How are the cast from Six feet Under doing these days?

I really thought Lauren Ambrose was going to go onto great things and it's kind of disappointing to see that she hasn't gotten a role worthy of her talents since.

Peter Krause and Freddy Rodriguez are on popular TV shows.

Since you're too lazy to mention their "real names", I'm too lazy to give you all the casts' voluminous film/TV/theatre credits since 2005. They're all working steady, except for maybe Jeremy sisto, who I can't vouch for.

Rico's wife, Justina Machado is on DWTS and stars in the One Day AT A Time reboot.

Lauren Ambrose has gone on to some major acclaim in theatre, including Liza in the Lincoln Center revival of MY FAIR LADY (although a friend told me, "Don't believe the hype. She's just... okay.")

Michael C Hall has also enjoyed some success in theatre.

It was an incredibly talented ensemble. I found some of the characters annoying, but the casting was always first rate.

The mother must be dead by now. Krause and Rodriguez are bother fatter in the face. I saw bits of this movie (in the link below) on TV last night and Rachel Griffiths looked frightful, lank hair like King Richard III and wizened, wrinkled skin.

[quote]but the casting was always first rate.

Not ALWAYS.

Rachel Griffiths has apparently returned to Australia and is doing TV there.

She was awesome on SFU, but the stories of her craziness are legion in the industry.

I think they're doing a reboot of Dexter with Michael C. Hall.

10 episodes or something.

The hottest guy on that show was Eric Balfour, who played Gabe, Lauren Ambrose's creepy boyfriend. He, too, kinda dropped out of sight.

Lauren Ambrose was in that M Night Shamalamdingdong thing on Apple TV.

[quote]Rachel Griffiths has apparently returned to Australia and is doing TV there. She was awesome on SFU, but the stories of her craziness are legion in the industry.

She was, but I never got how she was supposed to be this incredible sex magnet - who just walked out the door and every guy in the world wanted to fuck her...and often did.

The marvelous Frances Conroy who played Ruth is only 67 years old.... which makes her about 48 at the start of the series.

She was in JOKER last year, one of last year's biggest films.

So no: not dead, not retired, and not ever particularly elderly.

Rachel Griffith starred in the Sally Field programme.

Frances Conroy played senility very well.

I can't believe Lauren Ambrose did Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady' on Broadway. Was it any good?

What happened to the gurl who took over from Ricco when he went over to Chroner? She was very good and I see her face around.

Brenda was a sex addict r11. Straight dudes will always fuck a woman who’s DTF. And none of you bitches have mentioned her work on The Sally Field Programme.

Also you bitches forgot Frances Conroy’s work in DL fave Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.

... not EVEN particularly elderly...

jeez.

Wasn't Brenda Ally McBeal's sister on The Sally Field Programme?

So is Michael C Hall related to The Kids in the Hall?

They all seemed rather fey.

Funny story.

While the show was still on, my elderly father went on some cruise to South America and he was showing me his pics and he said "this guy is apparently an actor" and it was James Cromwell. (I actually know his real name! but not his name on the show).

James Cromwell fucks Anna Stuart. Donna Love.

Lauren Ambrose had an interesting take on Eliza. She played the comedy well, seemed like an underdog who sensed an opportunity to finally get a chance, and was truly compelling in the final scene (even if you didn’t buy the director’s interpretation). At the moment where Higgins sang about Ow and Garn keeping Eliza in her place, she walks upstage and you could see her choose to get Higgins to make her a lady.

What done her in was some strange, borderline amateur movement and acting whenever she sang the more difficult music. She sounded pretty good, although a little muffled. Those weird affectations really held an otherwise good performance from taking flight.

I always liked Lili Taylor and wondered what became of her. I recently read that she is bipolar (but has it under control).

Rainn Wilson (the actor who played Dwight in The Office) appeared on SFU as Ruth's almost lover.

Frances Conroy (Ruth) is only 12 years older than her tv son Peter Krause (Nate).

Frances Conroy was in Catwoman. She was amusing as a weird cat lady/historian.

Real mistake - the finale scene Ruth dies looking incredibly ANCIENT yet James Cromwell who was way older than her when they were married and already looked ancient looks practically the same at her bedside.

Frances Conroy suffered an eye injury that makes her right eye appear larger. It was incorporated into the plot line of her character in American Horror Story.

R9, I didn't much like Balfour, but I remember he did that Stephen King series on SyFy that ran for years.

Holy fuck! Ruth will die five years from now!!! 😭

[quote] Ruth dies in 2025 of old age at a hospital with George and her surviving children at her bedside.

Peter Krause went on to do Parenthood, which was a long-running and successful show for NBC.

He’s on that FOX show 9-1-1 now.

Frances Conroy went on to be a member of the Corona Virus Task Force. She modeled her extensive scarf collection each day at the press briefings whilst speaking in an annoying voice about "granular" things.

When ppl tell me their problems and I'm done hearing them, I kind of panic and go straight Margareth Chenowith mode cuz I don't know what to say!

It works all the time

Dear R22, I love your use of "What done her in"!

Too bad we never got a Margaret Chenowith vs. Bettina scene. Bettina would have ripped her a fucking new one.

R31, he also did that SciFi mini-series "The Lost Room" right after Sex Feet Under. I thought it was really good, especially for being on SciFi.

Peter Krause has a very awful looking toupee!

Looks real to me.

Peter Krause made some pissy comments after Six Feet Under when Michael C. Hall got the Dexter show.

He came off as very jealous and small.

Lily Taylor was just on Perry Mason (HBO) playing Tatiana Maslany’s mother.

[quote] Holy fuck! Ruth will die five years from now!!! 😭

Can things that happen in the future really be considered canon? The future hasn’t happened yet so it could all be in flux. Roseanne said Dan died of a heart attack yet he’s alive now in The Conners. Will and Grace said they didn’t talk for 20 years yet they are talking again in the reboot.

Oh gawd, I WEPT during the last minutes of SFU ...

Details, please, R39!

Justin Theroux’s penis from Season 4 went on to star in Jen Aniston’s puss.

[quote] Oh gawd, I WEPT during the last minutes of SFU ...

The whole world did. Now THAT was a f*cking finale.

I had a huge crush on Freddy Rodriguez...so damn cute. Still.a

OP can't be bothered to use actors' real names in a thread she started.

OP is a stupid, lazy cunt who deserves the miserable life she has.

R38 He looks like what Jonathan Groff will look like 15 years from now.

" I never got how she was supposed to be this incredible sex magnet - who just walked out the door and every guy in the world wanted to fuck her...and often did."

I never understood the appeal of Brenda, either. She wasn't pretty, although she had a decent body. There was particularly attractive about her. But she was always, uh, AVAILABLE to men. Maybe that was the attraction; she was always ready and willing to fuck.

Aren't you gay men? You're not supposed to understand why Brenda was hot. Stick to what you know.

Chris Pine played Nate’s friend from high school in one episode. Oddly enough his character’s death was somewhat similar to Anton Yelchin’s real life cause of death.

I adored ‘Six Feet Under’ when it first appeared. Even the heterosexual people I know considered it to be important drama.

However fault lines started appearing in the latter series and the psychological logic of the characters got twisted to fit the contrivances of running time, balance, actors demanding equal time etc. etc

I'm too scared to watch the first series again because I know it won’t fit my memory of it.

