Perfect ways of living & leaving

Yes, Virginia, the Fishers are dysfunctional.

In spite of that fact, we have learned to understand the decency of their funeral business, accept their foibles and peculiarities as individuals, and love them through the relationships they’ve made for the past three seasons of Six Feet Under.

Every Tuesday night at 10 on HBO, the Fisher family, led by matriarch Ruth (Frances Conroy), shows us the seemingly "perfect ways" of living and leaving as HBO original Six Feet Under’s fourth season continues to unveil. (By the way, Six Feet premiered last Tuesday night.)

Compared to the previous season, the story-telling veers away from the relationships of the characters, and instead focuses on the psyche of the characters (like personal issues) as shown in the fourth season’s back-to-back episodes.

The succeeding episodes will surely give the viewers a closer look at Nate (Peter Krause), David (Michael Hall), Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and Rico (Freddy Rodriguez) as individuals who have a life outside Fishers family and Fishers & Diaz. Also, every scene will be intense since more emotions and feelings are expected to surface.

The first two episodes linked what’s left in season three. The viewers saw and will see more the vulnerable side of Nate as he handles single-parenthood, the untimely demise of his wife, Lisa (Lili Taylor), and the effect of these in his day-to-day dealings – be it professional or personal. The tear-jerking and poignant ending of the first episode was just a preview of the complex and perplexed life of the Fishers.

In the coming episodes of Six Feet Under, life treats the Fishers fairly but throws a few "curves" towards the middle part. Surprisingly, the new season started mellow because the characters had finally sorted out issues in their lives.

Claire, for instance, had finally made a closure to her abortion as she told her former lover Russel that their consummate affair resulted in an unwanted pregnancy. This brought much relief to Claire. In fact, Claire drove a hearse and went to the cemetery to look for someone she could talk to in season three. There she found her deceased father, Nathaniel Sr., in a party mood and attire. (Yes, even dead people find time to party on Six Feet Under. Take note, too, that Claire and his brothers see and talk to their father and others who are dead.) Claire met Lisa and the child the former aborted. She was happy to know that Lisa took care of her child. In the world of living, Claire baby-sits Lisa’s child, Maya, to Nate.

Also this season, Claire, who always looks for love, will use her art to know and love herself more.

Another scene to look forward to is the marriage of Ruth and George (James Cromwell), who are in the honeymoon stage. The viewers will find out if Ruth’s second chance for marriage is as perfect as she hopes it would be. This is a big question since the couple will also encounter some marital problems like the issue on Kyle, George’s son. In their relationship, Ruth will always reach out to settle their differences and find ways to save it. Also affecting their marriage is the younger Fishers’ cold treatment of George by making him feel like a stranger.

Remember, in season three, Nate confronted and told her mom, Ruth, that George was presumptuous and all-knowing. Even during their wedding, Claire cried aloud as to symbolically show her disapproval. This hostile feeling continues in season four as shown in second episode when Nate and Claire were delighted when George received a Tupperware box with feces.

Rico, a close family friend of the Fishers and part-owner of Fishers & Diaz, also experiences some marital problems. Rico met Sophia (a.k.a. Infinity), a bar dancer, in season three. And their one-night stand leads to a full-blown "relationship" in season four. What kind of relationship brews between them remains to be seen.

David and Keith (Matthew St. Patrick), on the other hand, are back in each other’s arms again. Keith quits his job as a bodyguard after six years and gets a security specialist job looking after a pop star (Michelle Trachtenberg). Hopefully, their long-distance love affair will not lead to infidelity, which David sometimes commits even if Keith is within his reach. In an episode, David will be car-jacked and suffer from panic attack. Claire will comfort his brother.

Also, the getting-intimate relationship of neighbors Joe and Brenda is something to watch out for. Oh, how their affair will affect Nate and Brenda’s!

With its innate unpalatable humor and dysfunctionality, Six Feet Under’s season four will often remind us of one thing: Life is beautiful to live and to leave.

Newly-married Ruth Fisher of Six Feet Under, which airs every Tuesday night at 10 on HBO.