Simple Explanation
Encyclopedia
"Simple Explanation" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of House
. It first aired on April 6, 2009.
) lies on his deathbed, his wife Charlotte is stricken with respiratory failure
. The team takes Charlotte's case and wheels Eddie into her room, as he seems to gain strength when he sees her suffering. Taub suggests she could have picked up something in Hawaii when she went there, and Foreman suggests melioidosis
. They start her on an IV drip and incyclovere, which works, until she starts gasping. Thirteen suggests polyserositis
, so the team starts Charlotte on indomethacin
. In the meantime, Taub does a hormone panel on Eddie to find it normal, so he does an echo-cardiogram
on him as well to see if his heart's improving, but it isn't.
Unusually, Kutner does not show up for work, and House
dispatches Thirteen
and Foreman
to check his apartment. Thirteen finds Kutner's body; he has committed suicide
. The team must then try to save Charlotte while struggling to make sense of Kutner's death. House, Thirteen and Foreman go to see Kutner's parents, but House blames the parents and leaves. Taub seems to show little interest in Kutner's death. Cuddy tells the team she's hired a grief councilor and offers them time off. She then goes to talk to Wilson, who hasn't been with House yet. Wilson goes with House to Kutner's home. House looks around and finally suspects foul play - someone murdered Kutner. House suspects it was the same person who killed Kutner's birth parents.
House eventually realizes Charlotte feigned her illness, but then her liver fails. Thirteen does an MRI on her, but her spleen ruptures in the middle of it. House thinks she could have alpha 1-antitrypsin
deficiency, so Thirteen and Taub run her AAT proteins. Foreman takes time off. Her proteins come back normal. She then tries to commit suicide by taking a whole bunch of drugs so that Eddie can have her heart.
The team manages to stabilize Charlotte, but the drugs she took shot out her liver. House gets Cameron to convince Eddie to do a partial liver transplant. With his failing heart, he's bound to die on the table. Then they can give his whole liver to Charlotte, which is what she needs, not part of one. House gets Cameron to convince Eddie to do this. He wants to say goodbye to her, but Cameron notes she would never agree to this if she knew what would happen. As Eddie signs off on the transplant, Cameron notices nodules on Eddie's fingers, which could indicate that his condition might be curable. Meanwhile, House finds out that the murderer of Kutner's birth parents died of an aneurysm
two months ago. Eddie still wants to proceed with the liver donation, but Taub
reveals to Charlotte that Eddie can be cured. House realizes Charlotte was in Rio without telling Eddie, where she contracted visceral leishmaniasis
. The team starts her on antimony
.
The episode ends with Cameron, Chase, Foreman, Thirteen, Cuddy, Wilson, Kutner's parents and many other people attending Kutner's funeral. Foreman takes Thirteen's hand as they watch Kutner's body be cremated. House goes to Kutner's apartment and looks through his photos until he finds one of Kutner not looking too happy. He sits down on Kutner's bed and looks at it. Taub stays with Charlotte and Eddie until she dies. Then he is shown sitting in the corridor crying.
's decision to accept the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in President Barack Obama
's administration.
Kutner leaves no explanation for his suicide, leading House to believe it was foul play. It was later confirmed by the show's staff to have been a suicide, although no explanation is given at all.
Kutner had previously described himself (in "Painless
") as exactly the sort of person who would not commit suicide: whereas Taub was having marital difficulties and Thirteen had an illness that would eventually kill her, his life was difficult from the start and things could only get better.
The episode was filmed with an unusually low temperature. The show usually has a bright colour palette, however this episode was shown to be specifically dark to represent the death of Kutner.
, with columnist Alan Sepinwall arguing that the death was pointless, and seemingly written only to create a "Very Special Episode
." The A. V. Club praised the episode for its surprising twist, but also claimed that the sudden death of a major character for no discernible reason was "a dramatic cheap shot". However, Entertainment Weekly
commended the show's handling of the death, believing that it was presented in a dramatically effective and realistic manner.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. It first aired on April 6, 2009.
Plot summary
As Eddie Novack (Meat LoafMeat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
) lies on his deathbed, his wife Charlotte is stricken with respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
. The team takes Charlotte's case and wheels Eddie into her room, as he seems to gain strength when he sees her suffering. Taub suggests she could have picked up something in Hawaii when she went there, and Foreman suggests melioidosis
Melioidosis
Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a Gram-negative bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in soil and water. It is of public health importance in endemic areas, particularly in Thailand and northern Australia. It exists in acute and chronic forms. Symptoms may include pain in...
. They start her on an IV drip and incyclovere, which works, until she starts gasping. Thirteen suggests polyserositis
Familial Mediterranean fever
Familial Mediterranean fever is a hereditary inflammatory disorder. FMF is an autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in MEFV, a gene which encodes a 781–amino acid protein denoted pyrin....
, so the team starts Charlotte on indomethacin
Indometacin
Indometacin or indomethacin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to reduce fever, pain, stiffness, and swelling. It works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, molecules known to cause these symptoms...