I always liked how the last scene started with Claire pushing the 'start' button on her Prius, then cutting to the flash forwards of how they all die. And yes, I cried.

How could Chris Pine have gone to high school with Nate? They’re almost 20 years apart in age.

An elderly friend of mine (she’s dead now, RIP, hon!) had Cromwell back in the olden days. She had been quite a hottie back then, an aspiring actress and actual model. She said he had a beautiful cock (but phrased it in a more ladylike way). That’s all I got.

[quote] How could Chris Pine have gone to high school with Nate? They’re almost 20 years apart in age.

The character dies at the beginning of the episode and was either played by another actor or it was Pine aged to look around 40. Nate sees the character as his younger self.

[quote] The mother must be dead by now

Fun fact Peter Krauze was only 12 years younger than Frances Conroy who played his mother. She's everywhere and her list on IMDB is very big.

She's a very recognizable character actor, she's played Barney's mom on How I met your Mother, she's played the conservative Catholic mother in the Real O'neals, she's done lots of voice acting for cartoons too and she's always playing some quirky character on a Ryan Murphy show, most notably AHS.

She's currently playing the mother in law of Christina Applegate's character in Dead to Me on Netflix.

WHET Jeremy Sisto?

Sisto was on the CBS tv show FBI.

Don't know if he's still on it.

He also seems to tweet quite a bit.

Lauren Ambrose surprised me with her vocals in My Fair Lady. She aced that part of the role with flying colors and it's been said Eliza is one of the toughest musical theatre roles for a woman to sing. She was charming in many of the book scenes, but as others have said, she was unable to act and sing at the same time. It was a very unique performance in that way. She seemed so concerned with hitting the notes correctly that she completely forgot how to be in the moment as the character. It did take me out of the show a little bit.

It did make me wonder what her vision of Fanny Brice in that aborted Funny Girl revival would have been like. Maybe those songs would have been better fits for her voice and she would be able to let go a little more.

R57 Frances Conroy became Martha Plimpton?

My bad, I meant grandmother, she played Martha's evil mother.

Jeremy Sisto had a moderately successful series called "Suburgatory" which I actually enjoyed. Also starring Emma Stone's identical twin.

[quote] WHET Jeremy Sisto?

I saw Jeremy Sisto’s big wet dick flopping about in Take Me Out LA.

Eric Balfour was in the Charmed reboot

[quote] However fault lines started appearing in the latter series and the psychological logic of the characters got twisted to fit the contrivances of running time, balance, actors demanding equal time etc. etc

I used to favor the first two seasons, but I recently binge watched the entire series and found myself enjoying Seasons 3-5 more this time.

Except for Olivier and fucking Mena Suvari. Still hated them the second time around.

R9 he's a family man now, started a clothing line with his wife.

Still does some acting though like R29 and R65 mentioned.

Has Matthew St. Patrick been in anything recently? Loved his bearishness.

Michael C Hall will star next in a German production about the aftermath of WWII with Taylor Kitsch called Shadowplay.

Isn't it a red sign for actors when they have to sign up for European productions? I heard the production budgets are usually rather small compared to US productions and they don't get paid a lot. That's why most British and European actors try to find work in the US.

^ That tedious Tarantino movie called "Inglorious bastards" was a co-production with a German company.

Julie White - so great as Mitzi Dalton Cuntley.

Why hasn’t she had a bigger career?

[quote] “you'll have no career afterward if you play gay" bullshit has long gone out the window

That hasn’t been a thing since Daniel Day Lewis ushered his illustrious three-Oscar, four-decade career with My Beautiful Launderette or since Tom Hanks won an Oscar for Philadelphia almost three decades ago.

[quote] And none of you bitches have mentioned her work on The Sally Field Programme

An hour and a mere three posts before you, bitch.

Rainn Wilson also played the good doctor on the Amazon Prime reboot of Utopia.

[quote] I really thought Lauren Ambrose was going to go onto great things.

For playing a cold, jaded redhead with ennui and an attitude? Back of the line, bitch! You’re not even the only one who can also sing.

R9

Eric Balfour is fine, and sends his most warmest regards.

[quote] Rachel Griffiths has apparently returned to Australia and is doing TV there. She was awesome on SFU, but the stories of her craziness are legion in the industry.

R7, I haven’t followed Rachel much since this and Muriel’s Wedding. Always liked her.

What stories exist of her craziness?

TIA

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[quote]I used to favor the first two seasons, but I recently binge watched the entire series and found myself enjoying Seasons 3-5 more this time. Except for Olivier and fucking Mena Suvari. Still hated them the second time around.

Me too. Exactly the same...except the Mina part. I liked her fine.

The show is so rich it is worthy of several rewatches. Ricco's wife stood out as being especially good on the re-watch...and many of the "visiting" stars.

David and Keith's adoption story is a drag though.

[quote]Julie White - so great as Mitzi Dalton Cuntley. Why hasn’t she had a bigger career?

I'm glad you mentioned that gurl, Mitzi. She was great.

I liked Frances Conroy as the angel of death in the AHS: Asylum.

She was also great as the older version of the maid in the first AHS.

I know people liked her Grace Coddington imitation in the Coven season, but I always felt that season was a huge mess.

And I thought Rupert Grint was perfect casting as Lauren Ambrose's brother in that series last year, but honestly I didn't finish watching all the episodes.

What's the deal with Michael C. Hall? Still in the closet? I know he married the lesbian actress who played his sister on Dexter, then he got cancer, then he divorced her.

*** Spoiler Alerts***

Anything on Richard Jenkins, the actor who played the father(killed off in the first episode) It was interesting the way they handled the character, having him "re-appear" every so often, to provide commentary or offer advice or just help move things along.

You really think you need spoilers alerts on a thread exclusively dedicated to a decades old show?

The dead father was the deadwood of the show. All that endless "Your Dad was one helluva guy!" - "he was QUITE a character, your Dad!" I FF'd all of his scenes when I re-watched.

I thought it was the actor at fault until I saw the excellent Olive Kitteridge and how good he was on that.

Jenkins was nominated for a best actor Oscar.

He didn't win. He also lost for best supporting in that "I Fell In Love With The Creature of The Black Lagoon" movie. Oh yeah, Shape of Water.

He was pretty good in that spy series, Berlin Station with DL "faves" Richard Armitage, Michelle Forbes, Ashley Judd and Ismael Cruz Cordova.

Okay, nobody knows Ismael, but he's pretty fucking cute.

[quote] " I never got how she was supposed to be this incredible sex magnet - who just walked out the door and every guy in the world wanted to fuck her...and often did."

She was damaged goods who was a sex magnet for other damaged goods. And there are a lot of people on this earth who are damaged goods.

Illeana Douglas was totally excellent in this. She's done a ton of stuff since I think. None of which I've seen.

I'm with R2. OP you're lazy lazy lazy lazy LAZY. Go to IMDB for the show and see the names of the cast. Click on the actors name and VOILA, like MAGIC FROM THE FUTURE, you can see all the work each actor has done since.

For fuck's sake. Set up your threads less ridiculously. "Let's talk about the actors from Six Feet Under". See how that works? Dafuq!

[quote]I'm with [R2].

Oh, are you? Why don't you two sour old queens get together and share your misery?

And in the meantime leave me and my VERY successful and enjoyable thread alone.

[quote]Also you bitches forgot Frances Conroy’s work in DL fave Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story.

Frances Conroy was great as a lady pedophile in The Tale.

