Rating: 
Summary: The series zenith season, so far
Review: Subsequent seasons of Six Feet Under have not quite been able to reach the writing, directing and atmosphere that this, the second season, attained.
The main thrust of this season is on Nate and Brenda's relationship. Spiralling downward and out of control, Brenda (played maginficently by Rachel Griffiths) is perhaps the most sexually psychotic character TV has seen. This one particular storyline kept me anticipating each week's new episode. As Nate (Peter Krause) slowly discovers and puts the pieces together of Brenda's psychosis you can't help be caught up in this web of deciet. The confrontation between Nate and Brenda can only be compared to that of The Soprano's final episode of season four...where Carmella throws Tony out and doesn't look back. Intense, thrilling and just desserts. Simply riveting.
In all a great season of one of HBO's finest. If only season's 3 and 4 (still in progress) could have been this good.
Rating:
Summary: Quality series
Review: It seems somehow fitting that, for a show whose central setting is a funeral home, the characters and storylines within it are brought more vividly to life than in most television dramas. "Six Feet Under" focuses on brothers Nate and David, running their family funeral business under the paranoid eye of their mother, Ruth. I wouldn't want to go into too much detail here about the various plotlines, but I watched the entire second season on DVD in almost one sitting--and it was thoroughly satisfying. I like how each episode begins with one random sequence of events, with the end result someone dying in an unexpected (or sometimes expected) way. At the end of that first scene, the name and years the person lived appears on the screen on a white background. That person's death is worked into the episode, as Nate and David have to handle the funeral for Fisher and Sons.
The acting is also great all around and the direction and cinematography are of film quality, which is not suprising, considering that Alan Ball (American Beauty) created the series and wrote and directed a number of episodes. A quality, quality show--it's funny, and has much to say about life, death, love, relationships, and the wonder and weirdness of human existence.
Rating:
Summary: Characters -- and viewers -- get addicted!
Review: Like many viewers, I don't get HBO, so I got hooked watching Season 1's episodes all at once, on video. The DVD presentation adds commentaries of mixed quality. Writer Jill Solowey opens by wondering why anyone would spend an hour listening to her talk. "You must not have a life if you're here," she says. Unnecessarily demeaning to viewers, as commentaries add a whole layer of enjoyment to the viewing experience.
Other commentators pointed out the old-fashioned Addams family quality of the Fishers, which I hadn't noticed -- but now I see they have an avocado-colored refrigerator! And I see the contrast between the timeless, stifling ambience of the funeral home and the free-spirited world that the family encounters outside.
Season 2's writers faced a major challenge because plots need conflict and at least two sources of conflict have disappeared. Nate has now firmly committed to being a funeral director -- he gets his license early in the season -- and he's firmly allied with his brother's interests. And David, now officially out as a gay man, has a choice of nice dates before ending up (as we always suspected) with the charismatic Keith.
The Christmas episode was my favorite, although it was more satisfying than suspenseful. A group of Harley Davidson riders gathers to honor a fallen comrade, while the Fishers remember their last moments with their father. The biker funeral was a treat. I'd like my own funeral to be a big party too, although I hope my heirs have the sense to demand a cheap cremation rather than a ten thousand dollar box.
As other reviewers have noted, Nate takes the lead this season, possibly because his character seems least controversial and most sympathetic. He's grown into a compassionate, caring person, even befriending a young man dying friendless with pancreatic cancer. Pushing the cremation button seems an odd but sincere act of friendship.
At the same time, I found it hard to like either of Nate's girlfriends -- the neurotic Brenda and the needy, vulnerable Lisa. Nate deserves someone he can respect.
And I disagree with those who call this family "dysfunctional" and "repressed." While the rabbi in Season 2 preaches the importance of total honesty, in fact research shows that marriages often stay together more by what's not said than by openness.
Compared to most families, the Fishers are not bad! Rememer they see each other every day and support one another through tough times. And they do show mutual respect. Ruth may be controlling but she gives her children a lot of space. She even seems a little intimidated by Claire, who was born after the boys were almost grown.
The commentators suggest that the show goes to great lengths for realism. However, in a contemporary police department, Keith would not be on duty while under investigation for killing a citizen. He'd turn over his gun and badge and be off duty with pay. He would also be required -- not advised, required -- to see the police psychologist. These steps probably would have prevented the next tragedy, where Keith lashes out during a domestic violence call.
Seasons 3 to 5 are out, I hear, so we know Nate will recover and go on to more adventures. Other reviewers have suggested issuing Season 3 on DVD as soon as possible. I couldn't agree more!
Rating: 
Summary: Not much surprise, but still fascinating
Review: The second season, honestly speaking, is not as fascinating as the first one. Yet, it still outstands lots of other dramas. The first season strikes many of us because of its style and the captivating characterisation. Each character is so distinguished from each other and each has his/her own charm. Once we are used to this formula, season 2 seems to offer less surprise to the audience. However, what season 2 does is to complicate the plot and the closure of each problem still brings joy to many of us.The most brilliant part is season 2 is the adding of Taylor, Keith's niece into the drama. She evolves around David and Keith, sharing the homosexual secrets from the child's point of view. It's very interesting and the chemistry IS there. However, what disappoints me most, personally, is the pitification of Ruth, the mother in many episodes. Season 2 tends to victimize Ruth as a mother who shares one-way communication to her Russian lover, Nikolai, and the communication problem worsens between her and her children. Each episode tends to amplify this theme of victimhood and even in epsiode 13, her strong will is not restored completely. The whole season ends with a scene in which Claire and David hug their mother for love and concern when Nate is undergoing an AVM surgery. Season 2 also brings more emphasis on the sidecast of the drama. Rico and his wife, Brenda's parents or even Brenda's new prostitute friend do stir a certain storm in the character's life. The second season extends the problems plotted in the first season - Keith and David's crisis, Nate's health problem, Brenda's obsession with wild sex, Ruth's incompetence and helplessness and Claire's cynicism. All these themes are touched in season 2. Everybody who loves the first 2 seasons is waiting desperately for Season 3 on DVD. I just hope the studio does not take another 9 months to release their money-making discs.
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