Six Feet Under – Episode 7: Brotherhood

Victor Wayne Kovitch, 1971-2001. Veteran of the first US invasion in Iraq. Wasting away for years after exposure to Saddam’s chemicals. Signing off for the last time.

Who is mourning about? Is it about the deceased? Is it about the people staying behind? Is it about the family, the friends, those who have to somehow find meaning or solace? And what if the needs of all of these people contradict one another?

Things seem to be relatively good with the Fishers. In spite of the frightening “I love you” that Nate lets slip over breakfast (it’s difficult to say who looks more startled – Brenda or Nate), neither of the two commitment phobes runs the other way; instead they decide that it’s time for a weekend getaway. Ruth, too, seems to be feeling amorous, inviting Hiram (yes, the hairdresser she was having an affair with before Nathaniel Senior died) over for dinner.

And yes,you’re right. It’s only a question of time before something pops up that complicates things. Whether it’s psycho Billy who decides that his sister’s casa is his casa and blithely wanders in on Nate and Brenda having noisy, enthusiastic sex (they’re admittedly less enthusiastic after realising he’s standing there making comments); whether it’s Ruth deciding that it’s a good time to start working for the Russian florist, Nikolai, who’s clearly got a thing for her; or whether it’s Paul Kovitch, brother of the deceased, who is adamant that Victor won’t get the full army funeral. Except Victor, while he was still alive, signed a request for exactly that, but didn’t quite dare tell his brother.

Meanwhile, dinner with Hiram proves to be somewhat tense, not least because David and Claire see him first and foremost (one wonders how accurately) as the man their mother’s fucking. Brenda, ever the astute observer of human disfunction, is having fun, while Nate, late to dinner, finds out very quickly that every turn of the conversation is yet another minefield to navigate. Still, considering the many ways in which this could have gone wrong with the people involved (the Fishers are nothing if not good at making even the most innocuous social gathering awkward and fraught with subtext), Ruth still seems pretty relaxed and happy with Hiram. Treasure those moments, Ruthie.

When Paul Kovitch comes to pick up his brother’s urn, he finds Victor’s army friends holding a memorial, sharing stories of the friend they have lost. When he hears of Victor’s wishes for a military funeral, though, he gets angry, then starts to cry: “Jesus… He’s the only family I had left, and he can’t even tell me what he wants when he’s dead? He thought I would have talked him out of this. And he’s right, I would have.” Nate gently guides Paul into the room with the other veterans: “Why don’t you sit with his friends?”

Paul gets solace from the fact that Victor was loved and is missed by his friends. Taking part in a ceremony he sees as co-opted by the organisation that killed his brother, though, is hard to take. Those words about how Victor died in the service of a grateful country ring like platitides in Paul’s ears, and most likely not only his. He’s accepted that this may have been his brother’s wish, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful and false to him.

While Nate had fought for Victor’s wishes, David had been less certain. He hadn’t wanted the bother, he wanted the clarity of going along with Paul, who was there and could tell them what he himself needed. After the ceremony, as they walk across the veterans cemetary, Nate grabs his brother and embraces him: “I love you, David, and I always will. I could get by a bus on the way to the desert tonight. I just wanted to make sure you knew that.”

That weekend getaway with Brenda, though? Not happening. Billy’s crashed. He’s on the downswing of his bipolar syndrome, and there’s no way his needs can go along with Nate’s. Brenda’s not happy about it, but her priorities are clear. What her brother needs her brother gets.

Stray observations:

• Having just finished watching the HBO miniseries Generation Kill I couldn’t help thinking that Private Kovitch’s video from Iraq looked and sounded rather, well, tame. I guess regular army guys might not be quite as foulmouthed as Marines, mind you.
• Ruth looks amazingly different – and girlish – with her hair down (both literally and metaphorically). Guess being wooed by two beaus does her some good.
• So Rico’s been having secret phonecalls with Matt Gilardi of Kroener Enterprises? Hmm… Is it possible our little prodigy at making the dead look more alive than when they still lived is less than happy at Fisher and Sons?

Quotes:

• Nate: “Fuck, I smell like a dead guy.” Occupational hazard, I guess.
• Nate, on going through the gift basket left by Billy for Nate and Brenda’s weekend: “Smoked oysters.” Brenda: “Really? Is there any caviar?” Nate: “Uh no, but there are condoms… and, okay, edible underpants.” You gotta hand it to Billy – he sure knows how to apologise for creating an awkward situation… by creating one that is even more awkward. (Let’s not even get into the wobbly dildo buried in the gift basket, making the edible underpants downright subtle.)