I knew it would be Kutner! I haven't watched the episode yet. I'll have to look for the download now.

I am slightly annoyed that they got rid of one of the two main POC characters on the show.

Oh, yes. But you know?

Characterwise - no one else would have hit as hard. And people who are complaining we didn't know the character - he didn't let anyone know.

I know. It's just...I spend a lot of time is doctor's offices and hospitals. And I see a lot of Indian or Asian descent. And plenty of them have reached the top of their disciplines (so it would be reasonable to have them on a high-caliber diagnostic team). It would be nice to see that continue to be reflected.

Of course. He's black. You didn't think they'd knock off the white character did you?

Not by US definition - in the US, "black" means all or in part of discernible African descent. Kal Penn IS a person of color, being of Asian Indian descent (which we do NOT call Asian), so that might well have been a reason for his killing off, but he's not black.

However, Kal Penn is also a popular film actor, unlike the other former numbers, which balances the color. I think he was chosen, in this case, because he was also a popular character - for the shock value, to cause more emotion and to show that sometimes you don't get a clue why a person would commit suicide.

People who are saying they wouldn't care so much if it were Foreman (who is African-American) are missing the point - well, why would the writers want the viewers to not care?

Not saying his background wasn't a factor, of course.

And all of a sudden, Kal Penn played their favorite character.

I'm not on TWoP, but he really *was* my favorite character! Honest! (I gave him the best lines in the only House story I ever wrote ... that's gotta count for something.) :-)

I had seen something on Polite Dissent last week - people complaining/speculating in the comments that someone might die this episode - but I had actually forgotten about it. Whaddaya know - ADD is good for something!

I'm with you on Taub's reaction. I really enjoyed the relationship he and Kutner had slowly developed; it felt more real to me than the soap opera between Foreman and Thirteen.

He was a lovely character - smart and sweet and a FANBOY. We just didn't know past the surface.

Taub was brilliant. Hugh Laurie was brilliant.

And I'm thinking more and more - yes. The muted everything works because you don't know what to feel so you feel very little.

how'd they get rid of him?

He shot himself.

Wow, I had NO idea and it was actually pretty incredible to see an episode without knowing something intense was happening.

Kal Penn was here the night before the caucus to campaign for Obama so it's hard for me not to see HIM rather than Kutner and that makes me sad, but he'll have a great career.

One quick Kal Penn aside--after he got done speaking, before he met with the students, he pulled out the biggest can of Binaca I've ever seen and gave himself a couple of quick shots.

I was curious about why they killed him off so I went poking around. It didn't take long. Guess he asked to go because he's going to be working for The White House.

I think I like him even more now.

They had to write him out, but that was a cheap way to do it. Kind of like when the actor who played Speed on CSI Miami wanted to leave, so they killed him off so that there was no chance of him ever coming back (other than the one episode where he was a ghost/hallucination).

Guess he figured he would be busy for the next 4 years, which is an eternity in tv time. I guess I'm one of those people that feel that if the actor is happy, I'm happy.

Thank you for not being one of the voices saying it was out of character for him to have killed himself.

I adored Kutner. Absolutely adored and empathized with him.

Yes, Meat Loaf can act. He was in some $deity-awful movie with Patrick Swayze (Black Dog, I looked it up) and he knocked my socks off. I loved the fact that his character in House was named Eddie, and you can't tell me that was unintentional.

And he was in Rocky Horror Picture Show too, although I'm not sure you'd call it 'acting' in that one.