OP-Michael C. Hall's marriage fell apart when he cheated on her with Julia Stiles.

The ending didn't make me "weep" or "cry." I thought it was actually kind of lame. "And they all died happily ever after" is how the NY Times put it. I thought it strange that Claire was driving across the country to New York (that's where she was going, wasn't she?) instead of just taking a plane. Seems like that would be much easier. And why is her family saying goodbye to her like she's going away forever? And she's headed to NY with no college degree and barely any work experience and no job waiting for her? That's...crazy.

More craziness. The freeper lawyer WAITS for Claire and many years later he shows up at Ruth's funeral, obviously for the express purpose of hooking up with Claire again. Which he does. They end up married. It was so cuck

The only parts of the ending I thought were moving were these. First, the sight of what's left of the Fisher family, waving goodbye in the background as Claire drives away. And the scene where an elderly David sees a vision of a young, handsome, vital Keith, his long dead true love. It's the last thing he sees right before he dies. I almost cried at that.

About as good as an egg salad sandwich in Costa Rica....

[quote]I thought it strange that Claire was driving across the country to New York (that's where she was going, wasn't she?) instead of just taking a plane. Seems like that would be much easier.

And what was she going to do with this brand new car when she got there? Anyone would have told her not to take a car to NY unless she was a multi-millionaire.

[quote]And she's headed to NY with no college degree and barely any work experience and no job waiting for her? That's...crazy.

A waitress job in the East Village or maybe a barista at a Starbucks. She'd have become a snarky downtown gurl "I never go above 14th Street".

[quote]The only parts of the ending I thought were moving were these. First, the sight of what's left of the Fisher family, waving goodbye in the background as Claire drives away. And the scene where an elderly David sees a vision of a young, handsome, vital Keith, his long dead true love. It's the last thing he sees right before he dies. I almost cried at that.

Rico collapsing on the cruise ship - they've become prosperous over time. Something touched me about that.

And Keith shot on the job.

Claire had to wait until middle age to hook up with the creepy lawyer? If they were so hot for each other he would have headed to NY the first weekend she got there. It wasn't 1910.

R93 I loved the finale when it aired. When I rewatched the series a few years ago, I had many of the same thoughts that you do. I can overlook the lawyer stuff, because I've known people who reconnected with exes and it led to serious relationships, but those over-the-top goodbyes, and, yes, the car.

The stuff in the montage was great though. I also cried when David saw Keith. I also cried when Rush saw both Nate's, and Billy boring Brenda to death made me LOL.

r83, not just a spoiler alert on a decades old show, but for a scene that happens in the first 90 seconds of the pilot.

But Wasn't Claire loaded because Ruth unfroze her trust fund?

What if the car were a rental? What if a friend lent it to her? What if she lived in New Jersey and still wanted a car?

R93 is Olivier!!! You heartless bastard.

🙂

I want to see a quasi reboot where the one off actors from the cold openings are slowly being killed off by a serial killer in the same manner as their demise on the show. There’s a private eye, maybe this is also a Murder She Wrote reboot too, who see the pattern and is desperately trying to save them and track the murderare, but no one believes her. In the case of MSW, it’s because they think she senile, but actually she isn’t. It’s like one of those epic mystery shows where the killer taughts the detective and there’s lots of red herrings and misdirections. Also, the original main cast are among the primary suspects and they guest star on the show occasionally.

Whenever I see this photo of Jackie, it looks like she's at that family picnic from the finale, where David sees the ghost of Keith playing football.

I always thought Lauren Ambrose would have a bigger career. Granted, starring on Broadway is a big deal, but I loved her transformation from sullen teenage to empathetic adult on that show. I still remember that episode where David confesses his picking up a meth addict. He said the whole time, he forgot to pray. Claire, who has made it clear she doesn't believe in God says that's okay. He saved you anyway. I miss Sunday nights watching this show!!!

Claire decides she's going to head off to New York, job or no job. The same day, Keith & David decide to buy the house and make it their own. And already the house has had a complete re-decor renovation on the night before she leaves. It's ridiculous.

^ Claire was utterly screwy. She did one crazy thing one week and then thought the opposite one week later.

[quote]I miss Sunday nights watching this show!!!

Re-watch it gurl. There's so much there.

If we're talking about casting why is Chris Messina always cast as the perfect dream boyfriend? I don't get it AT ALL.

R100/Mary - you're being annoying and you know it.

I maintain that most of the actors on 6FU are having pretty decent careers across TV, theatre, and film. None of them are really breakout stars, and I don't know if it matters. (Look at "breakout star" Jon Hamm, for example. I'd rather be Lauren Ambrose.)

The old popular wisdom was that remaining with a long-running ensemble would actually hurt your career: audiences would/could only see you as Brenda or David etc. and few ever reinvented themselves. That was, of course, before TV became the dominant "smart/classy" medium.

[quote]That was, of course, before TV became the dominant "smart/classy" medium.

God knows why - unless endlessly grim, gray and constantly violent means smart/classy.

I'm a little over Chris Messina as The Dream Boyfriend myself. He's cute, but enough is enough.

I think he reached his saturation point with THE MINDY PROJECT (and too many crappy indie movies).

[quote]I maintain that most of the actors on 6FU are having pretty decent careers across TV, theatre, and film.

I don't think Keith is doing to well.

R113 Well, even on the show he was a bit of an outlier.

R111 I go along with what you say. 'Six feet Under' was grim in that it was examining death and screwy people.

But the bulk of night-time TV viewing drama in the UK and US is now very 'grim, gray and violent'. The endless cop shows and gangster shows. The colour palette of dark blue, dark grey and black. And bad actors (of both sexes) pretending to be tough guys. (Rob Lowe and his bimbos pretending to be tough guy policemen are ludicrous)

I avoid most night-time TV drama and watch the Home Renovation shows.

Chris Messina always reminds me of Ken Olin on thirtysomething. I thought Michael Steadman was a sexy, caring husband and family man back then (with a prissy wife). Chris Messina could play Ken Olin's younger brother/son on the reboot that unfortunately never happened.

Frances Conroy has done well. She’s been a regular and guest star on multiple seasons of American Horror Story and appeared in The Joker. She’s also been a regular on a couple other series and recurred and guest starred on a lot of hit shows.

Messina just played Matt Bomer's creepy friend/lover on Netflix's The Sinner. So he is trying to branch out.

Frances Conroy classes up any production she’s in. She reminds me a lot of Patricia Clarkson that way, they should play sisters in something.

Lauren Ambrose studied opera, and I think that's why her mannerisms are so stilted when singing.

Peter Krause has been with Lauren "Lorelei Gilmore" Graham for years. They worked together on Parenthood, and he was on the Gilmore Girls reboot series. He seemed like he had some kind of health issue, like a stroke or Bell's palsy.

They played sisters on Six Feet Under, R120.

R119, the episode where Conroy and Bates are trying to detox Clarkson is one of my favourites. It was classic SFU dark humour master class.

excuse me, r119

If you're looking for a show with Rachel Griffiths, about siblings that take over the family business after their dad dies in the first episode, Brothers and Sisters is all available for free on the ABC app.

No one's mentioned Ruth's sister? Who lived in Topanga. I loved her house and its location...and her in this. I saw her in Frasier re-run recently.

I have never been more invested in characters on a tv show - or really cared about what happned to them - as I did with Six Feet Under. That show just had some kind of magic to it. One of the greatest tv series of all time.

