes of television to date, for series including NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House M.D., Law & Order, Monk, Numb3rs, City of Angels, Cold Case, and more recently The Mentalist,...
. As the episode differed from Shore's earlier work, Shore was unsure how the episode would be received, as he stated in an interview with Canadian Jewish News
Canadian Jewish News
The Canadian Jewish News is a weekly, English-language tabloid-sized newspaper serving Canada's Jewish community. Though independent, the newspaper has been, since 1971, owned by a group of Jewish leaders involved with Canadian Jewish Congress...
, "it was either the worst thing I had ever written or the best. Honestly I wasn't sure." Shore's narrative device of "false flashbacks" was largely influenced by the 1968 French science fiction film Je t'aime, je t'aime
Je t'aime, je t'aime
Je t'aime, je t'aime is a 1968 French science fiction film directed by Alain Resnais. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the countrywide wildcat strike that occurred in May 1968 in France....
as well as Alfred Hitchcock's 1949 film Stage Fright
Stage Fright (film)
Stage Fright is a 1950 British crime film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding and Richard Todd...
. Fans have compared "Three Stories"'s storytelling to the thriller The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
(1995), which was directed by House executive producer Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
.
Reception
"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. Shore received a Primetime Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
. 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
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, but felt this nomination was more personal and individual. Shore won the Emmy Award, and, in addition, also received the 2006 Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
in the 60 Minute Category. "Three Stories" is also responsible for the show's Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
win in 2005. Barclay was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award, but lost to Michael Apted
Michael Apted
Michael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
, who had directed the Rome
Rome (TV series)
Rome is a British-American–Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius and William J. MacDonald. The show's two seasons premiered in 2005 and 2007, and were later released on DVD. Rome is set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic...
episode "The Stolen Eagle".
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. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
praised the episode for its "twisty, smart and moving storytelling".
External links
- "Three Stories" at Fox.com