Six Feet Under - General Discussion

[Joe Hellandback]

The Plan

Some great scenes in this one, Ruth's swearword laden rant at the self help group, you think it's imaginary yet it turns out to be real (love her phoning Moiveline gag). I'd quite forgotten Gabe taking a potshot at the other driver, once again we see how Claire despite all her cynicism genuinely cares for people. Brenda's scene where she is chatted up in a bar is also great, I almost want her fake identity to be true.

7/10.  

[Joe Hellandback]

Driving Mr Mossback

We meet Lisa for the first time and it's interesting to see Nate back in his Seattle haunts. It's a bit strange that he makes such a big deal of taking Claire with him with Brenda, surely it's obvious she could benefit from getting out of LA for a while after the whole Gabe thing, does he see a parallel with her and Billy? Love Eric Bruskotter as Keith's cro-mag partner and Brenda's encounter with her prostitute client (no wonder she has so little tension?) and her run in with her mother are epic. David and Keith's niece are good too, especially with her cracker and fudge packing remarks and Ruth's obvious discomfort. But the laugh out loud moment of the story is when David finally has enough of Ruth's improvement plan nonsense and tells her to stuff it.

8/10.   

[Joe Hellandback]

The Invisible Woman

Whoa, you know how some women are 'every schoolboys dream'? Well I think Parker is every school teachers nightmare, the one that Sting's singing about. Ironic that it's now Claire who is the voice of morality, finally getting into her schoolwork and being appalled at Parker's cheating. The story of the woman who dies with no one is oddly touching. It reminds me of the story where they bury Lee Harvey Oswald but there's no one to carry the coffin so the press do it for Marina. Keith's shooting scene is also well done, so random and stupid, like real life incidents rather than the action movie stereotype. I like David's new boyfriend, weird that he seems to still feel the need to lie about his profession. Brenda and her hooker are also interesting.

8/10 

[Joe Hellandback]

In Place of Anger

Harriet Samson Harris (Bebe, Frasier Crane's manic agent) just magnificent as the widow who is not so much grieving for the loss of her husband but just struggling to appreciate life without the man she both loved and hated but was everything to her. Weird how your memory plays tricks on you, I remember her hitting the corpse in the coffin and when Nate goes to stop her she says 'He hit me every day for 20 years'. I think Nate is actually unnecessarily nasty to Mitsy over tearing up her cheque, interesting it's David who's tempted by the good life (or the swim team Captain?)? Patricia Clarkson also good as Ruth's bohemian sister, the dynamic between her, Claire and Ruth is interesting and will be more so in later seasons. I genuinely thought Brenda's happy ending massage session was a fantasy but no, this time it's for real. 

8/10 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Joe Hellandback

[Joe Hellandback]

Back to the Garden

Love Nate and David's discussion over the effectiveness of trendy beard length ,it's hilarious especially coupled with David's black polo neck, he looks like some type of French new wave artist, you expect him to add a beret and puff on a Gauloise. The whole erotic asphyxia thing is too horrible for words, I'm so glad we didn't see the wife coming home and discovering him. Claire at her aunt's shindig is interesting, (love how Claire covers up the naked lady, for such a rebel she can be very conservative at times) you wonder, if her fling will rebel against his parents by joining the Marines and then running off to corporate America. Rico and his cousin are hilarious, you know he's not going to be having an affair with Vanessa, that would be too obvious but it's still a shock (I mean this is Carlos from Desperate Housewives).

8/10 

[Joe Hellandback]

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas with the Fishers. Really like the characterisation of the biker couple, you think they're in an abusive relationship with one another but then find out they have true love and are utterly devoted. Claire's new squeeze tells it to her how it is and she really doesn't want to hear it, largely because she knows he's right. Billy is back and is obviously better although rather boring now. The flashbacks with Nathaniel are okay, I didn't realise Gabe and Claire were a thing before he died, you can understand Ruth's grief although her anger at her children seems unwarranted. Brenda's forwardness seems to even shock her prostitute pal. You wonder if Keith isn't a little more curious about how Nikolai got his injuries? And poor Frederico, all he gets for Christmas is a punch from his cousin although you can see all sides to it.

8/10.  

