Six Feet Under is not just a smartly written, sublimely acted soap that happens to be set in a funeral home; it's a profound mixture of emotional truths and whimsical black comedy that uses its setting to comment upon the way we live, with the omnipresent spectre of death throwing life's problems into sharp relief. Creator Alan Ball (American Beauty) understands modern neuroses more than most, it seems, and his rich sense of the absurd is given added potency, not to say piquancy, by the sometimes comically ridiculous juxtaposition of life and death. The first series... introduces the Fisher family, whose already weighty emotional baggage is bolstered by the sudden demise of their patriarch, who has willed the family funeral home to his two initially hostile sons, wayward Nate (Peter Krause) and in-the-closet David (Michael C Hall). Teenage younger sister Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and repressed mother Ruth (Frances Conroy) have their own problems, as does put-upon mortician Federico (Freddy Rodriguez). The first year's unfolding story arc includes the family's resistance to a hostile big corporation, Nate's budding romance with wild card Brenda (stunningly good Rachel Griffiths), David's attempts to reconcile his Christian faith with his homosexuality, Claire's self-destructive boyfriend trouble and Ruth's gradual realisation that, although she was a wife and is a mother, she's entitled to have a life too. On the DVD: Six Feet Under, Series 1 spreads 13 episodes across four discs. Care has been taken to reflect the show's stylish look in everything from the novel external packaging to the menu layouts. Picture is good, but only standard 4:3 ratio, though sound is vivid Dolby 5.1. The bonus features include two episode commentaries from creator Alan Ball, who happily chats about the pilot and the season finale, both of which he wrote and directed. There's a 22-minute "Behind the Scenes" featurette--standard HBO fare with cast interviews. More interesting is "Under the Main Titles", which explores Digital Kitchen's creation of the fascinating opening title sequence and talks to genius composer Thomas Newman about his theme music. The music can also be heard in an audio-only track as well as in Kid Loco's "Graveyard" remix. Text biographies, episode synopses and Web links complete the extras. One minor niggle: there's no "Play All" facility, so you can't indulge the luxury of watching uninterrupted episodes back-to-back. --Mark Walker [show more]
A drama about a family funeral home, you say? That can't be very enjoyable, can it? Well, yes. Yes it can. Alan Ball, the man behind "American Beauty", brings us his darkly comical look at the death business. As each episode opens, a new customer beckons for Fisher & Sons, bringing new challenges, grieving families and ways for the employees to face their own morality. Where other shows are plot-heavy and fail to fully distinguish characters, Six Feet Under comes into its own. As each episode passes we are given a deeper look at this family, how they cope with this lifestyle, and how it affects their attitude towards death. Ball frequently uses dream sequences to show what characters really want to say, or hear, to hit home how awkward the family relationships are. These characters are about as well written as you're likely to see on TV, and are thankfully played just as well by a terrific ensemble cast. The standouts, for me, are Michael C. Hall and Peter Krause as the Fisher brothers, and Frances Conroy as their naïve, doting mother. The series has a sombre tone, but there are constant comic moments to emphasise the strangeness of it all: they may be constantly surrounded by death, but they don't let that keep them down. Each episode clocks in at around 55 minutes (a fast 55 minutes) and although there are no cliffhangers or unbelievable twists, I found myself riveted by every episode, and very willing to add it to my favourite TV shows of all time. Six Feet Under - it makes death enjoyable.
We will publish your review of Six Feet Under: The Complete First Series on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.
The complete first season of the US drama show set around a family-run Los Angeles funeral parlour. In the pilot episode Nate returns home to his family when his father is killed in a car crash. In 'The Will' Nate and David are awarded the family funeral business in their father's will. 'The Foot' has the Fishers consider selling the business to rival undertaker Kroehner. 'Familia' sees the family grow suspicious of Claire, thinking she might be responsible for the recent fire. 'An Open Book' finds the parlour overrun by mourners when a porn star dies. In 'The Room' Claire meets Brenda's brother Billy. 'Brotherhood' has Billy intervene in Nate and Brenda's plans to spend a weekend away. 'Crossroads' sees Nate get annoyed when Connor, an old friend of Brenda's, comes to visit. 'Life's Too Short' finds Ruth embarking on a camping trip with Hiram. In 'The New Person' David gets back in touch with Keith and Billy has an exhibition of some of his recent photographs. 'The Trip' has David, Nate and Brenda attend an undertaker's conference in Las Vegas. 'A Private Life' sees Nate, Brenda and Brenda's family arguing over whether or not Billy should be institutionalised. And finally, in 'Knock, Knock', Rico holds a reception at the funeral home to celebrate his son's christening.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy
