Six Feet Under - Series Finale

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

SPOILER - DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET

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My God!!! I know I am a sentimental freak and I cried when Benji got hurt in one of his movies BUT GOOD LORD nothing could have prepared me for the last 10 minutes of Sex Feet Under. I thought the series was going to end in a so so way. I really didn't like how the last episode was going. Then the last 10 minutes .... WOW! I was in tears. I am still recovering. That was extraordinary. I didn't expect to see everyone die in the last episode. What is everyone else's thoughts? And does anyone know the name of the song at the end?

VDN

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

Last Song

 

Found It

-----

Breathe Me

by Sia

 

Help, I have done it again

I have been here many times before

Hurt myself again today

And the worst part is there's no one else to blame

 

Be my friend

Hold me, wrap me up

Unfold me, I am small and needy

Warm me up and breathe me

 

Ouch, I have lost myself again

Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found

Yeah, I think I might break

Lost myself again and I feel unsafe

 

Be my friend

Hold me, wrap me up

Unfold me, I am small and needy

Warm me up and breathe me

 

Be my friend

Hold me, wrap me up

Unfold me, I am small and needy

Warm me up and breathe me

[Guest mbarz]

RE: Last Song

 

It's from the CD "Six Feet Under, Everything Ends".

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

RE: Last Song

 

>It's from the CD "Six Feet Under, Everything Ends".

 

Thanks mbarz for the info. I think I will buy the whole album as there have been some great songs this past season. Were you into the show at all? Did you like the finale?

[Guest mbarz]

RE: Last Song

 

Were

>you into the show at all? Did you like the finale?

 

Yes, I watched the show, I've seen every episode, it was one of the few shows on television that I actually liked.

 

I thought the finale was excellent, favorite scene -before the last 10 mins- was Ruth and Brenda on the staircase in the foyer. Brenda was always my favorite character on the show.

[Guest ihpguy]

RE: Last Song

 

I am happy to know that I wasn't the only one with tears in their eyes. But I have to admit that I figured out Nate was going to die about half way through that episode a couple weeks back. Also, this week when I looked at the clock and saw that there were just over ten minutes left and Willa was having her first birthday party, my mind went BINGO! They're going to fast forward, show an abreviated arc for each character and kill 'em off. And that's what they did. And you know what, it was still a touching, soul-nourishing, satisfying finish to a splendid television series.

[Guest alanm]

RE: Last Song

 

For those who did not watch or did not like SFU, it must be weird for us to talk about the characters as if they are real people.

 

It took me a long time to like Brenda, but she became my favorite character this season so I am happy that things turned out well for her.

The Internet has been full of spoilers, so I was aware that all the characters were going to die, but was unprepared for the sometimes sad, sometimes sentimental way it was presented. Many of the death were very touching, especially Claire's.

 

SFU was never perfect (what show is), but it made for wonderful TV for the last five years.

[VaHawk]

I thought the ending was very well done and was in keeping with the opening scenes of death that marked the episodes. It was definitely "lump in the throat" time, but it was just that and nothing more as it was a TV show, not reality, but it felt real!

 

Having the present end with Claire driving to NY to "start" her life and the future flashes ending with Claire dying at 102 years old to "end" her life, surrounded by her photographs, was just GREAT! Summed it all up precisely, as all things begin and all things end, and the span of life, even if it is 102 years long for Claire or 40 years short for Nate, seems to last no longer than the time it takes to snap a picture.

 

Wasn't that the whole point of Claire finding Ruth crying while looking at the pictures of Nate in the family photo album and telling Claire that it didn't make her feel any better?

[Tommygunzz]

I thought the finale was as good as it gets. It was a series about the inevitability of death and how people cope---good or bad.

 

The last minutes were extraordinary. I cried. I had no questions---what happened to ?? I wonder if ?? What would it have been like if ??

 

Well written. BRAVO!

[curious2000]

I thought it was brilliant. I have been a fan from the beginning and thought Alan Ball ended it perfectly and was surprised I reacted with sobbing tears. I loved how the character David finally confronted his own worst fear in the red hooded sweatshirt: himself! Then he was finally free to be happy. Also loved the end with Claire driving down the freeway alone to finally start living her life along with the fast forward chapters to show how they all ended up and the died. I will really miss this amazing series.

[jackhammer91406]

The last waltz

 

I was apprehensive that a show I had enjoyed so much for 5 years couldn't possibly satisfy me with the finale episode. With clear, crisp writing wrapping story arcs that were years in the making and acting that was so close to the bone in it's reality and brevity, I am elated to have been wrong.

