No spoilers in thread title! No spoilers in thread title!

Hi, As you know this happened Monday night, and is all over the Web today -- has been for hours. New media long ago shredded the quaint notion of "no spoilers," and to say, well, you can put it in the story and headline, but not the thread title is a false distinction. I am sorry, but I am not the network executive or show runner or writer who came up with a shocking plot turn to make sure the "news" of the show hits the Web asap. I understand your point of view, but cannot agree. Thanks. Z

Even in my formative years I was able to separate TV fiction from real-life fact. I'd like to think that young people today can watch a fictional TV show and realize that what happens there isn't real and should have no affect on their actual lives.

Unfortunately for them (and us), you're probably right to guess this is a confusing situation for some people and Fox's exacerbating it doesn't help. I blame reality TV for fooling a generation of viewers into believing they're being taken for a ride whenever they turn on prime-time TV.

Hi, Thanks once again for your even-handed and sound comment. I had to laugh as I started to read your opening line about being "able to separate TV fiction from real life fact." I am sure you could/can. I think my problem is that I sometimes I couldn't/can't. That's why I wound up a TV critic. Seriously, though, thanks for the comment. You are one of the best and the brightest, and I always look forward to what you have to say -- even when we disagree. Z

How can you not agree with TS, all you had to say was Shocker On House. I was at the Orioles opening day yesterday and recorded the program. I saw other places on the web this morning mentioning House, but i steered clear, your title was on the front page of the sun's website!!! How can I avoid that. Am i not supposed to talk to anyone or go on the internet.

Hi Dom, I think some folks do still have the expectation that they can screen out something like this, but not when the producers and network ramp it up this way. I think you are blaming me for the new media world that we are all trying to come to terms with. But, hopefully, we will get lots of folks to wiegh in on it here today pro and con. PS That post did not go up until 12 hours after the show, which is an eternity in terms of the new "news" cycles that drive our business today. Thanks. Z

"out of the blue"?? just goes to dshow this guy "z" has no clue. The character was always having personal problems.; Any body who watched the show recently, had to see it coming.

Hi Lou, I agree with the problems stuff for Kutner, but a gunshot wound to the head on TV is always out of the blue to me -- and many of the other reviewers who are describing it this a.m. on the Web. Lou, for all the pieces written about TV deaths this season, no one saw this one coming as far as I know. Maybe you are far more prescient than we poor, simple, country, TV critics. Thanks. Z

This was no ratings gimmick. Dr. Kutner's suicide was engineered not by the House producers, but by actor Kal Penn who played Kutner. The reason was that Penn's real passion is not acting, but politics. He worked on the Obama election campaign, and recently was offered the position of Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Liason - an offer he can't refuse. Hence, the suicide of his character on House

Hi, yes, I read that as well. In fact, the stuff about going to work for White House is in my post. And it makes me smile. The contracts for a network TV series are iron-clad. You do not get out unless the producers want you to get out. They could care less about his "passion" for politics. It's not whether or not he can refuse, the producers have all the power in network TvVprime-tijme contracts. That is why so many actors won't work in prime-time network TV. Thanks. Z

Before your post, the Sun had a link under their entertainment section that alluded to a major development without giving away details (unless you clicked a link in the post).

It is easy to avoid the Fox Web site and discussion boards about the show. But some people enjoy reading their local newspaper online and do not expect to have major plot twists from TV shows ruined. The link was on the front page of the Sun Web site, it required no navigation from people who were looking to read about it or discuss it.

And "12 hours after the show" ... of those 12, most people were sleeping for 7-9 of them.

Hi JD, I understand. But just do a fast Google search of House, and tell me what you see. Thanks. Z

"New media" is an easy excuse. DVRs are all over now - and many people don't watch primetime TV shows until after they air for the first time. While you have made your opinion on the matter clear, some basic courtesy for your readers with DVRs would surely be appreciated in the future. Just my two cents.

