User Reviews

And as Todd Chavez would say, "I don't throw that word around lightly." In fact, I have only used that word to describe an episode of television six other times (and I haven't even seen "everyone's waiting" yet). This is far and away the best episode of "Six Feet Under" yet and is one of the best hours of television I've ever seen.

This is notable for being the only episode so far that doesn't open with a death, and it's easy to see why, and there are three reasons I can think of, 1) this episode comes after the show was turned on its head, why should it follow the normal format since the circumstances aren't normal? 2) this episode could be seen as a continuation of "Ecotone," which ended on a death card, and 3) they simply couldn't waste any time. And the third one is especially true. There was not a fleeting moment in this episode that was wasted. It was the most emotionally destroying episode of TV I've ever seen (except "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad), and every scene went along with that notion.

I struggle, actually struggle, to find any fault with this episode. Claire's car ride seemed a bit oddly placed in the episode, but maybe that's on purpose. In the flashback, Claire's comment "his music will live on" is a bit on-the-nose for "Six Feet Under," but, again, maybe that's the point. This is an episode where there is nothing objectively wrong with it, which is something I can rarely say.

That being said, I didn't enjoy every moment of this episode. But that part is most certainly on purpose. I wasn't supposed to enjoy this. I wasn't supposed to have a good time. I was supposed to be constantly moving my mouse, looking for when, oh when, will this episode end!? I wanted the end to come so badly, but not because it isn't good, but because of the nature of its goodness, in that it doesn't stop breaking your heart, even for a moment. While Six Feet Under is usually a show that mixes comedy and drama better than any other show I've seen, there is no comedy in this episode. While this show often has me in stitches, the only thing that came close to humor here was Ruth saying "God is an asshole," and her sister immediately chiming in "God IS an asshole!!," but other than that, there's no comedy to be found. The episode drags on and on, because your suffering is supposed to go as long as HBO is allowed to make it go, while still being effective. At 57 minutes, it's one of the longest-running episodes of the show already, but it feels like about five hours.

Of course, the final thing I'd like to mention for this review is the acting shown in this hour. And to that, I can't accurately describe how good the acting here is. The fact that no one won an Emmy for this baffles me more than you know. Point to any living central character, and you see someone who should be holding an Emmy: Frances Conroy? Of course. Lauren Ambrose? Yeah. Michael C. Hall? Yes! Rachel Griffiths? Hell, yes! Along with that, Mathew St. Patrick and Peter Krause are no slouches, either. Bettina shares a nice moment with Ruth, as does George, and Rico gives a great, heartfelt speech.

The writing for this episode is unparalleled in the world of early Golden Age of Television, and the directing is great, too, particularly in scenes with David, still reeling from a particular episode in season four.

There's nothing not to love here, and if "Everyone's Waiting" is better than this, than I've got one hell of a ride ahead of me.

There are no tears left💔 I've never cried on an episode like this before. Everything in this episode was authentically perfect, their acting, the writing, the directing, their eulogies, everything... I felt each one of their pains: David, Ruth, Claire, Rico. But Brenda's pain is the most devastating one among them all. I just hope she will emerge from this tragedy as strong as she has always been. Great job everyone.

I just watched this episode for the first time. Some of the best acting, writing, directing and camera work I've ever witnessed, not only in this series, but EVER! The words that kept going through my head: RAW and AUTHENTIC. I cried when David started to shovel the dirt. I could feel Ruth, David, and Claire's pain, and George's eulogy was touching. The poem Nate picked out was interesting and thought provoking.

I only have 2 criticisms: (1) the scene where Ted is driving Claire was a little weak in the writing or acting; I felt there were a couple of awkward moments (the "mix tape," and it seemed out of the blue, Claire said, "I need to go back"). And (2) I don't understand why the family seemed to be ignoring Brenda at the burial site. I understand they were experiencing their own unbearable pain, but Brenda seemed so isolated. Perhaps that is what the writers were trying to portray, which sets up what may happen next and what Nate says to Brenda (her lack of friends/support system). But it seems to me at least Ruth would hug Brenda or express concern about the weight of Brenda's emotional burdens: having lost her husband, discovering infidelity, Nate wanting to leave her, all while being pregnant.

I've loved almost every minute of this series, but this episode blew me away! Enjoy, but you might need a Kleenex, if you love this family like I do.

The final episode will always garner the spotlight (because, let's be honest, it really might be the best series finale in history), but this episode-this is the one that breaks you. It's the best episode of the series and one of the most deeply affecting, heartbreaking episodes of TV I've ever watched.

The thing that everybody feared the most has happened: Nate has died. And despite how tough it is on everyone (especially David), the funeral has to be prepared.

This one deals with the emotional repercussions of the most shocking loss yet. The worst thing about this is that Ruth was away, so she never got to be with David on his last day. Her regretfulness and anger at how he could just die so suddenly, why no one was able to "help" him is portrayed in such a painfully realistic manner. She starts blaming herself, then everyone else for not doing too much. She's being hurtful, but in a way that you can't really blame her. Its hard to imagine to terror of coming home and being flashed with the news that your son is dead. Frances Conroy, whose character has been on the more heartless side this season, gained my sympathy again as her anguish is so relatable and human.

Claire becomes lazy and passive at work, coming in every day either drunk or high, plus gets mad at her boyfriend Ted when he tries to stop her from driving drunk outside in the dark. Just like Conroy, Lauren Ambrose simply gives a phenomenal performance as she's lost the most important figure in her life. Even though they didn't always get along, he's always been supportive or her endeavors and protective. I also like the psychological aspect of how the bad memories keep coming up instead of the good ones. With Nathaniel, who she had a much worse relationship with, she always thinks about the good memories while with Nate it's the complete opposite. It's likely a defense mechanism to make this loss easier to deal with than the last one, but the sad reality is that it's always hard. Even the bad times you start to miss when it's a person you care deeply about.

David gets the heaviest deal of all, and it's heartrendering to watch. Losing a brother, suspecting his father cared about Nate than him, plus the returning PTSD from the kidnapping drama. He's never had an easy life, but to see him this emotionally destroyed is so horrific to observe that I just want to reach out and comfort him. There's not one moment with him onscreen (except for a mildly comic moment between him and a priest, the only source of humor found whatsoever) where he gets to rest from all the baggage he has to carry. My favorite scene is where he gives a speech at the funeral and tries to finish it, but keeps getting haunted by the vision of his kidnapper. If Michael C. Hall didn't get an Emmy nomination for his performance, I'm amazed. This is easily his finest work in the entire show.

Brenda gets to deal with a myriad of complex feelings. The loss of her husband, Maya losing a father, finding out in one of his final hours that he loves someone else, and then even doubting her own ability as a mother causes a ton of emotional disruption. She doesn't know whether to be devastated or angry at Nate for leaving her just when she was the most worried about him. The fact that I would probably feel exactly the same as she does is a testament to the superb credibility of the acting and the writing.

And most importantly, I also got to re-evalue my own life. Before I watched this, I had felt like it was in complete dispair. That everything couldn't possibly get any worse. But afterwards, my mindset was entirely changed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes it's not perfect by any means, but until I am forced to go through the same horrible thing that these characters do, I should be more appreciative of the things I have. That maybe life isn't as hard as I think it is. So even though I had a very depressing experience watching this episode (I cried at least 5 times, something that very, very rarely happens), it also made me look at my own situation with a bit more optimism.

One fantastic god-damn hour of television.