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Six Feet Under: Complete HBO Season 5
It's hardly a spoiler to mention that 6fu's final season, though bookended by the promise of new beginnings (a wedding in episode 1 to a departure for new prospects in the 12th episode), centers around loss and a pivotal death. The scripts contain more than an occasional sense of inconsequential filler, while some of the recurring thematics seem forced (we see David continue to cope with the scars from his abduction in the previous episode via over-obvious imagery of facing his "inner demons"). Other issues receive especially compelling treatment, above all Brenda's (Rachel Griffiths) desire to have a child and David and Keith's (Mathew St. Patrick) choice to adopt. But the real strength of this season lies in several gripping performances. Ruth (Frances Conroy) touches off a complex series of reactions, simultaneously sympathetic and judgmental, transcending the tendency to appear as a neurotic caricature. The super-talented Lauren Ambrose brings off Claire's emerging self-awareness and maturity with moving touches (she's also got some of the funniest moments as she takes on a stint as a temp in scenes that call to mind the hysterics of The Office). Griffiths' Brenda for her part undergoes a parallel maturing process. And as George's daughter Maggie, Tina Holmes adds a welcome tone of contrast. 6fu, of course, has always been about the paradoxes of finality. But anyone who has developed an attachment to the show's unique tone and creative sensibility will have a tough time saying goodbye. Alan Ball outdoes himself with his script (and direction) for the finale, "Everyone's Waiting," seeding it with echoes from the pilot episode that will enchant aficionados. And the famous fast-forward visions coursing through Claire's imagination as she heads down the highway give the perfect seal to this set of characters. Extras include especially insightful commentaries, including Ball on the finale, retrospectives, and a mini-feature on 6fu's cultural impact. It's safe to say that the show leaves some pretty unforgettable impressions in its wake. --Thomas May
RRP: £50.99
Our Price: £16.96 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
So much anticipation pools up around the concluding episode of this concluding season that you might be tempted to head straight for said finale, titled "Everyone's Waiting" (and it's so rich you'll find yourself drawn to repeated viewings). But if you can avoid that impulse, it's worth following the full build-up of one crisis after another to get the real payoff. On an episode-by-episode basis, Six Feet Under's fifth season has a decidedly uneven quality, shifting in tone far more drastically, say, than the intensely dark season 4. Character traits that have already been developed at length begin to seem annoyingly repetitious--Nate's (Peter Krause) self-centered frustration and furious lashings out, Billy's (Jeremy Sisto) resurgent psychosis--like leitmotifs run amuck. But this season also benefits from the knowledge we've developed, over the years, of the Fisher family and their loved ones, so that what they end up facing has a real emotional wallop, sometimes jump-starting the drama just where it seems to be in danger of churning itself into circles.
I feel very sad for anyone who will never see this series!
Review date: 2008-06-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
Quite simply the most amazing season finale to The Best Series in the History of the Universe. Years after having finished it for the first time, I am ironically - for a show about death - still in mourning for its End. RIP The Fishers and Co - I miss you lots.
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Reviews
Moving, poignant, fantastic...
Review date: 2007-12-08 Rating: 10 out of 10
Never have I seen such an emotional ending to any tv series that really wrenches the heart like this series has. An amazing cast and a talented group of writers and directors have created a memorable and incredibly moving piece of work. The best!
A fantastic final series to an amazing show
Review date: 2007-08-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
Like most people, I have watched Six Feet Under from the 1st series and I was amazed by it. The writing is truly spectacular and the actors are fantastic. This final series of Six Feet Under is as good as the rest as we follow the Fishers lives for one last season.
Without giving much away, the ending is truly superb.
Just brilliant
Review date: 2007-02-27 Rating: 10 out of 10
I've followed Six Feet Under from the 1st series and it's just amazing. The final episode of the final series was just so moving and really makes you think about your own life. I watched the last bit 5 or so times it moved me so much!
People, Love, Life and Death - what else do we have?
Review date: 2007-02-24 Rating: 10 out of 10
Not since the 1980s and Alan Bleasdale's "Boys from the Blackstuff" has a tv drama series had such an effect on me. I have seen all the 6 feet under series now and found it to be compelling and startling in its dramatic content and brilliantly acted by a consistently superlative cast whose replacement at any point in the series would have been quite inconceivable! Of particular note are Frances Conroy and Lauren Ambrose but everyone involved in this excellently written series is to be commended.
This concluding series has an edgy quality to the direction and the writer is masterful at portraying the passage of time at different paces for different characters involved in the story - either hurtling through life as it can seem at middle age or drifting aimlessly through the confusion of adolescence and our senior years. There is something that this series offers which will strike a dramatic chord with any viewer.
Alan Ball's writing is of a quality that is almost 'spooky' in its observation of the human psyche including all aspects our psychoses, dysfunction, heroism, betrayal, terror, quirkiness, unconditonal love, devotion and fears. It confronts head on the aspect of personal tragedy which we will all at some time in all our lives be faced with and have to struggle with to try and make sense of our time here on earth. People, Love, Life and death -these are all we ever have.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Freddy Rodriguez
Peter Krause
Michael C. Hall
Frances Conroy
Lauren Ambrose
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900764629
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 5
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2006-04-10
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Language: English (Original Language)