OMG the eye.

Young Frances Conroy.

I always loved Ruth's outbursts. She would go from quiet to screaming that made you stand back and notice.

They'd sometimes make Ruth so strange and it didn't fit her character. That whole thing with Rainn Wilson.

[quote]If we're talking about casting why is Chris Messina always cast as the perfect dream boyfriend?

Is he? The only other things I've seen him in is HBO's The Newsroom and the movie Devil.

Another important detail about Chris Messina: he's super-short, even for an actor. Like freakishly tiny short.

His "online height" is 5'9", but he's probably about 5'6" IRL. We're talking Tom Cruise short.

As you can see from the pic @ R131 he has the tendency to let his mouth fall open. It's an odd look on a man.

In bed with Claire. She went through all those freaky boyfriends until she finally got her prize.

No one's mentioned freaky Russell yet.

His psycho character freaked me out on 6FU, but Jeremy Sisto has matured/ripened rather nicely over time.

And that voice is killer. I want him and Liev Schreiber to say nasty things to me all night long.

"She went through all those freaky boyfriends until she finally got her prize."

Some "prize." He probably would have voted for Trump. Oh well, I guess he was rich. But aside from his awful politics I didn't think he was that attractive at all. Actually, he was an asshole. He got Claire into the supply closet at work on a pretense and then grabbed her and started kissing her. Classy. And there was a nude scene where he was bringing something to Claire after they'd had coitus (a drink? breakfast?); it plainly showed his plump, jiggling naked ass. Bleah!

Joanna Cassidy was absolutely fantastic as Brenda and Billy's narcissistic drama queen mother.

Lili Taylor as Lisa. I've known people like that. They are all sunshine but don't say no to them.

[quote] I thought it strange that Claire was driving across the country to New York (that's where she was going, wasn't she?) instead of just taking a plane.

People do this all the time.

Re: Claire bringing her car to NYC:

Let's just pretend that when she first got to NYC she found a room in a house in Queens that had a driveway where she could park her car and leave it at that. Don't think too much about such a minor plot point.

[quote]I always loved Ruth's outbursts. She would go from quiet to screaming that made you stand back and notice.

Ruth was such a bundle of nerves. She tried to keep it under wraps and be a "lady," but sometimes she would just explode and it was always fun to watch. Conroy was always excellent in her portrayal of Ruth, a fabulous actress.

Did Claire's father really leave her THAT much money in his will? If she was headed towards NY with nothing but trust fund money then it must have really been a bundle. But where would a funeral director get that much money? Did he have a huge life insurance policy? I can't remember the details, but I did remember thinking it was stupid just to run off to NY, driving all the way across the country, when you have no education and no job and no place to live waiting for you.

She probably got a job soon after arriving. You have to remember she was like 21 at that time, that's what a lot of people do at that age.

This scene always sends a chill up my spine. She should have slapped Claire.

R72, I think the issue was with a GAY actor doing any work at all - they used to get typecast or disappear.

When straight Hollywood men play gay, they get Oscars and an illustrious career!

R144, in think that trust fund was worth a million bucks. As a funeral director owner of the property, I'm thinking 4 funerals a week at $2,000 profit each, x 52 = 416,000 x 20 years = 8,320,000.

Yeah, Claire had a million bucks going to NYC

Surprised nobody's posted any of the old Eric Balfour nude pics. There are many.

Some of the daydream/dream sequences were kind of stupid. The egg dream with puppet Claire was just plain weird.

Yeah, Claire had a million bucks going to NYC."

I suppose you're trying (and failing) to be funny. There was no indication that Claire, or any of the Fishers, had "a million bucks."

”You ride up my thighs...”

[quote]This scene always sends a chill up my spine. She should have slapped Claire.

@ r146

"Billy and I are moving to SPAIN!"

LOL

[quote] [R72], I think the issue was with a GAY actor doing any work at all - they used to get typecast or disappear.

That’s not what OP said, though.

And playing gay beyond nuance or mockery WAS considered a career destroyer, but more like in the 1970s and before. Hasn’t been an issue since thereafter.

Caroline Aaron as Ruth's best friend Amelia was underutilized. Ruth mentioned her all the time but she was only on screen maybe twice. I'm sure Caroline Aaron was available for more. All I remember is a scene of her and Ruth in the master bedroom, cleaning out a closet after Nathaniel died.

With Mrs. Maisel, she's doing ok these days.

[quote]Caroline Aaron as Ruth's best friend Amelia was underutilized.

I wasn't sad to see the back of her.

Jeremy Sisto

" She probably got a job soon after arriving. You have to remember she was like 21 at that time, that's what a lot of people do at that age."

WTF? So it was a hop, skip and a jump to get a job you can support yourself with in New York City with no college degree and barely any work experience? Yeah, right!

I think the only jobs that Claire might have been able to get "soon after arriving" in NY would be waitressing, working behind a counter in a fast food place, or hooking.

She went to art school, maybe she got a job in a gallery or something. You're thinking about this way too literally.

[quote]I'm too scared to watch the first series again because I know it won’t fit my memory of it.

Actually, there is so much nuance that your second viewing of the series is even better, because you pick up on myriad little details you completely missed the first time. SFU truly is the best series that's ever been on TV.

David comes out.

Ruth was awesome.

In her prime, Joanna Cassidy was top-tier gorgeous, absolutely ravishing.

In addition to Peter Krause, Alan Ball brought the actor who played the waiter in Cybill to play Father Jack. It would have been cool if he had brought on Christine Baranski for a guest role too.

With her background Claire could have been a receptionist at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel.

R165 I got the idea during 6.F.U. that Alan Ball was a genius but his career seems to have foundered since then.

I keep reading "SFU" as "STFU." I think 6FU is lots better.

[quote]In addition to Peter Krause, Alan Ball brought the actor who played the waiter in Cybill to play Father Jack.

he was hilarious

"No, David.... I'm NOT gay".

& let's not forget Rabbi Ari

"I can't fuck you, Nate....you're NOT Jewish".

Her real name is Molly Parker (for those who insist on real names, I'm getting it)...have you ever seen her in anything else?

R169

She was in Deadwood as the widow.

R138

He was a very odd choice for her and she for him. Claire was a sullen artist, and he was a wannabe politician. I binge watched the show years ago, and I figured they decided she had to wind up with someone from her past (vs. giving her a new beau for her mother's funeral) and settled on him since he was the only one who wasn't a fuckup or dead.

Claire was the epitome of sullen.

She was exemplar of sullen.

R136, he's so hot in other things he's been in. He was in X-MEN too.

Alpha Dogs, Pandorum, Warcraft, The Punisher (the movie with Thomas Jane)...

To R93 and others – a major artistic aspect of 6FU was the introduction of bits of alternative or optional realities weaved into the realistic narrative – from having the dead father voicing inner thoughts of the living family members to musical numbers representing their fantasy inner selves (Nate as a rock star, David on Broadway) and so on.

I know Alan Ball evaded giving a definite answer regarding the finale of the show, but it works the best when seen as fragments of Clare’s imagination while driving away, dealing with parting with her family, her familiar habitat and her childhood. This makes sense - her, at this point, picturing herself reuniting with Ted 20 odd years later. Being her usual brooding, morbid self, she takes comfort in giving the people she loves (relatively) Happy Deaths. And at twenty, having people living to the not that impressing ages of 75, 79 or even 82, seems like them having extremely long lives (and still very typically, she envisioned herself to live much longer than anyone else, dying at 102).

