Customer Reviews

Six Feet Under - The Complete Third Season

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The only disappointment I felt with HBO'S Six Feet Under season 3 was when it was over. Season 4 won't be released until late August and I don't know if I'll make it. The addiction is still strong and when I realized it could be a year before I ever got to see season 5, I went out and ordered HBO. I have lived this long without the premium channels but SFU has changed that. I know this isn't a good thing but I hear admitting the problem is half the battle.
I absolutely, positively love this series. In my book, they don't come any better!

After hearing about and reading a lot of the hype surrounding this show, I thought it noteworthy to check out. Unfortunately for me, I have no cable television with which to view HBO. Therefore, I was stuck waiting until this show came out on DVD. When season one finally did come out on DVD, I rushed out and rented disc one. After only watching the first couple episodes, I was completely hooked, and decided to buy the DVD set. Since then, Six Feet Under has become my favorite shows.

Season three is definitely a pivotal season. Alan Ball does less of the writing, and this is easily noted within many episodes. Much of the quirkiness of the Fischer family seems lost, or at least altered. There seems to be far more drama with less of the fun comic relief that was always present in the first two seasons. The ebbing ups and downs seem to pique much more drastically, making season three quite a roller coaster ride of emotions, reaching it's crescendo with a dramatic cliffhanger finale that leaves you anxious to see what happens in season four.

Each and every character undergoes growth and maturity throughout the season, as in previous seasons. Claire is busy adjusting to art school, while David is trying desperately to patch up his relationship with Keith. Nate approaches life with a newfound appreciation after his brain surgery, and Brenda doesn't seem to be a part of his new plans. Ruth longingly seeks companionship after breaking things off with Nicolai, and finds it in some rather odd places. Federico is trying to find his place in the business as a new partner, while also trying to deal with troubles of his own at home. Brenda, after a brief excursion, attempts to find her way in the world without Nate. Each and every character and sub-plot is a completely unique and enticing character study of it's own, and the incredible acting from everyone involved makes each and every character totally believable.

Regardless of a few minor quibbles with this season, I still maintain that this is on of the best television shows I've ever seen. Never before have I viewed a television series that so accurately portrays the sheer rawness of human sentiment, spanning the gamut of emotional intensity with such fervor and wit. Even though this isn't my favorite season of the series, it still makes for far better viewing than the vast majority of shows that plague our television sets these days.

This single show is almost enough to make me want to fork out the money to get cable, but thanks to the DVD releases, that isn't necessary. I'm only sad this show is going to end after a mere five seasons. Overall, a very highly recommended series.

To wait even 3 more months to see this collection of, not just HBO's finest series, but television's finest as well, is driving me absolutely mad.

Season one was AMAZING, it introduces you to charecters, it displays all of the elements that makes the show what it is, the humor, Its seriousness, the incredible and unpredictable storytelling, the charisma of everyone on screen, etc..etc...you cannot help but fall in love with these people.

Season two is also amazing, for the same reasons, however I think the first season is more enjoyable to me, because of the newness, getting to know everyone, etc...season 2 is breathtaking though, and it leaves you hanging at the end.

Season three...WOW. I think the show hit its peak here, because not only does it hold onto the strengths, but it begins to turn into a new phase of the show. Where season one was fresh because of its newness, this one is fresh because of it taking such a turn. I believe this season displays the transitional episodes, that make it a different show for season 4 and continues throughout 4. I wont spoil it for those who havent seen 3, but those who have seen it, know where Im going with this...and that is that this season REALLY tugs at the heart. I have never gotten into television shows OR movies like I have with this show, and personally, this season.

I CANNOT wait for season 5...and for those of you who are dreading the shows end with season 5...like me...understand, every series television show going past 4 or 5 seasons, looses alot of staying power. Six Feet Under has staying power, but I think it will stay on top if they dont try to kill it.
With DVD release, we will have an epic story to cherish.

Heres to season 5!!!!!

Note--this comes from a perspective of someone who has not yet seen the fourth or fifth seasons.

The first two seasons of "Six Feet Under"--really drew me in. The funeral home was always threatened by a conglomerate corporation, Nate and Brenda, both who had really serious issues on their own had a rather interesting relationship to watch, David's coming to turns with his identity, Claire's problems with her relationships and friendships as an outcast in high school, the threat of Billy to many of the characters (Nate, Brenda, Claire) and Ruth's coming to terms with relationships and finding peace (i.e. "The Plan")-- all of these were rather interesting, drew us to the characters, and were unique, as well as wild and off the wall. Add to this and accidental dosages of ecstasy and dream/talk to dead sequences with the Father were rather engaging--along with David or Rico or Nate dealing with the deceased of that week for that struggle they were dealing with at that time and the conversations they had-- a lot of that was good stuff. The Fisher house would always have this atmosphere of depressing/dysfunctionality, but all of these attachments made it interesting. We wanted to come into this house, take a seat and spend time with the Fishers.

