6 Feet Under 6/2/02 Season Finale (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

What a season ending cliffhanger!

People do the strangest things when faced with their own mortality, or a loved one is facing it.

I won't synopsize it for a few more hours, unless someone else does. But a very strong episode once again.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Patrick,

I agree completely. For myself, I felt this was the strongest episode of the season. The opening death scene was excellent and really set the tone for the rest of the show.

 

[Paul Jenkins]

I thought for a second they were going to kill off Nate in the opening! What a turn THAT would have been.
Best show of the season, IMHO. Off to watch "The Wire" now

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I agree with the previous comments. I had kind of stopped watching SFU because the episodes had become so dark and most of the characters were little more than the sum total of their flaws and pathologies. But last night we saw their humanity: their capacity for love, their suffering and their desire to reach beyond the prisons they had built for themselves. I found David to be especially moving. Damn! Do I have to wait another nine months to see how it turns out? As SFU is fond of reminding us, we never know if we'll be around nine months from now.

 

[Patrick Sun]

6FU is one of those shows that can have you crying one second and then laughing a minute later: As Nate breaks down and cries in his mother's arms, we then get David and Claire on pot doing their impressions of Nikkolai. Tragic and funny stuff. It was almost too much to take, such is theater of life.

Spoilers ahoy:

The opening death is of Adam, the guy that Nate has been seeing everyday since last episode/month. Nate had to encourage this guy to die, though it was very painful for Nate emotionally (Peter Krauss did a bang-up job in this episode). Adam is to be cremated, and the cremation process gets delayed a day. Nate comes back the next day and gets the whole lowdown on the cremation process - a bit on the grisly side, and even mentions the Georgia Non-cremation scandal we had this past year where some guy was just piling up the bodies, though the loved ones thought they would be cremated. There's a certain level of cremation that needs to be done, else people think it's just soot, but the cremation operator told Nate about how one father freaked out when he found a tooth from the cremation of his baby child (babies do have teeth in their jaws). The entire process hit Nate pretty hard has he is facing his own mortality.

Nate accompanies Ruth to Lisa's place to see his daughter in person for the first time. Nate is trying to touch all the bases before his condition gets worse. Lisa is okay with Nate showing up. Ruth looks to be in her element as a child caretaker.

Nate has to tell Ruth that he's got AVM (during a car ride that has Nate feeling bad), and Ruth is just flat out pissed that she's the absolute last person in the family to find out. Nate's surgeon is one squirmy doctor, putting his advanced condition on Nate's shoulders for not hearing what he "might have" told him (to be fair, I think Nate was having one of his fantasies during his initial doctor's visit). Nate shares some tender times with David, Claire, and even makes peace with Brenda, though he gets in one final push-off when he doesn't want her at the hospital during his surgery.

So Rico is in as a partner, though the 2 Fisher boys still have majority stake (Rico at 25%, and each of the boys at 37.5%). At least the business can go on. Larry Drake plays the part of the inspector to a "T", noticing every little thing.

Brenda starts going to Sex Addicts Anonymous, and meets up with the Grant Show character from earlier in the season. He's quite the slut, but he and Brenda have a talk about what it all means, and Brenda's trying to get better, trying to make sense of love, being open to it, rather than using promiscuous sex as a way to isolate herself even while being in a relationship at the same time. After her visit with Nate, she packs up the car and leaves her dwelling.

Ruth quits the flower shop. Nikkolai is pretty much relieved after tiring of Ruth constantly showing him new photos of Nate's child. Nikkolai will try to pay back Ruth, albeit a very little bit each week, for which this week's payment was only $62, a slow week.

Claire has a meltdown in front of a person interviewing her for Easy Valley Art college. I think this is the first time we've seen Claire honestly react to the whole year of events since her father died. Parker, Claire's friend, got busted when her SAT Surrogate test taker turned herself in and screwed over 300 people (how one person can take 300 SAT test is beyond logic), and Parker is also getting sent to East Valley Art college. Claire laughed her ass off about this development.

David is dealing with Keith who packed up Taylor to her grandparents since he got suspended by the police force, and is looking for a new job. David and Keith are so far apart that David doesn't feel that he can even tell Keith about Nate's upcoming surgery. Finally, after a big physical fight, and some tremendous (from the looks of it) make-up sex, perhaps things will get better between them.

Ruth put her foot down and wanted David to be there for Claire at graduation, while Ruth stays with Nate at the hospitial. She was rather emphatic about it as well. But after smoking the pot, both David and Claire decide to go straight to the hospital. Once there, Ruth hugs Claire (one of the few times that's happened), though is a bit more formal with David.

The last scenes are of a newly shaved Nate on the operating table counting backwards to induce sleep during the operation. The next thing you see is Nate jogging, and a big bus rolls on by, stops, and Nate walks up to its doors. Fade to credits.

Whether or not Nate gets on the bus is up to his will to live and his surgeon's skills. The bus is being used as a metaphor to leaving for the next station in existence if Nate gets on the bus.

 

[Butch C]

Claire was interviewing for LAC Arts

 

[John Berggren]

This may well have been the best SFU episode yet. I'll reiterate what's already been stated: It's going to be painful waiting 9 months for another SFU fix. There has been a lot of Emmy buzz for SFU, and I think it ought to win for best Drama this year. I can't think of anything that comes close.

I knew we'd get a cliffhanger when Nate visited the doctor (who was a prick). I do think (though I could be wrong) that Brenda is gone. Her last look into the camera was a little too extended for a cliffhanger departure. I could be wrong though... they certainly had room to fix Nate and Brenda's relationship based on their encounter this episode. It just didn't seem like a temporary departure. Of course that's what cliffhangers are all about - keeping us guessing.

