Parker: "I think we should follow Claire. And she said to go this way."Lots of new directions for the Fishers.
Nate and David have left behind their differences. This was the first time I saw outright affection between them. I loved Nate fixing David up with hot, young Square Dance Guy; it showed love and acceptance beyond token lip service, and a genuine interest in David's life. The final scene with David and Claire also showed their relationship improving, with him deciding not to tell Ruth, and Claire in turn asking David about Keith.
Although his relationship with David improved, Nate's relationship with Brenda just got weirder. Nate wants fidelity, while Brenda pushes him away by flaunting her emotionally incestuous relationship with her brother. Billy was still outright possessive of Brenda, and utterly hostile toward Nate. And what to make of coming home to find the totally nude Crocodile Dundee? That was funny and alarming at the same time.
Claire, off on her expensive Sierra Crossroads vision quest, discovered that other people's methods of seeking enlightenment didn't work for her. She thought she was bonding with Topher, a guy who seemed to be like her, but he was only play-acting the part of rebel. Instead, Claire ("goth arty freak girl") discovered Parker ("compulsive liar danger slut"), a possible new friend who was actually right under her nose in her own school. At least Claire learned one thing: that she needed to find her own way.
No new direction for Ruth. Yet. Ruth settled for Hiram, a known and unexciting commodity, but was strongly attracted to Nikolai, who was moodier and a lot more exotic. In truth, she's probably better off with Hiram, but Ruth tends to be impulsive.
The biggest change in direction was Rico's. He finally succumbed to Kroehner, choosing money and a chance at his own place over comfort and familiarity. And who could blame him? But Rico is accustomed to being treated like a person, not a commodity. How will he react to Kroehner's "human McNugget" approach? And how will the Fishers ever manage without Rico?
Bits:
— I loved the irreverent Nate in a lounge chair in front of the funeral home, half naked and getting a tan. David sat next to him, wearing a suit, quizzing Nate on questions for the funeral director's exam. A perfect visual portrait of the internal differences between the two of them.
— While he was stoned, Nate heard Brenda, Billy, and Connor speaking solid streams of wild Aussie slang he didn't understand. He saw Billy and Brenda in a passionate embrace. And I'm fairly certain the photograph Billy showed Nate changed somehow. I think this meant that Brenda is foreign to Nate; he doesn't understand her. Duh.
— Parker called Claire's hearse "Graceland on wheels." There are so many ways to interpret that: bigger than life, kitsch, tragic death, etc.
And pieces:
— "Chloe Anne Bryant Yorkin, 1959-2001." A drunken woman celebrating the painful breakup of her marriage came to a fast, icky end. The song I will survive was playing during this scene, but she didn't. She was also doing a "king of the world" impression of Leonardo in Titanic. He didn't, either.
— It's been nine days without a body, which was their record since the 1984 Olympics.
— Michael C. Hall did a marvelous impression of Walter Brennan. I seem to remember from my childhood that everyone used to do impressions of Walter Brennan.
— The senior square dance classes were fun. What an odd place for David to get picked up.
— Speaking of which, I think David should not be having one night stands with cute strangers. I think he belongs with Keith. They had a special connection. Where is Keith? He's still in the cast. I want him back.
— Rico lied to the Fishers and stole some supplies, which I bet was a new direction for him. Mostly because he did it so badly.
— Rico's "Sistine Chapel" was kind of fascinating. He really is amazing.
— Rico discovered that Kroehner burned down the building across the street for the insurance money. Did they want it to look like the Fishers did it?
— In Russia, Nikolai was an engineer. Now he's a florist.
Quotes:
Nate: "You must really like wearing a suit."
David: "There's always a chance we might get a walk-in."
Nate: "There's always a chance we might get abducted by aliens."
David: "It's Fisher & Sons. Sometimes you have to be the bad cop."
Nate: "But you're so good at it."
Rico: "Your brother's got a bug up his ass about cleanliness."
Nate: "I know. When we used to play GI Joes, he always wanted to give his a shower."
Claire: "Dennis is watching us like a hawk, now that we've officially established ourselves as the antisocial losers."
Topher: "We'll just sneak off after we set up camp, while the rest of the Bush youth groom each other for lice."
Brenda: "Did you just make me a lifetime commitment right before the thinly veiled threat of abandonment?"
Claire: "I think I really learned something valuable. Everything I think I know is wrong."
Three stars,
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
This episode had a humourous moment where Ruth is confronted by a Russian woman who had previously dated Nikolai. She recounted how their relationship had ended in a cineplex. Fast forward to season 2, and where did Ruth's relationship with Nikolai end? In a cineplex. The writers of Six Feet Under were amazing in terms of their attention to continuity.
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