A Big Loss

I've been putting off writing about how much I'm going to miss my favorite show, Six Feet Under, because it is just too damn depressing that its over. I really like most of HBO's original series, but I do believe that Six Feet Under was my favorite. (Carnivale a close second.)

Sunday was the series finale, and a dry eye was not to be had. I really think that the writers of this show are geniuses and its so refreshing to know that good television still exists - albeit not very often - but it is out there.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the Fisher family from Six Feet Under, the basic premise is that two of the Fisher sons, David and Nate, run the funeral home that was left to them after their father died. The funeral home is attached to their house, where their mother, Ruth, and younger sister, Claire, reside. At the beginning of each episode someone dies - usually a random stranger, but the corpse inevitably ends up at Fisher and Sons for funeral preparations. The death sets the stage for each episode. The wonderful thing is, though, that the show is more about the lives of the Fishers than the drama that surrounds each death. We are taken through marriages, break-ups, Claire going to art school, Nate's fiance cheating on him, David's being gay, and Ruth's painfully real existence as a widow with children. My favorite character is actually not a Fisher, but a close family friend, Brenda. Brenda was a massage therapist, but as the series progresses she changes her career to a psychotherapist. Kinda the opposite of what I'm doing. Anyway, Brenda is played by Rachel Griffiths, who is an amazing actress (check out Muriel's Wedding). Brenda is a very tragic character, but with such a good heart!

I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss my Sunday nights with the Fishers.