Six Feet Under: The Show About Death That Makes You Feel Alive!

Ladies and Gents I’m currently coming down from my high of last weeks dose of Six Feet Under. The with drawl pains are unbearable...I’m craving the next episode. To try to calm these addictive pangs I have decided to write about this...I guess I would call it a “drug,” to make them subside.
American Beauty’s academy award winning creator Alan Ball provides hungry audiences with yet another juicy cast and story line resulting in riveting episodes on his delicious show Six Feet Under, an original HBO series which airs Sunday nights at 9:00 pm. It’s not hard to see why it is also a success with an Emmy under it’s belt for best show, and an Emmy to costar Rachel Griffiths, who plays Brenda, for best supporting actress.
Despite the show’s content being very mature and controversial it has been embraced by critics, and audiences alike, further supported by its ratings. What makes this illustrious show eminently more compelling than many other ensemble dramas on T.V. today is its bold willingness to cross all boundaries as it is uncensored in dealing with the realities of life.
These realities take place amongst the Fisher family who own and operate an independent funeral home in LA, “Fisher and Sons.” Nathaniel Fisher, the irreverent, eccentric and somewhat dry patriarch is unfortunately and suddenly killed in a bus crash while driving in his hearse in the premiere episode. Though he is deceased, he continues to appear to various family members as their apparitional conscious, giving unique insight into the characters as well as himself.
Ruth, Nathaniel’s wizened widow carries a lot of baggage and though she’s secretly aching to come out of her uptight outer shell, she has a hard time letting go.
The eldest son Nate returns after attempting to escape the binds of his bizarre dysfunctional family to find that he is needed to help run the mortuary (along with his younger brother) because of the loss of his father. Reluctant at first, Nate eventually commits whole heartedly to the proposition, revealing his depth as a sensitive guy despite his harsh exterior. He maintains the balance in the topsy turvy world of the Fishers.
Nate meets his girlfriend -to- be, Brenda, in an intense-casual "sexcapade" within the confines of an airport utility closet, after catching each other’s eye on a flight they’ve shared. Brenda is a complex former child genius who explores her relationship neuroses with Nate. Though every character is brilliant Brenda’s stands out as she embodies a multifaceted woman: sexual, wild, witty, vulnerable, intelligent, sensual and scared; a real woman.
The younger son David is conservative and repressed as he bottles up his homosexuality. When he reveals the truth about being gay, he becomes more self indulgent, giving viewer's a graphic look into homosexual interaction. His character is thoroughly amusing, though at times the explicitness of his sexual conduct makes me uneasy.
Claire is the youngest of the three fisher children who feels alienated in her confused teen world where she seeks acceptance and love. She masks these feelings with cynicism and sarcasm that create a wall where she is even protected from the embarrassment of having to drive a pea green hearse.
It’s as if the actors in the cast were born to play their quirky roles as their brilliance brings their stories to hyper-life. These realistically portrayed characters weave together in an original fabric that is as authentic as it is risqué.
The production value of this show is superior. The writing is meaningful and real, the effects are visually stunning, and the uniqueness of presentation, as each episode begins with the death of the Fisher’s future client, are unmatchable.
There has never been a show that has taken me on the emotional roller coaster that Six Feet Under has, and for this rare treat I am truly grateful. When a show can make you laugh, cry, provoke thought, offend, startle, and inspire you all within the same hour you know it’s something truly special. Who would ever have thought that a show revolving around the disturbing theme of death, could ironically and consistently make viewers feel so alive! Key themes of death and loss, love and growth, and characters and relationships are the touchstones of this extraordinary show.
I hate to admit that I am now a certified Six Feet Under junkie. I look forward to every week’s episode as I am addicted to the unmatched extreme doses of real content, and the life affirming satisfaction that I’m left with.