Six Feet Under (TV Series) Everyone's Waiting (2005) User Reviews

What else is there to say?

[sect-sin · 10/10 · 4 July 2006]

I'm awestruck. Breathless. Unbelieveing. The conclusion of the whole nine yards of this masterpiece of a series just leaves you sitting there, looking around you, having absolutely no clue what to do, how to go on with your life. You want to grab hold of one of your loved ones, squeeze them hard against you, never wanting to let go. Or you just walk around aimlessly in your garden, trying to get order among the maelstrom of thoughts swirling around in your head. Or you just sit in silence, having the feeling that your guts are trying to digest something as indigestible as an obsidian stone. And then, when you think that it's over, you just realize that it stays with you, for days and days, the movie having created a new and permanent pocket of emotions in your brain, hitting you again and again at the least expected moments.

It kicks you in your stomach like Muhammed Ali would have done. It's like an orgasm you're never going to have again in your whole life. It's serene, beautiful, astonishing, morbid and ironic, and last but not least, utterly true.

The whole series is organic. It grows with you or you grow with it. It seems - even during its seldom seen weaker moments - that it is written and planned to become one monstre psychedelic trip of life, one huge lesson. It's not a series which is meant to go on and on without an end, like you see a lot nowadays. It has a beginning, there is an evolution, and you also get a soul tearing conclusion you will never forget.

Watch all episodes. Slowly, in a dark room, when you are calm, paying attention to all the minuscule details. Join the Fishers, let them be your foster family for a time. You are never going to regret it.

Most Powerful Show Ever

[maestro-20 · 10/10 · 2 June 2006]

(SPOILER -- the following contains spoilers. If you have not seen the show or the final episode, please come back after you do.)

(First appeared on http://itheauthor.blogspot.com/2005/08/six-feet-under.html)

Never have I been so deeply moved, engrossed, and affected by a piece of entertainment. Sure, I have fallen in love with and touched by a book, a movie, a TV show, or a song before, but not like this. I cried like a baby at the end of Cinema Paradiso, but not like this. Not like having insomnia for four days. What is wrong with me?

I think Six Feet Under has struck a chord with so many people at such deep level because it is so REAL. And some people don't like the show also because it's too REAL for them. The Fishers and their friends and loved ones are so dysfunctional that we could all step back and say, "Gosh, I'm glad I am not like that." Then we catch ourselves, whether it's watching David lashing out on his partner Keith, or Nate cheating on his pregnant wife Brenda, or Ruth screaming at her husband George: Oh lord, we are just like them. We have our own dysfunctional moments, our own demons and torments, our own sicknesses. And they remind us of people we know. Thus the Fishers and Co. have become our family for the past 5 years.

Every episode presents some brilliant writing, full of metaphors, deep meanings and nuances. It's sad, depressing and funny at the same time. I'm always in awe with the writing. Then there's the acting. Six Feet Under has some of the most talented actors (Peter Krause as Nate, Michael C. Hall as David, Frances Conroy as Ruth, Lauren Ambrose as Claire, Rachel Griffith as Brenda, James Cromwell, Matthew St. Patrick, Kathy Bates, Patricia Clarkson... the list goes on and on and on) and some of the most amazing performances. Together, the organic writing and acting (and the artful production) make the show so real.

That's why the final episode hit me so hard. Because I believed in them and their trials and tribulations. The grief they went through. The joy they experienced. The love, loss and relationships they endured.

I think it's brilliant that they delivered the shocking and climatic death of Nate (a central character) 3 episodes before the finale, then let us see the grieving process unfold within the Fisher clan. For a show about death, they chose to show us life afterward.

And that's it. Part of the impact of the show is that it's really about life. About living.

The final 15 minutes and the montage as Claire drove through the desert hit me really hard. I watched, awestruck and breathless, as each major character met his or her demise. To me, it was like watching my family and friends die. It was like having gone to 6 or 7 funerals in 15 minutes. There's that finality. The goodbyes that are so hard to say.

