Bruce Eric Kaplan Movies
- 2003
Nate (Peter Krause) continues his descent into quiet desperation as Fisher & Diaz prepares to bury the recently unearthed remains of a young husband and father who disappeared without a trace decades earlier. Adding to Nate's just-married angst, Lisa (Lili Taylor) spends her time micromanaging his finances instead of finding a new job of her own. She also goes ballistic when Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) turns up to make amends with Nate as part of a 12-step recovery program for sex addicts. Nate and Brenda share a few drinks, but he keeps his guard up and expresses none of his doubts about his sudden matrimony. David (Michael C. Hall), too, is haunted by an old lover: Terry (Matt Winston), a fellow singer in the gay men's chorus, who reminds David of their brief and frenzied encounter years ago in a department-store men's room. Ashamed of his own past repression, David is relieved to realize he's finally at peace with his sexual identity. Speaking of which, Claire (Lauren Ambrose) finds her feelings in disarray when Russell (Ben Foster), her supposedly gay best friend, declares that he's actually straight and wants to date her. She considers it -- until Olivier (Peter MacDissi), her manipulative art professor, advises her to shun emotional intimacy if she wants to become a great artist. Blowing Russell off, Claire focuses on her new job as Olivier's assistant. Federico (Freddy Rodriguez), too, hires a new sidekick: Arthur (Rainn Wilson), a mortuary school student who agrees to work for nothing but room and board at the Fisher house. As for Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), he's still stuck in the same terrible job as a rent-a-cop. A disturbing altercation with a fellow security guard, however, convinces him it's time to look for other employment. Originally broadcast March 30, 2003, on HBO, "The Trap" marked season three, episode five of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2002
As their marriage draws near, their respective sexual escapades come back to haunt both Nate (Peter Krause) and Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) in this episode of HBO's Six Feet Under. As her narcissistic mother (Joanna Cassidy) prepares to throw her a wedding shower, Brenda and her call-girl friend, Melissa (Kellie Waymire), head out to a "lifestyle party" in Orange County to hang with the swingers. Brenda drags herself to the shower the next morning, where a heart-to-heart from future mother-in-law, Ruth (Frances Conroy), causes her to be overwhelmed with guilt. Ruth, for her part, is reeling from what seems like rejection from the finally back-on-his-feet Nikolai (Ed O'Ross). She isn't reeling half as hard, however, as son Nate, who's facing unplanned fatherhood with somebody other than his bride-to-be. Nate tries to own up to his responsibilities, but he's so half-hearted about it that it simply drives Lisa (Lili Taylor) away. Meanwhile, Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) squabbles with boyfriend David (Michael C. Hall), but a more serious conflict with sister Karla (Nicki Micheaux) is just around the corner. As for Claire (Lauren Ambrose), she takes her art in an interesting new direction and ponders life at community college. "The Secret" marked season two, episode ten of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The death of an apparently friendless woman hits home with Ruth (Frances Conroy) in this episode of HBO's Six Feet Under. When Emily Previn (Christine Estabrook) chokes to death, Fisher & Sons can't find anyone to attend the funeral, but Ruth takes it upon herself to make the event special anyway. David (Michael C. Hall) tries to forge a special friendship with blind date Ben Cooper (Adam Scott), but the nascent romance is interrupted by David's cop ex-boyfriend, Keith (Mathew St. Patrick). Distraught over having accidentally killed a suspect, Keith finds solace of a decidedly carnal nature with David, then, in a fit of guilt about his unsuspecting boyfriend, announces that he doesn't want to see David anymore. Meanwhile, Claire (Lauren Ambrose) prepares for the SAT, freaks out when her friend Parker (Marina Black) cheats on the exam, and is surprised to learn that her school counselor, Gary (David Norona), senses sexual tension between himself and Claire. Nate (Peter Krause) experiences some sexual tension of his own when Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) continues her sexual dry spell. Ironically, though, she befriends one of her shiatsu clients (Kellie Waymire) -- who just happens to be a prostitute -- and volunteers to play the voyeur role in the fantasy of one of the woman's clients. This accomplished, she stages a dramatic about-face regarding her ambivalence to Nate: She proposes. "The Invisible Women" marked season two, episode five of the made-for-cable drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1998
An mishap involving Kramer (Michael Richards) during the annual Puerto Rican Day parade is the reason that this particular Seinfeld episode was withdrawn from NBC's rerun package (it did, however, make a return appearance in syndication four years later). Elsewhere, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) worries about not getting home to see 60 Minutes, a vital part of her "weekend wind-down." George (Jason Alexander) is tormented by a laser pointer while trying to make a joke during the "Hindenburg" movie. And Kramer resorts to using a phony name during an urgent call of nature. But never mind all that: can the Mets pull out of an 8-0 downslide? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
In her efforts to "understand" a New Yorker cartoon, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) takes up cartooning herself -- but her boss, Peterman (John O'Hurley), knows a Ziggy rip-off when he sees one. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is aghast when performance artist Sally Weaver (Kathy Griffin) puts on her latest one-woman show: "Jerry Seinfeld -- The Devil." George (Jason Alexander) likes his girlfriend, but for the life of him can't figure out why (can it be that she looks like Jerry?). And looming over all this is the brutal honesty of Kramer (Michael Richards) -- which benefits no one, himself included. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Purchasing the set of the old Merv Griffin Show, Kramer (Michael Richards) transforms his living room into a talk show -- but is it "Merv," or is it "Scandals and Animals?" (And yes, that's Wild Kingdom's Jim Fowler.) Meanwhile, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is plagued at work by a "sidler" who causes her to create a coffee stain in the shape of Fidel Castro. George (Jason Alexander) can't seem to drive anywhere without running over a cute little animal. And Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) hopes to persuade his girlfriend to let him sample her rare toy collection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
