Six Feet Under- Episodes 1 & 2

"Your father is dead and my pot roast is ruined." These are the frazzled words uttered by newly widowed Ruth Fisher (Frances Conroy) within the first fifteen minutes of HBO's new dramedy, Six Feet Under. An unconventional reaction at best, this remark sets the tone for the equally bizarre plot premise. From writer and director Alan Ball, the same guy who brought us the dysfunctional yet brilliant familial tale of American Beauty, comes a show seemingly going after a similar audience. Focusing on the dysfunctional Fisher family, Six Feet Under explores the morose concept of death and its effects.

When Nathaniel Fisher (Richard Jenkins) is unexpectedly killed in an accident right before Christmas Eve the family is sent into a tailspin. While the business of dealing with death is a way of life for the Fishers, when it becomes an issue of dealing with the death of one of your own it's a completely different story. For Ruth and her grown children, Nate (Peter Krause), David (Michael C. Hall), and Claire (Lauren Ambrose), the repercussions of Nathaniel's death, including learning to deal with each other, prove to be harder than dealing with the death itself.

The type of family that only gathers together for a holiday or two, the Fishers are admittedly not the closest bunch. For brothers Nate and David it is a particularly hard adjustment since the Fisher men are as different as night and day. Nate, the carefree brother is, as a grown adult, still attempting to find himself- namely as far away as possible from his immediate family. Meanwhile David is the uptight, closeted younger brother who, unlike Nate always knew what he wanted to do with his life, but due to family obligations he never got the chance to live the life he wanted, be it personally or professionally. As a result, most of David's unfulfilled dreams surface as resentment towards Nate. Finally, there is Claire, the rebellious youngest child who resents- well everyone. Fed up with her family and her town, Claire resorts to drugs as an escape from her own personal hell.

A movie revolving around such a plot is one thing, but it will be interesting to see how an entire series about what happens after the death of loved one will play out. There are however, subplots in place that promise at least some on going drama. Will David come out of the closet or will the all-important door be opened thus airing all his dirty laundry? And what's to come of Nate's relationship with Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), the mysterious woman he met on the plane ride home and had a one night stand with, only to have it turn into an unexpected relationship? What about mom's recently discovered on going affair or Claire's not so recreational drug use? It is it just a phase, or something more?

Even if there are concerns the main characters simply aren't enough to keep viewers coming back, there is the added drama of funeral parlor happenings to keep the stories coming. After all, people are dying all the time. If comedy involving death is definitely considered black humor then Six Feet Under is a perfect example. In only the first two episodes the show manages to push the envelope both in taste and in standards. From the song "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" playing in the background when a guy drowns in a pool to David having some pretty significant same sex on screen smooches, the program promises, if anything, to not be dead on arrival.

Six Feet Under- Episodes 3-6

"I know stealing a foot is weird but, hello! Living in a house where a foot is available to be stolen is weird!" (Claire, Episode 3 - The Foot)

Six Feet Under, the summer's answer to the network repeats doldrums, trucks on with their latter installments. In episodes 3- 6 we learn more about what makes the Fisher family tick, which in turn makes them more interesting to watch.

To be honest, I was a reluctant viewer during the first few weeks, weary of what could be said about even the most dysfunctional member of the Fisher family for more than an episode or two. What happened over the last few shows however is that a general groove has begun to take shape and I found myself not only knowing more, but also wanting to know more.

Youngest daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose) still weaves her yarn of rebellion, but at the heart of it all she's just a girl crying for some sort of semblance of sanity. Nate (Peter Krause) continues his relationship with the ever-elusive Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), which just seems to get more complicated by the minute. David (Michael C. Hall) continues to take a, 'one step forward, two steps back approach' to life and loving, which only complicates his relationship with Keith (Matthew St. Patrick). Then there is mom, Ruth (Frances Conroy) who seems to be having the hardest time coming to terms with her husband's death and the subsequent repercussion of her actions while he was alive.

With more episodes also comes more characters as we are introduced to both Tracy, a cheerfully annoying church goer obsessed with David, and Billy, played by underrated actor Jeremy Sisto as Brenda's oddly obsessive brother whose sibling relationship seems to border on the Jolie (that's Angelina) variety. How both Tracy and Billy fit in to the big picture it is still too soon to say, but my guess is that with Billy it is bound to be something decadent.

Not to spoil but instead to entice, I assure fans that there are plenty of bumps in the road to keep the current viewer clamoring for more. The boys finally settle their, to-sell-or-not-to-sell dilemma by deciding to keep the business (well, obviously). Continuing to follow in dad's footsteps, the corpse-like David pursues yet another baffling career where compassion is key by looking into becoming a deacon. Answers are given to why Brenda is well; Brenda-as we meet her too young, miscast parents. We also learn a bit about why she has that infamous tattoo. Finally, light is shed on the kind of life that Nathaniel senior (Richard Jenkins) lived prior to his death.

As doors begin to open for subplot upon subplot to be explored, this allows Six Feet Under the series to hopefully get the chance to show off its many layers as well.

Janet Branagan is a freelance writer and pop culture addict from New Jersey.

Got a problem? Email Janet at onthebox@go.com