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HBO VERSUS BUSH: An emailer wrotes:
The past two episodes of “Six Feet Under” on HBO (July 18 and 25) included several anti-Bush lines spoken by the performers, plus a prominent product placement for an anti-Republican book. None of these occurences advanced a story line or character; they were gratuitous throwaways.
Here, as best as I can recollect, is what I saw:
In the July 18 episode, Nat is reading the paper, and says (paraphrasing), “Man that Bush just lies and lies and nobody does anything about it.” His mother Ruth responds only by addressing his recent bitterness. The political angle never comes up again.
Until the July 25th episode. This time it’s Ruth’s husband George, reading “Perfectly Legal,” a book by a New York Times reporter claiming that the super-rich gouge the middle class. As he puts the book down he says (paraphrasing), “They’re just hollowing out the middle class until there’s nobody left.” Later in the episode he’s seen reading the book again. Nothing else in these scenes addresses this activity.
In the same episode, Claire and her friends create art on the walls of her room, making several comments along the lines of “dropping bombs and calling it peace,” and painting the phrase “Terror Starts at Home” on the wall.
Here’s the ironic thing about this kind of stealth political campaigning: it’s easier to follow the money behind it than in the more up-front kind.
But I also have the feeling this stuff just washes off an audience – especially one sophisticated enough to enjoy “Six Feet Under.”
The Dish 