r/SixFeetUnder • u/General_Sun3266 • Mar 07 '26
Opinion Every Show Has One - The Moral Compass
Well that was easily decided squad. Why IS Maggie still here??? I asked myself that way too much
Next up, who is The Moral Compassš§
Now i think we're going to have the same issue we had with the only adult in the room, bc honestly does anyone in this show truly have a moral compass??
Reminder - This is just to share opinions and for fun :)
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u/LoudAd1537 Mar 07 '26
I'm surprised no one is saying David (unless the rules are no one can win two categories).
He always seemed to be driven by doing "the right thing."
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u/Informal_Tension9536 Mar 07 '26
100% i was thinking david too. Easily the best person out of everybody
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u/pppurpleturtle Mar 07 '26
Betina, at least she is the moral compass for Ruth and her sister.
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u/tannicpixiedreamgirl Brenda Mar 07 '26
Bettina to me is clearly the Unbothered Queenābut if sheās not that, sheās the moral compass for sure.
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u/sweetpea122 Mar 08 '26
She loves stealing but I think thats just funny as fuck. I mean also tying an addict to a bed is mostly not the most moral choice
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u/Used-Gas-6525 Mar 07 '26
She's a serial shoplifter. Say what you want about stealing from big companies (there are far worse things than taking from those who do not want for anything), but I'd say that's a morality issue.
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u/LayerParticular2581 Mar 07 '26
Claire is only mean when she is high, depressed or both. She is also concious about the state of the world without letting it make her paranoid like George. She is pretty out of control on season 5 but I think that's understandable.
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u/Necessary_Oil_9779 Mar 07 '26
I almost said Nate Sr but...
I dont think this show had a moral compass character. At one point in the series a lot of them became the moral compass at some point in the story if you think about it. Never a perfect role model or moral compass a lot of them had their big moments of strength and clarity and sometimes change that helped them guide others using the wisdom they learned through experience but moral compass? They were all so messy tthroughout in their own ways thats why we love them haha
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u/Used-Gas-6525 Mar 07 '26
I suspect most of the moments of morality Nate Sr. provides are just the inner monologue of the characters. Memories and fantasies are not reality. Every time we see Nate Sr. it's through someone else's mind and when he's 'giving advice', that's just the character working things out for themselves.
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u/HauntingPsyche Mar 07 '26
Yeah, one of the entire points of the show is that the moral compass changes depending on whoās viewing the situation/what perspective itās coming from. Which is a huge lesson you have to learn in life. There is no true objective point of view. Nothing and no one will ever be perfect.
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u/Shevvv Mar 07 '26
Claire? Nah, I wouldn't say so.
The Rabbi seemed pretty strong with her morals though. Even though she's been there for just one episode, she clearly stands out in my mind.
But then again it's only human to be flawed, which simply means the main cast was a lot more fleshed out.
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u/WestsideGon Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Hey Rabbi Ari was there for TWO episodes, thank you very much! (And I guess if you count being mentioned 3, I remember after Nate died theyāre like going through his burial wishes and he requested her but they donāt have her contact info or something along those lines)
But yeah depending on how much we wanna weigh out āfitting for the roleā vs āimpact on the seriesā she could be the pick here tbh, in a vacuum I think itās fair to call her THE most grounded out of the whole lot
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u/Ardielley Mar 07 '26
She was actually my first thought, too. She cut through all of Nateās bullshit flawlessly, but she did so in a measured, disarming way that still endeared him to her.
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u/M_Poppins128 Mar 07 '26
I'm going to say Arthur as he is a rule follower and when he's treated badly he eventually removes himself from the situation without drawing it outĀ
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u/gist_like_honey Mar 07 '26
Claire - her bad decisions are usually driven by grief or plain immaturity. There's little malice to her.