[Joe Hellandback]

Someone Else's Eyes

The opening death scene is great, you're on tenterhooks as to which one of the construction workers is going to fall but it turns out to be some poor sap walking by (would that really work? Would something like a lunchbox be able to achieve a fatal terminal velocity?). Claire takes her first steps into photography and they decide to bring Parker back in? Billy's request is a little icky if Claire was actually 17 as he thought? Wow, Lisa, talk about changing Nate's life in a heartbeat? Since when did he have a motorcycle? You'd think he would be happy to have a kid given his condition, that even if he dies his family will at least have their nephew/grandchild. Love David's ideal gay couple fantasy and the warring 2nd wife and daughters is funny. Brenda's descending into full nymphohood but my favourite scenes are Ruth facing off with the thug at the flower shop and Frederico taking care of Nikolai but snapping at him over his questions.

8/10   

[Joe Hellandback]

The Secret

One of my favourite scenes in the entire show is where Nate is dealing with the Bhuddist couple and screwing it up royally and then David sweeps in like some sort of undertaker superhero and saves the day. Some nice scenes with Nate and Frederico's son. The scene with Nate and his kids who never were is eerie, getting these child actors to say these lines. I kept expecting Brenda to run into her parents at the sex party, the scene with the therapist saying straight-faced that she wants to be a 'truck stop crack whore' is about as surreal as the show gets. James Morrison who I loved on Space;AAB. You do feel sorry for Claire's teacher, you can't accept photos instead of written work. Brenda's shower is also excellent, putting Ruth in an unfamiliar situation is always comedy/drama gold. Poor Keith. Some powerful foreshadowing too, Lisa saying she wants to be a big mess when she dies and Nate casting his eye over the unclaimed cremation remains. You feel sorry for Brenda's hooker friend, Brenda is a jerk to her.

7/10  

[Joe Hellandback]

The Liar and the Whore

I have to say when I first saw an excited Claire and Parker run up the stairs together my first instinct was that this was a lesbian thing rather than drugs? Frederico taking the hot dog out of the dead person's mouth is all kinds of awful, his pride at discovering a potential crime mixed with his sudden realisation that he may have gotten his wife fired. Nate and Brenda in the liar and the whore t-shirts is brilliant.

7/10

I'll Take You

An interesting ep for Frederico, we see how he came to Fisher and Sons and his battle with the dead neighbour's son is great, we can see both sides of the story, he feels guilt that he wasn't a better son but in the end he did his best. Brenda at her parents remarriage is interesting, for once they and even Billy seem the grounded ones and even Nate seems to enjoy himself. David, Keith and the social worker are also great but then the end scene with him using excessive force in the domestic violence situation is a shocker, he'd always seemed such a cool and collected guy. Nate and the pancreatic cancer patient are great, you keep expecting him to tell him about his EBM but he never does.

8/10

The Last Time

 It's an interesting scene with David and Keith fighting, if this was a hetero couple we'd think this was spousal abuse but with 2 men it just seems different. Then when they have maek-up sexy it's just hilarious. For the record I'm with Keith, given everything else they've been dealing with they really can't take care of his niece. Love Parker and Claire on the beach too, the death scene for Nate's cancer friend and his subsequent cremation are very good too, the story about the baby and the tooth is macabre but at the same time very logical.  Brenda at the sex addiction clinic is comedy gold and about time Ruth ditched Nikolai. 

8/10

[Joe Hellandback]

Perfect Circles

Always disconcerting with this series as with the fantasy elements you're never quite sure if this is real or imaginary, did Nate die or not? Thankfully we learn he survived and is enjoying a degree of domestic bliss with Lisa. Or did he? Perfectly possible the rest of the series is his Jacob's Ladder style dream?I think this might be the only ep of the series that lacks an actual body in the preparation room. Love Keith and David in the couples counselling (Ayre Gross, yay!) , Keith cast out from his community of the police and struggling to find himself whilst without Tyler to hold them together David tries to branch out and qualify for the gay man's choir. At least Ruth is ecstatic at her grandchild (Lisa's effort to set the boundaries between her )and the grandmother simultaneously touching and heart-breaking)_ and Claire seems to be revelling in art school. Love Nate's reminisces, especially Christmas at the Fishers. The bit where Lisa has to console her neurotic Hollywood boss is hilarious and makes you want her to continue to be  regular character. Also love Nate's hallucinations and the various ways his life/death could have turned out. Frederico , not given much to do beyond his obvious new found status as a partner.            