Here's a writeup of Kal Penn's career move from acting to politics, and the resulting suicide of his House character, Dr. Lawrence Kuttner at Penn's request.

http://movies.rediff.com/look/2009/apr/07/kal-penn-to-join-politics.htm

Hi Robert, please see a previous comment from me on network contracts. Thanks. Z

I agree that the suddenness of Kutner's death and the way Fox is handling it leads to some fascinating and perplexing questions. I can't fully buy in to the idea that the audience was manipulated into grief by this event, however, as that would require that we cared about Kutner. Now, I have nothing against Kutner, he was a likeable character, but my second thought (after, What???) was "maybe now they can bring Cameron or Chase back." Fox has done a terrible job of getting the audience to connect with the new cast. Every time a plot line centers around one of the new team members - 13's illness, Taub's issues - it detracts from the show. Kutner didn't even have that much investment. So I'm left with two overall impressions - the first being utmost confusion, and the second being apathy - neither of which creates grief, or further devotion to the show.

I didn't see it coming. Dramatically as it was and it is unfortunate that we lost a character that was so well liked, (suicide) happens everyday. I watch shows for entertainment I get involved in the characters the story line this was a shocker they could have sent him away to India.
Fox got the buzz all-right.

Great, another non-American in the White House.

A memorial Facebook page? For a ficticious character? That, to me, is more perverse than an on-ar suicide.

"Great, another non-American in the White House."

Great - another ignorant comment from an ignorant coward who had to post anonymously. Kal Penn was born and educated in New Jersey. So how is he a non-American? Because of his ethnicity? Guess what, the only REAL Americans are Native Americans. Everyone else are the descendants of immigrants, probably including you.

Yeah...another non-American in the White House. He was only born in New Jersey. Who wants one of those Jersey foreigners in our White House doing public relations...

I have to say though, that while it is an attention grab...it could also have beneficial effects. Suicide is often something that is taboo, and we don't discuss it that much, even though it's something that a lot of people choose. I've rarely seen something that portrays the utter shock at finding something like this out as well as last nights episode of House. Maybe somebody considering suicide will have seen this and thought "maybe I should talk to somebody".

Or maybe I'm just naive, and Penn just wanted off and Fox saw it as an opportunity to get some attention...I hope for the former.

Hi Michael, Very good points. And I don't think you are naive at all i what you say about suicide. Thanks. Z

Did anyone else notice the grayish camera filter used on the show last night? Especially at the beginning of the episode. I did immediately and knew something was coming.

Still, I was shocked. Shocked.

You know, I would like to deny it, but you're right about viewers forming emotional attachments to TV characters. It's weird that on any level I mistake a created character for a person, but I've done it (a little) time and again, and missed them when they leave.

Hi John, There is a book by an anthropologist, John Caughey, called Imaginary Social Worlds. In the book, Caughey, who teaches in College Park, interviews viewers about the attachments they form, and it is fascinating. Caughey's argument: such attachments are not weird at all -- quite normal and sometimes profound. Thanks. Z

It's a fictional character on a tv show. GET OVER IT.

Dr.Z-We are basically the same age and I am SURE I watched as much TV as you did. (If I knew being paid to watch TV was an option I could have saved tens of thousands of dollars not getting post doctoral degrees.) My point is I laughed and I have cried over the end of characters on shows and the end of shows, however the next morning I woke up and lived life. I have never missed a character or a show enough to purchase it on DVD.
Remember when you and I were kids, and a little later, if we didn't see the episode in summer rerun it was gone forever. Now, dreck is being released one season, if not sooner, after it has aired. For those who need their character fix they will live on forever or until the next sale at Target to buy something else.

Hello, and great to hear from someone of the same era. Yes, I still cannot get over how available the entire library of TV is. Even in the early 1990s, I still had to go to archives at UCLA or the LIbrary of Congress to find tapes of shows from the 1970s. Now, they are all here. Unfortunately, I still do miss some characters. And seeing them on DVD isn't the same as watching them evolve in "real" time. You are probably more balanced than me in being able to get up the morning after and move on. Thanks. Z

I agree that Fox exploited the issue in the hoopla. Real people will have killed themselves this week and will never garner any media attention.

Like everyone else, I was shocked. I'll miss Kutner but I'm very interested to see how the other characters get through this. Bravo to the writers/producers!

