Pilot (Six Feet Under)
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"Pilot" (also called "Six Feet Under") is the pilot episode of the American funeral
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
television series '' Six Feet Under''. It premiered in the United States on the premium cable network HBO on June 3, 2001. The episode was written and directed by the show's creator, Alan Ball.


Plot

On Christmas Eve 2000, Nathaniel Fisher Sr., owner of Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, died after he was hit by a bus while driving his brand new hearse. Nathaniel Sr.'s oldest son and namesake, Nate, has flown in from
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
for the holidays and is informed about his father's untimely death immediately after a sexual encounter with
Brenda Chenowith The following is a list of descriptions for characters on the HBO television series '' Six Feet Under'', which aired for five seasons, from 2001 through 2005. While the series ends in 2005, the finale (“Everyone's Waiting”) was met with univ ...
in the airport. Brenda drives Nate to the mortuary where he is re-united with his mother, Ruth, and younger sister, Claire. Brenda departs and after identifying the body, she and Nate return to the family home where Nathaniel Sr.'s younger son,
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, is waiting. Various tensions and conflicts emerge following Nathaniel Sr.'s death and beyond. Claire has been experimenting with drugs, Ruth reveals that she had a long-standing affair with a fellow churchgoer, and David has been concealing his homosexuality and relationship with Keith, a policeman, from his family. David also shows resentment towards Nate for leaving the family and the business which he now manages. Nate becomes frustrated at his family and himself, expressing dissatisfaction with his life. Nathaniel Sr.'s spectre appears to members of his family and engages them in conversation. Ruth requests that Nate delay his return to Seattle and he agrees.


Production

Eric Balfour Eric Salter Balfour (born April 24, 1977) is an American actor and singer. He is the lead singer of Born as Ghosts, formerly known as Fredalba. He made his film debut in the drama ''Shattered Image'' (1998), followed by roles in ''What Women Want' ...
was only supposed to be introduced as "Claire's Meth Date" for the show's pilot, but director Alan Ball found his chemistry so satisfying with
Lauren Ambrose Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Lauren Ambrose, is an American actress and singer. She performs in television, film, and on Broadway. Ambrose had television roles as Claire Fisher in ''Six Feet Under'' ...
that his role was developed into the character Gabe Dimas. Similarly,
Dina Waters Dina Spybey (born August 29, 1965) also known as Dina Waters and Dina Spybey-Waters is an American actress. She has appeared in more than 20 films, including ''John Q.'', '' subUrbia'' and ''The Haunted Mansion''. She is perhaps best known for ...
's and Gary Hershberger's roles were only listed as "Chatty Mourner" and "Kroehner Representative", whose roles were developed into Tracy Montrose Blair and Matthew Gilardi respectively, and would go on to have recurring roles. The episode features humorous funeral home related commercials that would start each act, but the idea was abandoned and the pilot is the only episode in which they were used.


Reception

The pilot episode was positively received and earned several award wins and nominations. Creator Alan Ball won for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the
54th Primetime Emmy Awards The 54th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 22, 2002. Nominations were announced July 22, 2002. The ceremony was hosted by Conan O'Brien and was broadcast on NBC. Two networks, FX and VH1, received their first major nominations ...
, while the episode received nominations for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series, Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series, and Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series. Alan Ball also won for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for the 2001
Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...
s. The episode won an
Art Directors Guild The Art Directors Guild (ADG; IATSE Local 800) is a labor union and local of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) representing 2,979 motion picture and television professionals in the United States and Canada. T ...
Award for Excellence in Production Design in 2001.


References


External links

*
"Pilot"
at
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{{DirectorsGuildofAmericaOutstandingDirectingDramaSeries 1990–2009 Six Feet Under (TV series) episodes Six Feet Under 2001 American television episodes Television shows about death Emmy Award-winning episodes