Sunday, Jun. 01, 2003
Six Feet Under & The Wire, posted at 7:28 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Tonight is a night of television that will remind me that paying for cable without subscribing to HBO was a mistake I made for far too many years. Now that network television has devolved into a heaping pile of reality shows, the need for HBO's quality programming is greater than ever.The season finale of Six Feet Under will start off my viewing. The third season probably wasn't as strong as the first two; David is a more interesting character when he was repressed, the absence of Brenda was felt for half the season, and I missed the show's surreal visions starring the late Fisher father. However, it was still a ride well worth taking. Writer Alan Ball continues to create character arcs for the Fishers that enthrall. Seeing Nate Fisher's marriage to Lisa inevitably desolve, culminating in her disappearance (which promises to be explained tonight), was another opportunity for us to witness the eldest Fisher brother implode. Claire dated a guy who reminded me of Brian Krakow, five years later, and it ended up spiraling into a triangle involving the pair's egotistical art teacher. Charismatic James Cromwell and, earlier, Kathy Bates, proved to be ample support for matriarch Ruth Fisher, while the relationship between David and Keith provided the season's biggest laughs (that paintball tournament). I'm looking forward to seeing some resolutions tonight, but also to seeing some threads dangling - just like real life. Because these characters are so real, so authentic, that they don't deserve pat endings.
Next up is The Wire, filmed right here in Baltimore. For the last several months, I've become accustomed to seeing "The Wire" signs all over the city, marking off shooting scenes for the drama. I never really got into the show last year, until the end, and it's a complex, labyrinthine work that requires attention and focus. I look forward to being drawn into the situations and characters once again, as I see a magnificent piece of art emerge from my own town. Pretty exciting.