The Will (Six Feet Under episode)

"The Will" is the second episode of the HBO original series, Six Feet Under. It was the second episode for the show's first season. The episode was written by Christian Williams and was directed by Miguel Arteta. It originally aired on Sunday June 10, 2001.

Guest Starring roles

 * Ed Begley, Jr. as Hiram Gunderson
 * Tracy Middendorf as Adele Swanson
 * Missy Yager as Jennifer Mason
 * Eric Balfour as Gabe Dimas
 * Garrison Herschberger as Matt Gilardi
 * Richard Jenkins as Nathaniel Fisher

Episode Recap
After a young businessman dies due to a diving accident, his widow brings his body to Fisher & Sons to make arrangements. David attends to her needs and arranges a top of the line funeral including an extremely expensive casket and burial plot. When David does a credit check on the Swansons, he learns that the deceased was a con artist who earned his money by creating pyramid schemes. When David needs to leave for a private matter, he leaves Nate in charge of confronting the wife. When he does, he learns that they are heavily in debt and the husband has left his widow with serious debt. Nate offers to rent Mrs. Swanson the casket and then have his body cremated. Mrs. Swanson agrees to this and leaves. At the viewing, David is upset to find Mr. Swanson in the Titan casket which was supposed to be sent back. David then thanks Nate for costing them $7,000.00 since what he did was illegal and that the casket needs to be burned with him. After the wake, Ruth discovers Mrs. Swanson pulling Mr. Swanson's jewelry off of his body since she needs it for bills. Mrs. Swanson then angrily leaves. The following day, David & Nate manage to sell the casket to another family who agree to the conditions of Mr. Swanson's casket.

The Fisher family prepares for the reading of Nathaniel's will. At the lawyer's office, Nathaniel leaves Ruth all cash, bank accounts and stocks as well as the 2302 W. 25th St home. He then unexpectedly leaves Fisher & Sons to both Nate and David sharing 50% each. Nate immeadiately objects stating he must have been high when he wrote it. David storms out seeing as his brother ran away and now has a very generous inheritance. As for Claire, she receives a trust fund for college, with which she is very disappointed.

David wakes up at Keith's apartment after spending the night. As David prepares to leave, Keith reminds him that he plans to pick him up to meet his friends who are members of The Gay Police & Fireman as Keith is. David plans not to miss the meeting but Keith believes that David will have some excuse. After Nathaniel's will reading and funeral arrangements made for the Swanson family, David reunites with his ex-fiancee Jennifer Mason who came back to Los Angeles shortly after being in Boca Raton with her mother. She tells David that she feels awful about Nathaniel's death since he really liked her. The two then go out to dinner and catch up on what has happened. Jennifer then asks if he is dating anyone which causes David to hesitate since she knows that he is gay and that his father knew as well. David then tells Jennifer his father didn't know anyone that well and suggests they get a room. When David goes to visit Keith, he refuses to let him in since he would rather go out with his ex-fiancee then with his lover.

Nate gets a shiatsu massage from Brenda who happily does it as she and Nate talk about life. Brenda tells Nate that shiatsu clears a lot of wounds made psychological since "things happen that leave a mark in space, in time, in us..." When Nate arrives home for breakfast before the will reading, he asks David about his love life which causes Claire to intervene. Later after picking up a dead body from a nursing home, Brenda invites him for an official first date at a swank L.A. eatery. Nate accidentally leaves the body in the van for 2 hours which causes major fumes and bodily secretion. When Nate arrives home, David yells at him for being negligent since the body begins decaying at the moment of death which greatly adds to Federico's job. The following night, Nate spends the night at Brenda's where he discovers she has a tattoo with the name "Nathaniel" which he considers she did something recent but Brenda claims it is a merely a coincidence. The following morning, Brenda asks Nate to keep his cell phone on him since she is planning to meet him somewhere during the afternoon.

Claire unhappy about her trust fund and what her family's intentions are for her, unleashes her feelings on Gabe who tries to relieve her of her tensions. When he sees her leaving in her hearse one day after school, he tells her that he wants to see her again which Claire agrees to. The following day, they do homework in her hearse and talk about life. Gabe then asks Claire to suck his toes and he will do something in return for her.