But most impressively, they show us how they lived their lives. It reminds us of our own mortality, that we all die, eventually. Some suddenly and tragically, and some naturally. But we all die. It's how we live and love and take it all in and remember that is important.

"You can't take a picture of this. It's already gone." Indeed. What we have, really, are feelings and memories.

The final 15 minutes also reminds me of my own life, adventures, relationships, and losses. As Claire leaves for New York for her new life, I reflect on my own departures. How I said goodbye to my friends and family when I left for the US. The sense of loss and dread, mixed with excitement of the unknown future.

Sia's "Breathe Me" was a perfect soundtrack for the last 5 minutes. The haunting song gave the ending such incredibly emotional punch.

The song and these final images are branded vivid in my mind now. Can't shake them. And for four days I've been thinking about what I saw and heard, reflecting on my own life and losses. And I feel blessed.

I will keep thinking. And feeling. And loving. And living.

The final episode of Six Feet Under was the most powerful show I've ever seen and experienced.

Holy Mackaral

[danidoodaddy05 · 10/10 · 6 July 2006]

I've watched plenty of show finales in my lifetime. Many had great endings and some had decent ones. I recently finished watching every episode of all 5 seasons of this amazing show while deployed in Iraq. From start to finish, I was completely captivated by the characters as they went about their every day lives. After the credits commenced to roll in Season 5's Series Finale "Everyone's Waiting". I just sat there in my chair completely flabbergasted at "Alan Ball's" incredible and yet honest ending. Of course, that is after I wiped the tears from my eyes and took an enormously deep and saddened "SIGH". I replayed that ending over five other times and still felt the same chills as though it was the first time. The Series finale has inspired me to regain my artistic composure, which I had temporarily lost for the last year and a half. It motivated me to call my wife and kids every day to tell them I missed and loved them so much. It very well has changed the way I look at life itself. I know it sounds kinda weird but it did. "Everyone's waiting" is the best ending I've ever seen in any medium of entertainment.

15 Years Later and Tears Flow

[thasaint-1 · 10/10 · 6 January 2020]

There is and never will be a more raw and emotional finale to a show. Death is difficult and this show connected how we live through it and beyond. Acting is Oscar worthy and the last 5 minutes closes out each character in a way that I have never seen. Crying at the end of this show doesn't describe each time I watch it. Thank you HBO and the actors who gave us this incredible work!!

Best ending to a TV series!! Period!!

[thompsjf · 10/10 · 12 April 2008]

I watched the final episode when it came out back in 2005 and the last 15 minutes took my breathe away. I never realized how attached I became to those fictional characters. This episode still haunts me. In 2008, I am currently station in Afghanistan and again re-watched the entire series again on DVD. Even though I knew how the series would end, the final episode still had the same impact on me as the first time I saw it. I can not believe how it still haunts my memories. This has to be the best ending to a TV series ever. We do get total closure on all of the characters in the series. This will sound "corny" but this episode has changed the way I looked at life and it made me appreciate the people in my life more.

Worth Watching the Entire Series, Just for this Episode

[whydoeseverythingsuck · 10/10 · 12 March 2008]

Much has already been stated about this episode, and having just completed it I feel compelled to make my first post on IMDb.

Simply put, this is a marvel of cinema. I enjoyed the series as a whole, but even those parts that did not so completely capture my interest were validated by this finale.

I can honestly say that I have never seen the like. Finales as a whole tend to be either obvious or lacking despite being perhaps the most important of all episodes in a given series.

I would just like to encourage anyone who hasn't seen this show to watch it from start to finish even if they aren't mesmerized by it just to fully understand and absorb this incredible conclusion.

I can't speak highly enough of it, this is a masterpiece.

Has to be the best TV show finale of all time

[DanialAbufarha · 10/10 · 19 November 2018]

It has to be the best TV show finale of all time, and I have seen many, many, many TV shows including the very best, i.e: Sopranos, Wire, etc.