 

In the revelation of each character's death, and the fact that they all lived generously long lives, I feel I had more than five years of a show. I had a lifetime of episodes.

 

I would be interested to hear from others how they filled in the blanks of Maggie's story. What kind of doctor do you think she was about to see?

OB/GYN? Hers was the only arc that left questions of only partial closure.

 

I think this show reached a depth level in me that few shows on television have.

 

R.I.P. Six Feet Under

[VaHawk]

RE: The last waltz

 

It was my impression that Maggie was at the ob/gyn pregnant with Nate's baby, so I'm glad others thought that also.

 

But was Maggie's the only character who's "future death" was not revealed? How about Ruth's husband, George? Or the granddaughers, or Brenda's brother, or Brenda's mom, or Rico's wife?

 

It seems that it was only the major main characters, present in every episode from the first episode, whose future deaths were revealed.

[Chairmans Pig]

RE: The last waltz

 

excellent episode! Talk about closure!

i didn't quite get how Brenda died? I half expected a double suicide or murder/suicide with her brother.

 

And, was I correct in assuming that David and Keith did not make it 'til "death us do part"?

 

CP

[VaHawk]

RE: The last waltz

 

You are right, Keith died, if I remember correctly, about 15 to 16 years before David, shot down while being an armored car guard. I'm definitely going to watch this episode again on HBO on demand to get all the dates of death correct.

 

Brenda's brother Billy was at her side when she died, but they didn't show anything about his death. If I recall correctly ages at death: Keith in early 60's, David and Rico in mid 70's, Ruth and Brenda in early 80's and good old Claire 102! 1983-2085! :o

[Chairmans Pig]

RE: The last waltz

 

>You are right, Keith died, if I remember correctly, about 15

>to 16 years before David, shot down while being an armored car

>guard. I'm definitely going to watch this episode again on

>HBO on demand to get all the dates of death correct.

>

 

I got the impression though that Keith and David weren't a couple when Keith died. I'll need to rewatch the episode as well. I think it was something at Ruth's funeral that gave me that impression.

 

Oh...and what's that about the baby being named Willa Fisher Chenowith? Shouldn't she have been Willa Chenowith Fisher?

 

CP

 

Ruth O'Conner Fisher :: 1946-2025

Keith Dwayne Charles :: 1968-2029

David James Fisher :: 1969-2044

Hector Federico Diaz :: 1974-2049

Brenda Chenowith :: 1969-2051

Claire Simone Fisher :: 1983-2085

[Guest ihpguy]

Willa's family

 

After seeing the reversal of surnames felt that Brenda was pissed at Nate's cheating. After all, he did die after fucking his stepsister while his wife was pregnant with his child. Also caring for another daughter he had fathered while they were supposedly in a monagamous realtionship, while on a trip to Seattle. Quite the stud.

[Guest ihpguy]

Dead Keith

 

I though it was frightening how Keith's arc went from policeman, to security to the stars to aged, sixty-one year-old armored car guard? Thinking about this the next day, must have been a producer's cost-saving idea. Rented armored car/prop, 1 costume, couple day actors. Pow! Death!

[augustman]

RE: Dead Keith

 

When a series ends on TV so often it is not on their own terms and always leaves one wondering what ever happened to the characters and unfortunately the inevitable "Return to ..." TV movie. Ando some just go on too long, like ER. Thats what I appreciate the most by this ending. But they had to do it because every show openned with a death and funeral. It is only fitting they finish the series with dying and how our lives are sometimes more focused on dying rather than enjoying the life we have be given to live.

 

I also liked they only focused on the key characters starting with the first birthday, it was focused and from Claire's view what better venue than snapshots of life as that is all we are left in the end neither consoling or bitter, but a means of remembrance, a key to unlock a door we have shut in our mind.

[jackhammer91406]

RE: The last waltz

 

Keith was shot on duty while manning one of his security trucks. As the future unfolded, David and Keith were married and Keith (although already dead) did return to escort David to the other side. I don't think the producers intended for us to infer that the two had broken up. If anything, the opposite was the intention as theirs was the only complete household other than Rico.

 

As for how Brenda died, one reviewer today suggested that her brother Billy talked her to death. Pretty funny.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

WHOA!!!!

 

It was with regret that I had to return to work today. I wanted to spend the morning watching the ending again, replying to all of your posts and see what else I could find on the Internet. I wonder if the extras in all of the scenes in the last few minutes were actual crew members?