And to answer the burning question of Claire’s trust fund – in her father’s will she was given 50,000$, for her academic education.

r7 Do tell!

r9 I thought Phil, the crematory guy Claire hooks up with (played by JP Pitoc) was hotter!

Claire almost hooked up with Stark Sands (American Idiot) but he was bummed out by her cynical attitude.

r39 What did he say?

There was also some flirting with Jordan Brower.

And some flirting with the high school counselor who was cute.

r169 She was annoying.

Molly Parker was so fucking annoying on Season 1 of Lost In Space that I still haven’t watched Season 2.

There was a book of character obituaries that came with a DVD box set I have. I only remember it mentioned that Brenda went back to school, became a doctor and the world's foremost expert on child psychology.

Brenda remarried and stayed fat.

Brenda wasn't fat.

[quote]There was a book of character obituaries that came with a DVD box set I have. I only remember it mentioned that Brenda went back to school, became a doctor and the world's foremost expert on child psychology.

I wouldn't send my child to her, I don't care how much of an expert she became.

" I only remember it mentioned that Brenda went back to school, became a doctor and the world's foremost expert on child psychology."

Unfocused, very emotionally disturbed Brenda becomes a doctor and "the world's foremost expert on child psychology?" Boy, does that seem like a load of horseshit.

Watching SFU I got this impression. The death of the father in the beginning sends the family into a tailspin. Not very stable to begin with, they ALL start behaving irrationally and destructively. They get involved with people who are the same way. Then Nate's death at the end makes them ALL straighten out and have good relationships and productive lives. It was kind of dumb.

Glenn Fitzgerald played a guy dying alone from cancer. Nate befriended him. Then he died.

I think DLers were cunty about him at the time. Maybe cos he's gay in real life or something. I thought he was rather handsome (not a word you see on DL too often, not for someone who actually IS handsome).

He's quite a well-known actor, I think.

r188 He was a Calvin Klein model in the 90's.

r184 She was pregnant with her final child there.

Brenda Chenowith was born July 19, 1969 and died at the age of 82 at home. She earned her Masters Degree in Social Work at California State University of Los Angeles and a PhD in Theories of Human Behavior at University of Southern California.

Brenda wrote several books about the role of the gifted child in family development. She is considered to be one of the most distinguished scholars in that field of study, adding several courses to the Social Work curriculum at USC. She developed research methodologies to conclusively prove the link between deviant human behavior and fetal alcohol exposure. As a child, Brenda was the subject of the book "Charlotte Light and Dark" by Gareth Feinberg, PhD.

Brenda will be dearly missed by her beloved children Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Forrest Nathanson, her loving husband Daniel Nathanson, and her brother William Chenowith of Malibu. Private services will be held Wednesday March 9th at Deep Creek Nature Preserve. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Claire Fisher Born March 13, 1983. Died February 11, 2085 in Manhattan. Claire grew up in Los Angeles and studied art at LAC-Arts College. She worked as an advertising and fashion photographer and photojournalist for nearly fifty years, creating several memorable covers for Washington Post magazine, W, and The Face. Claire often exhibited her work in New York and London art galleries and in a time when nearly everyone else in her field had turned to digital scanning and computer-driven imaging, she continued to use a silver-based photographic process. Claire began teaching photography as a faculty member at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2018, earning tenure in 2028. She's pre-deceased by her beloved husband Ted Fairwell.

Ruth Fisher was born in Pasadena in 1946 and died at Good Samaritan Hospital of Glendale on Wednesday. She graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963 and stayed home to raise three children before opening the Four Paws Pet Retreat in Topanga Canyon twenty years ago.

She is survived by her loving companion George Sibley, her sister Sarah O'Connor, her son David Fisher of Los Angeles and her daughter Claire Fisher of New York City. Ruth will also be missed by her four cherished grandchildren - Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Anthony and Durrell Charles-Fisher.

Viewing will be held on Saturday, March 15th at 2 p.m. at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home at 2302 W. 25th Street in Los Angeles. Private burial to follow.

I will always cherish the moment I realized that Billy ended up chatting Brenda to death. ALWAYS.

I love that he was called Billy.

Billy Chenowith - the names are great.

[quote]Brenda will be dearly missed by her beloved children Maya Fisher, Willa Chenowith, and Forrest Nathanson

Though I hate Maya and Willa. Forrest is good though, SO American!

I remember seeing Rachel Griffiths on Jimmy Kimmel talking about her son, Banjo. Jimmy said Banjo is a weird name for a kid. She said in Australia Banjo is a totally normal name, and no one is named Jimmy there.

OMG - you can see here what inspired Billy's unusual personality >

Claire Simone Fischer.

Frances Conroy

Frances Fisher

Francesca Ruth Fisher-Eastwood

Lauen Ambrose was around 23 when the show started but she was playing 16.

r200 Early 20's playing a teen is common and totally acceptable.

Gabe’s (Eric Balfour) mother was played by Vicki from It’s A Living!

[quote] after they'd had coitus

Jesus, what century are you posting from?

She was good, R202.

Amazing the performances they got.

"Jesus, what century are you posting from?"

I just know a lot of terms for sexual intercourse. Extensive vocabulary, don't you know?

Why did they write out Ruth’s gay bestie?

R205 I like a man with an extensive vocabulary.

I abhor low-vocabulary morons.

[quote]Why did they write out Ruth’s gay bestie?

When she stopped working at the florist he was done.

He was so good, a real type most of us know....cupcake.

I loved all the scenes when Ruth just lost it and had an outburst. Frances Conroy was so great at that.

r208 Yes! Robbie was mos def a datalounger.

Favorite Ruth scene!!!

[quote]When she stopped working at the florist he was done.

And Ruth quit The Plan.

r211 So many classic Ruth scenes! That one is definitely top5.

I guess I'm in the minority as I absolutely loathed that finale. All that terrible age makeup and that hokey ending just gave me a giant Liz Lemon eyeroll. And, although it's been many years, I recall really liking the show otherwise.

Robbie really fit a particular eldergay prototype. Very true to life portrayal of a gay man of a certain age/from a certain era.

r214 The finale was seemingly universally beloved, but I don't think you are alone.

Ruth was at her best with Betina.

Kellie Waymire, who played the prostitute that Brenda befriends then dumps, died from a heart condition just a year after her appearance on SFU.

It would seem that Nate's death was the best thing to happen to all of them because after he died they all found their callings and true love. I thought that was pretty stupid.

Brenda was kind of a terrible person, but repented and was redeemed in the latter season.

Still one of the best TV fights in history. (Up there with Tony and Carmela's epic fight in the bedroom.) Peter Krause and Rachel Griffiths' chemistry is one of the reasons why this show remains so watchable to this day.

And my god was Austin Nichols hot as hell back then!

Brenda's surfer threesome was hot.

Thii i se knitting circle women were a bunch of fake bitches!

What was with Kieth fucking the pop star?

Back when I watched this show in the early 00's I remember thinking Nate was hot. Now I find him kind of Frankenstein-headed.

Josh Stamberg, Sarge (pictured at link)

Then Parenthood, The Affair, Nashville....

The gay paintball episode was one of my favs.

The thing about that finally is that it fit perfectly with the whole show. Any other show killing all characters in the end would seem phony and forced.