BEST FINALE EVER

[almiraomerovic · 10/10 · 19 January 2020]

After almost 15 years it's still the best finale ever. Even thinking about last 10 minutes of finale makes me cry.

Perfect

[nathaliamueller · 10/10 · 26 December 2007]

This is the most perfect end for a TV series I've ever seen. It is unexpected in so many ways and yet it is just what is should be. After seeing this episode, I am totally convinced that there could not have been a better ending for this series. It was perfectly written and acted out and it was just the right moment to end the series. I have seen this episode at least three times and I've wept every time -- and I'm really not someone who shows emotions.

The power of this episode stems from the fact that throughout the series, you feel like a member of the Fisher family and it is just heartbreaking to see the series end -- at the same time it is perfect. As eloquent as I'd like to sound, there is no word that describes this better than perfect.

It's the most fitting way to say goodbye to the Fishers and their friends.

God damn it. I'm crying my eyes out in 2021

[kirbie-34481 · 10/10 · 6 February 2021]

I guess I was a little late watching this show. I was Claire's age when this show was on the air. Claire (aka Lauren Ambrose) is 42 now, and I just turned 39 a few days ago, so I had a bit of nostalgia watching this show through her eyes instead of Nate's (who is basically the same age as me now - when he was doing the show that is). I've also been watching Claire simultaneously on M night Shyamalan's 'the servant' for Apple TV, and I have to say she was perfectly cast in both roles. As for SFU, Well, Nate's dead, and Brenda and the entire gang (Ruth, Gorege and everyone else) are moving on, and Claire's finally moving out; although, a little scary sending her off to NY with no job or place to live, but I guess she has that inheritance that was supposed to be for college (i guess she can get away with not getting her degree?) lucky her i guess?-if only we all could get some inheritance money to start out life away from home. That must be nice?. The flash forwards to their deaths was very emotional. I really loved this show, and I'm glad I got to watch it all in one two-week long binge while being home sick in early 2021. I'm really gonna miss this show & these characters. What a great show. Maybe I'll finally watch Dexter now too.

The best 10 minutes I have ever seen

[zbyp · 10/10 · 19 March 2009]

I just finished watching SFU. Before giving my opinion I would like to say that I’ve watched a lot of great TV-series such as The X Files, Twin Peaks, Dexter, etc. I think they somehow changed me. But Six Feet Under especially the last episode, last 10 minutes was the greatest experience. I can’t remember the time that i cried (probably when i was a child), but during this last 10 minutes crying was all i did, and also another half an hour after that. I see now what people are, that without them you are nothing, maybe you can be happy alone but how long??? I know now that i need to change many in my life, if i had seen SFU earlier i wouldn’t have hurt so many people's feelings. I am 25 (was born in 1983 like Claire) and wonder now if i’ll read this in the future, how my life would be then. All i know is that this last 10 minutes i will never forget.

If you think life is a vending machine where you put vertu to gain happiness, you're screwed

[yannickwolfe · 8 April 2006]

As a cable subscriber, I've seen many television series. Some good, some worse. Six feet under is, and by far, the best television drama. Never before I've seen such emotion, such humor, life or death printed on film. From the pilot episode to the grand finale, every minute of that show is somehow refreshing or disturbing. Every part of the soundtrack ( from Radiohead's magnificent Lucky to Nina Simone's Feeling good ) make you listen until the last second. Here's what I think of the, unfortunately, last episode.

The final episode is kinda the perfect closure. You know it's over for everyone. The first 55 minutes of the show are in the mood as previous ones but the last 15 minutes or so blows you away. Even if I'm a sensitive man, I haven't cried many times watching television or movies. This time I did. Imagine the sadness of 5 more seasons into one single shot in the vain. Drastic. One important thing to mention, the last episode is the only one where no one dies. Would the last one be the only one bringing life instead of death? I think so. And, to be honest, it was the right thing to do.