Interesting point -- wondering how other characters will react in upcoming episodes. Yes, that will be worth watching. Z

I was completely shocked and didn't see this comming at all. I now think it will bring Cameron back to a more prominent roll and maybe her and House will "hook up" and become an item?? Just a thought, since it doesn't seem that House and Cuddy will "hook up" anytime soon. They keep playing the cat and mouse game which makes it all the more intriguing to see if they will in fact become a family? Can you see House as a daddy?

The suicide was because Penn wanted to exchange his so-so acting career working for a fake doctor for a so-so political career working for a fake President. In four years both of his careers will be over. The producers have said that they intentionally didn't foreshadow the suicide because they wanted it to be shocking. They didn't want the other characters to have a reason for it because their doubts are supposed to shake up the other relationships on the show. It was no Henry Blake checking out of M*A*S*H but in the end normal people don't have an especially difficult time separating fact from fiction. The real drama this week will come Sunday on VH1 when Bret Michaels picks his Rock of Love.

" The real drama this week will come Sunday on VH1 when Bret Michaels picks his Rock of Love. " ---- Puh-lease!!! I hope this comment was made sarcastically. How many seasons of that show have there been?

I had the last few weeks of House recorded, but hadn't watched them because I had been too busy. I had no idea what was coming up when I watched Monday night's episode, and was thoroughly shocked. That being said, it makes sense now why they "offed" his character. I agree with some of the people that have commented, I also attach myself with characters on television shows, and am sad to see them or their shows go off the air. I think it's easy to do if you invest a lot of time watching the show, and probably talking about it to your family/friends. It's a part of your life, and just like when a real person is part of your life and passes away/moves away, it's easy to feel a sense of loss when they are no longer around.

Obama creates a phony job for a celebrity endorser at the taxpayer expense. Same old corruption. What is his job anyway -Kumar the White House pot dealer?

I agree totally with you observance. It hit home with to much reality for me. Our family was reeling from the death of one of my daughter's classmates and even though it was determined to be an accidental gunshot wound it happened in a group of kids at a home where the parent's were upstairs. Rumors were swirling, accident, suicide, or at the hand of someone being careless, nevertheless it leaves a deep void in the lives of those who witnessed it. I would like to see more happy stories. And that is precisely why my daughter's are not allowed to watch the TV show. - Sherry Tellitocci

I work in a school, and while I'm reasonably sure that my students get the difference between what happens on air and what happens on Facebook, Fox' blurring of the lines is worrisome. Why? Because mimicking the same forms of mourning that are used for real people who die lessens them, and can create the impression that death doesn't matter. I'm not suggesting that we not show a funeral on tv or the movies, but asking people to "mourn" on-line...

Hi, Thanks for this comment. can you take it a beat further and finish the sentence at the end? I am writing a Sunday newspaper column on the topic, and would like to include your comment. But can you finish the last thought: "...asking people to "mourn" on line...?" Thanks. great comment. Z

Interesting questions and comments you bring up. My opinion on the "dramatically necessary vs exploitative twist" is that it's really neither. It's a an opportunistic twist. I don't think they would have gotten rid of Kutner if Penn didn't request to leave, but since he had asked, they thought "hmm, could we somehow *use* this?" Perhaps that's why they allowed him to cut short his contract. As for dramatically necessary, I again this it serves as an opportunity for them. How will House deal with something like this? House is a medical Sherlock Holmes, but he did not see this coming. Also, Kutner parallels House in many ways (smart, but ultimately lonely). It might scare House into thinking about how he currently lives his life. Maybe it'll drive him to Cuddy or Cameron because he doesn't want to be alone like Kutner.

As for the issue of blurring the lines between the death of Kutner and the actor who plays him, I don't really see it as a big deal. From my day, it's like seeing Hulk Hogan turning bad. Or maybe it's seeing Michael Jackson go from black to white and getting more and more weird. Shocking, but I got over it. Even the ones who were confused (did the actor really die?) will realize pretty shortly that Kal Penn is alive and well.

