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"Simple Explanation" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of ''
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
''. It first aired on April 6, 2009.


Plot

As Eddie Novack ( Meat Loaf) lies on his deathbed, his wife Charlotte is stricken with
respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
. The team takes Charlotte's case and wheels Eddie into her room, as he seems to gain strength when he sees her suffering.
Taub Taub is a surname. It may refer to: Persons * Abraham H. Taub (1911–1999), American mathematician and physicist * Ari Taub (wrestler) (born 1971), Canadian Greco-Roman wrestler * Ben Taub (1889–1982), American philanthropist and medical b ...
suggests she could have picked up something in Hawaii when she went there, and
Foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head ju ...
suggests
melioidosis Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium called ''Burkholderia pseudomallei''. Most people exposed to ''B. pseudomallei'' experience no symptoms; however, those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms ...
. They start her on an IV drip and
aciclovir Aciclovir (ACV), also known as acyclovir, is an antiviral medication. It is primarily used for the treatment of herpes simplex virus infections, chickenpox, and shingles. Other uses include prevention of cytomegalovirus infections following tra ...
, which works, until she starts gasping.
Thirteen Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...
suggests polyserositis, so the team starts Charlotte on
indomethacin Indometacin, also known as indomethacin, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used as a prescription medication to reduce fever, pain, stiffness, and swelling from inflammation. It works by inhibiting the production o ...
. In the meantime, Taub does a hormone panel on Eddie which turns out 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 A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...
dispatches Thirteen and Foreman to check his apartment. Thirteen finds Kutner's body; he has died by
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
. 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 counselor and offers them time off. She then goes to talk to
Wilson Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...
, who hasn't been with House yet. Wilson goes with House to Kutner's home. House looks around and finally suspects that 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 Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD or AATD) is a genetic disorder that may result in lung disease or liver disease. Onset of lung problems is typically between 20 and 50 years of age. This may result in shortness of breath, wheezing, or an ...
, so Thirteen and Taub run her AAT proteins. Foreman takes time off. Her proteins come back normal. She then tries to take her own life by overdosing so that Eddie can have her heart. The team manages to stabilize Charlotte, but the drugs she took damaged her liver. House gets
Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 1 ...
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 An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus ( ...
two months before. Eddie still wants to proceed with the liver donation, but
Taub Taub is a surname. It may refer to: Persons * Abraham H. Taub (1911–1999), American mathematician and physicist * Ari Taub (wrestler) (born 1971), Canadian Greco-Roman wrestler * Ben Taub (1889–1982), American philanthropist and medical b ...
reveals to Charlotte that Eddie can be cured. House realizes Charlotte was in
Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
without telling Eddie, where she contracted
visceral leishmaniasis Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar ( Hindi: kālā āzār, "black sickness") or "black fever", is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and, without proper diagnosis and treatment, is associated with high fatality. Leishmanias ...
. The team starts her on
antimony Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient ti ...
. The episode ends with Cameron,
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase C ...
, 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. Before Cuddy leaves for the funeral, Taub says that they diagnosed Charlotte too late and she will die. Cuddy offers Taub a ride; he refuses, saying he will stay with Charlotte. Cuddy says that Charlotte's death bought them more time to save Eddie and to transplant her heart which will give her death meaning, but Taub says it won't. Taub stays with Charlotte and Eddie until she dies. Then he is shown sitting in the corridor finally breaking down crying at the loss of his friend. House goes to Kutner's apartment and looks through a pile of photos of Kutner looking happy until he finds one of Kutner looking off into the distance depressed.


Kutner's death

Kutner's suicide was scripted due to actor
Kal Penn Kalpen Suresh Modi (born April 23, 1977), known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration. As an actor, he is known for his role portrayi ...
's decision to accept the position of Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison in President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
's administration.


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-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 ...
'', with columnist Alan Sepinwall arguing that the death was pointless, and seemingly written only to create a "
Very Special Episode "Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television promos to refer to an episode of a sitcom or drama series which deals with a difficult or controversial social issue. The usage of the term peaked in the 1980s ...
." '' 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'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' commended the show's handling of the death, believing that it was presented in a dramatically effective and realistic manner.


Music

* "Lose You" by Pete Yorn, played at the end of the episode.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simple Explanation House (season 5) episodes 2009 American television episodes Television episodes about suicide Television episodes about funerals fr:Il n'y a rien à comprendre it:Episodi di Dr. House - Medical Division (quinta stagione)#Una spiegazione semplice