7/10

[Joe Hellandback]

You never know

Very clever opener, even when you see the massacre you still think the man with the stove is going to blow himself up. Frederico and the arguing corpses is great stuff too, for my money I'd agree with David, the shooter's parents have enough on their plate without having to shop around for undertakers. Good scene too with Keith and the therapist, I actually thought he was coming on to him at first. Kathy Bates as Bettina for the first time and seeing Ruth react to her sister's addiction is a revelation on a series which takes drug use to lightly. Lord but you want to slap Lisa's boss. Not sure what to make of Claire's new guy, he seems too good to be true but we have Russell for the first time.  

8/10

[Joe Hellandback]

The Eye Inside 

Interesting yet tragic opener, reminds me of the famous Michael Griffith case from New York (but without the racial element). Love David and Keith's weekend away, a couple of pretty staid guys who finally get the chance to cut loose. Thank god Lisa ditches Carol, she was really beginning to wear thin and you find yourself cheering inwardly when she finally tells her to drop dead.

7/10

Nobody Sleeps

Good opener, you think that David and Keith would fit in just perfectly with this company and of course you assume the poor guy is dying of Aids. The scene with David and Rico and the penis piercing is just too horrible for words. Interesting to see how fond Ruth is of Bettina and how she's going to miss her. Also we have Dagney Kerr as the dental receptionist. Buffy and SFU sharing so many actors. We also get the Lisa/Ruth comparison from Nate and it is creepy as hell, the series not afraid to go there in the pre-Game of Thrones era and will of course do so again. All the Clare and the art school stuff however leaves me cold. 

7/10

The Trap

Yeah, Josh Radnor, have you met Ted? Love the moustache and full set. Interesting opener, you keep expecting something horrible to happen to the hikers (it resembles the opening of a horror film). The scene between Keith and the whacko security guard is just bizarre. Brenda's back, oh, now things are beginning to get interesting. And Rainn Wilson as Arthur, shame we didn't get to see more of the interviews.

8/10 

[Joe Hellandback]

Making Love Work

Clare and Russell, about time! Nice that Clare took his cherry and that he lends a hand during Arthur's crisis. Knew Brenda was a hallucination but her jumping off the cliff is still a shocker. Ruth and Arthur bonding over Silent Running and their shared prudery is super cute (who left the TV on the porn channel? I'd say David but as we see he likes a horse of a different colour). Hockey masked maniacs aside does anything good ever come of going camping in TV/movies? Very little Frederico/David/Keith this week. David's gaydar is a little brilliant and love his bedtime discussion. Personally I always took a starched, clean and perfectly ironed handkerchief to be the mark of a true gentleman. 

8/10

Edited October 26, 2019 by Joe Hellandback

[Joe Hellandback]

Timing and Space

Bern's death and funeral is oddly affecting, so strange to see Billy being the level headed and calm one compared to his mother. Arthur's imaginary tirade against Ruth following him is hilarious. Keith and David at the party is also great "Are you sure you're gay?". Rico and Vanessa are also good, she's normally such a strong character but here we see her fragility.  Best of all though is Ruth's rendition of 'Favourite Things' which is epic.

8/10  

[punkypower]

Thanks SO MUCH for doing this, Joe!!

I can't tell you how big a fan of your BtvS recaps I am. It was such a treat to open this thread and see I have new HellAndBack material to look forward to!

[Joe Hellandback]

19 hours ago, punkypower said:

Thanks SO MUCH for doing this, Joe!!

I can't tell you how big a fan of your BtvS recaps I am. It was such a treat to open this thread and see I have new HellAndBack material to look forward to!

Thanks, you're too kind.

