Messages from Six Feet Under

Last summer, the husband and I watched the entire series of Prison Break in roughly 5 weeks. After all was said and done, I had come to appreciate the tightly constructed narrative of the first season and characterization of Robert Knepper‘s disturbing T-Bag (right) but found myself rather irritated by the series’s ending. Little did I know, however, that Prison Break‘s conclusion and the main character’s ultimate demise would prepare me for this summer’s TV-to-DVD selection: Six Feet Under, HBO’s critically acclaimed series about a family who inhabits and operates a funeral home — a show that, I’ve found, is both fascinating and grueling to watch.

The good. I’ll admit that Six Feet Under garnered multiple nominations and awards for a reason. First, the characters are exceedingly complex. Second, the cinematography is lovingly shot, much “like an independent film” as one contributor to the DVD puts it. Third, the show’s setting and subject matter are indeed unique and often handled realistically.

The bad: OMG, the depression and ennui that ensues after watching 2-3 episodes in a row! Doing the same with Prison Break is fun, exhilarating even; but spending 2-3 hours a night with Nate (Peter Krause) and Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), David (Michael C. Hall) and Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), and Ruth (Frances Conroy) and Claire (Lauren Ambrose) can be torturous, debilitating, and traumatizing (oh, that damn hitchhiking episode!). As a result, I concur with one of my Twitter friends who aptly summarizes my viewing schedule: “Six Feet Under is one of the rare shows very much harmed by DVD viewing.”

In any event, I made it through. All five seasons. You’ll notice from portions of my Twitter stream below that it was touch and go there at times. At one point, I gave up. Mostly, I blame Brenda; but looking back, I’ll admit that Ruth and Nate share some responsibility as well. Nonetheless, after a couple of weeks of vacation from Fisher and Sons (and Diaz), I returned and lived to write this post.

Like most critics who have reviewed Six Feet Under, I agree that the series finale, particularly the last 10 minutes, is skillfully crafted. Moreover, it is especially appropriate when one considers the overall theme(s) of the show: death, mortality, and living life. However, that’s not what stands out to me about Six Feet Under, at least not right now, not while I’m this close to it. Rather, what I take away from the show are its messages about humanity, some reassuring and inspirational but most of them troubling and off-putting. So that’s what I want to consider here, the messages (some silly, some serious) from 5 years or 60 episodes of Six Feet Under. Please note: spoilers ahead…

Message 1. People who inhabit or are raised in a funeral home are damaged, egotistical, and/or repressed, and they are drawn to like people.

• Perpetually mousy, homely, and withdrawn from herself and her family, Ruth Fisher becomes romantically involved with Nikolai who’s involved with a Russian mob, Arthur who substitutes nose-nuzzling for sex, and George who sets up his home in a bomb shelter. Oh, George also undergoes shock therapy and has six ex-wives.
• Seemingly optimistic but ultimately self-absorbed and aimless, Nate Fisher commits himself to equally broken women: Brenda, a narcissistic nymphomaniac; Lisa, a tree-hugging, people-pleasing manipulator; and Maggie, a mourning mother of a dead child. Nate also hooks up randomly with women in bars, doggie daycare centers, and children’s play groups; and he once tried to seduce a (female) rabbi. Chill, Nate, chill.
• The viewer discovers the same with Claire whose ego and indifference about most of humanity nearly gets her killed, ostracized from her family, and out of work; she also engages in semi- long-term relationships with equally disturbed guys like Gabriel, Billy, Russell, and Jimmy.
• And where do I even begin with uber-repressed David and anger-infused Keith? Perhaps I’ll just save them for Message 2.

Message 2. All gay men are promiscuous and lack commitment.

Six Feet Under was nominated for and won several GLAAD awards, presumably for its frank gay and lesbian sex scenes, David’s reluctance to come out, and David and Keith’s struggle to adopt children. For those representations, the series should be commended and rewarded. But what does the show say about the sexual behavior and sense of commitment of gay men? Virtually every homosexual character on the show, even when in a committed relationship with another, fools around with other men (and some women — I’m talking to you, Keith and Celeste!). Furthermore, he almost always engages in impulsive, unsafe, and unrewarding sex (prostitute in Vegas, plumber who fixed the Fisher’s “blood overflow” problem, paintball guy). Unfortunately, I’m not sure that these images, which appear consistently over the series, are as praiseworthy as the ones for which GLAAD presumably awarded the show.

