Probably the best show on television - and one of only two my wife and I watch regularly - is House. Last night's penultimate episode was a real shocker - a much loved character, Doctor Kutner, apparently committed suicide in his apartment.It was a brutal and realistic way to address the topic of suicide - but I suspect there's more melodrama at work than we might think.
The character of Doctor Kutner was well-liked and smart (although commonly accused of being 'insane' for his wacky and original ideas.)
Doctor House, channeling Sherlock Holmes (the character he was based on) finally deduced that his death wasn't suicide at all - Kutner had been murdered.But the scriptwriters of House aren't giving anything away.
From the reaction of the other cast members, it's clear they think House is wrong. He wants Kutner's death to be a murder because then it absolves him from the guilt of his colleague's suicide.
Additionally Wilson, who plays Watson to House's Holmes, accuses his friend of being addicted to mystery - refusing to accept that he just 'missed' the tell-tale signs that would have warned everybody that Kutner was contemplating suicide.
The emphasis of the episode suggested that Kutner's suicide was genuine. That would be in keeping with the show's downbeat approach and fondness for retrospective analysis. I could imagine that this suicide was slotted in there to par down the overstuffed cast and to give the final episodes of a disappointing season some much needed gravitas.
But I don't think that's the case. I think Kutner was murdered.
I'm hardly Sherlock Holmes, but the mysterious and unexpected suicide of Doctor Kutner raises some questions that weren't satisfactorily answered this season:
- There was no suicide note.
- Kutner seemed happy and well-adjusted, with no warning signs of suicide (and House loves to overemphasize 'foreshadowing.')
- When Kutner didn't turn up for work on the morning of his death, Doctor Taub 'covered' for him with a series of excuses, making us suspect that Taub was aware he wouldn't be in that day.
- Taub was acting especially suspicious following Kutner's death.
- Foreman spent a lot of time alone following the discovery, even turning his girlfriend, Thirteen, away from the door when she visted him. What was he hiding in his apartment?
I'm convinced something suspicious happened, but I can't quite figure out what. Kutner was well-adjusted and well-liked. In addition to being the most capable member of the team (which was emphasized heavily in the last few episodes) he was also one of the most sociable - babysitting for Doctor Cuddy when everybody else wouldn't.
There was no suicide note, which is unusual enough with real suicides, but doubly so when considering the melodrama of television. The behavior of Taub and Foreman was suspicious, leading me to suspect that one of them is involved.
Personally, I think it's Foreman. Taub is a red-herring. His grief is genuine, as he was Kutner's closest friend and had taken credit for Kutner's work at the climax of the previous episode.
Foreman? He's a mini House-in-training. He was never close to Kutner, which makes his self-imposed isolation after the suicide especially suspicious. He's hiding something.
As I wrote above, I'm no Sherlock Holmes - but I'm going to try my best to figure out this mystery by the time next week's episode comes on.
ADDENDUM, 4/7/09
It doesn't effect the whether or not Kutner died from suicide or murder, but Indian American actor Kal Penn recently revealed why he chose to leave his role in House.
"I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison," he told The Huffington Post. "I've been thinking about moving into politics for a while - I really enjoy that balance between the arts and public service."
Yes, Kal Penn is leaving TV to go and work for President Obama!
7 comments:
I love House too, but I am disappointed that Fox has a "memorial" site to the character. It's great that the show is addressing suicide, but that "memorial" site is really just inappropriate.
Not to mention creepy - the actor's still alive.
They didn't have one for Amber at the end of last season, which leads me to believe that it's a stunt to present lots of 'clues' as to whether or not Kutner was murdered and who might have done it.
We've been soo sad last night. How can they kill Kutner?
My husband and I have been concentrating more on the real life reasons for getting rid of the actor who played Kutner. It was very sudden, unexpected and in last night's episode they didn't show him at all--only his legs were in the shot when they show him on the floor of his apartment.
Dear, lovely blog!
I really believe that Taub is envolved, and there is something about money.
Money is house's first topic.
Greeting from Brazil!
Kutner was given a Hindu funeral, according to the Fox website, which means that he was a Hindu. Hinduism is a celebration of life which opposes suicide. I think also, when House examined the scene, he kept repeating something's missing, obviously, a suicide note.
There is a yellow sheet of paper with writing on it on the footbench of the bed with a pair of pants partially coving it. House's eyes go right on it as he walks in and makes his way across the room. He walks directly over to it and is leaning forward as to pick it up when the camera cuts away.
I think Kutner's death may be a murder. Do you remember when 13 and Foreman found the body? The weapon was on the ground, on the right side of our TV, but at the left side of Kutner. However, Kutner died from a wound on his left temple. That's a bit strange, don't you think?
Nevertheless, I think it's possible that Kutner actually killed himself. He hadn't an easy life, and I don't think he would have told anyone if he wanted to kill himself.
So both hypothesis are conceivable.
Post a Comment