Kutner's stunning death sends House searching for "A Simple Explanation."
At the end of last night’s House, M.D. episode “A Simple Explanation” (I mean the very end), the producers inserted a public service announcement for the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) about suicide. It’s not the first time in its nearly five-year history that House has dealt with this and other serious mental health issues. The central character Dr. Gregory House (played with a nuanced and exquisite fragility by star Hugh Laurie) is a poster child for emotional problems. Elementally unhappy, a child abuse survivor, and in constant chronic pain, House is addicted to Vicodin (whether or not you believe he's an “addict”), using the narcotic painkiller not only for his physical pain, but also to numb himself again a relentless misery.…
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76 - Roo
I am still reeling. First off, thank you Barbara for such a wonderful and prompt review for such a heavy episode. I always love reading your take.
This was an amazing and shocking episode (even though I was spoiled, I was still in denial) and I'm glad for a place where I can read other's thoughts and come to terms with the death of one of my favorite fellows.
77 - Neicee
Hi. I’ve been a huge fan of House since it began--it’s the ONLY reason why I can bring myself to watch the FOX Channel. And I can’t believe that I’m just now stumbling across this site. Hullo, where have y’all been all my life? :-) I’ve never taken any interest in posting my opinions on the Internet (being a firm believer in the old adage of how opinions are like that certain part located in the nether region of one’s body :-)) until now.
In the past 10 years, I have had two cousins and most recently in January, long time married friends apparently despondent over their financial devastation from our spiraling economy, commit suicide. All with handguns. When the shot changed to showing Kutner lying next to the handgun in a pool of a blood, my heart just dropped. I spent the remainder of the show breathless with awe and in tears, it was so spot on. The actors, the writers, they got it"it was real. The shock, the chaos, the lack of focus, the darkness, the fear, the numbness, the disbelief, the denial, the loss; they got it all. I saw the parallels from the “Acceptance” episode as each of the characters in this episode, including House, depicted the various stages of grief. It was really incredible to watch.
Monday’s episode was brilliant, painful and cathartic for me all at the same time. So I was somewhat baffled by some of the comments that with this episode the show has now “jumped the shark”. I recall seeing or reading an interview with David Shore and/or Katie Jacobs, where they stated something to the effect that with the major characters like House, they are slowly peeling away the layers of the characters. Some of the shark jumping critics claim that the show isn’t about the House character anymore. I would respectfully disagree. With each season, there’s been more peeling away of the layers that make up the House character. This season in particular, there’s been quite a bit of peeling of the layers, the very core of House’s character is being tested. It’s going to be very interesting to see the fallout. So shark jumping? With this episode? Please. I don’t believe the shark is even in the water yet.
I do agree though that the Kutner memorial website is bit over the top. He was a fictional character, beloved, clearly, but fictional nonetheless. An unfortunate misstep on the part of the powers that be, as it somewhat marginalized a powerful episode; both in its handling of the subject matter and deftly setting up the impending self-implosion of one of the best characters on TV these days. Nothwithstanding the nuttiness of the faux memorial site, it did prompt me to make a donation at NAMI.org in memory of the loved ones my family has lost to suicide. (Hmm, maybe that’s what the powers that be had in mind all along).
In the end, it is somewhat encouraging to see all the dialogue that the episode has sparked around suicide and mental illness. Cherish your loved ones for the time that they are with you; as you often have no control over when and how they leave you. And thanks Barbara for your insightful and always thoughtful commentary about this wonderful show. I’m glad I tripped up on this site and look forward to reading your analyses on the remaining episodes.
78 - tigerfeet
Thanks Barbara for the beautifully written analysis of this dark and shocking episode.
It's also been very interesting to read all the great comments. I am very pleased that almost everyone refrains from spilling the beans on future episodes, so that all of us spoiler-free folks can enjoy (and sometimes participate) in the discussion following each episode. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Kudos to you Barbara for creating such a fantastic "forum" with your articles.
Even if I fear for House's emotions and actions in the reminder of the season, I take heart in his comment regarding Kutner, that “he’d have known that living in misery sucks marginally less than dying in it.” To me this means that House does not want to die in misery. So IMO he will continue to try to improve his quality of life, and dealing with Kutner's suicide might even help him in this prosess.