Tears, Bones and Desire

 Rico; "I don't want to be hanging around down there with loads of sharp things and a member of the Mansons"

David; "Well I can't do it, I have gay paintball"

Might be my favourite dialogue exchange in the entire show! David and Keith were always a very special gay couple, David a quite stereotypical gay man but struggling with his very conservative personality, Keith a very unconventional gay man who struggles to fit in with gay society due to his macho nature. And inevitably it all comes to a head with gay paintball. Aside from that the People at the Fishers are interesting, they seem very wholesome and legitimate but when the adolescent girl starts flirting with Nate you get the creep factor, she's never spoken to an adult male before except for 'Daddy', she's obviously curious and likes Nate but just doesn't know how to express herself to him. Rico and Vanessa and Lisa and Brenda are also good, you both see the fragility of the characters. The final revelation with Rico and lice is interesting, did he ever tell Vanessa? I rather doubt it. Molly Hagan amongst Daddy's wives too, always my favourite from Herman's Head. 

8/10  

[heatherchandler]

On 10/26/2019 at 7:42 AM, Joe Hellandback said:

Timing and Space

Bern's death and funeral is oddly affecting, so strange to see Billy being the level headed and calm one compared to his mother. Arthur's imaginary tirade against Ruth following him is hilarious. Keith and David at the party is also great "Are you sure you're gay?". Rico and Vanessa are also good, she's normally such a strong character but here we see her fragility.  Best of all though is Ruth's rendition of 'Favourite Things' which is epic.

8/10  

Thanks, Joe for your write-ups!  I am currently doing a re-watch.  My 10th re-watch I think...  I like your insights. 

I forgot how funny Arthur's tirade was - "why don't you join the CIA or the Moonies!!!  Or better yet go to the moon!"  Cracked me up!

[Kid]

On 3/29/2014 at 3:13 PM, ShellSeeker said:

I just recently re-watched the whole series via OnDemand. I had not done that for quite awhile. I was so tempted to skip to the finale, but I made myself watch each episode in order. Every time I see it, I tear up, and I remember when I watched it for the first time. When they flashed Ruth's name, and I realized what they were doing, I started to cry. It was just such a perfect way to end that show. Best finale ever.

I finished it today. This is the first time I watch this series since it was first released. It was incredible and what surprised me was that it was not dated.

And I totally agree with shellseeker.  Best finale ever. Too bad David Chase did not learn anything from it!

[heatherchandler]

On 1/20/2020 at 5:59 PM, Kid said:

I finished it today. This is the first time I watch this series since it was first released. It was incredible and what surprised me was that it was not dated.

And I totally agree with shellseeker.  Best finale ever. Too bad David Chase did not learn anything from it!

WOAH!!!  I mean, I liked the SFU finale, it was very smart and pretty perfect.  But do not go after Sopranos, I am so in awe of that finale, I still think about it.  It's brilliant!  And Tony died... there is a whole article explaining it out there somewhere.  I know this is off-topic for SFU, sorry! 

Both amazing shows, and both amazing finales!

[Kid]

2 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

WOAH!!!  I mean, I liked the SFU finale, it was very smart and pretty perfect.  But do not go after Sopranos, I am so in awe of that finale, I still think about it.  It's brilliant!  And Tony died... there is a whole article explaining it out there somewhere.  I know this is off-topic for SFU, sorry! 

Both amazing shows, and both amazing finales!

I agree that the Soprano’s finale was brilliant - the whole point of view thing which leads to your inevitable conclusion to which I agree.  But VERY unsatisfying. You become invested in characters over the run of the show. Especially in a show as brilliant and well written as The Sopranos. And that is the reason that I choose the finale of SFU as the better one.  Again, brilliant and well written series and finale but also extremely satisfying!   You get closure with all the characters that became dear and familiar over five seasons.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Kid

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, Kid said:

I agree that the Soprano’s finale was brilliant - the whole point of view thing which leads to your inevitable conclusion to which I agree.  But VERY unsatisfying. You become invested in characters over the run of the show. Especially in a show as brilliant and well written as The Sopranos. And that is the reason that I choose the finale of SFU as the better one.  Again, brilliant and well written series and finale but also extremely satisfying!   You get closure with all the characters that became dear and familiar over five seasons.

That's very true, it was unsatisfying, like a jolt or shock. 

Yes, I agree, I did like the closure we got with SFU. 

[Liamsmom617]

On 8/7/2014 at 11:17 PM, ShellSeeker said:

I always saw it as arrested adolescence. But it's a testament to Peter Krause's acting ability that he was able to make me care about and empathize with Nate, even though he did things that would make me want to throttle anyone else.

