[House]: !?
if chavvah and i weren't such diligent office workers we would totally be emailing back and forth about last night's SHOCKING episode of House. rest assured, we're model employees, the both of us, and so we totally aren't talking tv on company time. ever/at all.
basically--and d and ninthscompanion can comfirm this, i spent almost the entirety of last night's episode exclaiming "Kutner!? ... Kutner!!" every few minutes. i was so thrown that i barely even registered meatloaf's cameo or the soap operatic drama of him/his wife's diagnostic process.
the discovery scene at Kutner's apartment was really jarring and visceral, what with 13 sliding around in the aftermath. i thought it was a good choice to shoot it removed, from the door frame, literally framing the event through the panic/devastation of foreteen. also, on a purely selfish note, i really like Kal Penn and am sort of glad that his last live scene in the show as House congratulating him on a good idea.
anyway, the ep just got more rattling from there with House blaming kutner's adoptive parents for his death (not that suprising) and then actually telling them he was sorry for their loss (very surprising).
at first i was totally with House in the "murder!" camp, but then i realized it's because we're most interested in House's pov--or at least i am--the writers position the viewer to provoke a House-like reaction to the event. Kutner has, now that i think of it been built up as a ying to House's yang. They take similar diagnostic/practical risks--ie patient on fire!--with the big difference that Kutner appeared, on the surface, to be happy and well-adjusted and passionate about what he was doing. it seemed to drive/inspire kutner, while for house, it's a lifeline, the one thing keeping him moving at all. that the work wasn't "fulfilling enough" for Kutner is harrowing for House, who despite all his talk of the meaninglessness of most things, derives meaning from his ability to think differently, solve problems.
of course House would immediately become obsessed with trying to locate missed clues and offend and horrify everyone around him by returning to Kutner's apartment and suggesting murder--a solvable puzzle--- when the rest of the characters are 100% certain it was suicide and trying to grapple with the devastation/guilt. (i know some folks are still convinced it wasn't suicide, but i'm pretty sure House wouldn't go all L&O on us in that way). i think the writing for and Laurie's portrayal of House in this ep was excellent--note to writers: submit this ep to the emmy committee!-- because even as other characters accuse him of just needing/wanting the puzzle, you can see that he has a personal stake in Kutner both as an employee but also as a reflection of his own worth.
the writers really didn't set us up for this at all, which is risky, in terms of writing. normally shows approach this sort of thing through dramatic irony and asides, so that the audience is more clued-in than the characters. we've been given so little of Kutner's private life--I think the only solo Kutner scene we got was when he goes to apologize to the man he bullied as a teenager?--that we're in the same position as the characters. interesting choice, which is potentially really alientating/rage-provoking for many of the fans.
if you care about the real-life reason for killing the character, it's because Kal Penn wanted to leave the show to take a job in politics. specifically, he's going to be working for Obama! (doesn't that make you love him that much more?) there's an interview over at Ausiello if you want more of the deety deets on that.
unfortunately fox decided to put up a really questionable memorial page that sort of resembles a shrine, as well as a memorial facebook for the character which has resulted in a whole bunch of "omg, is kal penn rly ded?" freakouts on various House boards. oh Fox, tasteless is your middlename.