. In the meantime, Taub does a hormone panel on Eddie to find it normal, so he does an echo-cardiogram
Echocardiography
An echocardiogram, often referred to in the medical community as a cardiac ECHO or simply an ECHO, is a sonogram of the heart . Also known as a cardiac ultrasound, it uses standard ultrasound techniques to image two-dimensional slices of the heart...
on him as well to see if his heart's improving, but it isn't.
Unusually, Kutner does not show up for work, and House
Gregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
dispatches Thirteen
Thirteen (House)
Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House, portrayed by Olivia Wilde. She is part of the new diagnostic team assembled by Dr. Gregory House after the disbanding of his previous team in the third season finale...
and Foreman
Eric Foreman
Eric Foreman, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Omar Epps.-Background:A neurologist, Foreman was a member of Dr. Gregory House's handpicked team of specialists at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital's Diagnostic Medicine Department...
to check his apartment. Thirteen finds Kutner's body; he has committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. The team must then try to save Charlotte while struggling to make sense of Kutner's death. House, Thirteen and Foreman go to see Kutner's parents, but House blames the parents and leaves. Taub seems to show little interest in Kutner's death. Cuddy tells the team she's hired a grief councilor and offers them time off. She then goes to talk to Wilson, who hasn't been with House yet. Wilson goes with House to Kutner's home. House looks around and finally suspects foul play - someone murdered Kutner. House suspects it was the same person who killed Kutner's birth parents.
House eventually realizes Charlotte feigned her illness, but then her liver fails. Thirteen does an MRI on her, but her spleen ruptures in the middle of it. House thinks she could have alpha 1-antitrypsin
Alpha 1-antitrypsin
Alpha 1-Antitrypsin or α1-antitrypsin is a protease inhibitor belonging to the serpin superfamily. It is generally known as serum trypsin inhibitor. Alpha 1-antitrypsin is also referred to as alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor because it inhibits a wide variety of proteases...
deficiency, so Thirteen and Taub run her AAT proteins. Foreman takes time off. Her proteins come back normal. She then tries to commit suicide by taking a whole bunch of drugs so that Eddie can have her heart.
The team manages to stabilize Charlotte, but the drugs she took shot out her liver. House gets Cameron to convince Eddie to do a partial liver transplant. With his failing heart, he's bound to die on the table. Then they can give his whole liver to Charlotte, which is what she needs, not part of one. House gets Cameron to convince Eddie to do this. He wants to say goodbye to her, but Cameron notes she would never agree to this if she knew what would happen. As Eddie signs off on the transplant, Cameron notices nodules on Eddie's fingers, which could indicate that his condition might be curable. Meanwhile, House finds out that the murderer of Kutner's birth parents died of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
two months ago. Eddie still wants to proceed with the liver donation, but Taub
Chris Taub
Christopher Michael "Chris" Taub, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games".-Professional life:...
reveals to Charlotte that Eddie can be cured. House realizes Charlotte was in Rio without telling Eddie, where she contracted visceral leishmaniasis
Visceral leishmaniasis
Visceral leishmaniasis , also known as kala-azar, black fever, and Dumdum fever, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. This disease is the second-largest parasitic killer in the world , responsible for an...
. The team starts her on antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
.
The episode ends with Cameron, Chase, Foreman, Thirteen, Cuddy, Wilson, Kutner's parents and many other people attending Kutner's funeral. Foreman takes Thirteen's hand as they watch Kutner's body be cremated. House goes to Kutner's apartment and looks through his photos until he finds one of Kutner not looking too happy. He sits down on Kutner's bed and looks at it. Taub stays with Charlotte and Eddie until she dies. Then he is shown sitting in the corridor crying.
Kutner's death
Kutner's suicide was scripted due to actor Kal PennKal Penn
Kalpen Suresh Modi , best known by his stage name Kal Penn, is an American film and television actor, producer, and civil servant....
's decision to accept the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's administration.
Kutner leaves no explanation for his suicide, leading House to believe it was foul play. It was later confirmed by the show's staff to have been a suicide, although no explanation is given at all.
Kutner had previously described himself (in "Painless
Painless (House)
"Painless" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of House and the ninety-eighth episode overall. It aired on January 19, 2009.-Plot:...
") as exactly the sort of person who would not commit suicide: whereas Taub was having marital difficulties and Thirteen had an illness that would eventually kill her, his life was difficult from the start and things could only get better.
The episode was filmed with an unusually low temperature. The show usually has a bright colour palette, however this episode was shown to be specifically dark to represent the death of Kutner.
Critical reception
Leading up to the premiere of "Simple Explanation", Fox aired commercials suggesting that the episode would contain a major event, calling the episode, "beyond words". Kutner's death was criticized in The Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, with columnist Alan Sepinwall arguing that the death was pointless, and seemingly written only to create a "Very Special Episode
Very special episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television commercials to refer to an episode of a sitcom or television drama that deals with a serious or controversial social issue...
." The A. V. Club praised the episode for its surprising twist, but also claimed that the sudden death of a major character for no discernible reason was "a dramatic cheap shot". However, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commended the show's handling of the death, believing that it was presented in a dramatically effective and realistic manner.