This op may contain some material which is not suitable for young readers, or those of a sensitive nature.
Just like Marmite, you’ll either love Six Feet Under, or you’ll hate it. This is an American series which is based upon the most dysfunctional family you can imagine. Oh yes, and they own an “after life care home”, or a funeral business.
With the same writer as American Beauty (Alan Ball), it is no surprise that this program does not apply to convention or even keep within the strict boundaries of our social taboos. It is for this reason that it is so exciting to watch, this and the humour, which is so dark, and yet not so overt to be crude (usually!)
If you see this series as simply a morbid comedy, then you will have unidentified the satiric nature of it. In the series he addresses many controversial issues like homophobia, violence, sex, drugs… pretty much everything really! It also attacks the concept of an ideal
American family which works wonderfully.
Every episode of Six Feet Under starts with a death, which usually lays a foundations upon which the rest of the program is built upon. This can sometimes be incredibly disturbing: in the most harrowing episode a gay man was beaten to death by homophobic thugs. This man then haunted David, the gay character in the show, and represented the torment he was going through. By no means is the show itself homophobic. You really warm to David, and feel what he is going through.
This is such an intriguing show that you can’t help being drawn into the character’s lives, which are portrayed so beautifully by the cast. The mother, Ruth (played by Frances Conroy) has emotional difficulties and is trying to rebuild her metaphorical “house” and not let anybody else invade it. Ruth has two sons: David (Michael C. Hall) and Nate (Peter Krause). Both of whom are completely different from each other. David places huge emphasis upon courtesy and who runs the business responsibly, whereas Nate zealously tries to escape responsibility at every opportunity and is really laid back and “cool”. David is the gay character, which leads to some hilarious moments, like his mother asking whether he has met “any nice men recently?” around the dinner table.
Nate is going out with Brenda, a genius whose brother is insane and photographs the two having sex. In turn their parents are promiscuous with other people, and the whole family know it.
Nate and David have a mis-fit sister called Claire (Lauren Ambrose) who is a bit of a loner, but fundamentally a good person who evokes genuine affection from the watcher. She is going out with a drug addict called Gabe, who accidentally shot his baby brother, and who uses her as somebody to lean on.
All of these characters live out their lives, while the father (Richard Jenkins) looks on, and makes the occasional comment, usually mocking his relatives. Did I mention that the father was dead too? Yes, he was killed while driving a hearse, all very morbid stuff!
Nearly all of the family have got involved with the drug world, some accidentally, most notably Ruth who took an “E” which David had mixed up with the aspirin whilst on a camping trip with her “gentleman friend” (her hairdresser).
What else? Oh yes, the sex. There are plenty of sex scenes, and innumerable references to it. A few of the characters have problems in the respect that they can’t get enough of it.
What a series Six Feet Under has proven to be. It is so difficult to label it, as each episode is completely different, and grasp different emotions. I think it would have to be a black humoured, tragic, satirical, emotional drama. As you can see from the tangled plot, it is a very complex show, but in my opinion one of the best.
You may have guessed that it is definitely not suitable for the kids: the profanities, violence, sex and drugs would probably turn them into one of the characters when they grow older!
At the moment Six Feet Under is on every Sunday night at 10pm, and even if at first you think you hate it, stick with it and you will be rewarded! I for one will be most upset when Six Feet Under ends, as it is so powerful, so dramatic, and so entertaining!
If you’ve missed the first two series, then do not fear, you can get them on DVD.
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