(no subject)

[cleolinda]

I can't believe I just sat here and sobbed over the final episode of Six Feet Under. I didn't even watch a dozen episodes all told, and they were all in the third season--so, not even when the show was in its stride. I didn't watch any this season. I kinda followed the recaplets at Television Without Pity through the whole thing, though, so I wanted to see what happened to everyone. And that was nice and all. And then we got to the last five minutes or so. Basically, they show Claire driving cross-country to New York, and they intersperse scenes from the Fisher family future with shots of her driving through the desert. I thought, oh, I bet they'll show us Ruth's eventual death, which would be sort of brilliant. Well, Alan Ball was way ahead of me--he took the whole cast through the next eighty years or so and showed how everyone eventually dies. Which--I mean, that's the point of not just the show, but, in a way, life itself. And it was brilliant and sad and then they showed Keith's death and I just lost it for some reason. By the end, I was actually sobbing--I've been under so much stress the last few months wishing I could break down and have a good cry, and here a TV show sets me off right when I theoretically have gotten everything together. And the funny thing is, I wasn't crying about the characters at all. I've only had one death in my family, one death of someone I was actually close to, and it was my grandfather about four or five years ago. So I've always been really squirrelly about death--I worry about it all the time because I'm not very well acquainted with it, you know? Like every single time I get off the phone with my mother--every single time--I wonder if that's the last time we've spoken. I don't worry about myself--I worry about other people dying, constantly, on a daily basis. And that's the one thing that scares me the most about getting older--the fact that you spend much of your life, if you live a fairly long one, watching everyone you know and love die one by one. And not only did this show forcibly remind me of that--it showed me what it would be like for an entire family. A family like mine.

Comments

[pygmymetal.livejournal.com]

*hug*

Did the same thing myself over a book today. :(

[la-sonnambula.livejournal.com]

Penguins rule!

[redmapletree.livejournal.com]

Oh, cleolinda.

I wish I could say something wise and meaningful and helpful and good and that I could give you a hug.

Since I am not so blessed, all I can do is offer a virtu-hug. *hugs*

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

I'm on the flip side of that coin. I've lost a close friend or family member every year for the last six years, and I've mostly stopped worrying about it.

[ambiguousreason.livejournal.com]

The thing about death that freaks me out is the way it's so completely uncontrolable and unpredictable. Fortunately, though, that sometimes sort of helps me not worry about it so much - I tend to worry about my family when I'm away from them, but then I remind myself that it doesn't matter, they could die if I *was* with them, which.. helps, for some reason. Doesn't seem like it would, but there you go.

I've never seen SFU, which is why I didn't say anything about it..

[tundraeternal.livejournal.com]

Like every single time I get off the phone with my mother--every single time--I wonder if that's the last time we've spoken. I don't worry about myself--I worry about other people dying, constantly, on a daily basis. And that's the one thing that scares me the most about getting older--the fact that you spend much of your life, if you live a fairly long one, watching everyone you know and love die one by one.

Wow. That's EXACTLY how i feel. So, it's good to know we're not alone, at least? Maybe someday we'll get used to the death part of life. I mean, it can't be like this forever, right?

[elendiari22.livejournal.com]

It's a scary thought, isn't it? I know how you feel; I'm paranoid about my family and friends dying.

*hugs*

[sapphsmum.livejournal.com]

I have lost at least one very close family member every year since 1990 when my grandmother died in my arms. Sometimes I lost several loved ones in a year. In 2001 my aunt died at 54 of ovarian cancer and two months later her barely 5 year old grandson died of a brain tumor. Then two years later his Mom who just turned 34 died also of a brain tumor.

I have lost two grandchildren already as well.

It got to the point I hated to answer the phone. Now most of my family is gone. I had Christmas' at my home before 1990 where there would be 50+ people for dinner. Now we are lucky to have my husband, daughers and grandchildren. A total of 11. Life can rob you of everything that you love overnight. So enjoy them while you can!

And yes, cherish every phone call with your Mom. Mine died in my arms 8 years ago of lung cancer and I would give anything for just 5 minutes with her.

The reality in all of his is that you learn to appreciate every minute of life with those you love. You learn to try to savor every minute of your own life and not put off doing the things you want because the day may never come where you can "someday" do them.

"Carpe Diem"

Christina

[edda.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, because I think the same thing when I talk to people. What if...? My parents came over from the other end of the state this weekend--visting my stepsister in Richmond, my other stepsister in Harrisonburg, and me in Roanoke after picking me up in Radford--and we hugged when the day was over, and I thought, What if they get in an accident and that's the last time...?

Because if you think it, see, it won't happen.

Also just try for quality time and forgive yourself if it doesn't happen. Life, like eating cookies, is not always packed full of perfect goodness and intense pleasure.* Sometimes you're just chewing. That's the way it goes.

(I know, it's like Hallmark cards for the psychotically twee.)

(Also? Must see this episode.)


*Though eating cookies actually hits this mark more often than the rest of life.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Do see it--I watched very few episodes and even I thought it was great. Just keep in mind that a lot of time seems to pass between scenes/whiteouts--I was reading the TWOP thread on this episode, and a few people didn't like the episode because they thought it moved "too fast."

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I hope you feel better for having gotten it out of your system. That's what they mean by catharsis, I guess.