Then in the third season, a lot of the chemistry went so well, went lost. I had no problem with the season opening--Actually it added to the dimensions of the show of dealing with death and loved ones and opened up the possibility that maybe Nate made a choice, even if it's how he recalled it--but the time gap had its consequences, since I as a viewer still cannot buy that he married Lisa. Lisa's role as a regular also seemed difficult to watch--she was the substitute for Brenda, who was gone for half a season, and while I applauded her at a critical point regarding her career in the first three episodes and how she handled it, I otherwise did not care about her. Add to what happens at the end of this season and that's very critical--because in order for it to work we had to care about her, and clearly see some bond with Nate and her we could totally buy.

As for the other stories--this season seemed to throw in stories then withdrew them. I mean just as the Kathy Bates character and Ruth showed a lot of interesting things that could've happened with their frienship, the Kathy Bates character LEAVES. And it's unfortunately not an enigmatic departure say as with say Gabriel's departure in the second season.

Continual non-commitals include some exploratory of existence and death/living worlds and time does not exist of the season opening and then totally dropped (only occasionally referred a bit in the last couple of episdoes of the season) makes this season uneven.

Then the other characters--I did like the Kathy Bates character and the intern. In fact, the odd infatuation with Ruth and the intern was rather interesting, but then even that seemed to be dropped when suddenly she's with this other character.

Claire is part of a love triangle--which could be actually intriguing if the writers didn't beat us viewers over the head as to what was to come. Otherwise, this story seemed painfully long and probably didn't warrant an entire season.

David and Kieth, meanwhile, seemed to be rather a domestic partner soap opera at times--especially when David makes a choice I do not totally buy--wanting to engage in a threesome when he was so repelled by it from the first season. David's exploration of his existence and identity seemed to be terribly diminished--even if he was totally out and in a relationship there should still be issues, and they really weren't explored. Kieth's character seemed to function as much as Lisa's for Nate--except at least I buy David and Kieth's chemistry.

Finally, Brenda. Thank goodness Brenda finally came back and we spent some time with her. While an incident between her and her brother Billy, was too blunt (I think the violence from the first season regarding the tattoo stated things much more clearly. We didn't need to be reminded, again), I couldn't help but be drawn to her scenes and was especially intrigued by the conflicts set out between her and her mother.

Other bonds worth watching--Nate as a father to Maya (at least until he loses it at the end of the season), Ruth and the Kathy Bates character, Ruth and the intern, Brenda trying to find a bond with someone again and feels she can't find anyone, Rico dealing with a very depressed wife--these transcend the otherwise soap opera quality the third season seemed to turn. Otherwise, sorry the bar fight Nate engages himself in the last show of the season--over the top, been there, done that. Didn't find his angst interesting or intriguing to watch.

But as for the atmosphere established in the first two seasons--yes, scenes still fade into the white, and there's the mingling of the dead/dream world and the real--but it didn't seem to be the same show. Also, this season tries to explore elements of gay culture--I just don't know about the back to back episodes of David and Kieth attending a Leading Lady Party and then Gay Paint Ball-- seemed too cute and seemed to make gay life be a rather artificial construct--which would be fine if these artificial constructs showed some type of revelation of David's and Kieth's characters--but seemed more showy at best. Perhaps if the series better explored the two characters trying to find a social life that fits--I think that was what was intended for the blueprint for this season--but I just didn't feel I got much from the two characters finally, and I don't think the intention was too clear. I was left finding David and Kieth "being boring" finally more than anything else, and would've rather watched David dealing with a conglomerate or Kieth dealing with finding a job he felt good at to boost his morale, or be more engaging with the family (Kieth finally did deal with his family, but it was written way too late in the season, I think, for all of a sudden he to be doing something).

I really hope the quality goes back in the fourth and fifth seasons. Where are the concerns of the family or the family business being threatened (often interlocked)? What happened where the dead person had a serious effect on a character's issue that particular week? Where is growth/revelations that sometimes cropped up for the characters? What about the atmosphere of the dead/dream world/imagined with the living and the direct conversations that seemed to be part of the reality-- and if the premiere episode of third season was supposed to add dimensions to it, why was it so rapidly dropped? I know shows sometimes have to grow and change and not do the same things, but this season it seemed to be too conventional for a series that is not.

Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows - I love the writing; the realistic, flawed, and very likeable characters; the storylines; and the great acting. Watching 6FU on DVD is really the way to go - you watch on YOUR schedule - no more waiting a week for new episodes.

If you haven't seen Season 3 yet, I won't ruin the surprises that are in store for you, I will just try to set up what happens.

The first episode resolves the cliff-hanger from Season 2 regarding Nate's brain surgery. The episode also fast-forwards a few months, and we see the Fisher family having gone through some changes. Nate's situation is very different now - Brenda is out of the picture, and Nate's daughter Maya is a bigger part of his life. In Season 2, Lisa moved to LA to have Nate's baby, and in Season 3 she is a regular character on the show. She and Nate go through some interesting stuff, and later in Season 3, Brenda shows up and complicates things.

At the end of Season 2, David and Keith were together again, but having rough spots; now they are going to couples counseling to work on their issues. Ruth is now newly single, having left Nikolai the florist, and there's ample room in her life for a new friendship with an eccentric character played by Kathy "I'm your number one fan!" Bates. Ruth's love life also gets some attention in Season 3. At the end of Season 2, Claire was just about to start art school; in season 3, her storylines revolve around art school, another student, and a teacher there. By the end of Season 3, just about everyone is at a crossroads.

Like Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 has plenty of very dramatic, emotional scenes that are so well-written and so well-acted, they really make you FEEL what these characters are feeling. For us viewers, the experience of seeing them suffer is visceral.

But unlike Seasons 1 and 2, season 3 doesn't have as much dark, quirky humor (like in Season 1 when Ruth accidentally took the ecstasy that David hid in the aspirin bottle). I missed this.

The first half of Season 3 is a bit uneven - some episodes and storylines are great, others feel like filler to keep things moving along. The second half is really great, compelling, like a great page-turner that you don't want to end. Be warned: the last 4 episodes, while riveting and incredibly well-acted, contain some pretty depressing stuff. Also be warned that the last episode's very last scene, while excellent, will leave you wanting more.

One thing I loved about Seasons 1 and 2 was the epiphanies or transformative growth that one of the main characters would sometimes experience as a result of their interactions with the families of the people that die at the beginning of each episode. This happens much less in Season 3, unfortunately. However, toward the end of the season, Nate starts seeing connections between his own situation and that of the families of the deceased. And in the last episode, there's an extended scene involving Claire, her deceased father, and other characters in Heaven (don't worry - Claire's not dead) that brings a sense of resolution to a number of storylines that had been kind of left open, and is really quite beautiful.

All things considered, I definitely recommend Season 3, but the first half of the season is not quite up to the standard of excellence set by Seasons 1 and 2.

While the first two seasons of Six Feet Under were undeniably brilliant television, the show reached its peak in its third season, bringing existential drama to new heights and taking its character studies to further, riskier depths.

This season finds its characters richer, more complex and their situations more fascinating than they've ever been before. There are many themes that run throughout the season such as the questioning of the philosophical notions about our very existence, the choices we make and what kind of possible effect they have in shaping us into who we are and the place we occupy in life...or if our lives are summed up by a number of random circumstances that are beyond our control. I've yet to see a television series that tackles such profound material with the level of intelligence, originality and complexity Six Feet Under touches upon these themes.

As if that weren't enough, the show touches upon other fascinating themes such as relationships, the many variables that come into play and the different dynamics that drive them. Whether it be Nate and Lisa working through married life and Nate's ongoing search for purpose, love and fulfillment, or David and Keith working on their emotional baggage through terapy, these arcs remain compelling, insightful and fascinating character studies to watch.

There's also a real growth process for Claire this season as she enters art school and has an eye-opening, illuminating and sometimes painful clash with her preconceived ideas of the art world and the actual inner workings of that world, of art itself and how it changes her perception of the world.

Ruth is probably the most fun character to watch as she goes through many new experiences in her life through new friendships, emotional connection and intimacy in the most unexpected places.

There are also the arcs of Brenda trying to reconnect with her family and overcome her traumas and Rico dealing with her wife's clinical depression, all which prove equally compelling to watch.

It's simply amazing how so much human drama, how many themes such as emotional freedom, spirituality and the need for personal connection with so many interesting and different character arcs can fit into a 13-episode season, but the folks behind Six Feet Under accomplish all of this beautifully and my hat is off to Alan Ball, the creative team and the amazingly talented cast.

