Six Feet Under (TV Series) Perfect Circles (2003) User Reviews

What A Long Strange Trip It's Been ......

[jmmjg · 7/10 · 28 January 2009]

As a newcomer to "Six Feet Under" ( I began watching the series in the fall of 2008 ), I have grown accustomed to the idiosyncrasies and quirks of the show and look forward to watching the beginning to see the "who's", "what's", "where's", "why's" and "how's" of the fatality of the week.

I actually gasped when I watched the season 3 premiere to see the opening death scene was Nate Fisher. Seeing his full name along with his birth and death year in the white background was certainly a strange sight to behold. After catching my breath and smacking myself silly, I realized he can't really die. I know the show lasted for 5 seasons and he was apart of the entire run of the show. ( That's all I really know ).

It was fascinating watching Nate strolling through the different areas of the funeral home seeing the alternative realities of his life ( Please forgive the following Sci/Fi reference ). It was reminiscent of '2001-A Space Odyessy' when David Bowman was appearing in different rooms and seeing himself progressing into an old man.

Then you have Nate's, not entirely surprising, run-in with his deceased father. This is the same father, who never seems to be able to give Nate a simple straight forward answer about anything even when it comes to the question "Am I really dead?". In the end, all Nate had to do was open his own coffin to find out. ( It makes you wonder how Nate's father would've handled David Bowman ? ) After the beginning, the rest of the episode was just "ok" ... but ... it certainly sent our cast of characters into challenging and uncertain directions. I look forward to watching the rest of this season and the remaining two seasons.

Crossing the bridge

[Seras11123 · 7/10 · 23 March 2021]

So, 7 months have elapsed between the last season and now. Nate's surgery serves as a "bridge" between him and what is to come in the near future. In the first half of the season opener, we see Nate "die" and see the possible branches his life could diverge into. But... of course he is resurrected by plot armor and we see the growth of all our main characters relationships. While the first half is hard hitting, they don't quite know where to get the ball rolling after Nate's sorta-kinda passing. There's still 12 episodes remaining, so we'll see.

Things That May Happen

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 28 October 2006]

While being submitted to the emergency cranial surgery, Nate has a bleed and foresees different possibilities of his life, inclusive his death and the funeral service at "Fisher & Diaz". Seven months later, he is living with Lisa and Maya. Keith and David are having sessions with a couple's counselor, trying to find a middle term between Keith's anger and David's submission. Claire is painting and has one night stand with a rock and roll guitar player of a garage band.

I did not like this episode. My first frustration was when I saw the name "Nathaniel Samuel Fisher, Jr." written in white in the beginning of the episode. I thought how could "Six Feet Under" work without Nate? Then, there is an ellipsis and seven months later Nate is having a conventional middle-class life with Lisa and the baby, and this image does not fit to him. The most interesting part of this episode is the troubled relationship of Keith and David and their seeking for the solution. I miss Brenda, my favorite character of this great show. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Círculos Perfeitos" ("Perfect Cicles")

One of my least favorite episodes from a great show!

[nlytnd_1 · 6/10 · 18 April 2023]

I've watched the series several times around and I still don't know what to make of this episode. Generally when I'm rewatching shows, I don't give the show 100% of my undivided attention as I do the first time through, so on this episode I tend to think I missed something as a result, so I end up going back through it giving the episode more attention and come to find out my first interpretation was correct.

What's particularly strange is it goes through a series of alternate realities, including a reality of Nate dying and then it finally settles into a reality that very much seems like another parallel reality with a several month time jump.where he's established with Lisa raising his kid. I'm guessing the show succeeds in what it's trying to convey. It wants the experience to feel almost dream like and/or as though it picks up in a separate reality of sorts. And if this is not what the show is going for or even if this is I don't like the time jump, especially since it comes off the heels of showing several alternate/parallel realities.... it's confusing. Are we in the reality where Nate had brain damage and had to go through therapy to get back to his prior cognitive state or is that a separate reality than the one we are currently in? I think the show wants this question from the audience? Is it all a dream? Are we simultaneously living other realities or are those merely glances into the realities that can happen depending on the paths one chooses? Once again if the show never intended for us to question that then it really fails by having a time jump immediately following showing us a host of different Nate realities, because it's confusing. It's extra confusing because it picks back up at a barbecue where Nate and Lisa are hanging out with a group of friends the audience has never seen before. The only reason why the viewer eventually realizes it's the actual reality and/or the reality we're going to continue the watching experience through is we complete the episode in that reality and the second episode continues in that reality, etc, so it's not a dream or merely Nate peering into a potential reality from behind the veil.

Any way you slice it, I really don't care for this episode and the foundation that they set going into the 3rd season and I'm willing to bet every viewer is confused as they watch this episode. I'm still a little confused by it and as i continue this watch through I'm going to see if there's more to it going forward... as though all of this is in Nate's head and maybe we pick back up when Nate is in the hospital later just before he dies, which btw is another reason I don't care for this episode because it takes a little away from when Nate does eventually die, because they already portrayed the Nate death scenario to the audience. Still an excellent show. Just an odd episode is all.

We are not idiot

[saykomode · 1/10 · 28 July 2020]

First they write nate is dead, some stupid things happen and magic! He is alive.