I think Rico buying into the business will set up an interesting dynamic this coming season. Certainly it gives him reason to stay, but it does seem like he likes to slack off, and take time off. It may inspire him to work harder, or it may inspire him to slack further. He and David will need to come to terms over David's homosexuality and Rico's Machismo.

I think Claire got into LAC ARTS. I can't imagine why she wouldn't. Sure she broke down in the interview, but I don't think they will strike her for that. The interviewer seemed pretty understanding. It's amazing when grieving rears it's head. It's never quite when you expect it. People can go through the immediacy of death, the wake, the funeral without crying... then break down while driving through at a McDonalds. I really am amazed at the realism of this show.

I wonder how long David and Keith will remain together. Releasing tension through sex is a good thing, but I wonder if their problems aren't really over. At the beginning and middle of the season I could have seen David and Keith going the distance, but now I don't think so. I think David expects more from Keith than he'll ever get, and he deserves more. People change though.

I love this show!

Season 1 on DVD?

Season 3 when????

 

[Michael Reuben]

I was struck by the fact that, with the imminent operation, Nate had no visions of his departed father. All of his communication was with the living, and it was more direct and concentrated than anything we've ever seen from him. At the end, the fact that the bus was empty and the road deserted spoke volumes.

M.

 

[ScottH]

Whether or not Nate gets on the bus is up to his will to live and his surgeon's skills. The bus is being used as a metaphor to leaving for the next station in existence if Nate gets on the bus.

And it should also be mentioned that wasn't that the same bus that killed Nate's father? Or at least symbolically?

 

[Shawn C]

I don't think that it's a coincidence that the bus was there. I don't think it has to be the same EXACT bus that killed his father since Nate would have probably never seen what the bus looked like in the first place.

 

[ScottH]

I just vaguely remember an earlier episode that centered around the bus.

 

[Jodee]

All I can say is that Peter Krase better get an Emmy for this. He is just amazing.

WHen Claire first walked into that audition room, I said t my husband: "That look like the Flashdance room!" So when they showed her legwarmers, I about doubled over in laughter. That was great.

 

[John Berggren]

There was an episode wherein Brenda brought David and Nate onto the bus as a way to get them to greive/forgive/deal. They each know which specific bus. I do beleive it was the bus.

I don't think the bus offers anything to him though. It's empty and lonely. I think Nate will choose the open road.

 

[Ted Lee]

everything has already been said, so i won't dwell anymore. let's just say this was a great cliff-hanger. excellent way to end the show.

is it really going to be nine-months? ugh! i don't think i can wait that long...

oh yeah...i was also very pleased with myself with the part where claire first does her "audition". as soon as she walked in, i said, "hey, that looks like the set from flashdance!". i've also seen the set (or a pretty darn similar one) in several other movies. i was rollin...

 

[Derek Miner]

I think Claire got into LAC ARTS. I can't imagine why she wouldn't. Sure she broke down in the interview, but I don't think they will strike her for that.

I'm willing to bet they do. Since they set up that Claire's "friend" will be going to the same school, I think this just prolongs Claire's battle between her creative side and her destructive side. I was suspicious of whether she was ever going to get into LAC Arts. She wanted that more than anything, and where's the drama in a story where you get what you want? Interesting that the suppressed grief over he father's death surfaced right there. I wonder if Claire doesn't feel right being happy, because it triggers this?

 

[Jodee]

My one complaint about this episode is I felt a bit cheated over some of the things they skipped over in regards to Nate's baby. For example, I wanted to see David & Claire's reaction to the news that Nate has a baby. Wouldn't they have also felt hurt he did not tell them. I also wanted to what happened when Ruth told Nate she knew about the baby and had seen Lisa. I wished they had not skipped over this.

I also found it odd that Claire and David were wondering "what had happened" between Nate & Brenda. While they certainly do not have the full story, wouldn't they have assumed it had something to do with Nate having a baby with another woman?

 

[Marty M]

I was struck by the fact that, with the imminent operation, Nate had no visions of his departed father.

I also had this thought. It seems he wanted to "settle" things with the people around him.

 

[Marty M]

I was struck by the fact that, with the imminent operation, Nate had no visions of his departed father.

I also had this thought. It seems he wanted to "settle" things with the people around him. It was a great episode, but struck a little too close for me. I just attended a funeral on Saturday of a 28 year guy who died from a brain tumor. It was very difficult to watch at times.

 

[Bill Kane]

SFU The Final Episode (directed by Alan Ball himself) is straightforward in plot line and an excellent Season Ender, leaving a couple of "Who Shot J.R." posers: Nate's brain surgery recovery and Brenda's Hitting The Road to who knows where in her packed red VW.

It was eye-opening to watch Brenda -- who almost had become the woman we loved to abhor -- attend a Sex Addicts Anonymous meeting and start to buy into the principles. She is hung on the first of the 12 Steps -- admitting POWERLESSNESS over the addiction (while she acknowledges her life has become unmanageable). But it doesnt look good -- she tossed the 12 Step book in the trash as she left home.

For me it was cathartic and certainly it was watching the Fisher Family in which each one cried, all in one episode.

Claire stands an very good chance of being admitted to LAC Arts (modeled on the actual Cal Arts in L.A.) even tho she broke down and cried over her father's death and her past year's life. It gave her an opportunity to describe how she tried to sublimate her emotions into her art -- certainly a "being in touch with yourself" conducive for art by some creative people, as the interviewer saw.

Claire's manipulative high school friend said she will be going to East Valley Community College, the state two-year school of last resort Claire thought she might end up at if rejected by Arts.

 

[ScottH]

Brenda's Hitting The Road to who knows where in her packed red VW.

And she fit the whole apartment in that little red VW Golf! That's actually indicative of her character. She of few possessions.