House: 7x13 "Two Stories" - Discussion and Spoilers

[Trekker4747]

From TV.com:

After House traumatizes a fifth-grade class with explicit medical stories during Career Day, he's sent to the principal's office and two students offer him relationship advice.

House Medical Reviews

I like the title of this episode it's nice synergy with the title of the penultimate episode in the first season ("Three Stories", where House does a lecture to medical students on medical diagnostics and gives them three patients with "leg pain" one of them being a fill-in for himself; showing us how he got the limp/leg pain and establishing his relationship with Stacy.)

 

[Marten]

If it's half as good as Three Stories, I'll be happy.

 

[Trekker4747]

Eh, I'd prefer it to be no less than two-thirds as good.

 

[Christopher]

It worries me that they're doing this. If they've gotten to the point of blatantly imitating their best-ever episode in the hopes of recapturing past glories rather than coming up with fresh ways to do something exceptional, then I'd say the shark has been well and truly o'erleapt. Okay, maybe they'll surprise me and put a wildly imaginative, unexpected twist on what looks like a mere imitation, but it would have to be a hell of a twist. There's no topping "Three Stories," so even trying to remind us of it is likely to make this episode seem inadequate in comparison.

 

[Trekker4747]

"Three Stories" is easily the best episode of the series with "House's Head"/"Wilson's Heart" tying for second (the latter getting a bit more points.)

I don't think they're going to try and emulate the episode here but are just more going for the subtle reference.

 

[Velocity]

are there just 2 stories going on here? There's the young couple, there's the classroom bit about Cuddy's laptop, and the guy who coughed up a lung...

 

[Trekker4747]

are there just 2 stories going on here? There's the young couple, there's the classroom bit about Cuddy's laptop, and the guy who coughed up a lung...

Yeah, there were actually several stories going on here.

I think it was just trying to tie in with the previously mentioned "Three Stories." If we're trying to tie in to the title one could argue there was House's multi-layered convoluted story involving Cuddy, POTW and the school and then there was the story the two kids had.

I'd rate this episode an "Excellent" it wasn't by any means as good as Three Stories, House's Head or Wilson's Heart but it was a good episode in the way it did its story-telling and with all parties involved. The little actress who played the black-eyed girl at the school did a great job too. (I wonder why when playing the hockey game in gym the goalies weren't wearing eye-protection.)

And because my TiFaux sucks what happened after House showed Cuddy the toothbrush he bought?

 

[Christopher]

Not bad, rather clever, but a little labored at points. The whole Career Day thing was awkward and overly silly. The bit with the two kids on the bench, and their backstory, was good. The bossy girl in particular was good.

The weakest part was the Obligatory Epiphany Triggered by Some Random Thing House Notices. It was just so tacked on, just going through the motions. It wasn't even needed.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Did anyone else think that Bossy Black Eye Girl looked a LOT like a young female Christian Bale?

 

[Trekker4747]

Did anyone else think that Bossy Black Eye Girl looked a LOT like a young female Christian Bale?

Nope. Not at all.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Great teaser. I was expecting one of the two kids to collapse due to some weird medical condition just before the credits started to role. You know, the usual. But no, instead we get a surprise twist with House sitting in the principal's office with an even more surprising off-the-wall comment.

By the way, did House's licence say "Baker St."?

Did anyone else think that Bossy Black Eye Girl looked a LOT like a young female Christian Bale?

Hadn't noticed, but if I look hard enough, I can see something.

 

[Chaos Descending]

NM

 

[Trekker4747]

By the way, did House's licence say "Baker St."?

Yes. But we've known House's address since the second season or so. An establishing shot of House's street in one episode showed it was "Baker", the address over the archway to his apartment's entrance says "221" and House's front door says "B."

I, sort-of, want to point out that House's actions in the classroom were part of the "flashback" too and likely to have been just as exaggerated as any other time House tells a story, including the stories he tells in his own flashback. (Man, I get an Inception vibe from that sentence.) Anyway, I sort of doubt House was so coarse and vulgar in the classroom. And I afree with him a yellow-light doesn't mean "STOP AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!!" it means "The light is about to change so slow down and stop if you can do so safely."

So while the lead driver stopped short on the yellow one could also argue House was on his cellphone and likely not exactly within the binds of the law either. But at least he wrecked his 20-year-old 10th generation Oldsmobile 88 he drives.

And just want to say again how much I LOVED Shiner Girl, she's easily the highlight of the episode and it's worth watching just for her, she stole the scenes with Hugh Laurie which is quite an accomplishment.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Worst.episode.ever.

Looks like i'm alone on this one. I want my hour back!

 

[Christopher]

And just want to say again how much I LOVED Shiner Girl, she's easily the highlight of the episode and it's worth watching just for her, she stole the scenes with Hugh Laurie which is quite an accomplishment.

Haley Pullos. Apparently she was also young Wendy Watson in a flashback/dream in The Middleman and the kidnap victim in the premiere episode of Dollhouse. (And she's apparently the only Pullos in Hollywood; I noted her surname in the file title of the photo in Agent Richard07's post, and I entered it in IMDb expecting to get a list of names, but it went right to her entry.)

 

[bigdaddy]

I thought it was one of the best episodes ever, however I normally enjoy the ONE episode a season that doesn't follow the normal BS.

 

[David cgc]

I especially enjoyed the caricatures of the team in House's first version of the flashback to the initial examination of the patient. I wonder if it's worth anything that Masters was the only one who was shown to be even slightly competent (though she quickly ran off to tell mommy how unfair everyone was being).

"You're from Chicago? That's awesome."
"I love Chicago."
"Do you want to have a threesome?"
"Do you want to have an affair?"

 

[Trekker4747]

"This isn't right. I'm telling!"

Actually, the only one who was being competent and focused on the patient was Foreman!

 

[Christopher]

Actually, the only one who was being competent and focused on the patient was Foreman!

Well, no, he was portrayed as bossy and self-aggrandizing. When fantasy Masters said "He needs a chest CT," fantasy Foreman shut her down and said "I'll decide what he needs" (basically), and then as soon as Masters left, Foreman said "Give him a chest CT." Which, in addition to being a very, very old joke, shows him as more concerned with the appearance of being in control than with the patient. So I'm with David cgc -- House's fantasy portrayed Masters as the only one contributing anything remotely useful.


EDIT: By the way, anyone else notice what might have been a Doctor Who reference? At one point, House said to the team, "Allons-y" -- French for "Let's go," and the Tenth Doctor's catchphrase.

 

[Jax]

I gave it average though it was more likely inbetween that and Above Average. The humor was top notch in this episode and I did enjoy the acting of the kids but the overall plot + the patient felt dis jointed.

Still even when House doesn't hit it out of the park, its still worth the watch compared to most shows.