best of the show so far. i really don't know what to say besides that this episode blew me away. straight from the cold open it was already so incredibly good and it maintained that quality until it's final scene with the cliffhanger. simply a masterpiece of an episode and season finale. SPOILERS that cold open was the strongest death so far due to how it relates to nate's situation and how it sets into motion the rest of the episode. there's a feeling of unease right from the very start when the episode starts with nate arguing with ruth about visiting lisa and maya since up until now every episode has started with a death. to focus on nate with the viewer knowing how unpredictable his AVM is is a tense way to start off the episode. ruth insists that she wants to be a part of maya's life after getting the opportunity to shape someone again but that's not even the main focus since we still have yet to witness the death that starts off the episode. the tension slowly defuses once nate visits aaron for the final time but it's replaced with a feeling of dread as he struggles to catch his final breaths. nate has spent the entire season confronting his fear of death and working in a funeral home but now he is face to face with death and he doesn't know how to react. he selflessly promised aaron he would visit him which was already very heartwarming but this is what it all comes down to: whether or not he can guide him through a smooth death. besides just being there for aaron this also serves as a chance for nate to directly confront his fear since, after all, he might end up like this sooner rather than later. this scene is absolutely incredible both because of the acting and the writing. this is one of the most up close and personal, as well as most realistic deaths of the show and nate is there to witness it all. he tells aaron to just let go to which aaron replies that he can't go into the light if there is no light. it's a crushing blow both for aaron as well as nate, who had expressed a belief in a higher power and the afterlife. this idea is quickly shot down by aaron and it all becomes too much for nate to handle. aaron curls up in his lap as nate begins to cry and once again repeats that he needs to let go. in between the tears nate realises that this is it. this is his future if he lets his AVM consume him instead of treating it. season 1 ended with nate accepting the fact that he might die but season 2's finale begins with nate realising that he can still change this after watching aaron die. this scene convinces him to finally have surgery for his AVM to rid himself of the constant fear of death that he has. no matter how much you might try to not fear death, it is human nature to want to live and nate finally succumbs to this. what an amazing episode for him, probably his best so far. even if he did decide to finally have surgery, that doesn't mean all is well. his operation still has a chance of leaving him paralysed or dead so to overcome his fear he has to face death one last time. the episode's title perfectly represents this final showdown between nate and death and it only adds to the tension of the situation. this pushes him to do a a lot of things that he wouldn't have done if he wasn't facing possible death, such as seeing maya at long last or coming clean to ruth about his condition. the scene where he finally meets his daughter is incredible. the reality that his own blood now occupies this earth doesn't really hit him until he sees the tiny little shoe. he always had a reason to keep on living but seeing his own baby daughter and holding her completely changes his perspective: now he needs to live -- if not to continue being alive, at least to watch her grow. so many more things reinforce this idea throughout the episode, such as when he cremates aaron's body. it's such a grim process and the fact that the guy has to stop to flip him around in the furnace is such a belittling action for the dead and it once again solidifies the fact that he wants to live. he keeps a strong attitude for most of the episode but it becomes too much to handle and he breaks down in his mother's lap, crying that he doesn't want to die. it's an identical parallel to aaron's death and it's probably a top 3 scene in the show so far. you can see how nate views each person through how in depth he goes regarding his surgery. when brenda apologises to him and says that she cheated on him out of love (her leaving LA at the end is great for her growth because some of the things she said were just ???), he tells her that his surgery is minor and that he doesn't want her there. he goes in detail with david, who he knows will maintain stability and he also does his pre-need with him. he doesn't want to cause a fuss even before such a major event, both because he doesn't want to believe it's a big deal himself but also to not take away from claire's graduation. claire's flashdance inspired nightmare shows how anxious she is before the interview but once she does do it, all the emotions regarding her father's death start flowing out. seeing how much she cares about her family how can anyone expect her to focus on her graduation. her interest in art stemmed from nathaniel's death so when the possibility of another death in the family arises she can't even begin to concentrate on her graduation, which she saw as pointless in the first place. the scene where she smokes weed with david shows how both of them, even david, are having trouble dealing with this and they end up going to the hospital. it's a parallel to claire coming high to the morgue in the pilot, which adds to the ominous feeling that not all might be well after this surgery. david and keith reach their breaking point after keith sends taylor away with his parents, reverting the powerful decision he made to stand up to his father and after all their boiling tension explodes due to the circumstances (nate's surgery looming over them) in a pretty violent argument that ultimately culminates in sex. it's not the healthiest way to solve their problems but at the very least it serves as a way for david to release some stress considering nate's impending surgery. now for the surgery. that final cliffhanger dream of nate running and the bus driving by is perfection. it has so many different interpretations but mine is that it is the same one that killed his father. nate running is him saying no to death, while the bus is death itself. the driver's seat is empty -- it's his own choice whether or not he gets on. does he accept his fate and explore what there is beyond life, or does he stick around to watch his daughter grow and to continue to spend time with his family. before we see his decision, the screen begins to fade to white, almost as if he's going into the light. he doesn't get to choose because in the end it's not up to him. the illusion of choice is precisely that: an illusion. six feet under deals with themes of religion and death constantly but it seems to send the message that there is no god, but the surrealist dreams do hint at a supernatural sort of afterlife. the show itself is just as indecisive as nate in his 'final moments' and i think it's brilliant. it's a huge cliffhanger, something that i didn't expect from this show. overall it's a somber ending but also so incredibly moving, with the family being more united than ever in these troubling times definitely one of my favourite episodes of TV ever which has me all the more hyped for episodes that are supposedly even better later on high 5/5