A Private Life (Six Feet Under)
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Episode 12
| "A Private Life" | |
|---|---|
| Six Feet Under episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 12 |
| Directed by | Rodrigo García |
| Written by | Kate Robin |
| Cinematography by | Alan Caso |
| Editing by | Michael Ruscio |
| Original release date | August 19, 2001 |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"A Private Life" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American drama television series Six Feet Under. The episode was written by Kate Robin, and directed by Rodrigo García. It originally aired on HBO on August 19, 2001, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "Knock, Knock".
The series is set in Los Angeles, and depicts the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home, along with their friends and lovers. It explores the conflicts that arise after the family's patriarch, Nathaniel, dies in a car accident. In the episode, David is conflicted with his homosexuality while embalming the corpse of a gay man, while Brenda's relationship with Billy dwindles.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 6.67 million household viewers and gained a Nielsen household rating of 4.3. The episode received critical acclaim, who praised the performances, themes, storylines and writing. For the episode, Michael C. Hall received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards.
A gay couple is retrieving money from the ATM, when a car pulls up next to them. The drivers are offended by their sexuality and intimidate them, forcing them to flee in different directions. One of them, Marcus Foster Jr. (Brian Poth), is eventually caught and brutally beaten by the thugs. After killing him, they flee the scene.
Marcus' family visits Fisher & Sons to arrange the funeral, with David (Michael C. Hall) feeling uncomfortable with Marcus' father's homophobic remarks. He asks Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) to take the day off so he can work on embalming Marcus' corpse himself. During this, David begins to imagine conversing with Marcus, who claims he chose the wrong path in life. When Federico checks on the corpse, David comes out after Federico criticizes gay people leaving their condolences. Federico does not take it well, believing that they "don't leave their wife and kids." Ruth (Frances Conroy) tries to get David to come out to her, but he does not do it. She asks her gay coworker Robbie (Joel Brooks) how he came out to his mother, and he tells her that it was painful and he does not owe it to her to tell her the story.
Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) confronts Billy (Jeremy Sisto) for photographing her and Nate (Peter Krause), and orders him to give her his key to her house. When she tells Nate, he believes she was not harsh enough on him, upsetting her and breaking up with him. Later, Nate arrives at a loft to pick up a corpse, but is shocked to find that the place belongs to Billy, who photographed Claire and also followed Nate and Brenda having sex. He finds a blanket, believing that Billy slit his wrists, only to find that it was a prank staged by Billy. Claire (Lauren Ambrose) and Gabe (Eric Balfour) return to high school, where Gabe is still mocked for his overdose. Claire is concerned that Gabe's overdose was not an accident, and upon the suggestion of her counselor, decides to show he can count on her.
During Marcus' funeral, Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) is assigned to watch over homophobic protestors outside. David attacks one of the prostestors and apologizes to Keith for feeling ashamed of their relationship. That night, he finally comes out to Ruth. While upset that he waited so long, she accepts him for who he is. Brenda is visited by Billy, who reveals he has removed his tattoo on his lower back of the name "Isabel" by cutting off his own skin. He tries to remove Brenda's matching tattoo, but she is able to knock him unconscious and call an ambulance. Agitated, she finally agrees to commit Billy to an institution. While sleeping, David is once again tormented by the hallucination of Marcus, and prays to God for guidance.
Production
Development
The episode was written by Kate Robin, and directed by Rodrigo García. This was Robin's first writing credit, and García's second directing credit.[1]