After carefully watching that show for years now, I can assure you one thing. Death sucks in every way, whatever other can say or do. It simply sucks. Life is not a vending machine where you put vertu to get happiness and we should really get the best of it. As silly as it may seems, I'm a different man now. Not after that last episode, neither after watching the whole show. But having that state of mind stuck in your brain for years make you see things differently. Really.

I hope you enjoyed Six Feet Under as much as I did. Sometimes television can really move you elsewhere, that you could have never reach by other means. Enjoy your life while you can.

Last 5 minutes: Great idea that is not working out

[mwmerkelbach · 5/10 · 27 September 2008]

KISS means "Keep It Short + Simple". It is always a good advice. Alan Ball created what in the future might be known as the greatest show on television ever. SFU is simply amazing – the script, the editing, the directing and the actors were assembled in an astonishing piece of work. It's pretty hard to make it work for 63 episodes over 5 years, but Ball managed to make it progressing even better the further it went. Every single move the characters made was convincing and within the spirit that lead the series from the very start. Ruth, Claire, Nate and David, and also Keith, Brenda, Billy, Lisa, Rico, George, Vanessa were believable human beings. Before watching SFU I experienced this type of dramatization only in first rate (mostly classical) novels. Then Alan Ball ended the whole thing with another fascinating idea. But for the first time he attempted to create an ambitious BIG BANG... and it did not work out.

To extend the whole idea of dying and death (that SFU was built upon) into the future definitely could have made a strong point. But you'd have to be able to transfer and picture it in a way that is as 100% convincing as the entire rest of it. Ball obviously tried to make it work in a way Stanley Kubrick did in the finale of "2001: A Space Oddity" (1968). In this classical sci-fi movie the music and the images were melting together in an extreme performance of man(kind) facing eternity. Alan Ball was reciting movies, TV shows, literature, pop music, subculture and all kinds of contemporary images successfully throughout the whole series and mentioned that particular movie of Kubrick before. Don't forget: SFU started in 2001 and in that respect his idea could have worked as a remarkable metaphor on different levels! But despite near Kubrick SFU ended on "Planet Of The Apes".

The ending of SFU – talking about that last 5 minutes of Claire driving to NYC with all that future images Ball cuts into her ride! - is simply laughable. The actors faces (instead old of age) look like the masquerade they obviously needed to wear. Some of the characters deaths are meant to be funny, but (for the first time) the humor is silly, and that mainstream pop song "Breathe Me" by Sia is forgettable crap. Out of the blue we get a music video that is partly cheap 70's sci-fi comedy and partly 90's MTV style. Yes, I know: not all of the songs in SFU were great, but for certain purposes they were always perfectly chosen. Yes, I know: Not all of the clothing or the looks were great either, but they always did suite the aim of all the gifted writers and directors. Nearly everything in SFU was believable and mostly awesome. Its rare moments of weakness were easily to excuse, because in total this was the most amazing TV show I've seen in my life.

Its very end was an unexpected failure. It marks a BIG BANG instead of a KISS. It is pathetic instead of cool, and it is sentimental instead of touching. It left me cold and disappointed and I still ask myself: "Why end it like this?" Any other way would have been a much better choice. One thing I wanna make sure is that I'm not blaming SFU's creator Alan Ball for being unable to give his very own show the finish it deserved. He managed to make it work for 63 episodes and lost track within the last 5 minutes. Hats off to the one who revolutionized the experience of watching a television show. That's exactly what Alan Ball did to me. 5/10 for the last episode; 10/10 for SFU in its entire glory.

Speechless

[ekho37 · 10/10 · 9 February 2007]

Speechless would sum it up for me. This was the best ending to an amazing series. It will put you through a whirlwind of emotions. My husband and I just sat there in a trance. We were so excited to see the last episode but yet sad at the same time. We have watched the series from the beginning and you start to feel like you are a part of the Fisher family. We felt like we could relate to so many of the episodes. This last one though had the perfect ending. Just thinking about it makes me teary eyed. When it was all over with we looked at each other and said "now what?" It was like saying goodbye to your foster family. For those of you who haven't seen it...be prepared to be left speechless. Oh and don't forget the tissues, you will probably need them.