If you like that kind of thing, I really recommend The Time-Traveler's Wife. It has that feel to it, toward the end.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Argh. And now I read the post more carefully, and notice that you have *not* said you got it out of your system. The best laid posts gang aft agley.

[wmetoile.livejournal.com]

Man, that freaked me out too - especially when Keith died. I've watched a lot of this season (and spent most of it going "Shut UP, NATE!") but not consistently before, but that finale just walloped me. Le sob.

My roommate and I do agree, though, that there is only one Lawyer Ted in the world and Claire should've held onto him . . .

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Did you notice that she and Ted got married in the epilogue?

[promise19.livejournal.com]

When I was a little girl, I almost obsessed about death. I think that's when I began my nightowl/insomniac ways. (I wait until I am exhausted and fall into sleep when my head hits the pillow. Too much time to fall asleep means unwanted thoughts about unpleasant things.)

I've found that as I got older and began to understand the inevitability of death in everyone's life (whether it's their own or their loved ones') I have gotten better with it. Also, along the way I guess I've found that there were some things worse than death. I think that's probably a very personal discovery each makes on his own, so I won't say more about that, but you get my drift.

And whether you're a religious/spiritual person or not, I can promise you that those you love live on after death-- whether it's in another plane of existence or in the memories that you have of them. They will be with you forever.

I'm glad you had a good cry-- I totally understand that. Nothing beats a good cry for getting all those emotions cleansed. (Anybody else remember Holly Hunter's character in Broadcast News? Start the day with a good cry!) Sending you a big virual hug. It sounds like you could use one... Everything's going to be OK. (((hugs)))

[sapphires13.livejournal.com]

Ok, reading this made me feel better about crying through the end of the show. Ruth's and Claire's deaths hit me the hardest.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Keith's just killed me, because it was so unexpected, and yet you could totally see that happening to him, in his line of work.

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

Agreed - although I watched every damned episode of that show, even the annoying ones (earlier this season was especially bad - Nate had become so insufferable that his death was basically a breath of fresh air). Keith's death was the saddest for me as well.

And every time I send my mom or my boyfriend out the door, I worry it's the last time I'll see them. I keep phone messages when either is out of town, just in case something happens, so I won't have erased that last phone message. (I worry about my pets, too, but not in the same way.)

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Cleo, did you see the NYTimes article on the ending?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/22/arts/television/22heff.html?hp

[lezopez.livejournal.com]

Cleo, darling, I just cried through The Rugrats movie.

The hormones thing just won't go away, no matter how hard I try.

[elbales]

Sometimes a good cry is the best thing in the world.

[loesaurus.livejournal.com]

I just finished watching it (west coast) and I did the same thing...

It was brilliant, I agree.

[chocotaku.livejournal.com]

"To the well prepared mind, death is but the next, great adventure."

*sob*

[sevenmarie.livejournal.com]

dumbles!

[emargaret.livejournal.com]

We should have watched it together! I was sobbing by the time Claire volunteered to stay home with Ruth and didn't stop until the end. It made me miss my mom even though I've already moved back. And then Ron came over and was all "why are you crying?" and all I could say was "Everyone died!"

I really think that serious round of deaths in my family starting when I was about 12 has something to do with the fact that I'm a poet.

Do you, by any chance, know what that amazing song playing over the montage was?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I do! And I downloaded it!

(See, I was really glad we didn't watch it together, because I seriously cried for like twenty minutes afterwards, and it was not the kind of cry I would have wanted anyone to see.)

[yarha.livejournal.com]

Um..'everone eventually dies' is a constant of life. From what I read about the final episode of Six-feet, most characters got through their weirdness and died relatively happy, which is the most one can ask for.

And the heroine has a vision of herself dying..at age 102! We should all be so lucky.

I've been under so much stress the last few months

You do know that the sudden relief of stress is almost as stressful as stress itself? (This is why engineers tend to live only 3 years after they retire, but whatever. Go figure.)

You need a vacation. Come to think of it, so do I.

Yarha, Life's a Beach

[adoresixtyfour.livejournal.com]

**Hugz**

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

I sobbed watching Claire drive. And it wasn't even a "oh, people are dying" because I was happy to see that they led long and happy-looking lives. It was "Claire is going off to start her life and I have to do that in less than a year and I'm terrified" crying.

[gniko.livejournal.com]

I never had the premium cable channels and just downloaded eps of Six Feet Under back in college and then just recently remembered it was pretty good and now it's over? I loved the theme song/intro scene and it was a brilliantly original show.

[theapostleinme.livejournal.com]

This is why I hate telephones. Everytime they ring I'm afraid they're going to tell me someone died.

[maggieblue.livejournal.com]

i was the same way you are about death. until i was 17, i'd had few deaths. my great-grandmother had died when i was 6 or so, and i barely remembered her, and my cat had died when i was 11. but at 17, my greataunt died, and over the next 2 years, 7 more people close to me died, and 5 within a month at the beginning of my 19th year. it was so incomprehensible to me, i just didn't react for awhile, and when i did...it wasn't pretty.

i'm the same way about my mom, too. especially when i'm hormonal, i start thinking about if i'm ever going to talk to her again, and i start panicking about how i still have so much to learn from her and whatnot. it's weird to know i'm not the only one.