The End of Six Feet Under

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST EPISODE AND INTEND TO....THEN DON'T READ THIS, UNTIL YOU DO!!!

Last night, one of the most innovative TV series in the last 25 years had its Series finale. HBO's Six Feet Under called it quits after five amazing seasons. Created by "American Beauty" writer Alan Ball, the series started off as a very dark comedic drama. But the last season and a half or so, the funny moments were less and less as the series took a very, very dark turn. It was still very good, but there were fewer funny moments to offset the death and gloom that surround the show.

The last five minutes of the finale was some of the most disturbing and moving television that I can remember. As Claire (youngest daughter) is driving to NYC from LA, they flash forward to the future. They show David and Keith getting married (presumably gay marriage becomes legal in the states by then) and Ruth running a doggie day care. They also show how all the principal characters die in the future. Ruth is the first to die, then Keith, David, Rico, Brenda and finally Claire at the age of 102. It was incredibly haunting and beautiful at the same time. I had a hard time sleeping just thinking about it. Very disturbing.


I only have a couple of pet peeves about the death montage. The first was why did Keith have to die so violently? He's the only one not to die of old age of all the principals. He supposedly owns his own security company. If so, why is he the one in the back of the truck during the heist??? He's over 60 years old!!! Why does the brother have to be the one who gets shot? Someone on one chat pages auggested it was pennance for shooting an unarmed man while he was a cop. But it just didn't make any sense that he had to die so senselessly while the others died fairly peacefully. One brother on the chat board suggested that it perpetuates the idea that all black men die violently. As much as I love the show, I'm inclined to agree with him.

The other was that while all the other principals died of old age...only two (Brenda and Claire) lived into their 80's. With all the advances in technology, coupled with the fact that they all lived pretty healthy and full lives...that you would have thought that more than two lived into their 80's and beyond.

Other than that, a great finale to a great series.