Ruth surprisingly tells her sons that she is going out on a hike with Hiram Gunderson, "the hairdresser". Nate encourages her to go which David objects to but Ruth has already made up her mind. As they walk through the woods, Hiram expresses his gratitude for Ruth telling her family. Ruth tells him that it was not an easy task but is still recovering from the wounds of Nathaniel's passing. Hiram tries to make her feel better by offering her to go with him on vacation. Ruth feels she is not ready and leaves Hiram.

Nate goes for a run in the cemetery and is approached by Matt Gilardi of Kroehner Services International. Gilardi tries to win Nate over after failing to persuade Ruth a day prior. Gilardi tells Nate that the decision is half his and that Kroehner will happily buy them out for a generous offer. When Nate tells David about this, David feels betrayed since it is a family-run business which should continue. Brenda then appears on a bus and advises Nate and David to get on. When they sit down, Brenda tells them that this is "the bus" - the one that took their father's life. Nate starts to object, but reconsiders when he sees David is getting some comfort from the idea.

Deaths of the week

 * Chandler James Swanson (1967-2001): head injury from diving accident
 * Mr. Suarez: died of old age at nursing home. Federico and Nate discover he died with an erection which is known in the funeral business as "Angel Lust".

Chronology
The episode begins on January 8, 2001 and spans 5 days until Chandler Swanson's funeral on January 13, 2001.

Quotes

 * Claire: What am I some knocked up Victorian wife that has to stay hidden from view?
 * Federico: The woman looks like a banana, if I put her out there the family's gonna freak. You wanna put her out there. Take my name off the certificate.
 * Ruth: Boys, I don't like this bickering. David: (to Ruth) And I don't like you sleeping with hairdressers. (Ruth then slaps David)
 * Brenda: Things happen that leave a mark in space, in time, in us.

[At the reading of Nathaniel's Will]

Claire: Wow, I guess I don't even rate.

Reader of the Will: No, he set up a trust for you.

Claire: What's my recourse here?  Reader of the Will: Recourse? Your entire college education is provided for.

Claire: So, I don't get anything.

Ruth: You get an education, Claire. A privilege that not everyone gets.

Claire: Well, what if I don't wanna go to college? Reader of the Will: Well, you need it these days, not just to succeed, but to to survive.

Claire: Okay, spare me the the tough love rationalization. Just bottom line it, please.

Reader of the Will:  Should you decide not to go to college, the money will become available to you when you're twenty-five.

Claire: So this is like, blackmail from beyond the grave?

Claire[to Gabriel]: Don't your skanks need to be walked?

Nate: I, uh think Mr. Suarez kinda shit himself. Is that normal?

David: You stopped to eat?! Do you have any respect for human life at all?

Nate: I have a HUGE respect for human life! I just didn't know that they can take a dump when they're dead!

David: Well they can, make a note of it!

 Nathaniel[commenting on the engravements on his tombstone]: Is that the best anyone could come up with; Father, Husband, Caregiver?

Nate: Well, what would you prefer; Introvert, Sadist,Mind fucker?

Music
Featured music includes:
 * "Ain't That A Kick in the Head" by Dean Martin- (from the compilation Dean Martin: The Capitol Collectors Series, Capitol Records)
 * "Tenderly" by Soulstice- (from the album Illusion, Om Records - 2001)
 * "Girl Who Fell to Earth" by Submarine- (from the album Skindiving, Kinetic/ Reprise - 2000)
 * "I Love Being Here With You" by Peggy Lee - (from the album Basin Street East, Capitol Records - 1961)
 * "So Long Baby Goodbye" by The Blasters- from the compilation Testament: the Complete Slash Recordings (Rhino Records- 2002)
 * "Parallel Life" by The Starseeds- (from the album Parallel Life, Millennium Records - 1997)
 * "Bohemian Like You" by The Dandy Warhols - (from the album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, Capitol Records - 2000)