Six Feet Under: Opinions, oh and Alias too (1 Viewer)

[KatieB]

Hello! I am thinking of buying the first season of Six Feet Under, blind. Does anybody have any opinions to share about the series? I have the Sopranos and Sex and the City from HBO, but I have only seen bits and pieces of one episode of Six Feet Under, and its kinda pricey...

On another note, I bought Alias S1 blind, and I fell in love with it. I am half way through the second season (of course I had to run out and get it after seeing the finale of S1) and it just keeps getting better. I just watched Episode 13 "Phase One" and I almost fell out of my chair! Are the rest of the seasons this good?

Thanks,
Kate

 

[Mark_Johnson]

It has some really good episodes but I dont think its good enough for a blind buy. You probably should rent it first. It has a lot of really funny dark humor dealing with death and such as well as some very emotional scenes. But some of the season is lackluster.

There are a few absolutely excellent episodes (the pilot for instance) but i thought the storylines started to get a little weak near the end. There is also too many graphic scenes of guys kissing which was rather cringe worthy. But besides that, a good show that is definitely worth watching.

Also, the rest of Alias: S2 is good, havent seen S3 yet.

 

[Nicodemus]

Honestly, I was quite disappointed with Six Feet Under. IMO season 1 was weak with too little drama as was the first half of the 2nd season. The last half of the second season was nearly excellent and I'm anxiously waiting for season 3 to start here in Finland. But the series has not really met my expectations and if it doesn't keep the steam, I'll probably stop watching.

 

[MaraKM]

I thought Six Feet Under season 1 was stellar -- a wonderful mix of strange/sad/funny/gross/beautiful. In later seasons, it has become more soap-opera-ish, but I'm hooked on the characters and I want to see where it will go. I think if you liked Sopranos, you will probably like Six Feet Under. Rent the pilot episode and see if it leaves you wanting more.

As for Alias, I have been watching it on ABC since season 1. Season 1 & 2 were great. Season 3 has been a train wreck -- rampant character assassination, plot holes and continuity errors so massive that...words fail me. The season finale is airing in 3 weeks, and I'm honestly still wishing that they'd just make this whole season turn out to be a dream. There have been some good bits, and maybe it will be less painful when watched on dvd, but JJ Abrams really dropped the ball this year, too busy working on his other new projects to keep the writers on track.

 

[Dane Marvin]

Six Feet Under season one was incredibly addictive. I purchased it blind brand new and wasn't disappointed. You can actually find it used more and more now, so I would recommend doing so. You can probably find it for under $50 this way. I just think HBO prices their DVDs way too high. $100 for 13 episodes? I bought mine on sale week, so it was like $75.

I really thought it was good and so did my brother's girlfriend, who watched it straight through one day without taking a break. After my mom got a hold of it and did the same thing, she decided to order HBO so she could start watching the series regularly.

I was a little biased in purchasing as I had seen one episode before and found it to be great. And also because I had just finished Sports Night: The Complete Series and was totally looking forward to seeing Peter Krause's next project. Also, I knew that Alan Ball -- the man responsible for "American Beauty" -- was the man behind this project.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I think Six Feet Under is a rent first thing.

Good points:
(1) very good writing
(2) superb black humour that in spite of its subject matter manages never to make cruel or sadistic jokes
(3) the dysfunctional family is realistic

Bad points:
(1) for very obvious reasons, don't watch it if you have a loved one recently deceased or very ill
(2) some of the characters are love 'em or hate 'em. Personally, the whiny daughter really gets on my nerves, in spite of the implied vulnerability of her character, and the slacker brother with his ghastly manipulative girlfriend are also annoying. However, a lot of my friends just love them.

So as I said, watch and decide for yourself, but rent first because it's a lot of money to spend if you decide after episode 1 that you don't like it. Oh, and don't just watch an episode on TV at random - the plot develops quite a lot and if you watch out of sequence you'll be baffled or be given spoilers.

