# Six Feet Under - Series Finale - 8/21 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065 "2005-08-22T02:47:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/21 "2005-08-22T14:48:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The happy ending with the family at dinner and everyone living out happy lives was a little much… Not really. Most people die boring deaths. I liked Claire driving through the desert. First, I lived in the desert for 11 years. As much as I like trees and cool and rain, there’s something magical about deserts. The emptiness, the harshness, loneliness… all hiding life that flourishes. And dramatically it showed that Claire was starting her life anew. No family around, no comfortable city, no friends or teachers or cube dwellers. She was finally on her own. I’m not surprised that they showed how the characters died. It’s become a cliché. But I think that this old gimmick was done better than I’d ever seen it done before. I do wish they had shown what happened to Gabe though. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/22 "2005-08-22T14:53:42Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > It’s a shame we never found out what happened to Gabe. Maybe not. I was sure he had died, but I remembered wrong. When Claire saw him dead, it was a fantasy. Wikipedia has nicely done character descriptions, and their site has the death dates – > **[List of Six Feet Under characters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Six_Feet_Under)** > > The following is a list of descriptions for characters on the HBO television series Six Feet Under, which aired for five seasons, from 2001 through 2005. > While the series ends in 2005, the finale (“Everyone's Waiting”) was met with universal acclaim from both critics and viewers alike, who cited the fact that the finale looked decades forward to the end of each main character's life, as shown in the “biographies” below. > Nathaniel Samuel "Nate" Fisher, Jr. (1965–2005), played by Peter Krause, i... ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/23 "2005-08-22T15:08:34Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > > [@commasense](#): > > > > I was surprised/disappointed that they didn’t follow up with Maggie’s apparent pregnancy. Just threw it out there and dropped it. > > What reference was there to a pregnancy? Like **Cyros** said, she’s a pharmecuetical sales rep, that’s why she was in a doctor’s office. Huh. Okay, I guess I was just projecting. I completely missed or forgot anything about Maggie’s job, and assumed that her presence in a doctor’s office meant that Willa was going to have a half-sibling. No one else took it that way? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/24 "2005-08-22T15:17:00Z")
No, I also forgot that was Maggie’s job and also thought she was pregnant by Nate. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/25 "2005-08-22T15:26:14Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > It’s 11 pm CST – by the time I’m done typing, west coasters will have seen the show, so no spoiler box. > > The only thing I didn’t like was how Rico was written in this ep. His rant at David was so out-of-character, I thought for a minute it was a fantasy sequence. The writers made it seem like Rico was trying to rip David off, or gouge him, when all he wanted was what was rightfully his. The Diaz family dinner scene continued with that – it was like they got away with something. The only thing missing was Rico and Vanessa gleefully rubbing their hands together. > > And the writers could have let him go with a bit more dignity, IMHO. > > I read somewhere that a reviewer called Keith’s death racist. I’m not finely attuned to racism and others may see it differently, but I’ve never seen any racism in the writing in this show. > > I do think maybe the writers felt they needed at least one violent, shocking death to wind things up, and Keith’s background in law enforcement and security made him the best candidate. > > I doubt any of the actors had to try real hard to cry while filming this, especially Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose. I’ve thought Rico was kind of a prick for a while now, so that rant fit in my opinion. Plus, if you don’t have the money to buy someone out, I guess they would be stuck in real life. I was glad they worked out a deal with Brenda. She seemed like she finally found some peace. I agree with you about Francis and Lauren. Their crying scenes were so damn realistic! All in all, I rate the show an 8 and the series a 10. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/26 "2005-08-22T15:35:53Z")
Overall I was disappointed with the final season but the last episode was beautiful. I wanted everything to be resolved in a positive was and it was. So well done. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/27 "2005-08-22T15:45:52Z")
One key that tipped me off that Maggie wasn’t pregnant was that she took a phone call before she walked into the doctor’s office. Which is something a sales rep would do, not a patient. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/28 "2005-08-22T17:21:50Z")
I second the comment to **THe Long Road** , about a certain character behaving in an unrealistic way. It was entirely realistic: I did exactly the same thing at that age, only I didn’t have a trust fund. People really do drop everything and start a new life on the other side of the country. Sometimes they have a destination, sometimes they have trust funds… sometimes not. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/29 "2005-08-22T17:25:42Z")
It was very wrap-it-uppey. The huge life changing decisions by almost all members of the family happening in one episode was a bit much but I suppose necessary. When I saw the first future aging scene with Ruth I groaned, but when I realized they were doing it for everyone (and got past the bad aging makeup), I thought it was the perfect ending. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/30 "2005-08-22T17:29:24Z")
> [@Mr. Goob](#): > > Margaret should have been ashamed of herself tossing the stuffed monkey off the chair after Ruth gave it back. \*\* Margaret shoulld be ashamed of herself for taking up oxygen better used by Kim Jong-il. I mean to mention that I thought Brenda’s death was almost comic relief, keeling over while Billy goes on and on and on… ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/31 "2005-08-22T17:33:33Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > One key that tipped me off that Maggie wasn’t pregnant was that she took a phone call before she walked into the doctor’s office. Which is something a sales rep would do, not a patient. I caught this, too. The cudmudgeon in me wishes I was assertive enough to make the doctor wait for me, for a change, while I took a phone call. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/32 "2005-08-22T17:50:58Z")