 

The ending made me so emotionally wound up I couldn’t fall asleep until past 2AM. I know I am beating a dead horse here but with so much crap on TV this ending was simply brilliant. It has been a while since good TV made me cry (aside from a few episodes of Intervention on A & E BUT this SFU last episode had me in tears all night).

 

To mbarz,

 

Ruth and Brenda on the staircase was wonderful indeed. I thought these two women always had more in common than either one of them thought.

 

To alanm,

 

I am SO GLAD I didn’t read about the spoilers on the Internet! I would have been pissed if this was ruined for me. The ending completely caught me off guard. Then again, all surprise endings and plot twists and who is what child’s mother always escapes me.

 

To ihpguy,

 

When I saw Willa’s birthday that is when I also said OH SHIT here we go. And they did it fast with quality.

 

To VaHawk,

 

The whole connection with pictures and Claire was brilliant. I thought it ironic she was in her death bed, blinded by what looked like cataracts, smiling as she remembered all of the “pictures” in her life.

 

To Tommygunzz and augustman,

 

Closure indeed! I am glad it ended with no chance of a movie or reunion show.

 

To curious2000,

 

I am glad you are man enough to admit you were sobbing as well. Maybe I have a lot of emotional stuff going on in my life right now but DAMN my head was in my hand towel!

 

To jackhammer91406,

 

Do you think that is where Maggie was? I thought Nate would have used protection. But then again maybe he didn’t go there planning to do “it”. But she seems to be the kind of Quaker that would have a condom ready.

 

To VaHawk,

 

I too would have loved to have seen everyone’s final moments. But then again, good lord, I don’t know if I could have taken it. Of all of the series that I have loved that have ended this was the best ending ever in my opinion.

 

To Chairmans Pig,

 

Billy was talking some psychological stuff to her and it seemed she had Parkinson’s disease. She just seemed to have died right there. They almost made it look like she was literally bored to death from his talking.

 

To ihpguy,

 

I think Keith owned the business as the armored car had his last name on it. I think he made it well as a business man. Did anyone else notice the armored car had his last name on it?

 

And finally to augustman,

 

What you wrote in your post was simply brilliant. It gave me a chill.

 

“I also liked they only focused on the key characters starting with the first birthday, it was focused and from Claire's view what better venue than snapshots of life as that is all we are left in the end neither consoling or bitter, but a means of remembrance, a key to unlock a door we have shut in our mind.”

 

Some questions and thoughts: Was the big picnic scene at the end being held at Nate’s grave site/park/preserve? And wasn’t it nice how George was able to keep it together and stay with Ruth the rest of her life? Did David and Keith’s younger son have a boyfriend in one of the last scenes as he got older and the older son had a woman with him pregnant?

 

Go to http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/ some GREAT pictures!

 

http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/img/homepage/episodes/season05/ep63_funeral.jpg

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

RE: WHOA!!!!

 

Those girls to George's right .... Nate and Brenda's daughters?

 

 

>http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/img/homepage/episodes/season05/ep63_funeral.jpg

>

>

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

Their Obits From HBO

 

Ruth O'Connor Fisher

 

 

Ruth Fisher was born in Pasadena in 1946 and died at Good Samaritan Hospital of Glendale on Wednesday. She graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963 and stayed home to raise three children before opening the Four Paws Pet Retreat in Topanga Canyon twenty years ago.

 

She is survived by her loving companion George Sibley, her sister Sarah O'Connor, her son David Fisher of Los Angeles and her daughter Claire Fisher of New York City. Ruth will also be missed by her four cherished grandchildren - Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Anthony and Durrell Charles-Fisher.

 

Viewing will be held on Saturday, March 15th at 2 p.m. at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home at 2302 W. 25th Street in Los Angeles. Private burial to follow.

 

Keith Dwayne Charles

 

 

Keith Charles, founder of Charles Security Company, was born in 1968 in San Diego. He died suddenly at work on Tuesday morning.

 

Keith attended West Point Military Academy, graduating with a degree in Criminology in 1989. He served the city of Los Angeles as a member of the LAPD for nine years before joining the security industry. He leaves behind his devoted husband David Fisher and loving sons Durrell and Anthony Charles-Fisher, his grandson Matthew, his sister Karla Charles and his niece Taylor Benoit of Carlsbad. Keith is pre-deceased by his parents Roderick and Lucille Charles of San Diego. Memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 18th at 2 p.m. at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home at 2302 W. 25th Street in Los Angeles.