Simply The Best

[danielshotmale · 10/10 · 24 July 2006]

So sad that the best television in years is now over. But what an ending.

In recent years American television has produced two masterpieces "Angels In America" and "Six Feet Under" both HBO productions. Well done HBO.

From Episode 1 to this last chapter every part an experience and a joy to watch. Why can't more producers, both TV and Film, learn from this production? Maybe then more people would pay attention to their products.

The sublime acting of Frances Conroy has been a joy throughout, why that woman does not have 5 Emmys (One for each season) is a mystery to me.

All of the cast has produced a wonderful and believable portrayals of real people living real lives. A credit to them, the writers and directors. Even their encounters with the dead, totally believable, who hasn't wanted to reconcile with the ghosts in their lives as the characters in this show have done? Again a sublime series. So sad to see the end, but what a superb way to end it making me question my own mortality. Truly moving.

Brilliant

[krains · 10/10 · 27 July 2006]

There is probably only one other ending in all filmdom history to compare with SFU "Everyone's Waiting", and that's the last 10 minutes of "Casablanca". The last six minutes is also probably the best music video ever made.

I watched finale of SFU with my sister. She lives in California and I live in Texas, but each week we would talk on the phone about the episodes shown each Sunday night. It was nice to be with her during this finale.

We sat breathlessly on the couch watching the demise of each of the major characters. I was especially touched by David seeing Keith before he died because it mirrors something which happened to me.

After the show ended, we could not speak. I went outside, gazed at the stars, moon and lake and took stock of things.

Parting is such Bittersweet Sorrow...

[ben-152 · 10/10 · 17 May 2007]

More then a year ago, I began to watch the show Six Feet Under because friends and relatives recommended it to me. All of the seasons were on DVD and conveniently located at my local Library. Wondering how amazing this show was, I rented the first season. After the first ten minutes, I was blown away. Seriously. Already did I know that this was one true to life family. So in a flash, I finished that and went for Season 2 and so on. And for the most part, it stayed true to life and solid. Eventually, I picked up Season Five to watch.

Suddenly, I realized that this was the end. That after this, there was no more of the show left and that the saga would have to end. Many people said it was an amazing ending, so I just couldn't wait to watch it at the same time dreading it's conclusion. In this season, Nate and Brenda, the ultimate on/off couple finally get married, but Nate screws this up by having a small affair. David and Keith (One of the most realistic Gay couples in TV or Movie history) finally decide to adopt kids, but while they both feel the true responsibility of raising children, David fears Keith's heterosexual desires will take over. Ruth has to deal with her husband, George returning from his stay in a mental hospital after obsessing over his bomb shelter. Rico, the Fisher's longtime friend has to deal with the rift in his marriage after cheating on her. Claire, the daughter is facing isolation after dropping out of college and works in a dead end business. Very, very true to life. As the season and series winds down, we look back at the many things that happened to the Fishers and their friends. Nate was diagnosed with a defect in his heart, Ruth tries to deal with her husband dying and fix the space between her and her sister Sarah, Claire got pregnant and had to abort her child, and David had to keep his gay secret away from his loved ones for the beginning, and many more events happened both sad and happy.

Then comes the final episodes.

To say that the final episodes of Six Feet Under were moving and haunting is a huge understatement. The final episodes were one of the biggest doses of reality from a TV show. I laughed at some of the quips characters made, I cried when they moved on, and at the episode where it's central character Nate dies before it's fully over. His funeral was so heart wrenching, the family coping with the death of Nate was moving and everything just splendid.

All of this leaded up to the last episode of Six Feet Under. And possibly the best.

In Six Feet Under's last episode, all the loose ends are tied, characters reunited and it seems perfect. Just you wait for those final five minutes. In those five minutes alone, I have cried harder then ever at any book, movie or song. Watching every character I loved die was so shattering and just incredibly done. The way it ended doesn't need any changes or suggestions to improve, it just flat out delivered. The song, 'Breathe Me' by Sia was pitch perfect and worked amazingly with the finale. Funny how in the beginning I wished it never ended, now I'm glad it ended perfectly and at the right time. So watch the final episode if Six Feet Under, I'm sure you won't regret it.

