Houseis generally regarded as one ofthe best TV dramas of all time, and its standout episodes give extra insight into the show’s main characters, especially Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). House is a grumpy and antisocial doctor who generally appears to have contempt for his patients while living for the diagnostics process. He is a medical genius, and he and his team work to diagnose a complex case in each episode. While these cases can be both fascinating and heartbreaking,the best episodes ofHouseoften focus on House himself.
An extremely complex character,House is often described as a medical Sherlock Holmes, and the show draws many parallels between him and the famous detective. That said, the characters are extremely different, and over the course of the show’s 176-episode run, we got to know more about House. One of the driving issues behind House’s terrible bedside manner, antagonism toward authority, and pessimistic approach to life is his constant pain. House developed an addiction to Vicodin after an injury to his leg, which is not explained until the end of season 1.
“Three Stories” Revealed How Tragic Gregory House’s Character Was
How Dr. House Injured His Leg
House limps and walks with a cane, but often gives sarcastic answers when patients and staff ask about his condition, and denies being addicted to Vicodin. His injury was not explained until the episode “Three Stories,” which is one of the show’s best. In “Three Stories,” he gives his diagnostics class three cases to examine, all involving leg pain. However, he does not reveal that one of the cases is his own.The tragic episode revealed that he felt betrayed by Stacy, who had given the staff permission to operate on him, which saved his leg but caused his pain.
“Three Stories” is episode 21 in season 1 ofHouse.
House’s leg injurywas caused by muscle death due to low blood supply connected to a clotted aneurysm. The injury happened while he was playing golf, and took three days to diagnose as he was in too much pain to explain what was wrong.House refused an amputation, instead opting for a risky bypass surgery,which could have killed him. When the surgery failed, Stacy acted as his medical proxy, asking to have part of his muscle removed, leaving him with a limp. Parts of “Three Stories” were played as comedy, but showed an insight into House’s pain and anger.
House Was Destined To Suffer Forever After What Happened To His Leg
Part Of His Suffering Was Of His Own Making
While there are many great disabled characters in TV dramas who are not tragic figures, House is not one of these. His suffering is linked to his perception of himself after what happened to his leg. DuringHouse’s controversial romance storyline, House tells Cameron that he thinks she is only attracted to him because of her tendency to fall for damaged men. This reveals that despite his accomplishments, intellect, and ability to form friendships, he still sees himself as broken.House links much of his emotional pain back to his leg injury, and masks his insecurities, increasing his suffering.
While his initial injury was an accident,House puts himself into situations that are sure to cause him more pain. He does not appear to learn from his mistakes, instead choosing to resent the people involved. While he developed feelings for Dominika after initially marrying her to help her get citizenship, he did not confess his true feelings. Instead, he betrayed her by hiding her documentation, and she left him. Later, instead of talking openly to Cuddy and trying to repair their relationship, he drives a car into her house.
House’s Leg Incident Was So Tragic, I Couldn’t See The Show Having A Happy Ending
House’s Bittersweet Finale Is As Close To A Happy Ending As He Could Get
“Three Stories” is one of theHouseepisodes that are considered masterpieces. This is not just due to the storytelling, but because it is a perfect example of everything good about the show. It is funny and compelling, butlike the medical cases in many otherHouseepisodes, it is also tragic and extremely unfair. House’s cynical view on life would have made it extremely difficult to write him a happy ending, especially as the show progresses. “Three Stories” perfectly justifies that decision while explaining why he is the way he is.
House’s greatest challenge was his own pain.
House rarely seems truly at peace unless he is alone, watching his medical soap opera, or spending time with Wilson. That said, whilethe divisive ending ofHouseis bittersweet, it is the closest the show could come to a happy ending. House and Wilson have no more obligations, andit is implied that House will ensure Wilson will eventually have a peaceful and painless endwhen the cancer becomes too much to bear. As House’s greatest challenge was his own pain, being able to ensure that his best friend has none is the best ending he could have had.