 

David James Fisher

 

 

Born January 20, 1969. Died at the age of 75 in Echo Park. He was proud owner and operator of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home of Los Angeles for over forty years. After retiring in 2034, he went on to perform in dozens of local theater productions, including Weill and Brecht's "Threepenny Opera," Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," and as Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." David leaves behind his partner Raoul Martinez, his beloved sons Durrell and Anthony Charles-Fisher, his sister Claire Fisher and his three precious grandchildren Matthew, Keith, and Katie. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Southern California Opera Association

 

Hector Federico Diaz

 

 

Died at the age of 75 while vacationing with his wife in Puerto Rico. Federico graduated from Cyprus College in 1997 with a degree in Mortuary Science. He worked as a restorative artist for several years before becoming part owner of Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home on 25th Street. In 2005, Federico opened the Diaz Family Mortuary on DeLongpre Avenue in Hollywood, where he served the community for 35 years before retiring.

 

Pre-deceased by his parents Mauricio and Lilia Diaz of Los Angeles. He was married to his beloved wife Vanessa for 54 years and leaves behind his cherished sons Julio and Augusto and his three grandchildren: Emily, Celestina and Vincent.

 

Memorial service will be held at Diaz Family Mortuary on Saturday, February 16th at 11:00 a.m. Funeral mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. the following day at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Atwater Village.

 

Brenda Chenowith

 

 

Brenda Chenowith was born July 19, 1969 and died at the age of 82 at home. She earned her Masters Degree in Social Work at California State University of Los Angeles and a PhD in Theories of Human Behavior at University of Southern California.

 

Brenda wrote several books about the role of the gifted child in family development. She is considered to be one of the most distinguished scholars in that field of study, adding several courses to the Social Work curriculum at USC. She developed research methodologies to conclusively prove the link between deviant human behavior and fetal alcohol exposure. As a child, Brenda was the subject of the book "Charlotte Light and Dark" by Gareth Feinberg, PhD.

 

Brenda will be dearly missed by her beloved children Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Forrest Nathanson, her loving husband Daniel Nathanson, and her brother William Chenowith of Malibu. Private services will be held Wednesday March 9th at Deep Creek Nature Preserve. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

 

Claire Simone Fisher

1983 - 2085

 

Born March 13, 1983. Died February 11, 2085 in Manhattan. Claire grew up in Los Angeles and studied art at LAC-Arts College. She worked as an advertising and fashion photographer and photojournalist for nearly fifty years, creating several memorable covers for Washington Post magazine, W, and The Face. Claire often exhibited her work in New York and London art galleries and in a time when nearly everyone else in her field had turned to digital scanning and computer-driven imaging, she continued to use a silver-based photographic process. Claire began teaching photography as a faculty member at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2018, earning tenure in 2028. She's pre-deceased by her beloved husband Ted Fairwell.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

One More Thing - Claire's Car

 

Was Claire's car a hybrid gas/electric? Was that the show's homage to the current price of gas or a homage to Nate's earth friendly philosophy in life?

[curious2000]

RE: One More Thing - Claire's Car

 

Yes, I believe it was a hybrid. That would be fitting for Claire, since she expressed how she hated gas guzzeling SUV's and both she and Nate were environmentally conscious. I think Alan Ball was clever to make a statement like that. The finale was so rich, and full of details in the last 15 minutes, I still can't stop thinking about it and want to watch it again tonight. Thanks for that obituary page. Where did you find that?

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

RE: One More Thing - Claire's Car

 

>Yes, I believe it was a hybrid. That would be fitting for

>Claire, since she expressed how she hated gas guzzeling SUV's

>and both she and Nate were environmentally conscious. I think

 

Here I am thinking I am too much into detail and I forgot all about the fact Claire said that about SUVs many times.

 

>Alan Ball was clever to make a statement like that. The finale

>was so rich, and full of details in the last 15 minutes, I

>still can't stop thinking about it and want to watch it again

>tonight. Thanks for that obituary page. Where did you find

>that?

 

I am about to watch it again. I am going to see if I can be somewhat of a stable human being and not need a tissue. I doubt it.

 

I found the obits at http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/ . There is a lot of cool stuff like some of Claire's photos (sadly, none that she took with her bo in the bedroom last night).

 

I am ALSO shocked SFU was NOT mentioned on Entertainment Tonight tonight!!! Was SFU mentioned anywhere in the media today?