I liked the final episode, flaws, bad make-up and all. Let me just say that the Keith death scene was NOT racist nor was the Rico rant unjustified. I did not think Maggie was preggers either because of her job. I agree with **Dogzilla** that lots of people move across the country like Claire did. Happens a lot here in Florida and I’m sure California and New York probably greater than anywhere else. Yeah the scene where David and Keith were married was suppose to mean that California finally legalized same sex marriage. Did anyone notice that their youngest boy was holding hands with an Asian guy at Clarie’s wedding and that the oldest boy did take over the funeral home (after all it’s Fischer and sons) and look to be married to a white gal. Also noticed that Brenda got remarried and had one more child. Claire’s lawyer showing back up was the oddest thing to grasp, but just this month my 1st cousin is marrying his H.S. sweetheart after they have both been married to others for many years prior. But the absolutely best thing the series did was END ON TIME. That is what makes it even better here in the end. You still want a little more. The five year run it did was perfect. You never really got tired of it, yeah some seasons and shows were better than others, but all in all it left you wanting just a little bit more. I wish I could say the same about other American TV shows. Would someone please please shoot and kill Will and Grace (yeah this is it’s last season but it died for me years ago) and ER, just how long can that crap keep running. Shoot it shoot it, put it out of its misery. And seeing the lawyer’s butt was a yummy treat. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/33 "2005-08-22T18:05:55Z")
> [@Poonther](#): > > Yeah the scene where David and Keith were married was suppose to mean that California finally legalized same sex marriage. Did anyone notice that their youngest boy was holding hands with an Asian guy at Clarie’s wedding and that the oldest boy did take over the funeral home (after all it’s Fischer and sons) and look to be married to a white gal. Also noticed that Brenda got remarried and had one more child. Yeah, I took David and Keith’s wedding to be an actual (legal) wedding, that eventually same-sex weddings would be recognized. I missed the younger boy with an Asian guy and the other one with a white girl, but I did catch Brenda pregnant again and with a new guy at that wedding. I figured that was because Rachel Griffiths was pregnant in real life when they were filming and after Brenda had Willa, you could tell they had to hide it - she held Maya on her lap in the scenes at the house and they filmed her from the chest up other times. For this scene, they probably just figured the heck with it, Brenda’s pregnant again. > [@](#): > > Claire’s lawyer showing back up was the oddest thing to grasp, but just this month my 1st cousin is marrying his H.S. sweetheart after they have both been married to others for many years prior. Yeah, that wasn’t too far-fetched. Who’s to say they hadn’t both been married to other people, but this was the one that really mattered, so they showed it? > [@](#): > > But the absolutely best thing the series did was END ON TIME. That is what makes it even better here in the end. You still want a little more. The five year run it did was perfect. AMEN to that! > [@](#): > > I wish I could say the same about other American TV shows. … and ER, just how long can that crap keep running. Shoot it shoot it, put it out of its misery. Give me the gun, I’ll shoot _ER_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/34 "2005-08-22T18:08:29Z")
> [@](#): > > And seeing the lawyer’s butt was a yummy treat. Glad that worked for you, but when I saw the “Nudity” warning before the episode began, I had a moment of hope that we’d see how many freckles Lauren Ambrose has. I’ll have to watch the ending again to catch some of those details. Anybody know what the song at the end was? Really liked that. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/35 "2005-08-22T18:11:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m not surprised that they showed how the characters died. It’s become a cliché. But I think that this old gimmick was done better than I’d ever seen it done before. What? An old gimmick? I’ve never seen it on a tv show before; has it been used in movies? I can’t believe there’s a cliche I’m unaware of. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/36 "2005-08-22T18:19:25Z")
According to the LA Times, the song playing at the end was “Breathe Me” by Sila. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/37 "2005-08-22T18:20:42Z")
Sorry, Sia, not Sila. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/38 "2005-08-22T18:51:43Z")
Somehow I don’t remember David’s death…how does he die? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/39 "2005-08-22T19:06:05Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > I second the comment to **THe Long Road** , about a certain character behaving in an unrealistic way. It was entirely realistic: I did exactly the same thing at that age, only I didn’t have a trust fund. People really do drop everything and start a new life on the other side of the country. Sometimes they have a destination, sometimes they have trust funds… sometimes not. Yes, they do. I did that myself. Claire didn’t strike me as the type. You disagree. Great. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065/40 "2005-08-22T19:09:26Z")
My husband never watched the show, but happened to sit down during the last 10 minutes, just in time to find a blubbering mess on the sofa next to him. He found it amusing that I was crying over a silly TV show. It wasn’t just the subject matter that was sad, but I’m really going to miss the show and the characters mor than I thought I would. I got a lump in my throat when they were toasting Nate, but when Ruth died during the future scenes, I lost it. Although I did enjoy Billy finally boring Brenda to death with his drama d’jour. The show really made me think about life and death. About 10 minutes after the show ended, I started sobbing uncontrollably about my dad who died last Christmas. I had pushed my grief to the backburner because I didn’t want to deal with it and now, 8 months later, a TV show (of all things) has moved me to tears about it. It hit a little too close to home, as did Nate’s death episode a couple of weeks ago. The similarities were striking, but I was able to hold it together for that episode for some reason. I think Claire’s moving to NY is realistic. I didn’t have a trust fund, job or place to live when my fiance and I picked up and moved from NY to NC about 10 years ago. We just had a place to crash until we found jobs and an apartment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under-series-finale-8-21/318065.md?page=3)