Six Feet Under - Series Finale - 8/21

Cafe Society
81

Thanks, Auntie Pam, for the link to the NPR site; I listened to the audio of the interview with Alan Ball and it was great! What he said about Maya’s biological paternity (and what really happened with Lisa) was that it was a mystery–that they were going for it being something that there just wasn’t an answer for. He also mentioned about spoilers and how there was “some obscure web site” (LOL!) where spoilers had been posted that Nate would die and that the finale would show the deaths of major characters. (Apparently Alan Ball is not very web literate!!!) He did say that they had tried very hard to keep the ending secret, and that they had also worked to sabotage spoilers that had gotten out in Season 3 by putting out bits of false information!

And Baldwin, I think for Ruth and David, yes they “saw” their loved ones waiting for them because that was what their spiritual beliefs were. That’s my interpretation of it, at least. Think Alan Ball and Co. probably want folks to interpret things in their own way, perhaps as it relates to each person, because other characters didn’t have the same visions.

82

I can’t listen to the NPR interview, did Alan Ball say anything else interesting?

83

Perhaps Ted was in CANADA for some time before being able to return to Claire. Was Maya the pregnant woman at Claire’s wedding?

-MegaMom

84

tarragon918 pretty much covered the highlights. I had heard a repeat of an older interview a few days before where he talked a lot about the concept of the show, and so this time, I was mostly paying attention to Terry’s plot questions. Memory’s fading.

NPR really likes that show. There was another commentator/critic on today, praising 6FU for its creation of strong, “difficult”, female characters. He compared Ambrose, Conroy and Griffiths to Hepburn, Davis and Crawford, and said it was too bad that so many other TV shows and movies write female characters to appeal to teenage boys.

85

The obituaries listed David as having grandchildren, but not Brenda, so it had to have been Durrell or Anthony who had kids.

86

Actually, in the “Fresh Air” interview, Alan Ball said that it might not have been clear from the scenes that were shown, but Brenda was married twice more after Nate and that those relationships were probably not very smooth.

Alan Ball has said that the dead people who appear in the show are not ghosts or spirits. The show takes no position regarding whether there’s an afterlife – the images that appear are in the minds of the living.

87

I disagree. In real life, we live, things change, people die. That’s exactly what happened in the episode. They did not imply that everyone’s lives were peachy keen from beginning to end. In fact, I believe that Claire and Brenda, in particular, had very hard lives. Just as we saw during the series that their troubles were mostly caused by their own weaknesses – I believe that would have carried them through. And of course David and the boys would have had to deal with the murder of Keith. That’s not peachy keen wrapped up in a bow.

Regarding Ruth and George – I don’t believe they ever really got together as husband and wife again – I think their relationship would have been on a level of close friends and companions, but not really as emotionally tied as spouses. It’s probable that George had to deal with his ongoing mental problems; I don’t believe he was all better. George’s character arc makes sense to me. In the end, he never can really be close to someone as a spouse or a father, but perhaps he found his own level with Ruth such that they could remain friends. I did notice that at Ruth’s deathbed, George didn’t seem to be any older than he is now. That was odd.

Perusing the obituaries –

Ruth O’Connor Fisher 1946-2025 (79) - it doesn’t maker clear whether she and George never divorced formally. Founded the Four Paws Pet Retreat in 2005.

Keith Dwayne Charles 1968-2029 (61) - The obit says he “died suddenly at work.” I’ve never noticed - are obituaries usually written to avoid stating plain facts? He was a West Point grad? Hm.

David James Fisher 1969-2044 (75) - His second partner was named “Raoul Martinez.” I think I caught a glimpse of him sitting next to David at the picnic table when he died, but for some reason I thought it was Rico. He seemed to be engaged in some sort of cranky old guy rant.

Hector Federico Diaz -2049 (75) - Somehow I missed that his first name was “Hector.”

Brenda Chenowith 1969-2051 (82)

“She developed research methodologies to conclusively prove the link between deviant human behavior and fetal alcohol exposure.” – I wonder whether this research had any personal implications for Billy, Brenda, or Willa?

Claire Simone Fisher 1983 - 2085 (102) - apparently didn’t have any children herself.

George Sibley - Apparently he had two sons, Brian and Kyle. I don’t recall the second one being mentioned. Which one was the poop-mailer?
I’m the same age as David and Brenda. Somehow it makes me feel really old.

88

I’ll have to admit, though, that I was disappointed by David’s final confrontation with … himself. It was too cliched. And I saw it on Dagobah.

89

I believe it was Kyle who was the poop-mailer. Ruth went so far as to sent up a meeting with George and Kyle once she figured out who was mailing the poop, but it didn’t work out too well.

90

Did anyone else notice the way Billy grabbed and fondled Ted’s beer bottle in the kitchen scene?

91

I also noticed that, and wasn’t sure what the writers were implying. The obit reads in part, “Keith attended West Point Military Academy, graduating with a degree in Criminology in 1989.” Had Keith gone to THE West Point, the obit should have said “He was a graduate of The United States Military Academy,” or “The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.” Also, the United States Military Academy doesn’t offer degrees in Criminology.

So maybe there was some sort of quasi-military school in California called West Point Military Academy that offered degrees in criminology to aspiring cops. Or maybe I’m just reading way too much into a fictional obit on a website for a television show!

92

Well, considering the loose language used in obituaries, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone wrote “West Point Military Academy” instead of “U.S. Military Academy.” Although it’s more common just to say “West Point.” However, the criminology thing is interesting. I think the imprecise language in the obituaries (are George and Ruth still married? Did David marry a second time or was it an unmarried “partner”?) reflects real life obituaries.

93

HBO OnDemand usually has the newest episode available by Monday. For some reason I still can’t access the finale. Anybody else having this problem?

94

I’m having this problem. I don’t know what to do about it.

Once I called my cable provider (Comcast) about missing episodes in the “Six Feet Under” sequence on the On Demand service and they said they had no control – I had to contact HBO. I couldn’t find any customer service number for HBO, so I sent them an E-mail message through their Web site and I never got a reply.

95

But Ruth did fix up Kyle with a woman she knew from a yarn store. They seemed likely and oddly matched, yet happy couple.

96

What else do you think Claire leaving for NY, Ruth moving with her sister, David & Keith moving into the house, and Rico leaving for the new place all within what seems a week is? It’s wrapping everything up all nicely at once. That’s very rare in real life for things to fall all into place in a week or so for an entire family.

The things in the last 15 minutes were just a look forward. The actual ‘episode’ ended with Claire leaving.

97

HBO did not put the season finale to “The Sopranos” on its on demand service nor did it do it with the finale to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” last year.

98

I’m able to get the finale on my OnDemand service. I’m in Baltimore, for whatever that’s worth. Sometimes I can’t access the latest show till Tuesday or Wednesday, but I checked yesterday and the finale is listed.
When Sex & The City ended, I wasn’t able to access the finale for over a week.

99

I think it took several months for all that to happen.

You can’t buy a business like Rico did in a short period of time – there’d be financing, inspections, repairs, etc., and it had to take at least a couple of months to make all those changes in the Fisher house.

100

I certainly noticed this. I think I would notice anybody fondling anything of Ted’s. <drool>