Everything.
Everyone.
Everywhere.
Ends.
-Six Feet Under

I just watched the final episode of Six Feet Under. It provides the most incredible closure to a television series that I have ever seen. Its ending was very planned and can be felt throughout the fifth season, although its climax is really several episodes before the end. I do not wish to spoil that moment, but suffice to say it leaves much to be resolved in the aftermath with the show's usual existential exploration of the human condition. By comparison the finale itself feels overdrawn to the point of being ponderous in a very Lord of the Rings-y fashion. That is until the final five minutes which utterly redeem it with a tumultuous, emotional and truly beautiful conclusion.

I hesitate to name the luscious song which accompanies it since hearing it for the first time as part of the greater whole adds to the memorable experience. However you would be well advised to check out Sia, the artist in question, who has produced a range of gorgeous stuff (though I warn you her website is hideous in the Powerpuff sense of the word). For its exceptional writing and visual stylishness Six Feet Under has long been one of my favourite television series and it could not have ended on a higher note. Every show finale could stand to learn something from Alan Ball. I know I'll be missing this family of death-obsessed narcissists for some time — at least until the box set falls to a reasonable price.

The photos accompanying this post are from Rob's birthday formal on Tuesday, a fun night with a suitably varied group of friends. His birthday candles (accidentally, I am told) turned out to be of the relighting variety which caused considerably difficulty and the eventual burning of his fingers as he took the brute force approach to extinguishing. I found myself running to and from the hall more times than I care to remember in setting it up, while the decorative helium-filled balloons somewhat inevitably ended up being inhaled for high-pitched renditions of — well, very little really.