Thanks again, everyone!
79 - Flo
Very good review Barbara. Your analysis was completely pertinent and well thought (as usual). This episode was wow. Just WOW!!
I was totally surprised by Kutner's suicide and by the way the writers handled it. It was like "in your face". It was a shocking scene and it was terrible to see Thirteen, covered in blood saying "he is cold".
The episode was poignant. It was great to see how everybody reacted to the tragedy. Why? I think it is a legitimate question that everyone (characters and fans) wondered. It was painful to watch House "chasing ghosts".
Also, poor Taub, I really felt for him because Kutner was his friend no matter what he said about just being co-workers.
I liked how the people who knew Kutner less reacted too. It was interesting to hear Chase talk to Taub: "go home and cry". Chase also sees a lot of things and I think it was something that an 'unaffected' House could have said to someone who have just lost a friend.
I liked the interactions between House and Wilson and between House and Cuddy.
For the first, it was nice to see Wilson trying to be the friend and confident he used to be before Amber and nice also to see him admit to House, at the end, that he was wrong about him and he is worried.
For the latter, Cuddy was herself and I like the fact that it is her who confronted House about Kutner's similarities to him.
I found their conversations really personal and quiet. Even in tragedies they are completely at ease with each other.
Someone commented about "Locked In" that maybe House and Cuddy already started seing each other but we didn't get to see it yet. I don't know if it is true but after that episode I must say that it is a possibility. I found their conversations to be true, and very intimate. They spoke quietly almost murmurred to each other. The way House thanks her after she said she was sorry and the way Cuddy touched House's arm later on, I think it was really couple-like.
It may just be me but I found that there was a new intimacy here. If something didn't already happened between them they're definitly going there.
The PotW was interesting but I was like House: too distraught to really pay attention.
Okay now, the cinema student and short films director in me can't end this comment without saying a word about the image. The directing was good. The characters' expressions was really well captured especially the looks.
The image was really beautiful with white colors, kind of blue, almost like it was filmed in black and white. Kudos to the Director of Photography. It is rare to see an episode of "House" look like this. It emphasized the darkness of the subject of the episode very well while being subtletly aesthetic.
80 - Mary Marguerite
Hi Barbara:
Thank you once again for your thoughtful analysis of this thought-provoking program, and particular thanks for posting your article as quickly as you did. You are right; this episode was going to elicit a strong response from viewers, and from those who like to discuss "House M.D." online, so having this forum available is a blessing for those who are still in shock over what happened in the episode.
I have not yet seen the episode, but have seen spoilers about it online. I will see it eventually, but for once I am pleased to have missed an episode because on Monday I learned of the suicide of an acquaintance who was a friend of one of my oldest friends. And I can remember the shock and sadness around the suicide of a work colleague several years ago. With her, as with Kutner, nobody saw it coming, although we did find out eventually that she had left a note, and emailed a friend about her plans, which he was not able to stop.
"Simple Explanation"? With suicide, there can be none, because the only person who can honestly explain why can no longer tell us.
I look forward to seeing this episode, and, for once, am glad that I know what I'll be dealing with.
81 - blacktop
Stunning episode which has elicited marvelously insightful comments from so many sensitive viewers here. You are to be commended, Barbara, for providing a place for such cogent and thoughtful mini-essays.
And the simple answer is no, this show has certainly not jumped the shark. This episode was one of the most powerful ever shown on broadcast television. David Shore was incredibly courageous to deliver a dark, shocking, and unrelenting portrait of the effect of an unexplainable suicide. He refused to pull punches for the sake of network or viewer sensibilities. He made us suffer the cruel blow just at Kutner's survivors did.
Hugh Laurie's devastated eyes in the scene following the discovery of Kutner were just heart-rending in their glassy, hollowed-out look. He portrayed House's gathering wildness and frantic searching with a masterful touch. Olivia Wilde was superb also in presenting the silent terror of Thirteen who had to deal first with discovering the body and then with the fear that Foreman's initial retreat into isolation was a preview of how he would behave toward her in her final decline. I was so relieved that he came back to support her in the end in a moment of reconciliation made more powerful because it was completely silent.