Alan Ball said on one of the DVD extras that when he was writing the ending, he knew fans would not expect the usual "everyone lived happily ever after" scenario. But he also knew fans would want the characters to somehow get their issues resolved. I think the ending was close to perfect.

I think it's a shame he killed them all off or rather, showed how they all died. I would have loved to have followed Claire to New York, especially as Alan hasn't come up with anything that even comes close, ever since.

I guess Olivier would have turned up in NY though. You'd have to fast forward thru those scenes. I guess he would have fucked Claire, considering every man and woman he ever met ended up putty in his hands.

Olivier was one of the weakest links of this show.

THE weakest link.

He should have disappeared after she left art school. But no, he ended up as Margaret's lover until the end.

r232 It seemed so forced and unnecessary.

[quote]Peter Krause made some pissy comments after Six Feet Under when Michael C. Hall got the Dexter show.

Like so many other stars of successful TV shows who thought they were headed for A-list movie stardom (remember David Duchovny, Noah Wylie and Matthew Fox just to name a few?), Peter Krause became big-headed and started talking down the show towards the end; demanding a say in how their character's arc was written. When Alan Ball wouldn't budge, Krause started publicly trashing Nate in interviews, saying he was over the character because he had no redeeming qualities. It was pretty obvious he wanted to be written as a sympathetic romantic idol type so that women would fangurl over him.

Alan Ball, to his credit, resisted and abruptly killed off Nate (which even Krause had no warning of) and that brought him back to earth with a thud. He now talks fondly about the show and how it (along with the Sopranos) paved the way for TV's golden age which we're still experiencing as the movie industry appears to be in an irreversible decline. But his characters since have been quite milquetoast frau bait and none has been as interesting as Nate Fisher.

[quote]and how it (along with the Sopranos) paved the way for TV's golden age which we're still experiencing

All that dark violent crap? Gurl, NO!

[quote]Peter Krause became big-headed and started talking down the show towards the end; demanding a say in how their character's arc was written. When Alan Ball wouldn't budge, Krause started publicly trashing Nate in interviews

OMG. Interesting.

[quote]Alan Ball, to his credit, resisted and abruptly killed off Nate (which even Krause had no warning of)

Again, VERY interesting,

Weird that Peter Krause almost got the David part. Can't see it myself.

A male poster here gave Peter Krause a blowjob at a party in the late 90s.

I was rolling. Everything in the world was so fluide, ffffffff, ffffffff.

R200 I saw her on Letterman when the show was on the air, and he asked her if she had boyfriend. When she replied that she had a husband, Dave was clearly shocked as he clearly thought she was a teen.

R221 I love it when Nichol's character asked Brenda for her number after he and his friend fucked her, and she said something like, "Why, so we can date?"

I remember seeing Lauren Ambrose on Colbert’s show promoting My Fair Lady and she came off like a complete asshole. Very disappointing as I’d always liked her

The late Diana Rigg allegedly did not care for Lauren Ambrose during their run together in MY FAIR LADY, and publicly disapproved of Ambrose's departure from the show.

Josh Stamberg (stll hot, IMHO) is one of those decent actors who always seems to be working in TV without actually building on his career. I didn't see any of THE AFFAIR, but so many of his TV roles never seem to amount to much.

R243 Diana Rigg was an admirably tough Yorkshire pug of a woman but I thought the young woman playing Eliza was concerned about their vocal chords.

Josh Stamberg his the son of Susan Stamberg (NPR).

[quote]Krause started publicly trashing Nate in interviews, saying he was over the character because he had no redeeming qualities. It was pretty obvious he wanted to be written as a sympathetic romantic idol type so that women would fangurl over him.

Freddy Rodriguez also took issue with Rico exhibiting some homophobic tendencies in season 1, as well as cheating on Vanessa with a stripper in a later season. He didn't want Rico to be unlikeable.

[quote]vocal chords.

Oh, dear.

Can all the grammar trolls just die in a grease fire?

Can the grease fire "joke" die in a grease fire? It was never funny.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Grammar trolls are beyond irritating.

Bad grammar is worse. Bad spelling is worse still.

Die in a grease fire r252.

[quote]Can the grease fire "joke" die in a grease fire? It was never funny.

ExCUSE me?

I got excited there was more 6FU gossip and it turned out to be a stupid grease fire.

There isn't much more to cover, gossip-wise. It wasn't a terribly dramatic set.

[quote] Freddy Rodriguez also took issue with Rico exhibiting some homophobic tendencies in season 1, as well as cheating on Vanessa with a stripper in a later season. He didn't want Rico to be unlikeable.

Which is funny when all of the lead characters had unlikable traits. That's an Alan Ball specialty, making most of his characters unlikable but compelling to watch..

I feel like Alan Ball was able to explore all the themes he touched on in American Beauty but with more much depth, humor and insights with Six Feet Under. 6FU never feels as try-hard and pretentious as American Beauty.

I don't know why people are cunty about American Beauty. I thought it was very good.

I liked American Beauty when it was released, but I watched it again recently, and it doesn't hold up that well.

r259 The homosexual stuff especially didn't hold up well. Also Spacey.

Krause and Rodriguez not wanting Nate and Rico to be unlikeable shows they're either dumb and unprofessional enough to conflate their personas with their characters or were hoping to ride the characters' likeability to a post-6FU career.

Much like Krause, Freddy Rodriguez has worked pretty steadily in TV since 6FU, but he never came close to breaking out as a star. I always liked his work on 6FU but I remember being underwhelmed when he turned up on UGLY BETTY for a dozen episodes.

There's so much television across so many services now--do you know anyone that watches his current series, BULL, for example? I don't. It's become much more difficult to further an existent career on TV alone.

WHET Keith? He was hot.

I always thought Michael C. Hall was hot. Thank God "Dexter" took place in a fictional Miami (California actually) , so Hall's shirts could cling to his fit torso. I wasn't aware he's closeted.

r264 What does that have to do with his shirts clinging his torso?

I wonder if Alan Ball knew about Spacey (allegedly) molesting Wes Bentley.

Peter Macdissi is only 46 years old? That would have made him 29 in 2003 when he first appeared as Olivier. That can't be right. He looked solid middle aged on that show. Wikipedia must be lying about his age!

Olivier was Alan Ball's boyfriend. That's why his character was on the show far longer than he needed to be.

Peter Macdissi (Olivier) and Alan Ball are still together and share a house in the Hollywood hills.

I always felt they should have gotten rid of Keith earlier - but Alan wanted to make a point about gays having long committed relationships - these were the sort of things that let the show down from time to time.

Along with the draggy David & Keith adopting kids storyline.

"Keith, I don't think you want kids as much as I do" - there were times when David was just a nagging frau in a gay man's body.

When I watched this show in the 00s I thought it was flawless and could do no wrong. Now looking back there is so much that is downright wonky. Such as the adoption, Keith fucking the female popstar, Olivier staying on as long as he did & dating Margaret. Could go on and on.

Sure there were flaws but the good outweighed the bad by a million miles.

Yeah. I thought Keith fucking the Britney Spears wannabe (instead of Bobby Cannavale's character, talk about a wasted opportunity) was dumb. Unlike many here at DL, I like Keith Charles, but I felt the show didn't know what to do with him anymore after he lost his job as a cop and giving his niece to his parents. He became two-dimensional after that. And David forcing the two of them to adopt those bad-ass kids (well, mainly the oldest brother) was equally annoying. At that point it seemed like the writers had no idea what to do with their relationship anymore.

