Storytelling Secrets from One of My Favorite Dr. House Episodes
18 May 2025 #writingI used to feel guilty about watching Netflix and TV shows.
I felt like I was wasting time when I could be grinding. But when I started to seeing things through a writer’s lens, Netflix and TV shows became a source of storytelling lessons.
I’ve been binge-watching Dr. House this year. I’m on season 7 (out of 8). No guilt.
Recently, I watched episode 13 of season 7, “Two Stories.” It’s one of my favorite episodes.
Here’s a breakdown of the storytelling and plot from that episode—no spoilers:
#1.
The episode starts with a schoolboy and schoolgirl getting into trouble and being taken to the principal’s office.
And guess who’s also there waiting for the principal? Yes, Dr. House. How the heck did he end up there? That’s the whole point of this episode.
Dr. House is intrigued by why the two students are there.
They made a deal: they’d explain why they’re there, only if he revealed why he was there too. Of course, he’s not a student.
#2.
Dr. House starts to tell them how he got to the principal’s office.
Then, we’re taken on a flashback to a couple of hours before. He’s in front of a classroom telling the students about what he does and about his most recent case.
This is the clever, ingenious, and my favorite part:
Dr. House is telling us the episode’s backstory while he’s telling other stories: the conversation outside the principal’s office, the flashbacks, and his speech in front of the classroom.
#3.
While sharing his most recent case in front of the classroom, Dr. House starts to recreate scenes from famous movies.
And, in the classroom, there’s a movie lover who recognizes every scene. That only makes the students more interested in what Dr. House has to say.
Apart from Dr. House, there are three more guests. It seems they’re a police officer, a counselor, and a businessman. Who the heck are they? That’s something revealed at the end.
Here’s a perfect example of Dr. House’s in front of the class:
Dr. House’s storytelling is so captivating that the students keep asking questions, leaving no room for the other guests to speak.
#4.
In the meantime, we’re taken back to the principal’s office.
The two students also begin sharing why they’re there. An innocent plot from a boy trying to get closer to his crush. I won’t spoil the details.
The episode jumps between their story and Dr. House’s story. All told in flashbacks.
#5.
Finally, all the stories connect.
We learn why Dr. House is there, who the businessman in the room is, and the clue that solves Dr. House’s case.
Oh, I forgot to mention:
All that time, Dr. House had a case. He was trying to solve it via phone calls, while his team was back at the hospital dealing with the patient’s complications.
My lessons?
1. Start by grabbing people’s attention with drama or mystery. For example, why is Dr. House outside a school principal’s office?
2. Tell stories in such a way that people have to ask “What’s next?” or “Wait a second, what about that?” Use suspense, cliffhangers, and unanswered questions. Always make them want more.
In front of the class, Dr. House shares clues that are left unresolved. He was trying to hack into a laptop. The students kept asking why.
3. A proven plot to follow: Make your characters have a conversation. Use the conversation to introduce flashbacks and tell about one of the characters’ past. Then, make all the flashbacks concur in a resolving scene that puts everyone back into the initial conversation.
Wait, it seems I just described Forrest Gump: a conversation on a bench, lots of flashbacks that explain the backstory, and a resolution that ties everything together. Turns out, great stories follow a blueprint.
By the way, here’s the breakdown of Six Triple Eight, a Netflix show I also watched with my writer’s lens on.