Six Feet Under: Knock Knock

June 21, 2019 10:05 PM - Season 1, Episode 13

In the season one finale, Kroehner strikes again, this time sending a new body to Fisher & Sons. The deceased is Tracy Montrose Blair's beloved Aunt Lillian, and Tracy is determined to arrange a resplendent funeral for her. David outs himself to the other church deacons, and there is political fallout. Nate takes his funeral director's exam, then goes with Brenda to see Billy. Brenda picks a fight with Nate on the way home and neglects her driving. Ruth gets fired by Nikolai and dumped by Hiram. Claire goes to a party at Parker's with Gabriel, who ends up going on an ill-conceived beer run with his pals. Rico and Vanessa have their son's christening at Fisher & Sons, and all the Fishers are invited.

The obituary from this episode:

Lillian Grace Montrose

October 4th, 1936 - June 14th, 2001

Beloved aunt of Tracy Montrose Blair, Ms. Montrose passed away in the comfort of her home on Thursday.

Lillian Grace Montrose spent her early childhood in Austria where her father taught music composition at the Vienna Music Conservatory. An accomplished musician in her own right, Ms. Montrose received a music degree from Baltimore's prestigious Peabody Conservatory. She later attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she got a Masters degree in French Literature.

An ardent traveler, Ms. Montrose met her late husband, Rolph, while engaging in an archeological dig in Nairobi. She suffered personal tragedies in her life, including losing her husband and only daughter, Claudia, in a fatal car accident ten years ago-but somehow she always persevered, like the great lady that she was.

Ms. Montrose was a respected and well-loved staple of her community. She raised Welsh Corgis on her estate and her dogs were twice awarded Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club's annual tournament. A tireless fundraiser, a patron of the arts and a master gardener, Ms. Montrose regularly combined her three great passions by hosting fundraising garden parties on her estate, inviting some of the world's most prominent writers, artists and statesmen.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Junior League of Los Angeles, 630 North Larchmont Blvd., LA 90004

Funeral service for Ms. Montrose will be held on Monday, June 18th from 3-6PM at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will follow at 6:30PM at St. Bartholomew's Church, LA.

posted by orange swan (1 comment total)

This episode contains the first of the Six Feet Under cold open misdirects, in which the viewer is led to believe that one particular person is about to become Fisher & Sons newest customer, and then it turns out to be another person altogether. When you routinely kill off a character in the cold open, you have to keep it fresh. And though I know the golfball fracturing Aunt Lillian's skull was an accident for which Ms Tough-Talking Southern-Accented Kroehner-Running Lady could not fairly be blamed, it still seemed so on point for a high-ranking Kroehner the Evil Empire exec to casually kill someone while giving her fawning subordinate his orders.

The St. Bart's deacon politics really turned my stomach. Walter being his usually shitty self, Father Jack folding and expecting David to fold ... ugh.

At least Billy's feeling better, but it was bizarre for Brenda to pick a "I don't want to waste my time" fight with Nate on the way home. They've known each other less than six months. I'm trying to figure out the psychology of that. Brenda feels she can't handle being with Nate when she's taking care of Billy and is trying to drive him away? Or is it the opposite, that now that Billy's better she realizes she doesn't have the life she wants?

At any rate, Nate finds out all is not well with him neurologically. Shit is about to get real for him. But though the doctor tells him not to go running until he's had further testing and can see how the land lies... he goes running. And he goes especially hard at it. He does know how to handle Tracy Montrose Blair much better than David does. Kind but firm is the way to go with her.

Tracy is nuts, and kind of an asshole, but I still enjoy her, and I regret that this episode is the last time we see her. Her "my Aunt Lillian was the only person who ever loved me" breakdown was heartbreaking. She's so hungry for love... and so completely unaware of how her behaviour repels it.

Super dick moves by both Nikolai and Hiram in this episode. Ruth handles the Hiram situation with style (seriously, Hiram, you want Ruth back because it bruises your ego that she didn't mind breaking up with you? what are you, fifteen?), but for some reason opts to bang Nikolai in his flower shop instead of going to church.

Gabriel's terribly messed up, and his friends are dicks, and it's a bad combination.

Rico's little "I'm mad that I'm not a partner" hissy fits are so annoying, but the christening party scene was lovely (Vanessa: "Does that dead lady have to be here?"), with Nathaniel watching over his family from the staircase. Incidentally, that's the first post-mortem appearance he's made in which he's not imagined by and interacting with some member of his family, but is simply present as a ghost.

I sometimes like to imagine the conversation between Richard Jenkins and the Six Feet Under casting director.

"Your character dies in the first minute of the first episode."
"So this is just a cameo, then?"
"Oh no, we'll need you for the entire series."
posted by orange swan at 2:19 PM on June 23, 2019