[6.0/10] I liked the Frederico storyline here. It’s nice to see him wanting to do the right thing by the Fishers, for training him and supporting him, while also needing to honor his own family and support them as best he can. His moral dilemma, recognition that the Fishers can’t or won’t make him partner, and the realization that he’s done his “Sistine Chapel” and is ready for the big leagues make for a compelling storyline for him.
More to the point, I like how mature David is about the whole thing. While Nate is freaking out, David is pretty sanguine about the whole thing, telling his brother that Frederico’s simply realized that he’s worth more than they can pay him. When Frederico tells them he’s leaving, David just thanks him and tells him he always has a job waiting for him, even saying to a bitter Nate that after five years, Frederico doesn’t owe them anything.
At the same time, I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing with Nate here. It seems like he’s sowing his wild oats a bit, learning more what it’s like to be more out and open without the lingering threat of his dad’s disapproval out there. He ends up on a date with a pretty shallow dude who chats about not having anything against “tired old queens.” David seems half-bemused and half-offended, but still sleeps with the guy.
It seems like this whole plot is pointed toward David finding himself and eventually realizing he’s ready and wants to be with Keith (at least I hope that’s where it’s going), but that he needs to get through what you might call is delayed gay adolescence before he can fully reach that epiphany.
That pretty much sums up the storylines I outright appreciated in “Crossroads.” Ruth’s wasn’t bad, but still kind of weird. She’s caught between an attraction to Hiram and Nikolai, fantasizing about one whenever she’s with the other. (Incidentally, the scene in the flower shop is a nice reminder that this show is from the guy who made American Beauty.) It’s a fine enough C-story, and Ruth having her own delayed adolescence is interesting, but it’s pretty slight, even with her commiserating with Nate over no one having a claim without a commitment.
Speaking of which, the Nate/Brenda stuff continues to be the utter pits. We get a Requiem for a Dream-style tripping session from Nate where he’s jealous over Brenda flirting with an old friend from Australia. The whole thing’s bizarre. Brenda is terrible and not in an interesting way. And it’s not clear why Nate puts up with her or she puts up with him.
I suppose they’re going for the “mutual damage” thing, but the chemistry and, more importantly, the writing just isn’t there to support it. At least Nate calls Brenda out for her shitty behavior in the episode. But they’re too cute banter doesn’t justify this soggy mop of a romance.
Claire’s storyline is underwhelming too. She finds out that Parker, her acquaintance from high school, is not, in fact, an eager perfect go-getter, but rather a “pathological liar danger slut.” She also finds out that the boy she’s flirting with on her hiking excursion who seems to be a rebellious druggie is in fact a longtime scout-type who’s pre-law at Stanford, and the straight arrow guide on their nature trail ends up sleeping with her friend.
There’s the germ of something decent there in the vein of growing up and realizing the cover doesn’t always match the book, but it plays out like a lot of standard teen drama and a heap of coming-of-age clichés. It doesn’t really go anywhere, beyond David letting Claire off the hook and de facto shielding her from Ruth given his newfound liberatedness and less uptight demeanor.
Overall, outside of the Frederico and to a lesser extent the David storylines, this was definitely a lesser light for Six Feet Under, with the Nate/Brenda drug party being a particular nadir for the show.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-02-17T04:14:09Z
[6.0/10] I liked the Frederico storyline here. It’s nice to see him wanting to do the right thing by the Fishers, for training him and supporting him, while also needing to honor his own family and support them as best he can. His moral dilemma, recognition that the Fishers can’t or won’t make him partner, and the realization that he’s done his “Sistine Chapel” and is ready for the big leagues make for a compelling storyline for him.
More to the point, I like how mature David is about the whole thing. While Nate is freaking out, David is pretty sanguine about the whole thing, telling his brother that Frederico’s simply realized that he’s worth more than they can pay him. When Frederico tells them he’s leaving, David just thanks him and tells him he always has a job waiting for him, even saying to a bitter Nate that after five years, Frederico doesn’t owe them anything.
At the same time, I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing with Nate here. It seems like he’s sowing his wild oats a bit, learning more what it’s like to be more out and open without the lingering threat of his dad’s disapproval out there. He ends up on a date with a pretty shallow dude who chats about not having anything against “tired old queens.” David seems half-bemused and half-offended, but still sleeps with the guy.
It seems like this whole plot is pointed toward David finding himself and eventually realizing he’s ready and wants to be with Keith (at least I hope that’s where it’s going), but that he needs to get through what you might call is delayed gay adolescence before he can fully reach that epiphany.
That pretty much sums up the storylines I outright appreciated in “Crossroads.” Ruth’s wasn’t bad, but still kind of weird. She’s caught between an attraction to Hiram and Nikolai, fantasizing about one whenever she’s with the other. (Incidentally, the scene in the flower shop is a nice reminder that this show is from the guy who made American Beauty.) It’s a fine enough C-story, and Ruth having her own delayed adolescence is interesting, but it’s pretty slight, even with her commiserating with Nate over no one having a claim without a commitment.
Speaking of which, the Nate/Brenda stuff continues to be the utter pits. We get a Requiem for a Dream-style tripping session from Nate where he’s jealous over Brenda flirting with an old friend from Australia. The whole thing’s bizarre. Brenda is terrible and not in an interesting way. And it’s not clear why Nate puts up with her or she puts up with him.
I suppose they’re going for the “mutual damage” thing, but the chemistry and, more importantly, the writing just isn’t there to support it. At least Nate calls Brenda out for her shitty behavior in the episode. But they’re too cute banter doesn’t justify this soggy mop of a romance.
Claire’s storyline is underwhelming too. She finds out that Parker, her acquaintance from high school, is not, in fact, an eager perfect go-getter, but rather a “pathological liar danger slut.” She also finds out that the boy she’s flirting with on her hiking excursion who seems to be a rebellious druggie is in fact a longtime scout-type who’s pre-law at Stanford, and the straight arrow guide on their nature trail ends up sleeping with her friend.
There’s the germ of something decent there in the vein of growing up and realizing the cover doesn’t always match the book, but it plays out like a lot of standard teen drama and a heap of coming-of-age clichés. It doesn’t really go anywhere, beyond David letting Claire off the hook and de facto shielding her from Ruth given his newfound liberatedness and less uptight demeanor.
Overall, outside of the Frederico and to a lesser extent the David storylines, this was definitely a lesser light for Six Feet Under, with the Nate/Brenda drug party being a particular nadir for the show.