I'm Speechless!!!

[brenbella · 10/10 · 30 July 2021]

I've seen a lot of television and film over the years, but nothing even comes close to matching the emotions I felt watching this finale. This episode encapsulates everything that is so beautiful and tragic about life. It's more than just an end to a television show. It's a work of art that perfectly depicts the beauty of life in all its splendor. I'm so sad to say goodbye to this wonderful show and all it's beautifully complex characters but so grateful to witness it and happy that is got the proper ending it deserved. Best series finale ever!!

The best series finale ever

[babicddb · 10/10 · 17 September 2020]

I have nothing to add, no words, last 10 minutes pure emotion.

greatest finale of all time

[abirdnamedloveydovey · 10/10 · 12 August 2021]

It's been almost 16 years since this originally aired. It's still the best finale ever. I was blown away then, blown away now.

Nothing can stand beside it, NOTHING! How?

[adnan1121 · 23 December 2013]

Among numerous TV series the final episode of Six Feet Under takes the series at an extra level of greatness. I got to tell you, if the finale was not as it is, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have looked at this series as admirably as I do now. This now leads me saying to people, 'look, if you do not want a series that would make you carry out unsuccessful operations of searching what's in six feet under in other TV series, if you do not want to feel regretted that you actually finished watching a series, then do not watch Six Feet Under'. The final was as simple and beautiful as the series itself; no climax, no sudden plot twisting deaths, no unexpected change of story line. That's what makes it gorgeous. Before this episode was aired, word went around from Six Feet Under crew that the finale will be absolutely mind-blowing. So consequently, audience expected something extremely special. But when it was aired, the audience realized that they saw something that reaches not even the sea-shore of their expected complicated endings. Instead it delivers something which is quite simple but its beauty stretches far beyond the sea of their imagination. Especially the last couple of minutes; if its simplicity, sweetness and unbearable sadness doesn't make you weep openly until the credits rolled, then maybe you weren't watching. Honestly, I don't know how the creator came to realize the beauty of this ending because when you think it in papers, it REALLY seem rather ordinary. It's just one last ultimate bit of audacity and pure ingenuity of Alan Ball with his brilliant writing and direction which made possible to give a gem of television era a sealing of utter perfection.

Peace out!

Life Goes On, Until It Ends

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 19 August 2007]

Brenda has troubles in the delivery of the premature Willa in the Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Claire is feeling lost, not sure whether she is not good to be an artist. She is invited by a New York City agency to work as assistant photographer. Keith uses his savings to buy Rico's share in the funeral house. Ruth moves to Sarah's place. David defeats his fears and ghosts and recovers his sanity. Claire moves to New York, while envisions the fate of each character.

Everything comes to an end, including this magnificent show. It is amazing how wonderful an unpleasant theme like death can be brought to audiences, supported by credible, realistic human stories and outstanding performances. I am certainly going to miss this show, one of the best ever produced by television. The conclusion, disclosing the death of each character, was unique and very touching. Congratulations to all the people involved in bringing this awesome series to my home. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Todos a Espera" ("Everybody Waiting")

Disappointing

[jkweller-1 · 3/10 · 27 March 2007]

I've read some positive, enthusiastic reviews of this final episode of Six Feet Under, "Everyone's Waiting." I'm forced to disagree. I do not wish to discourage others from watching the rest of the series (or this episode, for that matter), which was original and wonderful. But this finale -- as a whole -- was disappointing, especially when the previous episode, "Static," suggested a huge pay-off was on the horizon.

"Waiting" opens with Brenda in labor. The child, a daughter, is born prematurely and her life hangs in the balance, leaving the audience unsure of whether she'll live or die. This is a good start, but, unfortunately, it never really takes off. With a 75 minute running time and no real drama, mystery, or suspense in its future, the episode leaves Everyone Waiting for it to end.

