Product Description
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Six Feet Under: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
One of TV's most accled drama series, the Emmy- and Golden
Globe-winning Six Feet Under, concludes its groundbreaking, five
season run. Each of the main characters will come to embrace the
cycle of life - birth, death, and re-birth - in ways that are
both unique and interconnected. Everything. Everyone. Everywhere.
Ends.
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So much anticipation pools up around the concluding episode of
this concluding season that you might be tempted to head straight
for said finale, titled "Everyone's Waiting" (and it's so rich
you'll find yourself drawn to repeated viewings). But if you can
avoid that impulse, it's worth following the full build-up of one
crisis after another to get the real payoff. On an
episode-by-episode basis, Six Feet Under's fifth season has a
decidedly uneven quality, shifting in tone far more drastically,
say, than the intensely dark season 4. Character traits that have
already been developed at length begin to seem annoyingly
repetitious--Nate's (Peter Krause) self-centered frustration and
furious lashings out, Billy's (Jeremy Sisto) resurgent
psychosis--like leitmotifs run amuck. But this season also
benefits from the knowledge we've developed, over the years, of
the Fisher family and their loved ones, so that what they end up
facing has a real emotional wallop, sometimes jump-starting the
drama just where it seems to be in danger of churning itself into
circles.
It's hardly a spoiler to mention that 6fu's final season, though
bookended by the promise of new beginnings (a wedding in episode
1 to a departure for new prospects in the 12th episode), centers
around loss and a pivotal death. The scripts contain more than an
occasional sense of inconsequential filler, while some of the
recurring thematics seem forced (we see David continue to cope
with the s from his abduction in the previous episode via
over-obvious imagery of facing his "inner demons"). Other issues
receive especially compelling , above all Brenda's
(Rachel Griffiths) desire to have a child and David and Keith's
(Mathew St. Patrick) choice to adopt. But the real strength of
this season lies in several gripping performances. Ruth (Frances
Conroy) touches off a complex series of reactions, simultaneously
sympathetic and judgmental, transcending the tendency to appear
as a neurotic caricature. The super-talented Lauren Ambrose
brings off Claire's emerging self-awareness and maturity with
moving touches (she's also got some of the funniest moments as
she takes on a stint as a temp in scenes that call to mind the
hysterics of The Office). Griffiths' Brenda for her part
undergoes a parallel maturing process. And as George's daughter
Maggie, Tina Holmes adds a welcome tone of contrast.
6fu, of course, has always been about the paradoxes of finality.
But anyone who has developed an attachment to the show's unique
tone and creative sensibility will have a tough time saying
goodbye. Alan Ball outdoes himself with his script (and
direction) for the finale, "Everyone's Waiting," seeding it with
echoes from the pilot episode that will enchant aficionados. And
the famous fast-forward visions coursing through Claire's
imagination as she heads down the highway give the perfect seal
to this set of characters. Extras include especially inful
commentaries, including Ball on the finale, retrospectives, and a
mini-feature on 6fu's cultural impact. It's safe to say that the
show leaves some pretty unforgettable impressions in its wake.
--Thomas May