July 19, 2004

Thinking Outside the Coffin

Did anyone watch last night?s heart pounding episode of SIX FEET UNDER? It begs the question, what is going on with Alan Ball and his writing staff?  
  
If you have been watching SIX FEET UNDER from the beginning, like me you?ve probably come to expect a certain amount of sex and death.  As my friend and neighbor pointed out to me, that is what the show is about - sex and death as experienced through the eyes of the fictitious Fisher family around who the show is based.  Every week the show basically follows the same format: a random person dies creating the backdrop for the unveiling of the show/s various serial dramas.  The 10 or 15 minute vignettes bounce between the characters, slowly revealing Alan Ball's master story telling, full of wit, sarcasm, social commentary, strong character development, symbolism and just plain old weirdness.  Each vignette ends with a fade to white instead of a fade to black. 
  
Imagine my surprise, last night, when the show broke with it's own format and focused 40 minutes on the perilous adventure of one of the more beloved characters on the show.  The character was put in danger and viewers like me were treated to the most suspenseful 40 minutes in the history of HBO's serial dramas.
 
Definitely tune in if you can, when it is on next and definitely refrain from commenting on any plot points until next week to not ruin it for anyone else.

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