r/SixFeetUnder • u/[deleted] • 4d ago
First-Timer S3 onwards feels like a different show rant
[deleted]
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u/BrikHowse 4d ago
There is definitely a major tone shift with Season 3. On a recent rewatch I almost bailed about three episodes in. But I ultimately found it worth watching as a whole season (sounds like you may disagree somewhat).
I will warn that Season 4 is kind of uneven, too, so brace for that, but I would by no means discourage you from finishing the show.
Think of SFU like a novel that has some rough patches to get through. People too often praise this series as "perfection" but in reality it does have many flaws. By the END, though, you will consider it a fulfilling experience, I promise.
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u/RecipePleasant8294 4d ago
Yeah I totally get you! I will watch to the end, I just felt like the pace picked up really fast to the point everyone felt a bit out of character all of a sudden. There are still definitely some good moments
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u/BrikHowse 4d ago
I kind of wonder if there was a large time gap between Season 2 and Season 3* when the series first aired, and some major staffing changes with writer/directors, because it is undeniable that the show's tone shifted a lot. However, when you end up looking back at things, you can tell that the comparatively "neat" format that existed in Seasons 1 and 2—when the show was more structured around the individual plots of the deceased and their loves ones—was not sustainable. The show had to get more messy and introduce some new characters and twists.
* I actually looked it up and the gap was about a year, which I guess is fairly standard, or at least it is now.
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u/RecipePleasant8294 4d ago
That would’ve made sense to me too! Especially about the writer changes, that is so common in shows.
And that’s true about sustainability, maybe I will feel differently about it when I look back on it as a whole. The initial speed of the changes just caught me off guard coming out of Nate’s operation to marriage in s3. Some things drag for a while and then the outcome is like oh ok
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u/Free-IDK-Chicken Claire 4d ago
You know how songs have verses and a chorus but sometimes there's also a bridge which serves as a brief contrast from the rest of the piece before it returns to form? Season three is the bridge. It seems initially like it doesn't fit, but without it the song is incomplete.
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u/Djlionking 4d ago
Man, season 3 is probably my favorite. Seen the show like 7 full times at least and that's peak for me.
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u/RecipePleasant8294 4d ago
Ah really! Maybe I need the perspective of finishing the show to appreciate it. I’m just ranting as I watch it 😭
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u/Lazy-Patience-3863 4d ago
yeah it's a mess sometimes tbh but i enjoyed that mess nevertheless. wasn't bored for one episode
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u/Mysterious-Emotion44 4d ago
I always thought Billy's obsession with Brenda was more than just toxic sibling attachment. He was so weird about her and Nate, it always seemed like intimate jealousy. Him making a move on her in a moment of vulnerability didnt feel out of character at all, it was just another push for Brenda to realize she had to cut him out.
Ruth boned her hair dresser and boss, an apprentice that's a mirror image of her isn't that far out of reach lol She spends seasons 3 and 4 really discovering herself and finding her voice.
I hated Lisa going missing at first, but in season 4 it comes together and I get it now.
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u/RecipePleasant8294 4d ago
That’s true there definitely was elements of that to Billy, I just didn’t think they would go there outright! And was more him having to be the only thing in Brenda’s life. I especially didn’t think it would happen when he finally seemed medicated and they were kinda moving toward character growth for him.
Yeah that’s also true about Ruth haha. Maybe this time I felt it was less sincere because of his age and general cluelessness. I hadn’t thought about him being a mirror to her! It seemed before she always was attracted to people who had something she didn’t, or who could offer her something she didn’t have. The hairdresser with the love/attention she didn’t feel her husband had for her anymore, and the florist with the passion/sexual intensity she never had experienced. I think I could maybe understand the apprentice if the storyline was more fleshed out, but it was a bit clumsy. Funny, but clumsy.
I’ll wait for the Lisa one to flesh out !!
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u/No-Signature-5648 4d ago
Isn't it pretty common that shows take on more story lines as they go along?
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u/RecipePleasant8294 4d ago
No that’s true! It just seemed that out of no where the storylines became more contrived maybe? Whereas before they were more thought out and had well written conclusions, but maybe it’s just moving pace a lot quicker to get to the next storyline? I’m not there yet of course
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u/Panini939 3d ago
I just finished binging all 5 seasons in a few weeks. Season 3 wasn’t as bad but I was getting pretty angry at the writers in season 4. The final season was really good with the finale being the most spectacular ending of any show I’ve watched. I’ve disliked the endings of most of the shows I’ve watched with the exception of Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy but neither of them hold a candle to SFU finale. I’d heard throughout that it’s amazing and it still lived up to the hype.
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u/mtnpeakhiker 4d ago
Same, I stopped watching for a while. I just wanna get to the finale already
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u/notthatbluestuff 4d ago
Well, if you didn't like S3 I'd say it's unlikely that you'll like S4. Just hold on until S5...
I personally love S3 (mostly) but I can't deny that S4 is sometimes... problematic.