An Introduction to the Fishers and Their Friends
Six Feet Under revolves around the fabulous Fishers: Mom, Ruth (Frances Conroy), a woman who has been repressed most of her life, decides to branch out, turning to self-help seminars for support; Nate (Peter Krause), the scruffy but charming son, who, at first, reluctantly gets into the family business but then deals with a serious health problem; David (Michael C. Hall), the anal-retentive and now openly gay son who has been taking care of the business and wants to settle down; and Claire (Lauren Ambrose), the depressed and rebellious teenage daughter who feels like a family afterthought but finds a niche in taking pictures. Dad, Nathaniel (Richard Jenkins), was the glue that held them together until his untimely death in a car accident. Still, he manages to show up once in a while (as an apparition), when he is needed.
Then there are the characters that hover around the Fishers. Nate’s girlfriend Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) is a highly intelligent woman who can’t seem to fully commit to Nate, perhaps because her own family could be characterized as not only dysfunctional but downright looney. Frederico (Freddy Rodriguez) is Fisher & Sons’ embalmer extraordinaire, a nice family man who wants a little piece of the mortuary pie. Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) is a gay cop with serious anger management problems and David’s on-again, off-again love interest, while newcomer Lisa (Lili Taylor) is Nate’s ex-flame who ends surprising him with a “little bundle of joy.”
Season One Recap
Each episode details the demise of some poor soul with whom funeral home must deal with in some fashion or another and sets the tone for the rest of the show.
With the death of Nathaniel Fisher, founder and owner of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home, in a horrific car accident, the family is left in a state of shock–and the business is left in the hands of his two sons. David has been running the business with his father, while Nate, who lives in Seattle, has steered clear of the business altogether. But when their father’s will leaves half the business to Nate, he suddenly develops a conscience and decides to stay to help run things, much to David’s chagrin.
But the brothers’ business isn’t the only thing that’s a little screwy. Their love lives leave something to be desired, too.
Nate has an intense interlude with a woman, Brenda, he meets on the plane and ends up forming a strong attachment to her. But she isn’t without a bit of baggage herself. Fiercely protective of her emotions, Brenda comes from a screwed up family of psychologists. She also has a co-dependent relationship with her manic-depressive brother Billy (Jeremy Sisto).
David is a closeted homosexual, who has a relationship with Keith, an openly gay cop. When they break up, David has to come to terms with talking about his sexuality, mostly to his mother.
The usually collected Ruth is thrown for a loop by her husband’s death, but instead of rolling over, she decides to build a new life for herself. She gets a new job as a floral arranger, working with the larger-than-life Nikolai (Ed O’Ross), who has provided the flowers to the funeral home for many years.
Claire, the youngest, feels out of place within her own family and certainly can’t connect with her mother. Ruth tries as hard as she can but Claire rebuffs her every time. Instead, Claire finds some solace with the troubled Gabe (Eric Balfour), a drugged-out rebel who is humbled by his 6-year-old brother’s accidental death while playing with a gun.
Frederico Diaz, a young hotshot embalmer who was trained by the elder Nathaniel, loyally works long hours at Fisher & Sons. With a young family of his own, Frederico feels a kinship with the Fishers but also feels he deserves more and wants to be a partner. David and Nate both agree that this is impossible, which sends Frederico looking at other options–namely the competition, Kroehner’s, a national chain of funeral homes that attempts to buy out Fisher & Sons with no success.
At the end of the first season, Nate finds out he may have a brain malady; a raving Billy nearly kills Brenda and she has to have him committed to a mental hospital; Frederico comes back to Fisher & Sons to stay; David embraces his homosexuality; Claire tries to hold onto her tenuous relationship with Gabe; and Ruth finally gives in to Nikolai’s advances and starts up a new relationship.
