Season 1 - 13 episodes (2001)
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2002)
Season 3 - 13 episodes (2003)
Season 4 - 13 episodes (2004)
Season 5 - 12 episodes (2005)
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Created by: Alan Ball
Starring: Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodriguez, Mathew St. Patrick, Jeremy Sisto, Rachel Griffiths, James Cromwell, Justina Machado, Lili Taylor, Richard Jenkins
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
This examines the subject of death through the eyes of the Fisher family, who own and operate a funeral home in Los Angeles.
Verdict
Engaging from the beginning as we watch the ups and downs of the Fisher family who just happen to operate a funeral home. The characters often learn from the deceased, holding surreal conversations with them as a means to reveal inner thoughts. The solemnity of the memorial services contrasts with the bickering families leading to those moments as well as the chaos of the Fisher's and their friends' lives. It's a character drama that never falters, focusing on the ups and downs of life. The Fishers realize better than most how short life can be. That's the underpinning of their decisions as they constantly consider what happiness means. The final episode is certainly a contender for all time best, serving as the perfect cap to the series.
Watch It.
Review
This has one of the most heralded finales of any series. It's well deserved, fitting the themes of the show.
This family lives in a funeral home. Death is the family business and has been ever present their entire lives. We see inside the business, and what it's like to live next door to death. The series kicks off when patriarch Nathanial (Richard Jenkins) dies. Throughout the series each episode begins with a death. That death frequently touches characters personally, usually resulting in a conversation with the deceased that provides great insight. While surreal at first, the persistence of these conversations becomes common as a way to bring thoughts to reality. The Fisher's aren't emotionally well adjusted, and that's the source for the show's drama. They're constantly trying to figure out life.
Season 1
Nathanial's death leaves the dysfunctional family reeling. David (Michael C. Hall) is left to take over the business, and prodigal son Nate (Peter Krause) returns. The family confronts death in different ways. Ruth (Frances Conroy) is high strung and emotionally repressive while her daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose) acts out and isolates herself.
A larger company offers to buy them out, and Nate is eager to sell. David refuses. This is the only job he's known. Nate has a change of heart, hoping that the family business will give his life direction. Ruth wanted to sell when Nate wanted to, but now she again sides with Nate. It's an early manifestation of the feelings David has that Nate is the favorite.
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| S1E3: Peter Krause, Lauren Ambrose, Frances Conroy, Michael C. Hall play Nate, Claire, Ruth, David |
Nate dives into the business he had never intended to join while David shows him the ropes. Through that Nate discovers their father had a second life, having traded funerals for oil changes, weed, and an apartment. Meanwhile David is considered for a church deacon. That's ironic as he's closeted. He's cheating on his boyfriend Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) because he's repressing his feelings and it serves as a way to act out.
The family doesn't express emotions. It's why Nathanial had a second life, Nate ran off, and Claire rebels. That seems to be driven by Ruth who represses her feelings until she reacts violently. The emotional immaturity seems to be the reason most of them sabotage relationships. David has trouble figuring out who he is, constantly making mistakes. He tries to fit what society expects, which never works out.
Nate's relationship with Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) is rocky at best, but her brother Billy (Jeremy Sisto) frequently causes problems. His relationship with Brenda is intimate enough that it bothers Nate.
This show centers around death. We see that through this family, afraid to confront and share fundamental truths. Their relationships are clouded by that. Their job is to create an acceptable version of the deceased that passes through their doors, masking the truth in cases. The line between perception and truth is a part of their business. These characters wrestle with life against the backdrop of a funeral home, mortality adds depth to every consideration
Season 2
Ruth wants to be more open about their lives after finding out David is gay. She's going from zero to one hundred and making everyone uncomfortable. Nate is dealing with a medical diagnosis by not telling anyone and internalizing it. Ruth joins a self help group that gives her a way to describe her emotions by using the metaphor of a house. She undertakes renovations to her "house."
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| S2E12: Lauren Ambrose, Frances Conroy, Michael C. Hall play Claire, Ruth, David |
This family is trying to find direction in their lives, influenced by funerals and the people that come come through their doors. Nate is staring down mortality with his diagnosis while David has a few flings before getting back together with Keith. Claire graduates high school, focusing on art.