However, despite all the flaws, the show was groundbreaking and one of the greatest American television series of all time.

She was "the thinking man's Britney."

I hated the adopted kids storyline. Who gives a fuck about that?

I too hated the adopted kids. Neither Keith nor David seemed like they were good candidates for parenthood. WHY did they want to adopt kids in the first place? And what happened with the surrogate they were considering (they were going to use Keith's sperm to impregnate her)? I thought the whole idea of Keith and David being parents was dumb.

I had no liking for Maya, the "turnip child" as one critic called wordless tot, either. What was her contribution to the show? To give the emotionally disturbed Nate some degree of stability though his fatherhood?And Brenda gets pregnant; nutty, crazy Brenda as a mother? I thought it bizarre that any of these self-absorbed, mentally disturbed characters would want to be parents.

[quote]And Brenda gets pregnant; nutty, crazy Brenda as a mother?

And demands custody of Maya just as she's about to give birth to the new one - but gee she has her mother and brother to help!

[quote]I too hated the adopted kids. Neither Keith nor David seemed like they were good candidates for parenthood. WHY did they want to adopt kids in the first place?

Because David was obsessed with it.

And so Alan could show the world how a GAY COUPLE can adopt TWO problem children and bring them back from them abyss with their love and stability.

It all felt very preachy that storyline.

I hated the art student storyline too. God, are ALL art students that stupid and insufferable? And it was so strange, that storyline where Claire ALMOST has a lesbian affair with one of her art student chums. Why didn't the writers have her sexually experiment instead of chickening out? It was weird; she was attracted to this female and seemingly wants a physical relationship with her and then just kind of backs out of it. As a recall the storyline ended on a kind of uncompleted note. I wondered why the writers even started it in the first place.

[quote]I hated the art student storyline too.

Mostly because of Olivier and his annoying accent and annoying everything else - but gee everyone wanted to fuck him, even straight Billy fucked him.

The art student storyline had a young Zachary Quinto in it.

Billy would have never fucked Olivier irl. I can see Billy having a bicurious phase in art school, but not with Olivier.

It was totally unbelievable that Olivier was sexually irresistible. And then having Billy AND his mother fuck him? That was just gross.

Knowing that the actor was Alan Ball's partner explains EVERYTHING.

[quote]Billy would have never fucked Olivier irl. I can see Billy having a bicurious phase in art school, but not with Olivier.

Billy's bisexuality would have been a form of narcissism (which is often the case) - he would have fucked someone who looked like him.

[quote]It was totally unbelievable that Olivier was sexually irresistible.

I don't know why you say that.

Somebody as ugly as Olivier and with the most annoying personality in the world being a dick/pussy magnet was just fucking insane. Obviously, being Alan Ball's boyfriend does explain everything.

I love Six Feet Under, but that was one misstep the show made, and of course it was all Ball's fault. Olivier was used far too much in the show, and having Billy, Claire and BILLY'S MOTHER Margaret all fuck him was pushing things beyond belief.

[quote] and having Billy, Claire and BILLY'S MOTHER Margaret all fuck him was pushing things beyond belief.

Claire didn't fuck him - her boyfriend Russell did though.

And God knows how many others.

Olivier was the kind of pot-stirrer/manipulative prof that every university has, often in the arts or social sciences. They kept around a little too long but he certainly made sense as a character to have and one who would screw-up whatever was going on (or might go on) between Claire and Russell.

[quote]I love Six Feet Under, but that was one misstep the show made

Um....

Remember this cunt'frau? Is she a well-known actress?

[quote]Billy's bisexuality would have been a form of narcissism (which is often the case) - he would have fucked someone who looked like him.

And it would have all been for his art of course.

R291, Thats Anna Gunn, who broke out with Breaking Bad.

r287 Claire never fucked Olivier. He fucked her bf Russel.

If some of you haven't seen it since it first aired, I'm mighty impressed with your memories

R294 see r288

r291 She used poor damaged Nate for sex.

Fucking Russel should have been the apex of Olivier's storyline, but no, he stayed on ad infinitum and dated Margaret to boot.

[quote][R291] She used poor damaged Nate for sex.

Well, it's not like he never did that?

There were so many great performances. Remember Claire's friend Parker? Whom she befriended on a hike?

They were always going on hikes on this show. Maybe it's a thing in CA.

Stretch Cunningham, Archie’s friend from All in the Family played George on SFU

Stretch Cunningham, Archie’s friend from All in the Family played George on SFU

r290 I said ONE misstep. David and Keith adopting those two annoying kids was the other. It was totally unnecessary.

Sorry, I misread it as THE one misstep.

David and Keith should have split up for good in the first series. Their constant bickering became so tiresome.

I loved the bf David had for a hot minute, played by Adam Scott. They should've explored that more.

I loved the gay dance teacher he dated - he (the actor) was so perfect at capturing that kind of gay, which I suppose has a name, but I don't know it.

That was Steven Pasquale and yes he was great in that role. David was still too uptight and semi-closeted to really let loose.

[quote]David was still too uptight and semi-closeted to really let loose.

I dont think he could ever have kept up with him...but his whole dating storyline was great. If dullsville Keith had gone we could have had so much more.

Who was the nutrod diva that Nate's wife Lisa worked for?

R310, The legend Catherine O'Hara

Catherine O'Hara was sublime as the character Carol. I'm happy she is finally getting the accolades that she deserves for Schitt's Creek. It's long overdue.

I think this thread is going off-- just like the original show went off.

Catherine O'Hara's character was based on both Cybill Sheperd and Brett Butler. Alan Ball was a writer on their respective sitcoms and hated them.

I thought Russell was Claire's best boyfriend. So Olivier seduced him, so what? He was a vulnerable sort; she should have forgiven him. When she dumped him it crushed him. Later she finds out she's pregnant; without telling Russell she aborts his baby. Then, out of a desire to get back at him I guess, she tells him she aborted his baby, which devastates him. Claire was indeed a little cunt.

[quote]Then, out of a desire to get back at him I guess, she tells him she aborted his baby, which devastates him.

She did not do it to get back at him.

You really think Russell had it in him to be a father?

Also the last we see of him he's fully gay and insanely in love that guy who Claire had fucked who was in Nurse Jackie.

I remember I liked a rather chubby blonde guy David hooked up with early on thru some chat room or whatever they used in those days and the DL were laughing at me about it....a few cunts anyway.

Do you remember? The guy Ruth turns the hose on?

"She did not do it to get back at him."

Why else would she do it? She did it to hurt him. What a bitch she was. And gay or not, he didn't deserve that.

Brooke Smith, who played Catherine Martin in SoTL played one of Claire's art teachers in season 4.

r315 And that dirty little egotistical weasel Russel made it all about himself.

[quote]I thought Russell was Claire's best boyfriend. So Olivier seduced him, so what? He was a vulnerable sort; she should have forgiven him. When she dumped him it crushed him.

He was a nutcase. Did you see him at the graduation art show?

Claire was often a complete bitch but the only thing she did wrong in her relationship with Russell was taking full credit on that collage piece.

I get a vibe that the Cromwell men are very well hung.

James Cromwell, god bless him, is 80 years old, and resembles an elderly buzzard. (He's also pretty smart and a very committed progressive, BTW.)

