Just watched: Six Feet Under-Season 5 
For whatever reason I feel inclined to discuss what I think Six Feet Under is about, or at least what it showcases. First off, it is without a doubt the most depressing show I’ve ever seen, it certainly elicits a wide range of emotions and really isn’t for everyone. However for me none of the emotions i felt involved death specifically. The writers and producers of the show talk about how the show is a lot about how people cope with the finality and sadness of death but I didn’t always see it that way, at least not directly.
What seemed to jump out at me in the show was the general destructiveness that results from the characters constantly turning to relationships, sex, and drugs for happiness rather than anything spiritual. The idea of God or religion being any place to turn to is at best glossed over in the show and generally dismissed as a dead end or worse as a detriment. I don’t, however, think the show is necessarily anti-religion. It just doesn’t offer it as any solution to life’s problems. And yet, completely ironically, the characters in the show keep turning to what continues to fail them rather than really explore a relationship with God. This might actually be the best (unintended) commentary on society today.
When people discount God/religion they will seek the things that will bring them closest to God or a “spiritual high” of sorts and that generally is sex or drugs. Yet these are of course very temporary solutions and so the characters are still left very wanting and dissatisfied not to mention still illed with whatever issue brought them to sex or drugs in the first place. The writers/producers never seemed to explore this enigma, despite the constant repetition of their characters continuing to struggle and turn to the same old failed things. I guess thier only resolution here was that life is just depressing and bad things happen and we just have to cope with it however we can (I do give them some credit for including family as an important place to turn, even though it still fails) and eventually we die and thats it. Overall this is probably why the show depressed me the most, as it probably is how many view things.
In conclusion, Six Feet Under is a secular show that almost by accident gives tremendous reasoning for pursuing a relationship with God quite simply because nothing on this earth or any person will ever take away the pain, disapointment, or reality of life.
I am not going to get into a religious argument, we both no where that will end up instead I wanted to point that in the second season, or (maybe the first), Nate actually meets his idea of God in a dream shortly after he finds out he may die. It was one of my favorite scenes, because God is a big black woman which is the exact opposite of what most people see when they think “GOD.” Anyway,I think that may be the only time they really face how religion can change people’s idea of death in the show.
Also,I don’t know if this is relevant, but someone did a study once on terminally ill patients, and almost all of them found religion right before they die, even if they were non-believers before they knew they would die. I think that it kind of fits your idea of finding comfort in religion. I wish that I could, but I am far to cynical for that.
Comment by Tana — Tuesday, February 3, 2009 @ 10:13 am
that pretty much fits in with what i was saying with how they just kinda touch on it. cause its almost cliched to find religion right before death and even in that instance nate pretty much ignored it after he came back ok.
i certainly would not want to count on finding it at that point in life, cause clearly not everyone gets that chance.
thanks for commenting.
Comment by Andy — Tuesday, February 3, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
“nothing on this earth or any person will ever take away the pain, disapointment, or reality of life.”
Damn! If that’s how you really see things…
Comment by Patrick — Thursday, March 12, 2009 @ 3:14 pm