Brenda breaks up with Nate when he admits an ex is pregnant with his child. She doesn't mention the many flings and affairs she's had the entire season after they got engaged. She's scared of commitment, and it's self sabotage under the guise of material for the book she's writing. Blaming Nate is an easy out that absolves her of responsibility.
You empathize with these characters. They're confused, lost. All of them are seeking affection and acknowledgement. Their upbringing has made that challenging. Most of them, when they get close to someone tend to push everyone away.
Season 3
This seasons opens with a heavy episode with Nate facing death due to his condition. He explores his life and what it could have been as he's on the operating table. Despite his fears, he survives.
Between seasons Nate married his pregnant ex Lisa (Lili Taylor) after she moved to Los Angeles. She's basically taking care of two children, her child and her boss. That eventually leads to her quitting the job. That becomes micromanaging Nate. He's conflicted; trying to hold on to his free spirited youth while realizing he's settled down with a wife and kid and didn't even realize that. It doesn't help that Lisa is jealous over Brenda, though she won't say it.
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| S3E1: Mathew St. Patrick, Michael C. Hall play Keith, David |
This show captures intrusive thoughts so well when characters enter a new situation and expect the worst before they snap back to reality. Keith and David have moved in together, but they're having a hard time. Keith is from an angry family that harshly expresses their feelings. David's family repressed all emotions. That dichotomy hampers communication.
The funeral home has a new intern, Arthur (Rainn Wilson). He and Ruth begin an odd relationship. He seems to want a mother figure, and she seeks companionship. Unsurprisingly that ends. Ruth quickly falls for George (James Cromwell). His lack of emotional maturity, leads to rash decisions.
Lisa goes missing towards the end of the season which sends Nate spinning.
Season 4
Nate deals with the events of last season. It's a devastating blow, and he quits the funeral home.
Ruth and George married quickly last season. It's no surprise when that deteriorates. Arthur is jealous and leaves, though his relationship with Ruth wasn't sustainable. Ruth becomes more irritated with George due to several past wives and children he failed to mention. She made a poor decision, and she's now trying to put all the blame on George.
David experiences a wild attack. He's robbed, forced to drive his assailant around, and smoke crack. It stretches credibility. No thief would remain with a mark for so long. It's dangerous for everyone. The point is the ramifications and questions for David. Why didn't he do more to get away? I get it's an important character development for David, but it feels clumsy.
I don't like this season as much. George is annoying, though that's certainly by design. Who didn't see that marriage failing? David's PTSD is understandable, but the altercation that led to it is a lot. This show keeps coming back to Nate and Brenda. Why not let it go?
Season 5
This is the final season, and it soon begins to seem like it. Plot lines are approaching a conclusion.
Claire and Billy are together. Billy meets old friends and becomes dissatisfied with being just a professor. He stops taking his medication. Claire doesn't realize it, but we know that will not go well. Similarly Frances is still with George in a situation that will also soon dissolve. Ruth suggests they move, but she doesn't plan to move with him.
Ruth is such a frustrating character. She gets mad when George moves on despite the fact she wanted to get rid of him. She's emotionally immature, repressed. That explains why she's so annoying. When it happens, her emotions spill out tumultuously.
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| S5E4: James Cromwell, Jeremy Sisto play George, Billy |
Brenda and Nate are pregnant while David and Keith consider a surrogate and adoption. They end up adopting what turns out to be two boys. They're jumping into the deep end.
Brenda and Nate can't help but act self destructively. It's been the case since nearly the first episode.
Claire drops out of college and is irritated when Ruth stops her trust fund. Claire gets a job temping, a stark contrast to her free wheeling time in college as an artist.
Episode nine ends with Nate having a seizure. It's the beginning of the end as characters address the ramifications. It sends everyone spiraling. The final episode is the first one that begins with a birth instead of a death. There's also talk of selling the business. Claire gets a job in Chicago and drives away, that's interspersed with flash forwards that show the life and end of all the characters. It's rightly hailed as one of the best finales, and I would agree. In a series that showcased how people died, it's only fitting we see the end of the characters. It's an incredibly touching moment that does so much without any exposition.
It's a series that explores how you live by how others die. The Fisher family sees the regrets, desires, and ambitions of the many deceased they see. They're constantly reminded of the tenuous grasp on life. Is that the reason their lives are chaotic or does it only act as a catalyst? The show is distinctly focused on the evolution of these characters, and that's what drew me in, watching them endure successes and failures and continuing to face every day.
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