In praise of “Six Feet Under”

As we move into late September and early October, the routine rhythms of life at W&M transition from the freshness and fun of early semester days to the anxiety and high drama of hourly exams and midterms.  Students, especially new freshmen, begin to exhibit the academic equivalent of a thousand-yard stare and caffeine sales at Wawa and the Daily Grind go through the ceiling.  Across campus, Frisbee tossing declines markedly.

Fortunately, amid all of this turmoil and tension, there are certain respites.  In just three short months, for instance, we will get to observe W. Taylor Reveley the III try to look comfortable in a Santa Claus suit.  And let me suggest another possible diversion from the rigors of scholarly work – Watching episodes of “Six Feet Under,” in my view the best series ever to appear on American television.  Originally broadcast on HBO from 2001 to 2005, DVD’s for all five seasons are now available in Swem Library.

Why am I so high on “Six Feet Under?”  There are five main reasons.

First, the program effectively explores head-on the fundamental issues and concerns that we all have about life and death.  More concretely, “Six Feet Under” is about the trials and tribulations of the Fisher family, who together run a funeral home in Los Angeles.  From different angles, each episode asks viewers to consider what is important and possible in our day-to-day existences.  And although the main characters run a mortuary and the show offers unsentimental glimpses at what happens to the human body after we kick the bucket, the show is more about life than it is about death.

Second, in an honest and realistic fashion, it chronicles the attempts of each main character to come to grips with his or her fundamental nature.  The family name is “Fisher” for a reason.  Ruth, the matriarch,” is trying to develop an identity as something other than wife and mother.  Nate, perhaps the central character, is seeking to integrate the spiritual and more cynical sides of his personality.  His younger brother, David, needs to accept his identity as a gay man.  And Claire, their younger sister, is simply trying to grow up.  It is difficult to follow the series without becoming emotionally invested in their fictional lives.

Third, the show takes an unflinching look at contemporary relationships between adults.  The intense, off-and-on, physical connection that exists between Nate and his long-time girlfriend, Brenda, is edgy and interesting.  Ruth’s succession of oddball beaus can’t be adequately captured in a short blog post.  In contrast, David and his partner, a former cop named “Keith,” are easily the most constructive and emotionally healthy couple in the extended Fisher family tree.

Fourth, the dark humor of “Six Feet Under” is really, really funny.  Each episode begins by introducing a character who is then killed off within the first minute or two, and some of these deaths are hilarious.  Just one example – The scene in which a woman dies after a bunch of blow-up dolls are mistakenly released into the air, leading her to believe that the rapture is occurring, cracked me up for days.  I also love the many imaginary exchanges that take place between the main characters and various dead folks who appear to them as apparitions.

And fifth, from episode to episode and season to season, the show just gets better.  In contrast to most television series, the lives of the Fishers don’t bounce from one plot device to another.  They develop over time in ways that are both unpredictable and believable.  The show’s overall effect, in other words, is cumulative.  Indeed, the final four episodes, especially the last five minutes of the series as we learn the fates of each of the Fishers, are unforgettable.

So, for students looking for a rich and enjoyable escape from papers, hourly exams, and intellectually oppressive professors like me, I recommend that you check out “Six Feet Under.”  It’s the only television program that I regret not being able to watch again for the first time.