While I love the entire series as a whole, the third season of Six Feet Under might very well be the show's best. More sophisticated, complex and ambitious, dealing with its subjects in more thought-provoking and complex ways than before, it stands tall as the crowning jewel of one of the most brilliant television series ever made.

Season three starts out with a bang. The first episode shows a completely different life for the protagonist Nate. For the rest of the Fisher family everything is different too. To start off Rico has become a partner and Claire has started art-school. Ruth is getting fed up with Nikolai. The season's main brilliance comes in its incredibe developement of all the characters. Although it's sad to see Claire out of highschool, without her shrink, without Parker McKennough, she goes through a major transition through her interactions with Russel and other art school friends. Ruth becomes close with Bettina (played by Kathy Bates) who is looking after her sister while she gets rid of a Vocodin addiction. Brenda is seeking help for her sexual addiction.

The brilliance of the show is only furthered for the characters as this season appears to be a season of transition in their lives.

The cast continues to rock out in this season and Alan Ball and Laurence Andries continue to kick ass with their intense cinematography and beautifully crafted Los Angeles landscapes. Unlike many shows that depict California as a land of promise Six Feet Under portrays it in it's independant apathetic reality. The show also shows how the landscape as affected it's characters, mainly Brenda and Claire.

I can't believe the prices that amazon (among others) are charging for Six Feet Under!!! It is such an incredible series - yet the price is outrageous. We only have to pay NZ$74.00 per series at home - which is about US$50 - and that isn't the discounted rate either! They are all such fantastic series' - so why are they so expensive??

If you've got a multi-zone DVD player - order it from NZ or Australia - heaps cheaper!!

I must say (and it looks like I'm pretty much alone in this opinion) that I was not completely impressed with Season 2. For me, after watching the glorious season 1 which had such heart and set the bar so high, I expected season two to be amazing. But sadly I was very much let down. Season 2 faultered as most season twos do because it was just more of the same but a bit more exagerrated version of season one. So after finishing it I was a little fearful of season three. But when I began to watch 3 I noticed that it was very much like 1 in a creative sense. The plots and characterizations were back to basics and the "obsession with sex" (aside from Oliver's) was left at the door. Six Feet Under was never about sex, but that was all season two seemed to care about, almost in a "Queer as Folk" sort of way. Sex was used due to lack of great stories but watching season 3 I think the writers have realized this because all the characters are so drastically different. Brenda has always been my least favorite character but in season three I found the change in her quite refreshing. She now wants to live her life now and it was good to see. Is it better than Season 1? Well, I don't know if any season will ever be as fantastic as the first but i have to say it came close. If you loved one and didn't like 2 then you'll probably appeciate 3. The only show that i think i have ever seen that actually gets better every season was OZ and ironically Keith and David are seen watching that on SFU!

I know it was a bad idea to watch Six Feet Under (all three seasons) in two days, but what can I say? I was hooked, and I don't regret it.

I saw the first episode with a friend about two weeks ago, then went STRAIGHT out and bought every DVD set available. The day before yesterday, I watched the pilot again, and blitzed through all three seasons.

I don't know why people had such a problem with season 3. IMO, it could very well be the best of the whole bunch. Darker, certainly ... more humourous, too. I think. However, most of the dark humour comes from the "conversations that don't happen", like with Nathaniel Fisher Snr, or like Brenda's sudden appearance on Suicide Rock.

If you still doubt me, that's fine. I'm still trembling after watching what could very well be the most intense hour of television I have ever seen. "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" is an absolutely FANTASTIC episode that rivals the pilot for smarts, and surpasses it in drama. I can't say much without spoiling it, but let me just say this: I had to go and lie down for half an hour after "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" and I have NEVER had to do that before.

Anyway, about the season. All our favourites are back: Nate Snr, Nate Jr, Ruth, Dave, Claire, Keith, Lisa, Rico, and Brenda (and more besides). This ensemble cast is incredibly talented, and there is not a weak performance to be found. Even the new addition of Arthur provided some fascinating comic relief (and some limited drama) - now I can't wait for season 4!!

Why am I writing this? If you haven't seen this show, you should be looking at season one. If you have, you're already hooked (I know) and my opinion isn't going to matter, because you've already saved up enough pennies for this boxset.

(BTW, if Peter Krause -NateJr- doesn't get the role of Max Payne in the upcoming MP movie, there truly is no justice!)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back and re-absorb all three seasons of this unparalleled dramedy, but more slowly this time.