Six Feet Under: Dancing For Me

November 9, 2019 7:21 PM - Season 5, Episode 2

One of Nate's best friends from his high school days runs himself over in his own driveway, and Nate finds he has little in common with his other former high school best friend. George is noticeably better but still struggling with depression and forgetfulness, and Ruth is seething with resentment that he never told her about his mental health issues before they got married. Brenda begins her internship as a therapist... twice. Keith and David consider their child acquisition options, and argue over baby names. Rico gets ghosted by the woman he's been seeing. Claire has work rejected by her art dealer, but gets excited about her next idea. And Billy starts flushing his meds.

The obituary from this episode:

Samuel Wayne Hoviak (1965-2004)

Beloved husband of Linda and son of Wayne and Judy, died Monday. Sam graduated from UCLA in 1986. For the last 17 years, he worked for C&L Door and Window Company as a salesman. He had a love for dogs, Italian food, football and detective novels. We miss and love you, Sam. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21 at Fisher and Diaz Funeral Home, LA.

posted by orange swan (2 comments total)

The problem with operating dangerous technology/machinery every day is that one becomes too complacent, and too careless, about it.

It's never pleasant to discover one's former best friend is an appalling person. I felt for Nate. He's not the best guy, but he's at least not a creep.

Poor Maggie, having to take care of her father and his latest wife, when I bet George never took much care of her.

Incidentally, there are a number of Margarets in this show: Brenda's mother, Lisa's mother, and now George's daughter. Did someone on the writing staff like the name, or...?

Margaret Chenowith told Brenda she wouldn't be able to hack working at a free mental health clinic and wouldn't even know how to dress down for it. Brenda showed up for her internship at a free clinic wearing what was definitely a very expensive long leather coat and carrying what was probably a designer handbag. Then she finds out the work is going to be too emotionally gruelling for her and quits after one day. It must be maddening for Brenda that her mother is right, especially when she phrases her predictions in the most offensive and irritating way possible. And then Brenda gets a plum internship that was supposed to go to an outstanding student, not that she'll spend much time worrying about that. She takes her considerable level of privilege entirely for granted.

Jackson is definitely a better name than Logan. Keith has taste.

It's a good thing for David that Keith wasn't around for the conversation he had with Claire about her donating her eggs. He was therefore able to couch the proposition to her in the most negative way possible in order to stack the deck for a refusal. (Keith would have been sooo pissed.) I think she might at least have considered it otherwise.

Claire has a lot to learn about managing her expectations as to success in the art business.

NO, BILLY, NO. I feel for the guy having to choose between the life of emotional flatness, lack of creativity, and loss of erections he has on meds, and the manic energy he experiences when unmedicated, but dude, the last time you went without meds, you tried to take a knife to your sister's ass. Stay on the meds.

Not that I'm excusing Rico's date for not responding to his calls and ending things with him like a considerate adult, but Rico, you idiot. I bet he'd never had anyone he was dating pull a disappearing act on him before, but still he should have figured it out instead of leaping to conclusions and calling the hospitals. And then he tells Vanessa a pathetic lie in order to get her sympathy and time with her. Vanessa is too good for him.
posted by orange swan at 6:10 PM on November 13, 2019

It's a good thing for David that Keith wasn't around for the conversation he had with Claire about her donating her eggs. He was therefore able to couch the proposition to her in the most negative way possible in order to stack the deck for a refusal. (Keith would have been sooo pissed.) I think she might at least have considered it otherwise.

I suspect the writers had a lot of fun coming up with the dream sequences for the show. David's colour saturated farm yard dream with Claire morphed into a hen - was both wonderful and horrific. Having a nephew or niece who was also a child conceived by your spouse - is indeed something that would have taken some explanation. The show does quite a good job of showing how we process our reactions to ideas like this in dreams.
posted by rongorongo at 3:49 AM on July 5, 2022