 

[Kevin Porter]

Alias was a great show in it's first two seasons but has taken a dive in quality in it's third. This could be attributed to a number of reasons:

1. The absence of JJ Abrams. ABC pretty much told him to sex it up and dumb it down and there wasn't really anything he could do so he started to bury himself in other projects. Here's a quote from a poster over at Television Without Pity:


So while there may be other contributing factors, this is by far the greatest one. I still have hope for the show but this quote really isn't setting my toes a tappin'.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Figures. It's probably why every other episode has Jennifer in a skanky outfit... I thought the point of being a spy was NOT to draw attention?



I don't really understand this. I'm sure many homosexual people don't find a man and a woman kissing to be "cringe worthy." Nor do a lot of men seem to find the prospect of two women kissing as a disgusting thing... then again, they aren't usually picturing two WOMEN, they're picturing two gorgeous straight girls who are "exploring" their sexuality, but aren't really lesbians.

I don't see how it's particularly "cringe worthy." If you're secure in your masculinity, it shouldn't bother you at all. The show looks at a variety of people, and their different relationships, and I'm personally very happy it's not just about a select group of stuff white straight people. They mix up the cast a little, and add in some diversity.

 

[Brooke]

I bought "Six Feet Under" blind and was not disappointed. I will say that I thought the first half of Season 1 was more captivating than the second half but I still really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the Season 2 release.

I'm about to buy "Alias" blind so I'll see how I go with that one.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I'm a hetero guy and it didn't bother me in that sense. However, I did think that he was a lousy kisser (no finesse at all; it was like a great big slobbery dog right from the start).

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Just to add, I found the first season of SFU to be the best. I thought the episodes were very interesting, and had a great vibe running through them.

Season 2 was a close second, and only a few storylines weren't as captivating.

Season 3 is often 50/50 when it comes to fans. I found it well done, if not as stylish as seasons 1-2. The story was good, and I think the only difference was that it was a much more depressing year. Lots of sleepwalking types of plots. The episodes kind of mirror how the characters are going through their lives, which worked to an extent.

I dug it.

I'd try ebay for Six Feet Under, because it's a lot of money for a 4 disc set of 13 episodes. I got mine for about fifty bucks, but I had to wait about 9 months after release date to find a good one.

HBO is doing 5 discs for season 2, which will probably improve the picture quality.

Also, I think the reason these sets are so expensive is the music rights for certain episodes, and other things. At least they give you more bang for your bucks. The Six Feet Under box is very sturdy, and looks amazing.

 

[stewart borland]

I can only 'vote' on Alias.

Bought the first two blind from forum advice and they are brilliant. Haven't seen the 3rd at all but the comments here are a bit worrying

 

[Mark_Johnson]

I am very secure in my masculinity, I just find the sight of two men kissing extemely objectionable.

Its the the same way I would feel if I saw two fat, ugly straight people passionately kissing. Does that mean I'm heterophobic?

It is just displeasing to the eye.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

But the question becomes, should this hinder your ability to watch it?

It's a beautiful series, filled with a lot of interesting pieces and great drama. I just don't think telling other people that it's in any way less watchable because of the kissing scenes is entirely accurate.

The characters in the show don't slobber on each other in every episode.

Even if it's something you're not particularly interested in seeing, it in no way damages the quality of the series.

 

[Dane Marvin]

Agree with Robert on all his points.

 

[Vincent Matis]

I did hesitate to buy the DVD of these shows too.
I finally bought Alias (for 29.90 EUR! ). But SFU is a bit too pricy IMHO (4+ times more expensive than Alias on an per-episode basis )...

Vincent

 

[andrew markworthy]

No, just very shallow.

 

[Mark_Johnson]

exactly, im just shallow. I still reccomend you rent it though.

 

[Mike Graham]

I would never recommend a blind buy for a purchase over $40. Sometimes a viewer can't connect with a show, especially when expectations are taken into account.

 

[JonZ]

Ive never really cared for this show.

It just tries to hard.