Originally Posted by
Osiris
I'm not sure I agree entirely with the idea that his death was abrupt. I mean, yeah, it was if you consider how it was handled in the episode, him not saying anything, the sounds of scribbling, and then BANG. But we sort of knew he was dead at the end of season two. His character had a decent arc--though I wouldn't say it resolved completely, at least as far as I'd like to have seen it resolve--and it was time to push the story forward. Really helped drive the idea home that nobody is safe. Not too long after, I recall thinking "That's totally a Joss Whedon moment."
I think it feels abrupt because nobody really wanted to see it coming.