Let me go on to say that I do not disagree with the writer's decision to kill off Nate in the fourth-to-last episode, "Ecotone." Those who watched the series from the beginning, like me, knew Nate was going to die. I figured it would be in the last episode, and why not? It began with his father's death which caused him to return home to the family business and it would have been fitting for it to end with his death. But it didn't and it worked. To see Nate die shy of the series end threw the audience for a tangent and it left them wondering exactly what the last episode was going to be about.

The episode's main storyline, as it turned out, was to be about Claire getting a new job opportunity in New York. This made the fact that the episode was such a lackluster product even harder to bear because Claire was my favorite character in the show. Lauren Ambrose acted with a charismatic brilliance, injecting great depth into what could have been an annoying, typical, emotionally unstable teenage archetype. The result was a multidimensional, conflicted, and often, humorous soul.

But her acting could not save a script that seemed to be ironically killing time to progress to the more satisfying conclusion. Scenes with a wounded David and Ruth suspended in their own grief and pain are uninvolved, slow moving, and uninteresting. Claire bounces through the show with a benevolent optimism (much like the audience) often looking at the other characters as if to say, "Come on. Do something. We have 75 minutes here." Another scene with Ruth and Claire where Ruth tells Claire to pursue her dreams seems forced and unnecessary in light of their heartbreaking exchange of dialog in the final sequence (the only sequence in the episode worthy of the title).

The following paragraph is a product of speculation, not fact. But when a show as maverick as Six Feet Under has such a TV-typical finale, one has to speculate on exactly what caused such a tragedy. In the end, I am forced to accuse Alan Ball of dropping the ball on his own series. Ball's contributions to the show may have been its downfall, certainly it was with this episode. People must remember that the initial concept for the show came from the HBO network, not Ball. And though he created these wonderful characters, it was not his idea to 'kill them off' by showing their obituaries in a future-tense sequence; another writer from the show formed that concept. Indeed, the final sequence of the "Everybody's Waiting" is brilliant; the only sequence in the entire episode that does the preceding series any justice. (I love the line where Nate tells Claire, just as she takes a picture of her family, "You can't take a picture of this; it's already gone.") I'm not out to bash Ball. I know he's talented. But, as Deniro once said, the talent is in the choices. And since Ball got such great creative advice from the top and the bottom throughout the course of the show, it might have been a better choice to have someone else write the Six Feet Under finale. The writer who came up with the ending, perhaps?

Fans of the show, answer this: Would it not have been more interesting if Claire had been injured at the end of "Static," or been pursued by the wild animal in the green graveyard? Could her struggle to survive in the wild somehow be narratively linked to Brenda giving birth, giving the show a more dramatic conflict?

I know Ball, the writers and the cast have commented on how the show had broke new ground, most likely referring to its discussion of issues involving homosexual Americans. That is fine, but I think, at some point, they (or Ball) forgot what the real appeal of Six Feet Under was. It is not a show designed only for gay viewers or only, for that matter, liberals. I, for one, am a political conservative and straight, but this series captured my heart -- not because of its politics but because of its strong characters and rich narrative. This lacking, over-sentimental finale failed to do justice to the characters and narrative preceding it. It is my opinion that "Everyone's Waiting" is perhaps the poorest episode of Six Feet Under.

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing

[Seras11123 · 10/10 · 17 April 2021]

The most, the absolute most rewarding thing is seeing this without having been spoiled on it. Not only do we understand that all the strife the Fischers and people associated with them have to suffer is finally coming to an end, but that it was tantamount to the beauty that it births. That beauty is life. We see how every character dies in subsequent decades, and how they thrive when given new opportunities. Not only that, but how the present is minuscule compared to the vast future in front of it. A flawless masterpiece of a season finale. I bet we all wish TV Shows could be this profound.

Perfection

[Kubrickfan15 · 10/10 · 29 December 2020]

One of the best finales ever. Actually perfect. Nothing more I need to say.