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| by John Mundazio
with additional writing by Bridget Petrella |
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| HBO's ‘Six Feet Under, Complete Series’— Intelligent, Clever. | |
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It’s difficult to review a television
show as ground-breaking and psychologically buoyant as Six Feet Under: The
Complete Series (2001 to 2005). There’s indeed a good chance that fans of
the series already own all of the season sets for Six Feet Under, and
viewers who have never watched the show may scoff a bit at buying a box
collection of the entire series. True, some will see this as an excellent
time to buy the series on DVD, others will pass it by... a shame, because
THIS is a show you can dissect over and over again. No matter whom the
audience happens to be at any particular moment [the show weaves more than
just one universal thread], rest assured this is a grand collection to one
of HBO’s best and (I believe) most underrated series. A breakout hit for
HBO, Six Feet Under was created, co-written and executive produced by Alan
Ball, who wrote the hit film American Beauty, winner of five Oscars®
including Best Picture and Original Screenplay (Ball). Last year, the
Producers Guild of America honored Ball and fellow SFU Executive Producers
Alan Poul, Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari with the Norman Pelton
Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television— Drama. The show's
rather "befitting" tagline— Every Day Above Ground Is A Good One...
quickly defines the bottom line of a drama series that takes a darkly
comical look at members of a dysfunctional Pasadena family which runs an
independent funeral home. It all begins with the prodigal elder son (Peter
Krause) returning home for the holidays to shattering news, the family
must learn to deal with a death of their own, while figuring out how to go
ahead with the business of the living. A funny and emotional look at a
grieving American family...that just happens to be in the grief management
business. |
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John Mundazio works for one of the numerous publishing companies in the
New York metropolitan area which is currently planning a bold takeover
of the parallel universe in which he occasionally resides with several
of his imaginary friends and at least two of the strange voices in his
head. But he is confident it is not the one you're thinking of at this
very moment. Convinced that Susie-Q's are indeed a food group and that
no REAL list of fun toys is ever really complete without mentioning
"Log"— that quintessential Ren and Stimpy Show toy that boldly dared to
go where no toy ever could... "The Dazed-Meister" refuses to partake in
anything which requires him to dress up like Wonder Woman or sing the
theme song from The Partridge Family in its entirety. He also opposes
floatation devices of any sort. |
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Let's
meet the Fishers, a typical dysfunctional family in modern day Los
Angeles. Mom, Dad and the kids. Nathaniel Fisher (Richard Jenkins)— Dad—
works hard all day, drumming up business, smoking too much, and slipping
the occasional smoke when he thinks no one is looking. Ruth (Frances
Conroy) hustles about the home, nagging the kids to eat, cleaning and
being, well, perfect. Dave (Richard C. Hall) is doggedly following in
Dad's footsteps in the family trade, living a double life with his lover,
Keith. Daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose) is a handful of trouble,
rebellious teenager, sneaking smokes like her old man and hanging out with
her drugging boyfriend, Gabe. And eldest son, Nate (Peter Krause) is
coming home for a visit after a long, long time away. Thing is, this
family is in the funeral trade. Fisher and Sons is one of those little
independent operations, focusing on doing what is right and just barely
staying above water in competition against a larger conglomerate. With
them is the faithful Rico (Freddy Rodriguez), 'reconstruction artist' with
a great gift. Each episode opens with a death, the funeral and family that
it's built around. Running through each little mini-tale is the larger
tale of the Fishers, with their conflicts and secrets providing the
impetus to keep watching. The stories are interesting, and the Fishers
gradually grow on you, until you realize that you really do care what
happens to them. And it's the weird touches that make you wonder— from
ghosts eavesdropping to fantasies and thoughts actualized— and assorted
flashbacks, that really catch your attention. 
The
show is also willing to take these characters anywhere and everywhere.
We watch them explore life as they see fit, making mistakes along the way
as any ordinary person would. And however extreme the circumstances may be
from time to time (which is rare), nothing every feels whacky or out of
place. It feels tangible, and we get to see these characters grow, even
beyond their final appearance (we get a great epilogue to each life of the
main characters within). Not only does the show introduce us to each
character, but we also get to partake in their send-off, as well. It’s a
truly brilliant and vastly underrated show which, hopefully someday, will
get its’ day to shine (with any luck, interested folks will jump at the
chance to try the series out with this box set collection). With that in
mind, the extras, video and audio quality are the same as those released,
there’s no need to rehash that info. If you know the specs for the
individual releases, you get them here. There are, however, some extras
exclusive to this set. Firstly, the packaging itself deserves some
recognition. The box, which houses the entire series, is designed to look
like a chunk of earth. The sides of the packaging showcase dirt and weeds,
the top with grass and a small gravestone with the name of the series and
it’s "date of birth" and "death." The box itself does not take up a lot of
room on the shelf, acting as the outer slipcase to all the digi-packs
within. It will fit quite well alongside the other box sets in your
collection. Plus, it looks quite good on the shelf. 
The
box itself, as previously stated, holds the entire five seasons plus a
nice hardcover book called "Six Feet Under" in Memoriam. The hardcover
book contains the Fisher family tree, which includes a montage of
character images and "epitaphs" of the show's characters. It’s quite
insightful and, for lack of a better word, cute. It chronicles what became
of the Fisher clan, some well into the late twenty-first century. You'll
also find a pair of excellent Six Feet Under soundtracks. Now, for those
who already own the set and wish to upgrade, the decision is yours. All of
the extras featured are the same, with only the inclusion of a nice
hardcover book and a couple of soundtracks. All things considered, I do
find this to be a very worthy purchase for those casual fans of the shows,
or those looking to give something new a shot. The entire series is
fantastic, the extras are great, the quality is high, and while the
packaging can be a bit flimsy and easily damageable, it’s sleek and fits
perfectly on the shelf. Six Feet Under: The Complete Series is a worthy
investment and definitely recommended. Six Feet Under was nominated for
two 2004 Golden Globes®, with Frances Conroy winning for Best Actress in a
Television Series— Drama, and won two 2004 Screen Actors Guild Awards
(Conroy and the ensemble cast). The show has received 32 Emmy® nominations
and won seven times, and has been nominated for eight Golden Globes®,
winning three. UB
www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/