Lawrence Kutner

About Lawrence Kutner

Dr. Lawrence Kutner is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He was portrayed by Kal Penn. He became a member of House's new diagnostic team in "Games", the ninth episode of the fourth season. Kutner commits suicide in the episode "Simple Explanation."

Kutner is shown to be open-minded about any new experience which is the reason why he wants to join House's new team. He was originally #6 during the games, but was fired in his first appearance for reporting Amber Volakis' recording of patient information. He continued to work even after being "fired" by House by flipping his #6 into a #9 and refusing to leave, and then coming up with a clever stress test for a patient's liver, using alcohol to intoxicate the patient, which impresses House to keep him, much to Amber's dismay.

Out of all new fellows he is the most enthusiastic and the one most likely to go along with House in taking risks, including illegal activities. When House was finally forced to pick his new team, Dr. Cuddy suggested he hire Kutner because Kutner "shares [House's] philosophy of medicine." He first got approval from House for successfully reviving a patient with a defibrillator while in a hyperbaric chamber, despite also setting her clothing on fire due to the high-oxygen atmosphere in the process. Similarly, in "Mirror Mirror," he resuscitated a patient using a defibrillator while the patient's skin was wet, inadvertently shocking himself into unconsciousness at the same time. Defibrillators and Kutner have become a running joke for House now, who, in "Ugly," appoints him the "professional defibrillist," a title of which Kutner seems rather proud.