CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE PILOT what an incredible pilot. this show has the potential to be a life changing experience - i can already tell. right from the start the pilot provides some very interesting analysis with nathaniel's accident playing over 'i'll be home for christmas,' with the exact moment of the accident happening over the lyrics 'if only in my dreams.' already the show proves to me that it's going to be layered, and it then goes on to show how nathaniel basically haunts every member of the family. we see small glimpses of flashbacks on nate and davids childhood, and we see dream-like visions of nathaniel enjoying himself at last, only once he's dead. the show gives an already layered character development, as we see how each character deals with the suddenly presented circumstances and how they remember their father. david and ruth are both the so called control freaks of the family. it is quickly shown to the viewer how they attempt to manage the situation and both end up failing (ruth quicker than david) and succumbing to the natural process of grief. nathaniel's briefly mentioned absences and serious line of work can be what caused both ruth and david to act so far from the norm in that time: ruth having an affair and david having a homosexual relationship. they have both experienced chaos and yet on the surface still attempt to control everything, which is why david hides his true sexuality and why ruth takes so long to admit to her unfaithfulness. the entire family seems to lack the knowledge on how to properly manage their feelings, and all their outbursts are very small fits of anger - almost childlike in how they throw things to the floor, representative of how they cannot control their grief. working at a funeral home for so long has rendered david and ruth desensitised to grief and death, which could also be why it takes so long for them to express their feelings. that is why i really enjoy nate and claire's talk about the sicilian funeral, and how raw and emotional it was. that is what real grief is and david feels forced to keep it private after trying to control his entire life, all for his late father. nate and claire's dynamic this episode proved to be the best part. their conversations are all meaningful and provide insight on the entire family. nate being the prodigal son, with all the pressure to amount to something, leaves at the first chance and casts the pressure to david. his absence, possibly similar to his father's, is what causes claire to look up to him. she confides in him instead of ruth and david who never left. nate seems to have the most appropriate handling of grief, albeit still containing those selfish childish outbursts displayed in the rest of the family. his desire to go and be his own man has caused him to have an early burnout, leading a rather below average life. nate sr.'s death makes him rethink his life up to this point, and it results in an amazing conversation with claire about death. claire is the youngest child and the only daughter. she probably recieved less attention from her parents ("i can't remember the last time me and you had a serious conversation") and hence focused more on her brothers. david, being more of a control freak, seemed more out of reach than the actually distant nate; another reason why claire confides in him. dream-like sequences reminiscent of the sopranos already show up in the pilot, and i love it. it adds a different layer if the supernatural in this grounded and realistic show that offers a different perspective. the one thing i can't really figure out is what the deal is with the funeral commercials. i interpreted it as a sort of intermission between some scenes and they provide a look into the neat and structured work in the funeral home. overall, an incredibly solid pilot, with lots of value to offer. i hope this show lives up to the hype ive read because it definitely has the potential so far. high 4.5/5