Message 3. Spirits of the dead linger in this life and speak to us in various ways.

Depending on the episode, this is presented both creepily (disfigured cadavers, Lisa dressed as a flower) and reassuringly (most of Nathaniel’s appearances, Gabe with his little brother in “heaven”).

Message 4. If you or your parents are psychologists, you’re probably destined for a life of confusion, drugs, unfulfilled romantic relationships, and potential incest.

Cases in point: Brenda, Billy, Margaret, and Bernard Chenowith.

Message 5. ALL college students smoke pot, do cocaine, and experiment with their (and others’) sexuality.

Every college (and high-school) student portrayed in Six Feet Under tried most of the above, e.g., Claire, Gabriel, Parker, Russell, Edie, Anita, Jimmy. Even some flashbacks include a young Nate and David doing the same with their friends. Is NO teenager or college student immune to drugs and alcohol, not to mention an immense amount of self-loathing?

Message 6. Patriarchs are unnecessary and replaceable.

As many scholars have pointed out, Disney has never had a problem killing off or omitting mothers (e.g., Bambi, Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty). However, in Six Feet Under, many fathers are rubbed out, e.g., Nathaniel, Nate, Bernard Chenowith, Hoyt (Lisa’s brother-in-law/lover). I’m honestly not sure why this is the case. Perhaps the writers are instilling underlying messages about the futility of patriarchy? Or that widows can fare better in this life than widowers? Then again, the women left behind aren’t all that stable themselves. If you have any thoughts here, please comment. =)

Message 7. Enlightened, earthy, liberal-minded, hippie-ish do-gooders fare no better than anyone else in this world.

See, for example, Lisa Kimmell Fisher (Lili Taylor) and Sarah, Ruth’s sister (Patricia Clarkson). Can I just say quickly here that I love Sarah’s friend, Bettina (Kathy Bates)? Fun fact: Kathy Bates directed five episodes.

Message 8. One’s religion may be essential for planning a funeral service, but it’s immaterial otherwise.

Most of the funeral services depicted in Six Feet Under are grounded in religion (priests, monks, rabbis, crosses, etc. are featured), but rarely are the tenets or rituals of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. portrayed as calming or positive. In fact, one of the most moving episodes of the series opts for a full-out staged opera in lieu of a traditional religious ceremony (“Nobody Sleeps“). Ultimately, although the Fisher family says grace before dinner and Nate attends a couple of Quaker services — the latter of which are depicted as weird and pointless primarily through Brenda’s perspective (above) — atheist and agnostic beliefs hold much more weight in Six Feet Under, especially outside the service room of Fisher and Sons.

Message 9. Death is immanent, unexpected, and often unexplained.

To me, this is Six Feet Under‘s greatest gift to the viewer. In an age as well as a medium that privileges life, youth, invincibility, and a complete disregard for death, the show’s constant emphasis on mortality is provocative and, dare I say, refreshing. Sociologists Avi Shoshana and Elly Teman have argued that Six Feet Under even goes so far as to evoke “the idea that the living can be more lifeless than the physically deceased and that the departed can be livelier than the living” (560). In other words, these life/death boundaries, usually so disparate in our society, become exceedingly blurred throughout the show’s five seasons. Even if one disagrees with this theory, it’s hard to refute Shoshana’s and Teman’s initial summary of the show: “It hurls death provocatively into the viewer’s face, each episode consciously serving as a ‘memento mori’ for its audience.” Yes, it does; and, as in life, Six Feet Under rarely offers an explanation for the many losses represented. Oddly enough, that is real and consoling.

Finally, before anyone makes comments like these about my interpretation of the show’s messages – But David and Keith stay together until one of them dies! But wait, Brenda remarries and lives happily with her children and spouse! Yeah, but Claire finally gets her head on straight and settles down! — I understand that the series finale reveals the main characters living long, loving, committed, and fulfilling lives. Still, I wonder if one flashforward in the last 10 minutes of one episode can completely negate the many other rather depressing messages put forth in the previous 3,600 minutes of 60 episodes? Perhaps it does once the viewer is farther removed from the series than I?

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