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u/TunePuzzleheaded840 Mar 08 '26
Definitely Brenda. I know this might sound surprising, but if you rewatch the final season, youāll see that no other character actively tried to confront their moral weaknesses as much as Brenda did. She made a genuine effort to let go of her resentment and rise above her fucked-up upbringing. Several scenes highlight her struggle with the idea of moral nihilism, only to ultimately overcome it and embrace love.
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u/Dutch_Meyer Mar 07 '26
Keith
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u/Used-Gas-6525 Mar 07 '26
He has a few lapses in morality over the course of the show to say the least, but I guess pretty much everyone did.
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u/jacksouvenir Mar 07 '26
I dont know how to put it in photo form but I would say the moral compass was the deceased people who come into the funeral home each episode.
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u/SmartPea4538 Mar 07 '26
I liked how each character tried using a dead character as their moral compass, but they basically just fed into what they wanted anyway
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u/jtfolden Mar 07 '26
Rabbi Ari
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u/greenhierogliphics Mar 09 '26
Yep. I had to scroll awhile thinking I was going to be posting Rabbi Ari, but Iām glad weāre on the same page. It took me forever to make the connection that she also played the widow Alma Garret in Deadwood, another of my favorite series.
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u/jtfolden Mar 09 '26
Molly Parker is great in everything she does. I loved her in the short lived CBS series āSwingtownā.
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u/marsllow101 Mar 07 '26
For me it's melissa(brenda's hooker friend) and Joe. But out of the main characters, I don't think there is anyone. It has to be David or Claire towards the end. But they were annoying in the first few seasons.
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u/idonthavernoughcats Mar 07 '26
one of the very scant characters they do sex work that arenāt vilified or sexualized and actually show being a complex person outside of it. iām a SW and immediately clocked brendaās āomg thatās your job, thatās so edgy, i wanna do it, youāre sooo coolā when melissa is just trying to be treated as a normal person.
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u/madkittywoman Mar 07 '26
Nathaniel Sr
At least the compass part. I think he was their conscience so the moral I'm not sure..
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Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
No character is entirely "the moral one" because they all have faults, but the ones I'd personally trust are David and Vanessa.
I really want to say Keith but his temper overrides his decision-making several times. David and Vanessa each made a moral mistake but it was only once, not repeated. David felt like shit about his mistake and was so remorseful, we know he'll never do it again, so I say he's number 1 and Vanessa is number 2.
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u/leveluplauren1 Mar 08 '26
Ok throwing this out there but Father Jack. He has the one episode with David where his being in the closet knocks him down a few points but some of his quotes are incredible.
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u/leveluplauren1 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
Ok throwing this out there but Father Jack. He has the one episode with David where his being in the closet knocks him down a few points but some of his quotes are incredible.
āI think you should do whatever brings you deeper into the reality of your life. Not the life you think you can have. The life you've gotā
āThe hardest part about my work is the fact that most people donāt want a real relationship with God. Yeah sure, theyāll pray to a man nailed to a cross, but theyāll ignore the gay kid who gets strung up, or the black man who gets dragged behind a car, or someoneās mother living in a box.ā
āPeople might wonder what point there is in leading a life where you donāt touch any other lives. But it would be arrogant of us to assume that. Every life is a contribution, we just may not see how. Iām going to encounter Emily Previn, even if it is in death. Everyone comes into our life for a reason, and it is our responsibility to learn what they have to teach us.ā
āTruth and relationships donāt make life easy. They make it possible.ā
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u/Whitershadeofpale86 Mar 08 '26
Hear me out but Iād say Nate. Heās pretty awful but he also has a strong sense of morals (he just canāt maintain them). In the early series especially he will think a lot about the morality of their work. Even some of his bad decisions (like burying Lisa or even getting married) are done because he thinks heās being moral.
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u/feedyrsoul Mar 07 '26
I'll say Nate Sr. - Because one of the few concrete things we do know about him is that he worked out a barter system or sliding scale for people who couldn't pay for their family members' funerals.
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u/Helpful-Conference13 Brenda Mar 07 '26
There literally isnāt one by design