Lastly, I blame Obama for all this. If he didn't offer Kal Penn the job, then Penn wouldn't have left and Kutner would probably still be alive. I hope President Obama knows this and it keeps him up at night. Economic crises and world events are one thing. Causing the death of the second best character in House is plainly and simply wrong.

I think that mourning online is a natural phenomenon. That is how my daughter first learned of the loss of a classmate. I don't think it is a problem with knowing the difference between fiction and nonfiction. I think that regardless of whether mourning a fictional character online is right or wrong Fox has drawn the line in the sand and now we have to decide what to do with it. There are no "simple explanations", but it is a line we have to cross now. Many adults were confused about the fictional character and the real person Kal Penn, maybe they are not as smart as the teens who seem to be the main users of Facebook. Will anyone else be so progressive and daring as to use this mode of communication for nonfictional characters, we will have to wait and see. I just hope the lines don't become blurry!!

I think that mourning online is a natural phenomenon. That is how my daughter first learned of the loss of a classmate. I don't think it is a problem with knowing the difference between fiction and nonfiction. I think that regardless of whether mourning a fictional character online is right or wrong Fox has drawn the line in the sand and now we have to decide what to do with it. There are no "simple explanations", but it is a line we have to cross now. Many adults were confused about the fictional character and the real person Kal Penn, maybe they are not as smart as the teens who seem to be the main users of Facebook. Will anyone else be so progressive and daring as to use this mode of communication for nonfictional characters, we will have to wait and see. I just hope the lines don't become blurry!! Sherry Tellitocci

Hi Sherry, Thamnks for this thoughtful comment. I am going to do a column for the Sunday Sun on this topic with comments like yours. So please stop back this weekend and check it out -- and let me know what you think. Thanks. Z

Someone should do a column about this new mental illness. People mourning fictional characters.

Hi John, Can you explain a bit more what you are saying here? I sense some sarcasm, but if I am right, that point of view matters, too: that there is something weird or wrong with a culture that mourns make believe TV characters. Can you expand a bit? I would like to include that in this Sunday piece I am writing about the response to Kutner's TV death. Thanks. Z

Z,

I will be looking forward to your article.

Sherry T,

Thanks again for the insight. Z

Sarcasm aside, I don't understand this phenomenon of "mourning" fictional television characters. While I also don't get the excessive mourning over celebrities either at least Heath Ledger and Princess Di were real human beings.

Killing off a fictional charachter is a device to explain sudden loss of the actor either who dies in real life, or leaves the show for contractual reasons (think MacClean Stevenson or Jean Stapleton).

Personally, I have watched and enjoyed House and other shows, but am not emotional tied to the characters.

I wonder if this deep emotional ties to fictional characters is related to the number of reality shows out there blurring the lines between real people and tv characters.

Hi Z,

I really liked the follow-up article to this one that was out on Sunday April 12th. It really gives us more to think about in the area of mourning in cyberspace. I think Fox has just broken the tip of the iceberg. Looking forward to more on this subject.

Thanks for including some of the quotes from us bloggers.

Sherry Tellitocci

Penn left for a job in the government, so he had to be killed off. This was a good way to do it because it went along with the mystery of the show.

In my humble opinion, Kutner's death does seem like an obvious and ill-fated atempt to spicen up the show, which hasn't had much new content to offer us viewers this season. House has become straightjacketed in his role and, putting aside a few good one liners and comebacks, the character hasn't shown anything new. I miss good story arcs like House's ex re-appearing or his great nudge with officer Tritter, which had me agonizing week to week and created great exploitable points for character interaction. But this suicide seems a bit too far fetched. It may have some promise in the 'how will they deal with it' department, but looking at the season my hopes ain't to high. Also, they have overplayed the House-Cuddy card too many times for me to give a damn, and the new team's problems aren't given a proper continuity and therefore fail to get me involved emotionally on a week to week, long term basis.

My House fanatism aside, it's seems to me that people who buy this cheap form of entertainment are who really legitimate this season finale craze. It has become the golden rule for tv shows and story arc endings. It may have great shock value in the moment we are exposed to it, but they don't seem to know what to do with it after, and that only leaves me with a sour taste.