Episode Report Card Aaron: B | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Death in the Family
By Aaron | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 06.02.2001
As David and Keith hold one another, we fade to white; instead of a commercial, we get a home-movie flashback of the Fisher family at play. Dad waters the lawn while the kids portentously crash their toy cars. Then they take to running through the water, and there's much laughing and romping as Dad sprays them with the hose. These idyllic family flashbacks stand in stark contrast to the somewhat mean-spirited Late Nate as we now know him, so I'm curious to see what happened in the intervening years. We won't see that this week, though, because Nate Jr. once again wakes up, bringing the flashback to an end.
Downstairs, Mom is already making breakfast. She immediately runs to hug Nate as soon as he enters the kitchen, saying, "Thank God you're here." He tells her that he's heading out for a run, and she asks whether he has to go back to Seattle right away. He says no, and that he'll have to make a few calls; he ends up agreeing to stay for "just a few days." Or, you know, for two years.
Cut to the Jogger-Cam. This time, instead of stepping in front of a bus, Nate simply spies his father sitting across the street at the bus stop, on a bench cleverly painted with an accident-insurance ad. Whatever your feelings on the faux commercials may be, at least the only product placements in this one were parodies. Dad hops onto a bus, and presses his fingers against the glass as the music swells. The bus, which has been cleverly painted with an ad that reads "A good night's sleep," pulls away from the curb. Nate is left to stand transfixed, staring at all the passing pedestrians, and then we finally fade to black as Peter Krause and his so-called shapely calves look lost and lonely on the sidewalk.
Alan Ball: Well, thanks for stopping by. And I might just take your advice on that whole female-nudity thing.
David Chase: Hey, do you think I could maybe come back and hang for a while? I've got, like, a whole year to kill.
Alan Ball: Absolutely. We need all the viewers we can get. Oh, wait. That's right. They already bought the second season. Screw the viewers, I'm taking a summer vacation.
David Chase: So is that a yes?
Alan Ball: Why not? Come on in.