 |
HBO has always been ahead of the game when
it comes to original programming. The cable
giant, along with presenting first run movies,
has given us the likes of "The Sopranos",
"Sex and the City", "Carnivale",
"Deadwood" and "The Wire."
All were (and still are in some cases) groundbreaking
shows, offering some of the most original
and creative writing ever.
Always willing to 'push the envelope', as
it were, these shows were always willing
to shock, titillate and in some cases…
offend. Oddly enough, as much as I have
enjoyed all of these shows in one form or
another, I have yet to actually subscribe
to the channel. I finally broke down and
switched from cable to Dish, but have still
shied away from the lure of HBO, Showtime
or Cinemax.
|
My preference is to wait for the eventual DVD
releases. I kind of stay to myself at work so
I miss all the water cooler talk that would fill
me with spoilers for these shows and I am more
than patient enough to wait the extra year or
so to be entertained. Such was the case with what
turned out to be one of my favorites, "Six
Feet Under." I actually heard quite a bit
about this series when it originally aired, but
did not see my first episode until late 2004 (three
years after its premiere) when I opted to purchase
the 1st season DVD set. I was intrigued by what
I had heard, and being a fan of 'quirky' (though
I hate the word itself) was sure I'd love it.
The series revolved around the Fisher Family Funeral
Home and those who resided within. The Fisher
family had never really been what you'd call close,
and when the patriarch of the family (Richard
Jenkins) dies suddenly and tragically on the eve
of the return of their prodigal son Nate (Peter
Krause), everyone's life changes irrevocably.
Nate is forced to join with his brother David
(Michael C. Hall) in the family business, even
though he has no interest in doing so, or even
any business sense in how to run it. Their sister
Claire (Lauren Ambrose) is addicted to drugs and
wears her depression like it was her only set
of clothes. Their mother, Ruth (Frances Conroy),
having spent the entirety of her adult life being
a housewife, is left adrift and alone, becoming
more and more withdrawn as time passes. What we
learn over the first season about each of these
people is fascinating and at times frightening.
David is a closeted homosexual (though he does
not stay in the closet forever), Lauren finds
that she is addicted to destructive relationships,
Nate falls in love with Brenda (Rachel Griffiths),
a woman he meets on the plane home who turns out
to be much more than could ever expect. Plus,
we learn at the end of the 1st season that Nate
just might have reason to worry about his own
eventual demise.
What drew me to this series was the premise that
each episode featured someone who dies and becomes
a customer of the Funeral Home. While their lives
only make up a small part of the overall story,
they 'live' to communicate with Nate or David
about the direction their lives are headed. It's
not a 'haunting' per se, but more a psychological
reaction on the part of the brothers that uses
these 'people' as a sort of cathartic release
of their own inner demons. It was often as funny
as it was heartbreaking.
For some reason, this bit of business was dropped
in the 2nd season, and while the show didn’t
really suffer any for its loss, I still missed
the richness of it. The focus directed itself
more firmly on the foibles of the family itself,
which fortunately was interesting enough in its
own right. The one constant though, was the continued
'visitations' by Nathanial Sr., who was still
seen by Nate, Jr. These offered some of the show's
most poignant moments.
Since the release of that 1st season set, I have
seen all of the sets that have been released.
The series throughout the 5 season run never wavered
from its quality writing, but admittedly by the
3rd season some of the show's relationships began
to wear a little thin. There just wasn't enough
resolution in some areas, with a few of the characters
making the same mistakes over and over again (kind
of like people in real life) and it was a little
frustrating. But all of this came to a close with
the 5th season.
With the exception of two of the episodes that
I found to be a little a little redundant, the
rest of the season was superlative. Knowing that
the series was about to end, the writers were
given the opportunity to wrap up many of the character's
storyline arcs in acceptable, if not rather painful,
ways. I don’t really want to give anything
away here in case you have not seen the series
yourself yet.