Wilson's inability to get outside of his own overwhelming grief was completely in character. Particularly affecting was the soft comfort and firm almost harsh frankness (finger to the temple, wow!) with which Cuddy handled House's deteriorating mental condition. This bespoke a deep intimacy between House and Cuddy and demonstrated how well she knows him and how much he relies on her support as he struggles for his mental and emotional equilibrium.
A friend suggested that the gaudy beauty pagent girl was inserted into the story to remind us that external perfection is a facade, just as Kutner's seemingly cheerful and buoyant surface persona masked his tortured interior life.
Altogether an astounding episode in a superbly crafted season.
82 - barbara barnett
Hey, everyone. I appreciate all the wonderful comments. Have been absent to celebrate Passover this last day or so, but I've had a chance to catch up. I agree that House has far from jumped the shark. I've just been rewatching the second half of the season (from Joy on). What fabulous television. Great writing, great acting.
Like Blacktop I agree that season five has been the most cohesive of the entire series. No real misses this season; I've loved the seriousness of its tone; I've only missed MORE clinic.
So much of this season has been living life in misery vs. checking out of life in misery. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store.
83 - Mel
This episode was brutal. The impact of it didn't hit me right away. It took a couple of hours for it to sink in. And that was the brilliance of it, I think.
I love the way they showcased the very different reactions of each character, and the efforts of the characters - often futile - to connect to one another in their pain. Cuddy's attempt to reach out to House (which I loved - she understands him so well) and to be the force holding everyone together, Thirteen's attempts to reach out to Foreman, Taub's inability to face his guilt and refusal to go to the funeral. When you lose someone, some people try to be caretakers for everyone else in their pain (a la Cuddy), some retreat completely (like Foreman), some lash out in anger or completely refuse to face it (like House, until the last scene)...I love that this episode refused to provide any easy answers or "simple explanation". What angered a lot of people - the fact that the suicide came out of nowhere, and that no reason or explanation was provided - was what made the episode authentic to me.
Admittedly, I was one of the ones who was spoiled. So I did have forewarning. But watching, I still felt like I had been punched in the gut...For me, the part that REALLY got me was the final scene, where House is in Kutner's apartment looking through his photos. Searching for clues, searching for a reason...And trying to piece together a life. Because isn't that what we do, after we lose someone so close to us? We take the physical objects, possessions that our loved ones left behind, we go through them, we take stock of them, we look at photos, to try to make some sense of it all. I have lost many people who are very close to me (thought not to suicide), and I cannot tell you how many times I sat with the photo albums looking at pictures of my family, trying to evoke memories, trying to see something in the faces, looking for some answer or explanation as to why these people were ripped away.
The song at the end KILLED me. Pete Yorn is amazing and the lyrics were perfect. Whoever picks the music for this show does a phenomenal job. The lyrics applied to everyone. "I’m taking a ride off to one side. It is a personal thing. Where? When I can’t stand up in this cage I’m not regretting." This is Kutner - ride off to one side is suicide, he thinks no one can understand, it's his personal pain, he doesn't know where to go, or feels he has nowhere to go. It's House, obviously - he withdraws, deals with pain in his own way, caged in his physical and emotional pain. It's Foreman, who retreats from 13 to deal with Kutner's death in his own way...It's Wilson, not being able to be there for House because he's still dealing with Amber. Just the most perfect song for this episode.
So yeah, I'm sort of still recovering from this episode...I hope next week's isn't quite is painful.
84 - Camila
Where is Cameron in all this nonsense.?
She almost solve the case, and she is worried about House to.
85 - j.i.m.
