The Downward Spiral
To me, season three of HBO's Six Feet Under is the best one thus far. Alan Ball's ongoing exploration of the Fisher family has reached a confident, mature plateau with slower, less frenetic, focused plot lines, and fewer hallucinatory dreamscapes or attempts at shock value.
Nate, portrayed by Peter Krause, has been through numerous life-altering events (his operation, breakup with Brenda) over the course of three seasons, but the emotional roller-coaster he's been on with Lisa - from his desperate attempts at making their marriage work to an unfamiliar fatherhood - has felt like a slow, steady, quiet storm ready to burst wide open at any moment. But instead of jumping on his motorcycle and speeding off - as he's hinted at multiple times throughout the season - he's now falling into an emotional pit far deeper than expected, thanks to his wife's apparent disappearance.
All day I haven't been able to shake the final scene of last night's Episode 37, where Nate - exhausted, guilt ridden, and numb - sat in his missing wife's car, stared at the morning sunrise, and listened to Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light". There was something so visceral, real, and painfully melancholy about Nate's flat expression, the old cassette tape, the car, the morning light, and Rundgren's classic song - one I had completely forgotten about - that when mixed together provided one of the most memorable moments in the series.
I'm hoping the season closes with a whimper, and doesn't attempt a shocking season finale. It would only cheapen what has otherwise been a thoroughly real, satisfactory progression.
Comments
Hey, how about a spoiler warning for those of us who only just finished watching the first season on DVD? I almost read revealing plot details, and this show is so good, I don't want to know anything about what's coming up next.
Posted by: Luke Andrews at May 13, 2003 12:39 PM
And WHat about your Canadian readers? It's airs tuesday nights on Movie Central here. I wish we could get HBO legally.
Posted by: SCott at May 13, 2003 1:07 PM
Well Todd, it's television and I'm afraid your fears will most likely be realized come episode 39.
I'm thinking that Alan Ball has taken some inspiration from the Bobby Ewing/coma season of Dallas, if you get my drift.
Posted by: Yuri at May 13, 2003 1:07 PM
Theory: Brenda and/or her brother kidnapped or killed Lisa. It just seems odd to me that they brought that family back into the story.
And I agree with you, the show is getting better. I hated season #1 (too depressing, I also thought "American Beauty" was depressing), #2 was slightly less depressing and #3 is almost hopeful.
Posted by: Troy Hakala at May 13, 2003 1:12 PM
most of the people i know who've watched it from day one have either completely hated or loved this season. sure it started out slow and it was a bit distracting to think about if he was or was not dead, was he in a coma, did he choose an alternate reality and that's what we've been watching.
personally, i vote for this being the best season yet. as for the end of the season, i think they'll push the boundary 'cuz after all it is tv. hopefully not a big cliffhanger and definitely not a "whimper."
Posted by: France at May 13, 2003 1:59 PM
I totally agree with your comment. That last scene completely captured what it is like to feel intense sorrow in when surrounded by the beauty of sunshine and ocean. There is something that seems intensily California about that, at least to me.
I am also hoping for a more subdued season ending - I have a feeling we will be left with the unknown of Lisa's disappearance throughout the off-season.
Posted by: Daniel Wabyick at May 13, 2003 5:27 PM
Six Feet Under is the best that TV has to offer right now.
I think that this season has been wonderful so far. I've enjoyed that there has been less reliance on hallucination and the phasing out of Nathaniel Sr. was natural.
The show is so emotionally honest. It's so refreshing compared to most other things written for both TV and movies.
Posted by: Davin at May 14, 2003 10:15 AM
I think that this is the shows best season, and has been one of the most intriguing series of episodes on television in general. I also agree Todd's comment about ending it with a "whimper" rather than a shocking event because strength of the season is in the quite moments and tension that is picked up when things aren't said between the protagonists.
Posted by: Jeff at May 14, 2003 1:34 PM
i'm glad lisa is missing -- her character is annoying and codependent. i hope she doesn't come back.
at least brenda and her f-ed up family is interesting...but both women are good actresses
Posted by: me at May 14, 2003 6:36 PM
I think this season is the best followed by the first and then the second. The whole Brenda is total whore scenario was a bit too in your face and a bit phoney for me to believe, but that said... the worst SFU episodes are still better than 99% of the crap on network TV.
Did any Hitchcock fans notice the clever touch in the scene where David comes over to console Nate? I wrote a term paper on the film that was playing on the tv in the background, Hitchcock's greatest early British film, Lady Vanishes.
I understand your desire for a subtle ending this year, but Alan is a huge fan of the epiphany and rarely does he use subtle ones... if there is such a thing as a subtle epiphany.
My predictions are that Lisa will end up being dead (Lili Taylor has always been credited as a "guest star"). It will also give Brenda's character a chance to be consoling which her character needs since so many people hate her character after the exagerated infidelity of last season. Clare will get an abortion with the help of Brenda. Keith will fool around when David restrains from sleeping with that one guy who is too much like himself and David will play that hurt victim role he's good at, but he'll then realize it's freedom... The mom will go with that new guy from the funeral which will lead Arthur to do something totally weird... possibley next season. I don't have an idea what's going to happen with the whole Rico/Vanessa plotline, but to me, Rico is the most underrated actor on that show. I love his character and would love to see him have to juggle the single father thing... to be totally broken and watch him deal, but after watching Nate do that this season, it would be too much...
Wow, I wrote a freaking novel... Sorry, I just get going... and maybe because I just watched the re-run ten minutes ago all this stuff is in my head...
Posted by: JMBR at May 14, 2003 10:43 PM