But back 40-odd years ago he had a very ugly-sexy vibe, and yes, a serious big dick vibe. He's 6 foot 7, after all.

r308 I loved the David on ecstasy stuff, and the square dancing guy was hottt.

I loved Ruth on ecstasy.

I loved David on crack.

"He was a nutcase. Did you see him at the graduation art show?"

It seemed to me that Claire's rejection of him sends him on a downward spiral that he never gets out of. A similar thing happened to Billy. He and Claire are in a restaurant or somewhere and she confirms that it's over and he starts crying. Embarrassed, she leaves the table on some pretense (going to the lady's room? I can't remember) but instead just takes off, leaving Billy alone in his pathetic, heart broken state. God, Claire was such a cunt. And here's another thing: WHY was she considered this object of adoration by these guys. Oh she was cute, but nothing extraordinary. And she sure didn't have that appealing a personality. So why were guys always falling in love with her and having their lives ruined when she leaves them? I never got the appeal of Claire. Or of Brenda either, for that matter.

[quote] So why were guys always falling in love with her and having their lives ruined when she leaves them?

Because they were generally fucked up losers. She was too hip for anyone normal, until Ted.

[quote]Or of Brenda either, for that matter.

No. I agree.

The men weren't so hot either.

Anybody got nudes of Billy?

Ruth was kind of cunty to Hiram, the hairdresser. She was always dumping him and picking him up again. Another of the greats of the show. He totally got the quirkiness.

The actor who played Brenda's dad, Bernard Chenowith, was married to Elizabeth Montgomery when she died.

Very Six Feet Under.

This came up on my youtube feed - a forgotten magical moment. Vanessa was so good. She gets overlooked.

[quote] Ruth was kind of cunty to Hiram, the hairdresser.

I can’t believe she dumped him and his big dick for that fat Russian!

She went back to him again, remember? Went for a hike and then Nate died while she was out of town.

Remember this Rico freakout scene?

He thinks Vanessa is cheating on him. And then...

[quote]Remember this Rico freakout scene?

Of COURSE we do, how can a gay man who watched the series have forgotten that?

I'm rewatching the series and I am incredibly impressed at how undated it looks, even after all these years. I feel that's something that Ball's writing is good at, creating timeless narratives. Someone remarked above that American Beauty was dated after a recent viewing, but I disagree. Aside from the usual things, like older cars (those heinous Mercedes SUVs every mom had in the late 90s) and a lack of iPhones, I think the entire thing really looks timeless.

The "look" of things hasn't really changed much since about 2000. Fashions don't really move so fast. Online and tech does, but out there not so much.

It's not like '60s England, for example, when 1965 looks like a different planet in comparison to 1968.

R339, that's a good observation, and as a whole, I think visual evolution (for lack of a better phrase) is relatively slow. But I will say that there's a lot of media from that time that does look dated. I started rewatching Sex and the City also, just for an example, and it comes across as something from a different planet. Part of that is the fashion element; when you're showcasing clothing that's so unique, it's going to look out of place faster than basic, every-day fashion. But going beyond that element, the whole thing comes across as incredibly old, like some Gen Xer's metropolitan wetdream of big city life. I appreciate that element of 6FU and I give lots of credit to Ball for that.

r333 Oh yes. I almost forgot about Donna, the Canadian nanny who came to LA to get on Survivor. This show had the best random characters.

I don't even remember the rest of the show.

Not to nit-pick, but Alan Ball didn't direct AMERICAN BEAUTY and isn't responsible for the "look" of that film. Sam Mendes directed, and very well. (It's the only one of his films I care for.)

Alan Ball did direct 6 episodes (out of 63) of 6FU, but it's never been his primary focus. Again, he's not really responsible for the look of the show.

Writers can only do so much, even on TV.

I think Alan made most of the major decisions...of course, he did, or they would have fired Olivier waaaaay back.

Olivier would've been in one or two episodes and then gone if Ball hadn't been in charge. It was ridiculous for him to become a featured character and totally unbelievable that he would've been sexually irresistible to several characters on the show.

[quote]More craziness. The freeper lawyer WAITS for Claire and many years later he shows up at Ruth's funeral, obviously for the express purpose of hooking up with Claire again. Which he does. They end up married. It was so cuck

We have no idea what he did over those twenty years. He could've been married and divorced. Lots of people reconnect many years after they last saw one another.

"We have no idea what he did over those twenty years."

Obviously he pined for Claire. And crashed her mother's funeral to get back into her pants again. It was nuts.

It happens, r347. Some people never get over a past love.

[quote] Someone remarked above that American Beauty was dated after a recent viewing, but I disagree.

I don't know about dated, but it certainly doesn't hold up that well compared to Six Feet Under. Six Feet Under remains rewatchable while American Beauty does not. I think Alan Ball's works better in television as he's able to explore his themes and obsessions deeper than a two hour format film.

And the look of Six Feet Under owes a lot to what Sam Mendes (and the late, great cinematographer Conrad Hall) brought to American Beauty. In many ways, Six Feet Under was made possible due to the success of American Beauty, and the show feels like a sister or cousin to that film. Even the theme music to the opening credits of the show was done by Thomas Newman, who did the score for American Beauty.

Alan Ball has never done anything as great as Six Feet Under since.

R350, I agree. I'm sure many like True Blood, but that show was such a huge decline from Six Feet Under. I know you can't really compare the two when both are so radically different from one another. It's just astonishing to me that both shows were by the same person when one is so inferior.

I’m not sure about that, R350.

Ball's recent HBO show with the family that had 500 kids from every corner of the earth is unwatchable.

I stuck through every season of True Blood and even watched Towelhead, but even I couldn’t get through Here and Now.

I’ll still watch Uncle Frank, though. The reviews are mediocre, but any film that has Margo Martindale playing a character named Mammaw has to be at least somewhat watchable.

I stuck through every season of True Blood and even watched Towelhead, but even I couldn’t get through Here and Now.

I’ll still watch Uncle Frank, though. The reviews are mediocre, but any film that has Margo Martindale playing a character named Mammaw has to be at least somewhat watchable.

I'm with you, 354. I'd watch Margo Martindale read the fucking phone book. I love her.

R349 just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on why American Beauty doesn't hold up today? I admit, I haven't watched the film in a few years now, so I may be misremembering it. I'd love to her your thoughts.

Re: the timelessness/dating aspect, I was specifically talking about Ball's writing, as opposed to any visuals that date the pieces. I am aware that Ball likely didn't have much control over that aspect of final products, although I don't know. Specific to Ball's writing, one thing I've noticed is that doesn't rely so much on pop-culture references (e.g. there's no mention of political figures or celebrities that might date the story). His work seems to address more mundane yet poignant aspects of human life (family struggles, love, depression, death, etc.). So I'm thinking that's part of why I see Ball's work to come across as timeless.

I also forgot that the sexy stripper dude from that movie, Trick (with Tori Spelling) plays the crematorium worker and Claire's fling. God he was gorgeous.

r352 Ball left True Blood by then.

Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Queer as Folk, so many of these shows that we still watch exist in a world that feels almost timeless because they exist in a world with cell phones and the internet.

Actually, R360--the internet was around for ALL of those shows. And cellphone (not smartphone) technology.

That's what I said. Having the internet woven into storylines from 17 years ago makes them feel current.

In Six Feet Under they use cell phones and landlines. I still do that. Cell phone when I'm out and landline when I'm at home.

You won't find too many people in their 30s these days who have landlines.