 

I think the scenes with Nate that were the hardest for me to watch were those when he hooked up with the serial killer's daughter, and then yelled at her later. He was so cruel to her. Yeah, dude, I get it -- your wife disappeared, you're consumed with guilt, and you're completely losing it. Being you, the way you handle it is with random hook ups. But to do it with someone who is clearly very fragile and emotionally unstable was (IMO) the most egregious example of his complete self-absorption in the entire series.

(Just discovered that the series is up on Hulu!! Haven't watched since the original series aired.)

   For me the most heart-wrenching Nate scene is right before he has his surgery for the AVM (S2, I think?) and he breaks down crying with Ruth, sobbing, "I don't wanna go!" and Ruth enfolding him in her arms and saying, "Well, then I won't let you."  Wow. 

  And on the series finale, the part that gets me is when the subject of cops comes up and one of Ketih and David's sons (I haven't re-watched it yet since the original airing, so I'm fuzzy on some characters' names) says, "My Dad Keith used to be a cop!" and Keith sort of puts his hand on the son's shoulder and says, proudly, "That's right." That and Keith and David's wedding and the expression on Keith's face when David "sees" his ghost. Gut punch. 

[Liamsmom617]

On 5/9/2016 at 3:00 AM, Jordan27 said:

I just found the show on one of those free weekends. I like it and my sister does too.  We are still in the first season.  I was able to tape through S2, Ep. 8.

I hardly recognize MCH.  Wow, and someone thought he could play a serial killer.  It really shows what a great actor he is.  And I loved Dexter.

Didn't read many of the other posts in this thread.  Don't want to be spoiled. 

I'll post more thoughts as I watch.

 EXACTLY. Michael C. Hall is such an amazing actor...he literally looks like a different person as Dexter than as David. Some of that is cosmetic---different hairstyle, a "tan" (fake?) as Dexter, and it seems he was a bit leaner as Dexter...but mainly I think it's just his supreme talent for embodying a character. I found Dexter to be sexy AF, but David, not remotely so (and not b/c his character was gay). 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Justina Machado on week 1 of DWTS

 

[lasu]

I am just starting the series for what I think it the fifth time.  It's might be the fourth - I watched it with my ex in real time - almost 20 years ago.  I did a rewatch after, maybe two.  I honestly can't remember.  A few years ago, I started dating someone else who had never seen SFU, and we watched.  And now I've just started again.

Man, I am HATING Nate right out of the gate. I'm only partway through the third episode, but I find him infuriating.  He is the epitome of "the unearned confidence of a mediocre white guy." He just comes waltzing in, and undermines David at every turn.  I can concede that some of his ideas about grieving make sense, but if you want to change things, you need to first understand why they are the way they are.  At the point of the pilot episode, David has been working at the funeral home for over a decade and Nate doesn't know the first thing about it, but he decides he has a gift for it.  Blugh.

I've never felt this way about him from the very beginning before.  Obviously knowing where he ends up is influencing this, but he also reminds me WAY too much of the second ex I watched the show with, and obviously I don't mean it as a compliment.  I still think Peter Krause is excellent (though I think now he was the worst in the pilot), but I just want to punch Nate now, and I'm fairly sure that's not going to stop until he dies. And while I wasn't sorry to see him die, what an absolute mindfuck for Brenda, to never have resolution on his absolute fuckery.  Even though the fuckery was all him, I can't think of many things than to have a loved one die like that and never being able to deal with what he did.

[possibilities]

Can someone remind me how they got RIco to come back, without offering him a partnership in mid-season 1? 

[DanaK]

Coming to Netflix November 1 2023. My assumption at the moment is that it will be non-exclusive and continue to stream on Max as well, but that's just a guess at the moment

 

[AuntieMame]

This is one of my favorite series ever. I consider the last episode to be television as literature. Yes we needed the five years of investment in the characters for it to be as heart wrenching and satisfying as it was, but the heart piercing sincerity and the societal work done around death and grieving was phenomenal. 
 
I’ve always wanted to try a SFU experiment. I would like to find a SFU virgin and show them the pilot and the finale and see how they reacted. I watched carefully during one of my rewatches and George and the Kathy Bates character are the only two not introduced in the pilot. Their roles in the finale could be easily understood by context. I would just like to see the reaction to Six Feet Under as a de facto movie. What do you guys think? Would it still be powerful? I know not as powerful but I wonder how much would still be there. Because the pilot was stunningly written, acted and produced too. 

