It was Kal Penn's decision to leave the show. He's got a gig at the White House. Best of luck to him!
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/house-exclusive.html
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/house-exclusive.html
House 5x20: "Simple Explanation" - Discussion and Spoilers
- Thread starter Trekker4747
- Start date
I thought this episode was great. Like just about everyone else, Kutner's suicide was a complete shock to me. Sure, there's a few things, structurally speaking, about the episode that bothered me, but the emotional core of it really resonated.
A friend of mine killed himself a couple years ago and the circumstances very closely mirrored this. I was a little like House in the aftermath, searching frantically for answers before finally arriving at the conclusion that I'd probably never figure it out. I like that the show was honest about that basic truth behind many suicides.
So yeah, there was too much Foreteen and it did't really need a Meat Loaf B-plot. Tthey should have saved him for something more substantial. But in a show that too often conjures emotional motivation out of thin air to serve its asshole protagonist, this is probably the most emotionally honest episode of House I've seen yet. So fuck it: Excellent.
A friend of mine killed himself a couple years ago and the circumstances very closely mirrored this. I was a little like House in the aftermath, searching frantically for answers before finally arriving at the conclusion that I'd probably never figure it out. I like that the show was honest about that basic truth behind many suicides.
So yeah, there was too much Foreteen and it did't really need a Meat Loaf B-plot. Tthey should have saved him for something more substantial. But in a show that too often conjures emotional motivation out of thin air to serve its asshole protagonist, this is probably the most emotionally honest episode of House I've seen yet. So fuck it: Excellent.
I really do miss when this show was just a plain, straight, medical mystery show.
We had the characters playing games to get House to take a case, the big production of the whiteboard use, House's questionable medical ethics, refusing to deal with patients and when he finally does it's like a big moment for him, EUREKA! moments, etc.
The writers for this show really need to sit down and re-watch the first two or three seasons and see what this show started off like and get back to that.
We had the characters playing games to get House to take a case, the big production of the whiteboard use, House's questionable medical ethics, refusing to deal with patients and when he finally does it's like a big moment for him, EUREKA! moments, etc.
The writers for this show really need to sit down and re-watch the first two or three seasons and see what this show started off like and get back to that.
I'm very sorry for your loss. As painful as it is for you to recall, it's good to hear from this perspective, though.
and so on.
I don't. House's psychology is what makes this show interesting to me. I could not care less about the PotW. I'll admit, though, that this season's PotW have been better with Jay Karnes as the best so far.
Excellent. Probably the best of the season so far.
House really had me going with the murder angle for a while. I wonder if he'll pursue it past this episode.
I find myself having a similar reaction to House, wanting to come up with some rational reason that this has happened.
I do, too. I like the show as it is now too, I suppose, but I do feel it was stronger when the science more heavily figured into things. I think the balance has gotten off somewhere.
House really had me going with the murder angle for a while. I wonder if he'll pursue it past this episode.
I find myself having a similar reaction to House, wanting to come up with some rational reason that this has happened.
I do, too. I like the show as it is now too, I suppose, but I do feel it was stronger when the science more heavily figured into things. I think the balance has gotten off somewhere.
I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him 
This, mostly. In many cases the PotW is interesting and fun to watch... but the most fun is watching the characters deal with what's going on with the patient (and each other), not the patient and the mystery itself.
Yeah, I'm with you there - still on the DVR, but haven't seen it yet. If I cared more about tv, I'd probably be kinda pissed.
I still enjoy House, but it does feel like it has gone a bit ... I dunno, meta, or something lately. Like it hasn't jumped the shark, but it is on the motorcycle and revving the engine.
I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him
Ditto. I love it when shows get to the point where you genuinely expect them to double-twist. Like how the first time I saw BSG's "The Woman King," near the end I began to dread that Dr. Robert actually was innocent, and the twist was that Cottle was killing all those patients, and he'd actually been an utter sociopath for the whole show.
I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him
Same, I was sure of it eventually, everything suggested that. Maybe that was the point.
That never occurred to me. I just thought Taub was in a state of denial.I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him
Same, I was sure of it eventually, everything suggested that. Maybe that was the point.
I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him
Same, I was sure of it eventually, everything suggested that. Maybe that was the point.
I didn't think that Taub killed him -- but I thought that House would accuse him of it.
Kal Penn for President in 2028! You heard it here first!
I liked the episode and the death of Kutner was a surprise. But IMO it would be a nice switch for someone to actually die as a consequence of stuff happening in the show, rather than the characters figuring it out after the fact. Amber went the same way. This time around, while it was dramatically effective, I couldn't help but walk away from the episode thinking "Oh, Kutner's dead." with a "so what?" kind of vibe. Will we care about Kutner next week? Or next season? Somehow it was portrayed as us not thinking so.
Mark
I liked the episode and the death of Kutner was a surprise. But IMO it would be a nice switch for someone to actually die as a consequence of stuff happening in the show, rather than the characters figuring it out after the fact. Amber went the same way. This time around, while it was dramatically effective, I couldn't help but walk away from the episode thinking "Oh, Kutner's dead." with a "so what?" kind of vibe. Will we care about Kutner next week? Or next season? Somehow it was portrayed as us not thinking so.
Mark
That never occurred to me. I just thought Taub was in a state of denial.I won't lie. I spent the whole episode thinking Taub had killed him
Same, I was sure of it eventually, everything suggested that. Maybe that was the point.
As soon as House suggested murder I just thought that's where they were going. Because it would be a shocking plot twist, and Taub's behaviour was perfectly in line with something like that. I thought there would be a revelation about a conflict that arose that was the reason. I mean the first scene he's making excuses left and right as to why he's not there, then being very distant for the rest possibly either out of emotional guilt or criminal guilt.
Then as soon as he broke down on the bench at the end that all changed.
I have no doubt I would've stopped watching the show right then and there if Taub had murdered Kutner. For everyone saying Kutner's suicide came out of the blue, Taub murdering him would be about a million times worse in that regard and would have pretty much ruined the show.
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