Six Feet Under: The Secret

July 26, 2019 9:21 PM - Season 2, Episode 10

A man has a heart attack while wheeling a recycling bin to the curb, and there is a subsequent Buddhist ceremony at Fisher & Sons. A barely ambulatory Nikolai moves back into his own apartment, upsetting Ruth, who was enjoying living under the same roof with him. Nate signs away custodial rights to the baby he and Lisa are having, and is haunted by the spectre of the children he might have had. Brenda's still indulging in her extra-curricular activities, and dismisses both a therapist and her friend Melissa as unhelpful. Margaret and Bernard are back together, and they throw Brenda a bridal shower that goes about as well as the usual Chenowith do. David and Keith adjust to living together, and Karla makes her biggest mistake yet. Claire puts together an art project almost no one likes and is depressed by her post-high school prospects.

The obituary from this episode:

Benjamin Srisai (1935 - 2002)

Srisai, Benjamin - expired on March 13, 2002. "...bliss truly dawns, when unrest dies away."

Precious husband of Bette and father of Phil; also survived by many nieces, nephews and relatives in both the U.S. and Thailand.

The family requests that flowers please be omitted.

Buddhist services will be held on Sunday, March 17, 2002 at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home. Cortege leaves residence at 2PM for cremation at Wat Thai of Los Angeles, 8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave., North Hollywood.

posted by orange swan (2 comments total)

Nate comes across looking especially dense in this episode. When the Srisais ask him if he can do a Buddhist ceremony he says he read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in high school. When he says he should probably have his lawyer approve his signing papers in which he signs away his custodial rights to the baby (he's right -- he should!!), Lisa tells him to just sign them, and he does. As for all those imagined children, if he really caused all those pregnancies, or even one quarter of them, he's been appallingly careless and irresponsible. Then he decides he wants to be part of the baby's life... but he's not going to tell Brenda about it. Lisa was totally right to be utterly disgusted with him and walk off. At least he told Lisa why he was so upset that night in Seattle so she knows that rigmarole she concocted about it meaning he's really in love with her was garbage. Come to think of it she probably still won't get that... but maybe there'll be a crack in the darkness?

Lisa: "Is the Western medicine helping with the AVM?" Because herbal remedies and tai chi are totally going to remap the blood vessels in Nate's brain. Fuck off, Lisa.

Brenda's therapist was actually really good and could probably have helped Brenda a lot, but she's too arrogant, too invested in the idea of herself as above the rules that apply to ordinary people and too incomprehensibly complex to be understood to listen to her advice. That orgy was so depressing. It makes Brenda late and hungover for her own bridal shower. And then she insults and dumps Melissa, who is actually far more self-aware and better adjusted than Brenda, for being a bad influence. I kind of love Melissa for letting fly with some particularly accurate Parthian shafts -- which clearly struck home -- as she departs in scorn.

Ruth doesn't buy Brenda a bridal shower gift, but rather picks out items for both herself and Claire from the "gift closet". She still doesn't like Brenda that much, whatever she says when drunk on Margaret's punch.

Bernard, WHY are you wandering amidst a bunch of women in a bathrobe and chatting up Melissa? At least get dressed.

David can snap into funeral director mode on the spot and he knows his stuff when it comes to Buddhist funerals. He may be only 31 but he's a thorough professional at his job. It's also good to see him begin to stand up to Keith, who can be SUCH a bully, and take a more equitable role in their relationship.

Fucking Karla. It's actually a relief to see her go to prison, where she'll have no access to drugs and won't be able to do any harm to her daughter or anyone else. Poor Taylor... but she really is better off without her mother given that she has other much more responsible family to step into the breach.

Claire knew full well that she was doing something out of line by photographing the bodies in the funeral chapel -- that's why she was doing it in secret -- and she surely knew she wasn't fulfilling her English assignment requirements, but she still pouts because no one likes her project. And she doesn't want to go to the community college. Why didn't she apply to other schools besides UCLA? Why isn't she applying to art school?
posted by orange swan at 5:24 PM on July 27, 2019

As usual, orange swan, there isn't much I disagree with in the post above, but ...

Fucking Karla. It's actually a relief to see her go to prison, where she'll have no access to drugs...

... everything I've heard suggests drugs will be available.

As mentioned previously, I know Melissa's time on the show isn't forever, so if that's the last we see of her, yes, she went out strong. Except for her (and David sometimes), I don't think I liked anybody in this episode. Working hard at it, the best I can do is call Nate disengaged instead of dense. I cringed when he mentioned ZatAoMM; he's usually pretty good with the bereaved.
posted by kingless at 1:28 PM on July 31, 2019