And unlike most series that end, the final episode
is probably one of the strongest and most satisfying
ever put to screen, with the possible exception
of the final episode of "M.A.S.H." We
not only find a sense of closure for most of the
characters, we are also given a glimpse into the
futures they experience right up until the end.
So in a way it is not only an end for the series,
but an end to the people whose lives carried it.
HBO Home Entertainment has also never been known
for delivering cheap DVD sets to its viewers.
And I'm not only referring to the price. While
these sets can be a little pricey, there is a
quality that is unmatched not only by the contents
of the series within, but everything from the
packaging to the extra features. This was true
of the separate season sets, and now even more
so with the release of a FULL SERIES set. The
case that holds the disc holders is meant to look
like the top and sides of a grave. The side walls
are brown and the top is covered with a green
fuzzy 'grass'. In the middle of the grass is a
feaux marble plaque emblazoned with the show's
title, the Complete Series and 2001 - 2005. One
side of the case opens up to allow removal of
the digipaks that hold the DVDs.
Each season is held in its own digipak which opens
up to show off the discs as well as pictures of
the cast members, episode titles and extra features.
These digipaks were the same ones used for the
original releases. There is also a cool looking
hardcover 'In Memoriam' book that lists each of
the characters along with their epitaphs. The
booklet also holds the two CD releases of music
from the series. All of the extra features are
intact from the original releases and are listed
below. It's an awesome full series set and would
make a terrific Christmas present for any fan
of the series.
"Six Feet Under", for all of its five
seasons, was a show to be reckoned with. The characters
were more deeply written than you'd find on most
shows, and even at their most frustrating, you
find that you really want to root for them to
find their way out of the figurative holes that
they have been digging their whole lives. It was
show that offered a lot of laughs mixed with tears,
and in its own subtle way made is believe the
afterlife might not be so bad after all.
Episodes:
Season 1 -
Pilot
The Will
The Foot
Familia
An Open Book
The Room
Brotherhood
Crossroads
Life's Too Short
The New Person
The Trip
A Private Life
Knock, Knock
Season 2 -
In the Game
Out, Out Brief Candle
The Plan
Driving Mr. Mossback
The Invisible Woman
In Place of Anger
Back to the Garden
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Someone Else's Eyes
The Secret
The Liar and the Whore
I'll Take You
The Last Time
Season 3 -
Perfect Circles
You Never Know
The Eye Inside
Nobody Sleeps
The Trap
Making Love Work
Timing & Space
Tears, Bones and Desire
The Opening
Everyone Leaves
Death Works Overtime
Twilight
I'm Sorry, I'm Lost
Season 4 -
Falling Into Place
In Case of Rapture
Parallel Play
Can I Come Up Now?
That's My Dog
Terror Starts at Home
The Dare
Coming and Going
Grinding the Corn
The Black Forest
Bomb Shelter
Untitled
Season 5 -
A Coat of White Primer
Dancing for Me
Hold My Hand
Time Flies
Eat a Peach
The Rainbow of Her Reasons
The Silence
Singing for Our Lives
Ecotone
All Alone
Static
Everyone's Waiting
Extra Features:
Season 1 -
Behind the Scenes 20 Minute Featurette, Audio
Commentary by Alan Ball, Deleted Scenes, Opening
Title Featurette, 2 Music Tracks
Season 2 -
Anatomy of a Working Stiff, 5 Audio Commentaries
Season 3 -
Living on the Ledge - a Bird's Eye View of Season
3, Deleted Scenes, 5 Audio Commentaries
Season 4 -
Cut by Cut - Editing Six Feet Under, Deleted Scenes,
7 Audio Commentaries, Bob Costas Interview with
the Cast
Season 5 -
Audio Commentaries, Six Feet Under 2001 - 2005
- Two 30 minute Retrospectives, Life and Loss:
The Impact of Six Feet Under
Six Feet Under - In Memoriam Booklet: Contains
Epitaphs for the Main Characters and Both CD Soundtracks
Starring: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances
Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, James
Cromwell, Rachel Griffiths
Studio: HBO
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Six Feet Under: The Complete Series
an A.
|
