Lee Thompson Young RIP

Although I don’t go all the way back to The Famous Jett Jackson, I’m a fan of Lee Thompson Young’s. While I’m not a "Rizzoli & Isles" watcher, it’s on the list of TV shows I want to try. So I haven’t seen the first or last thing he did but I felt his impact on two of my favorite shows: Smallville and Scrubs.

On Scrubs, he played Derek Hill, the honest intern who, when pushed, tells everyone exactly what he thinks of them. Although he only appears three times, his appearances were memorable and welcome. And, thanks to the magic of reruns, I’ve probably seen his episodes at least 5 times.

On Smallville, he was Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg. When I’d fled the Smallville show (every episode ended with Clark and Lana in the barn while she talked about how he was keeping secrets and they couldn’t be together), it was the introduction of heroes like Cyborg that brought me back. Justice continues to be my favorite episode where Cyborg teams with the rest of the Justice League (though they’re never called that in the episode).

I don’t know why he committed suicide and I can’t know what he was feeling. I wish he’d reached out and gotten help. I’m going to miss him whenever I see the things he’s done. Rest in peace, Lee Thompson Young.