Season Three, to me, was the low point of the series to-date...at least, in the first half of the season. The competition for the new team injected some needed life into the series, but while Amber's death was dramatically compelling, it stripped the show of its BEST new character.

Season Five to date hasn't quite reached the lows of Season Three, but it's getting close. For one, how many times will 13 have to be put into a near-death or other situation where she has to "contemplate" her life in terms of her Huntington's Disease? Her relationship with Foreman was fun as a flirtation, but they're dragging it out to unrealistic lengths (anybody else hoping a couple weeks ago that she would die and he would be fired...just to get Chase and Cameron back?). The cases are also becoming a little flat and uninteresting; since there's little wow factor, it seems unrealistic that a correct diagnosis would not have come BEFORE it is put on House's desk.

House-Cuddy doesn't bother me so much...but it has softened their antagonistic banter a bit too much...I'm glad they chose to keep the sexual tension going and NOT start a relationship. The baby, though...ugh...

Overall, my suggestions for the show:

1. Kill Thirteen. She's hot but annoying. You've already put her into several near-death experiences...why not another one, only take the frickin' "near" out.
2. Fire Foreman...or kill him with Thirteen, or have him kill Thirteen, why not?
3. Bring back Chase and Cameron...they kept the wrong guy from the original team, IMHO.
4. I'm not advocating that the show should kill the baby...that would likely send Cuddy INTO House's arms, and I don't think we want that at this point. But...let the baby's grandparents finally decide to adopt.
5. KEEP Kutner...my favorite of the new blood that didn't die. Taub is growing on me, but for the sake of expediency, he might need to go.

Many spoiler sites were alluding to a death of a cast member sometime this season, but virtually all didn't know who it was, or chose NOT to reveal it. As is, Kutner's death was one of the few truly shocking moments of television I've had in a LONG time (Carter's stabbing on ER might have been the last one). I appreciate the writers' hubris, and I wish Kal Penn well in the White House...but I'm still pissed that they killed off my favorite New Coke team member....this after killing off Amber, my previous favorite.

I did not think that the Kutner suicide was genuine to the character. I missed last week's episode so I don't know if there was anything directly leading to this, but Kutner seemed to be one of the most unaffected by the circumstances around him. Wasn't it after Amber's death that they had a montage of all of the main characters mourning in their own way and they showed Kutner watching TV with a big ol' bowl of Lucky Charms? I understand Kal Penn leaving the show, but writing him out via a screw-up/firing or a different form of death (catching something virulent from a patient and suffering through an episode leading to death always seems to be a favorite for medical shows and gives the actor a chance for that Emmy nod) would have been better, IMO.