Hatrack River Forum: House Major spoiler discussion and Fox's dedicated site

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Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :

This thread really is a spoiler thread. There is no way to talk about what I want to talk about without a spoiler.

So, if you are a fan of House and have not seen the latest episode...STOP READING.

*****

I have never had to deal with suicide, not on a personal level with someone I know. I can't believe that Kutner killed himself, but from what I have heard about suicide, I think the show handled it well.

It was serious, emotional, had no cheesy answers, and was a mystery. I have always believed that at the end of the day we are all alone in our heads. It just seemed like a very human show and delt with suicide in a very appropriate way.

It got to me.

And then Fox set's up this memorial website. How tacky can you get? I get what they were doing and they did it well, but a fake internet memorial still seems to cheapen the weight of the subject. Just my initial reaction.

Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :

Hmmm.
First I was annoyed that they killed off the Asian guy and off-screen too. But then it seems like Kal Penn has a sweet new job.

That said, it was an interesting episode if a bit dark (and I don't mean emotionally, I mean that it must have been a really really dark day outside the hospital).

Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :

I haven't seen the episode, but I don't mind being spoiled for House.

However, that memorial is really disturbing.
I think everyone has been upset by the ‘death’ of a fictional character they liked - I know I have.
I also think that raising awareness about suicide and the fact that, in my experience, even often those closest to the victim do not see any signs leading up to the event - will make people who have experienced such a loss feel less guilty and alone.
But here Fox is actively trying to get people to mourn for someone who never existed. Encouraging people to blur the line between fiction and reality, or actors and the parts they play can’t be healthy

I know it's not common, but I remember a few actors saying that they have had trouble getting people to realise that they are not their TV character - next time House does something awful, do they want Hugh Laurie getting hate-mail?

[ April 07, 2009, 01:35 PM: Message edited by: Bella Bee ]

Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :

My husband was showing me an album he'd bought during the discovery scene ><

Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :

quote:
next time House does something awful, do they want Hugh Laurie getting hate-mail?

In all seriousness, they probably don't mind when their audience is engaged to that extent. They would mind if it led to a boycott of the show. (But only if that led to loss of advertisers.)

I think the memorial site is an interesting experiment. It's tacky and offensive, sure, but it should be interesting to see what kind reaction it provokes in the audience.

Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :

I liked the way the episode handled the subject, especially since it was portrayed a little differently. My uncle's suicide was much the same - no hints or clues leading up to it, just there one day, gone the next. I figured the darkness (lighting-wise) was an effort to fit the weather to the mood of the show. Knowing about Kal Penn's new job makes the abruptness of his character's departure from the show make more sense - my first reaction to the suicide was to wonder why they wrote him out so quickly.

I dislike the "memorial" site. It just seems weird to me to encourage mourning for a fictional character (like Bella said much more eloquently).

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

quote:
Originally posted by lem:
And then Fox set's up this memorial website. How tacky can you get? I get what they were doing and they did it well, but a fake internet memorial still seems to cheapen the weight of the subject. Just my initial reaction.

My reaction last night precisely.

Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :

I give up. What great new job did he get?

Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :

I think it's a desperate attempt to make it look like his death was a conscious production decision. Like this was the dramatic culmination of a story arc they've been building to for the last 2 seasons, rather than just a soap opera write-out of a character whose actor suddenly resigned.

They did a pretty good job of dealing with it in the script. His sudden departure made about as much sense as it could have under these circumstances. But the memorial website and the "This episode will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!" teasers they've been running all week smack of desperation.

By the way, any idea whether Kal was really the guy laying in the pool of blood during the key scene? I wonder if they shot it from the hall for dramatic purposes, or because it was the best way to hide a stand-in.

Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :

I assume it was a body double.

Posted by Sala (Member # 8980) on :

I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I wondered, like Speed, about the purpose of the way they shot the scene, and decided that it was just to hide the stand-in.

I too, want to know what new job he got.

Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :

Look at the Kumar thread.

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

[Frown]

Posted by BryanP (Member # 7772) on :

I always thought they should have worked out the copyright issues or whatever and simply had Penn play Kumar in the show. I mean c'mon! Kuman is gonna be a doctor, they totally could have had him as Kumar after med school, with an occasional guest appearance from Harold.

Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :

I'm pretty sure when Foreman called for the ambulance he described Kutner as a "28 year old male", but the site says he was 33. [Confused]

Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :

quote:
Originally posted by AvidReader:
I give up. What great new job did he get?

Obama administration

--j_k

Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :

I just couldn't get emotionally involved. All I thought was, "huh? Did they get mad at Penn or did he land a series of his own?" Nope, the episode wasn't even a little bit life-changing.

I'll miss him as Kutner. And thanks to Hatrack, I now know why he got killed off.

Neo-dragon, I heard the same thing, because I remember thinkning, "He had to be older than 28!"

Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :

I guess Foremen really was a lousy friend. [Big Grin]

BTW, the notes from his colleagues on the memorial site are neat.

Posted by DaisyMae (Member # 9722) on :

Yes, they were Kal Penn's legs. I read about it on Yahoo. He specifically answered in an interview that they didn't use a double.

Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :

I never saw the commercials. I don't follow house that close and don't the dramatic relationships.

I basically watched this as an isolated episode of some TV show I occasionally enjoy. I thought they explored suicide realistically and humanely, which is why I am all the more confused by the online memorial. It seems to undo what they did so well in the episode.

Since I don't follow the show too close, I never felt the "geeze I wonder why they got rid of the actor so suddenly" moment.