I suppose Kutner, from the age of six, didn't feel he could trust anyone enough to burden them with his more disturbing and unpleasant problems. And in addition, perhaps he came from a family with a strict social contract. By contrast, House largely ignores the social contract and emanates his discomfort freely with self-indulgence. The parallels and contrasts between Kutner and House remind me of Jane Austen's Eleanor and Mariannne. Both lost a beloved father and a lover but their outward behavior toward the rest of their family, friends, employees, and acquaintances diverged greatly, one providing comfort, the other blind to everything but her own feelings. The obvious (and boring) appropriate response would have been a middle path - moderation in everything. But that doesn't make for good drama. However, I can't help but respect Eleanor and Kutner and find Marianne and House childish.(except for Kutner's final irretrievable act)
86 - Kim
Too late to post?
Well done Barbara. Love reading your take about the episode.
I'm sad because Kal Penn is living the show, but I know is for good.
Cannot wait to see how the things develop in the next episodes.
87 - sally
"Where is Cameron in all this nonsense.?
She almost solve the case, and she is worried about House to."
I'm with you, Camilla, but I guess everyone here is too focused on Huddy to realize that. In fact, Cameron once again was the one person who House seems to really trust. He neither goes to Wilson nor Cuddy but asks Cameron for help. And I hope for TPTB that they won't misuse Cameron to push Huddy. Speaking of that, I really dislike this whole Huddy developement. Not only they don't match, but also Cuddy wants to change him to much (something people always blame Cameron for, but in fact it's not her it's Cuddy trying to change him), and most of all what this whole thing does to Cuddy's character... Seriously - Cuddy caring for everyone in this episode? Where?! Did we watch different episodes?! She was only concerend what Kutner's death might do to her potential relationship with House, nothing else. Wilson was right, she doesn't care. And it's a shame she doesn't even care for him after all he went through and after him supporting her so wonderful with her baby. I used to like Cuddy, she used to be a good role model for young girls, now she behaves like a teenage fangirl herself - it's annoying, pathetic and embarrasing! It's like season 1 Cameron and season 5 Cuddy have switched places...
88 - Kevin
I'm going to agree with some reviews on this episode. In a way, it was a cheap shot and scripted on short notice considering Kal Penn's sudden departure from the show. And just when it seemed the show was starting to go back to being all about the medicine.
I'm only going to forgive it because, looking back, it did feel like they were setting up for a kind of "Kutner is actually empty and depressed and more in danger of becoming House than Foreman ever was": his lack of any deep relationships with anybody in the show. He has a friendship with Taub now, but Taub didn't seem to think so when he dismissed his gesture of friendship (comparing it to an internet friendship), or Cole's ("Black Mormon") betrayal prior to his elimination from the applicant pool. Or his defensive position on a patient's rationale for suicide. Or his non-reaction to Amber's death when it showed a montage of everybody handling it in their own way.
Speaking of Amber, especially with her recent quasi-reappearance, I can't help but compare the two's take on death. Amber, the cold hearted, ruthless one, died telling Wilson that she did not want to die angry. And if you want to entertain the supernatural (as House MD sometimes does with its exploration of belief in religion), she really spoke to House on that bus, and did not resent him despite his indirect relationship to her death. Compare that to Kutner's death, who at least seemed enthusiastic and upbeat, shot himself in the head. Despite the fact he is actually right often, the other team members, and especially House in the cat episode continually undermine him (Foreman calling him out on not being as brilliant as House, Thirteen comparing him to a manboy, Taub mentioned earlier, House all over the cat episode).
89 - Jane
In one interviews with Robert Sean Leonard, he said that he thinks Wilson is the saddest person in the whole show. I don't think Wilson is as screwed up as House but it's true that Wilson is an unsung hero and a hurting soul without his own 'Wilson'.
As shocking as it was for Wilson to lash out at Cuddy about neglecting him, it was shocking only because it was uncharacteristic for Wilson to have such a selfish outburst. Someone here mentioned that it was shocking that Wilson didn't confide in House after Kutner's death. But that would be impossible. Wilson always saw himself as House's protector and Wilson knew that House was incapable of sugarcoating reality to make it less painful (recall Social Contract). Wilson hid from House when his wife was having an affair and when he found his brother in a mental asylum. House was also falling apart after Kutner's death. Wilson would have felt obliged to support House (even if he said he can't deal with House) and not expect to find any support from House at that moment.