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5.8 Singing for Our Lives Nate: "I just know that when I die, please wrap me in a shroud and plant me next to a beautiful tree so that nobody could build a mini-mall there." Well, Nate did say he longed for peace. Nate's attack at the end of the episode completely freaked me out, season of foreshadowing or no season of foreshadowing. I realized long ago that the series would probably end with Nate dying, but it's not the end of the series yet, people! Did he die? He couldn't have died. There was no white title card. No bus, either. Nate's flirtation with the Society of Friends actually turned into sex with Maggie instead. Does that mean he's going to Hell? (Yeah, I'm kidding.) Nate apparently thought he'd found spiritual nirvana, but it translated into cheating on his wife, while Brenda the atheist went out of her way to make peace with Nate by going to a Friends meeting. She was trying. Too late now. Especially since, dead or alive, Nate is about to get caught in another woman's apartment. The Fisher & Diaz partners meeting served to emphasize how far apart the three of them were, and that they might not have a future together, Nate's possible death aside. David wanted to spend three hundred thou on a crematory. Rico wanted more Latino community outreach. Nate went on a diatribe about embalming as unnecessary and how green funerals were the future and even talked about how his own final wishes had changed. (How timely, huh? I mean, even Maggie asked Nate if he had any regrets right before he keeled over. Could they have done more foreshadowing if they'd tried?) The whole Nate dying thing was contrasted to Claire, who was finally acting like an actual adult for the first time. How interesting that she did it during a date with Ted. Maybe he's good for her. He reminded me a bit of Maggie; calm, adult, knew who he was, and didn't expect too much of the world. They had a fun, reciprocal you do my duty event and I'll do yours date that made Claire's old art school friends look like pretentious, over-indulged children. Claire even apologized to Russell for not giving him credit for the collage thing. And you know what else was noticably missing? Claire wasn't using drugs. And I have to say I loved how Ted didn't kiss her goodnight after their date, but lured her into the supply closet at work instead. Very romantic. And Nate's situation with Brenda and her pregnancy was also a contrast to Keith, who finally realized that Durrell and Anthony were acting out because of the perfectly logical fear of rejection and their inevitable return to state care. Keith's commitment to the boys at the dinner table may have just changed everything. I think the new and dysfunctional Fisher-Charles family just turned the corner. More about meaning: -- The Opening Death was pretty much about, if one thing doesn't get you, something else will. Maybe Nate just died of something other than AVM? Nah. Okay, yes, and dying way too young. -- Brenda told Nate to go ahead and leave her. He said he wasn't going anywhere. -- Ruth, again expressing control through food, withheld cookies from the boys because they didn't behave. -- While Keith was making it clear to David and the boys that their family was permanent, they were eating with plastic cutlery. -- Russell was in love with Jimmy. He attacked Jimmy's giant red tootsie pop, which was also described as a seven foot penis. -- Parking a hearse in a parking garage is, apparently, the pits. This was probably a little metaphor for how Claire's past wildness didn't fit into her current life. -- They often film the characters in this series in front of windows. I noticed that in this episode, people walked in and out of doors in nearly every scene. Was that supposed to point to the fact that Nate just left this life? Bits and pieces: -- "Pilar Sandoval, 1970-2005". -- Brenda got a sonogram, and didn't invite Nate. It's another girl. -- Instead of brooding or going to activities she didn't enjoy, Ruth decided to hook up with Hiram, have a great meal, and go camping. She was noticably happy about it, too. Too bad that Nate's death will destroy her. -- It was fun seeing Russell (Ben Foster) again. Absence must make the heart grow fonder, because I kept thinking about what a great character he was during his onscreen antics. -- Rico and Vanessa, echoing Nate and Brenda, finally acknowledged that they were tired of going through the motions. Will they divorce? I'm not all that certain I care, what with Nate dying and all. -- Claire and Durell both had trouble parking cars. Probably didn't mean anything, but there you go. Quotes: Nate: "It really kinda pisses me off when you do stuff like this without telling me." Brenda: "Okay, so why don't you sit there and allow yourself to be filled with the presence of God?" Ted: "Was that you I saw crawling out of a lime-green hearse yesterday?" Claire: "It's actually more of an avocado." Ted: "You don't seem particularly goth and I don't think you have your own band. So..." Claire: "My dad was a funeral director... I grew up in a funeral home. I still live in a funeral home." Ted: "Wow. With dead bodies and everything? Isn't that kind of scary?" Claire: (gesturing toward the office) "Not compared to this." Olivier: "Where's your self-righteousness?" Claire: "I guess I lost it." I think this was the most I've ever enjoyed Olivier. I don't want Nate to be dead, dammit. Three stars, Billie View all comments or post a comment. |
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