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.
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.