SIX FEET UNDER: THE NEW PERSON (TV)
Summary
One in this series about the Fisher clan, a loving -- if dysfunctional -- family struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy in the face of the stressful day-to-day operations of the eccentric family business, a funeral home in Los Angeles. In this episode, a frustrated housewife kills her boring husband with a frying pan, and Nate and David realize that they must replace Rico in order to keep up with the work. After a few unsuccessful interviews, they decide to hire Angela, a passionate reconstruction artist. David finds himself daydreaming about a more exciting life while Nate accompanies Brenda to Billy's photography show, and they encounter not only the Drs. Chenowith but also Ruth, who has brought Nikolai, and Dr. Feinberg, the author of "Charlotte Light and Dark." Nate is upset when he spots an embarrassing "off-guard" photograph of himself on the wall, and when he later asks Brenda about his mental health, she confides that Billy attempted suicide in his teens, causing her to forgo a scholarship to Yale to stay on the West Coast with him. At breakfast, the Fisher siblings question one another about their dating lives, and Claire continues spending time with Gabe, who angers his mother by suggesting that they give Anthony's toys to another child.
Angela starts work and immediately proves herself to be disquietingly laid-back and outspoken, and Brenda argues with Billy, declaring that she loves Nate and does not want her life to be manipulated as it was in her youth. David runs into Tracy again and overhears something about Keith volunteering at St. Stephen's, and Claire cheers Gabe up by showing him the silly photo of Nate, after which he sincerely apologizes for the foot incident. Angela makes highly personal phone calls during work time and then tries to ask Nate about Brenda, though he dismisses her advice, and Ruth invites Nikolai out to dinner, though clarifies that it is not a date. Gabe tells Claire that he is going on a trip to visit his father, and Claire offers to accompany him, though not because she wants to "take care of him." The Chenowiths find that Billy has destroyed Feinberg's office and all of his files about Brenda in a vengeful rage, and they ask Brenda to convince her brother to commit himself to a psychiatric hospital, knowing that they cannot force him, but she refuses. Angela offers to fix David up, having easily figured out that he is gay, though when the brothers consider firing her, Ruth suggests that there is "another side" to her that they have not yet seen. Angela later meets Ruth and asks about her hairdresser "boyfriend," though Ruth declines to discuss her personal life.
Gabe leaves a message for Claire stating that he has decided to travel alone and thanking her for her kindness, and Billy assures Brenda that he has adjusted his dosage and is doing well. David and Nate admit that Angela's work is excellent, but then decide that she is to blame for Ruth's broken sherry glass. David imagines a melodramatic reunion when he "happens" to run into Keith, and they bond anew as they stop by Billy's exhibition. Ruth is surprised when Nikolai's ex, Irina, angrily confronts her in the restaurant bathroom during their date, but she assures her that she is not seriously interested in him and is just happy to have the job. Keith refuses David's advances, saying that he is still dating Eddie and just wants to be friends, and David ends up calling a phone-sex line in desperation. A heartbroken Claire admits to Nate that she has genuine feelings for Gabe and liked the feeling of being needed, and Nate later tells Brenda that he needs her as well. Brenda informs Margaret that she has not persuaded Billy to enter a hospital, but Margaret reveals that Billy never attempted suicide but instead set the house on fire while attempting to build a bomb, and Brenda is outraged at the deception. David bluntly fires Angela, and Angela unknowingly outs David to Ruth as she states that the entire family is oddly "fragile." Nate visits Rico, who agrees to return to Fisher and Sons on a temporary basis for an increased salary, and he reveals that Gilardi himself set the fire and still intends to destroy their business. Claire finds that Gabe's locker is empty and that his father is in fact dead, and she begins to panic about his true whereabouts.
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: August 5, 2001 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:50
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:86519
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Comedy; Families; LGBT Collection
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV series, 2001-2005
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Janollari … Executive Producer
- Robert Greenblatt … Executive Producer
- Alan Ball … Executive Producer, Created by
- Alan Poul … Co-Executive Producer
- Christian Williams … Co-Executive Producer
- Bruce Eric Kaplan … Supervising Producer, Writer
- Laurence Andries … Producer
- Rick Cleveland … Producer
- Christian Taylor … Producer
- Robert Del Valle … Co-Producer
- Lori Jo Nemhauser … Co-Producer
- Kathy Bates … Director
- Richard Marvin … Music by
- Thomas Newman … Theme Music by
- Peter Krause … Cast, Nate Fisher
- Michael C. Hall … Cast, David Fisher
- Frances Conroy … Cast, Ruth Fisher
- Lauren Ambrose … Cast, Claire Fisher
- Freddy Rodriguez … Cast, Federico Diaz
- Mathew St. Patrick … Cast, Keith Charles
- Jeremy Sisto … Cast, Billy Chenowith
- Rachel Griffiths … Cast, Brenda Chenowith
- Joanna Cassidy … Cast, Margaret Chenowith
- Robert Foxworth … Cast, Dr. Bernard Chenowith
- Illeana Douglas … Cast, Angela
- Ed O'Ross … Cast, Nikolai
- Eric Balfour … Cast, Gabe Dimas
- Dina Waters … Cast, Tracy Montrose Blair
- Jed Allan … Cast, Dr. Gareth Feinberg
- John Billingsley … Cast, Boring Man
- Timm Sharp … Cast, Andy
- Wendy Schaal … Cast, Vickie Dimas
- Lisa K. Wyatt … Cast, Pam, Kroehner Mortician
- Irina Maleeva … Cast, Irina
- Lena Woroboff … Cast, Lotte
- Tate Taylor … Cast, Job Applicant #1
- Scott Alan Smith … Cast, Job Applicant #2
- Robert Richardson … Cast, Homeless Man