The Trap
Six Feet Under | Season 3 | Episode 5

The Trap

TV-MA | 55 MIN

Directed by Jeremy Podeswa
Written by Bruce Eric Kaplan

In 1975, William Aaron Jaffe went for a drive and was never heard from again. Twenty-eight years later, his skeletalized remains - discovered in a remote ravine, still in his car - are brought to Fisher & Diaz. When Jaffe's widow tells Nate that she and her husband "were one of those horrible got-married-too-soon-for-all-the-wrong-reasons couples," Nate sees parallels to his own marriage - an observation underscored by Lisa's criticism of his spending habits and her unilateral decision to become a stay-at-home mom.

On top of this, Brenda is back. She shows up at the funeral home, telling Nate she needs to talk to him. Wary but curious, Nate goes for a drink with her and as one of the twelve steps, Brenda tries to make amends for the pain she's caused him. When Nate tells Lisa about the encounter, she becomes angry; Nate resents her disapproval. Later, Nate's visited by Jaffe, who accuses Nate of staying married "to prove what a good guy he can be." Nate denies it, but has no reply when Jaffe dares him to "look me in the eye and tell me that sometimes you don't want to get in your car and just start driving and never look back."

Keith knows that feeling, too - about his job. And after roughing up a fellow security guard, Keith realizes its time for a change; the next morning David finds him reading the want ads. David also jettisons an emotional burden. When Terry, a fellow chorus member, reminds him that they once had a sexual encounter in a men's room, a horrified David claims he's mistaken. But he later admits - to both Terry and himself - that the incident did happen.

As for Claire, she and Russell have grown closer and were even set to go on their first date. But then Olivier tells Claire - whom he's hired as his driver - about a youthful love affair that he claims kept him from becoming a great artist. "If you get lonely, have sex," he advises, "But if you think you meet someone who really wants something from you? You're doomed." The next morning, Claire cancels the date.

Now that Claire is driving Mr. Castro-Staal, she's no longer doing pickups for Fisher & Diaz( to save them a few dollars) So Federico convinces David and Nate to take on an apprentice, who according to Federico will save them a significant amount of money per year. Ruth, however, is reluctant to having an apprentice move in move in "I'll be the one who is forced to coexist with a complete stranger who could kill me in the middle of the night." But Arthur Martin, a young man who was raised by his great aunt, turns out to be a satisfactory housemate. He's quiet and respectful, and when a mouse gets caught in a trap in the kitchen, he and Ruth are of one mind: (The mouse deserved it. )


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