[Maisiesmom]

I was so excited to see this show pop up on my Netflix this week! I love this series and watched it when it first came out. (I was in mortuary school at the time and wanted to be like Rico lol!) I liked the characters and now on a re-watch  some of the stuff is just so spot on, how people react and feel when somebody dies. I have met with families that were a lot like some of the ones portrayed on the show (still on season one) like the old man whose wife died in her sleep and the he dies sitting by her casket( not the death,) just his grief and bitterness because she up and died on him. And the horrible loss of Gabe's little brother (why in God's name did the mom not lock up that gun??) I'm not going to get into the various characters personalities but all are wonderful actors (my fave is Nate Sr.-SO funny but sad with his secret life). It has been interesting doing this re-watch with all the knowledge I have now. Thanks, Netflix!

[Puffaroo]

I'm rewatching SFU for the first time since it first appeared more than 20 years ago, and I've come to one conclusion:

These people are a bunch of wackadoos!!!

I don't remember the drudgery from my first viewing. Really, these people do some of the stupidest things, and I guess it makes for good drama, but I'm having to force myself to finish the series because the finale is one of the best EVER (tied with Buffy).

[Whimsy]

Just finished watching the entire series for the very first time. SFU always gets mentioned as the best finale ever, so I’ve been meaning to watch it for a long time. When it popped up on Netflix, I decided the time was now. Binged the series  over the past month. 
 

I had a hard time relating to any of the characters since they all were so very frustrating to me.  Nate was always a selfish asshole, imo. He and Brenda were toxic.  Nate never really loved Lisa so his whole “woe is me” grieving when she died didn’t feel earned to me. 
 

Ruth bugged me from the beginning as well.  She was so whiny all of the time. I was so mad at how horribly she treated George when he was obviously sick. She was so mean to him. I also missed what was actually wrong with him since he seemed to bounce back somewhat quickly. I know it was his mental health, but I don’t r,e,ever hearing an actual diagnosis. 
 

I can’t even begin with Brenda. I have no idea why she didn’t go no contact with her entire family a long time ago. She was so self destructive every step of the way except at the very, very end. I literally hated her up until season 5, and even then didn’t come to actually care. 
 

I think I connected the most with Claire, which is probably why I stuck through with it. We didn’t have one single thing in common, and I did get frustrated with her from time- to-time as well, but it was easier to look past that since she was an actual child when the show started and she had a lot to grow. So, I felt the ending with her driving away was great. 
 

I agree with others who have previously mentioned that maybe if I had seen the ending way back when it originally aired almost 20 years ago, I would’ve liked it more, but since there have been amazing advancements in prosthetics and aging technology, it was hard to see past it. But, I did like looking around at the background of each scene to figure out who else was there. 
 

Overall, I am glad I watched it, but I think I may have liked it more had I watched it when I was also in my 30’s and was closer in age to the Fisher brothers. Now, I’m older and all I wanted to do was smack all of them (even Ruth) and tell them to grow up and stop being navel gazers. 

[Granny58]

On 10/15/2023 at 2:30 PM, AuntieMame said:

This is one of my favorite series ever. I consider the last episode to be television as literature. Yes we needed the five years of investment in the characters for it to be as heart wrenching and satisfying as it was, but the heart piercing sincerity and the societal work done around death and grieving was phenomenal. 
 
I’ve always wanted to try a SFU experiment. I would like to find a SFU virgin and show them the pilot and the finale and see how they reacted. I watched carefully during one of my rewatches and George and the Kathy Bates character are the only two not introduced in the pilot. Their roles in the finale could be easily understood by context. I would just like to see the reaction to Six Feet Under as a de facto movie. What do you guys think? Would it still be powerful? I know not as powerful but I wonder how much would still be there. Because the pilot was stunningly written, acted and produced too. 

you got one.  I watched this series for the first time beginning only a few weeks ago, finished last night.  I loved the series but the finale just floored me.  I'm still pondering it.  I liked the George and Ruth arc the best I think.  Got fed up with Claire's wide eyed, wobbly style of acting.  But yeah, the finale.  Sublime.