When death is your business, what is the meaning of your life? For Nate, David, Ruth and Claire, the world outside of the Fisher & Sons Funeral Home continues to be at least as challenging - and far less predictable - as the one inside. Season two of HBO's Emmy-winning drama "Six Feet Under" dives into the personal and private lives of the Fisher family. Focusing less on the "gimmicks" of the plot that ruled season one, the sophomore year of the show is all about getting intimate with the characters.

Growing up in a funeral home with embalming fluid and toe tags as toys, it is unlikely that anyone could turn out relatively 'normal.' Therefore it should come as no surprise that the Fishers are not just a little off kilter, they are downright screwed up in every way you can imagine. The ways in which the Fishers are not normal could fill books, and that is what keeps viewers tuned in. You can just never be sure what will happen next week - or even in the next five minutes.

Season two of "Six Feet Under" gets down and dirty with each of the Fishers, following them through some of the most convoluted and drama-packed storylines of the entire series so far. Watching Nate Fisher (Peter Krause) and his girlfriend Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) race at top speed toward spontaneous combustion holds the same kind of sick fascination as watching a film like Monster. You know that something bad is going to happen any moment that is going to freak you out, but meanwhile, the characters are just so damn interesting.

While Nate and Brenda try to figure out what the hell is going on in their relationship, Nate also has to deal with another big problem. Turns out that he has a brain disease that could put him in one of his own caskets if he doesn't have surgery. Although this particular twist of plot feels just a little over the top, the resulting roller coaster ride of watching Nate deal with his own mortality makes it worth the little bit of cheesy soap opera drama. Nate eventually decides to forgo surgery and keeps his condition a secret from everyone. In response to his own fear of death, Nate clings even harder to Brenda.

Brenda, however, is dealing with her own problems - her insane brother's relapse, depression and a burgeoning sexual obsession. While Nate keeps trying to pull Brenda closer, she keeps pushing him father away as she embarks on a seedy secret life of sexual encounters with strangers. Nate, sensing something is going very wrong, ends up sleeping with an ex-lover, Lisa (Lili Taylor), while visiting Seattle. His decision to take comfort in the arms of his old flame will end up sparking a whole new stream of unpredictable plot twists.

On the slightly less psychotic side (or is it?), you have David Fisher (Michael C. Hall), a queer mortician with commitment issues and a penchant for f*cking up a good thing at every opportunity. In season two, David tries to move on from his relationship with hot gay cop Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), but he can't seem to escape the attraction they still share. The two can't help but continue to hook up, even when Keith starts exhibiting some major problems with controlling his anger, inherited from his overbearing and abusive father. As David and Keith grow closer and more deeply entangled, Keith's anger issues threaten not only their relationship and Keith's job - but David's personal safety as well.

Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose), the gothic and sullen little sister of David & Nate, is going through her own identity crisis. After getting way too involved trying to 'save' bad boy Gabe (Eric Balfour), she begins to realize that she'll never be able to rescue him from himself. Gabe gradually fades out of her life, while Claire just seems to fade away. A strange friendship formed with Brenda's crazy brother Billy (Jeremy Sisto) sparks something new to life in Claire, just as you start to wonder if she's about to go quietly postal. Billy helps Claire get in touch with her creative side, inspiring her to pursue her talents as a photographer and eventually making the decision to go to art college.

The Fisher family matriarch, Ruth (Frances Conroy), also goes through some major changes in her life. Ruth has an affair with Nikolai (Ed O'Ross), after taking a job at his floral shop. But, in another slightly soap opera plot twist, Russian mafia types break Nikolai's legs - creating some major tension between Ruth and her lover. Ruth, looking for something, but not quite sure what it is, gets suckered into a self-help seminar that promises to bring her "happiness." In the end, Ruth dumps both Nikolai and the self-help cult to take on an entirely new and unexpected role.

Meanwhile, of course, the Fisher family's dearly departed Dad Nathaniel (Richard Jenkins) keeps popping up. Just because he is dead, of course, doesn't mean he can't still insert his two cents when he feels like it - something that many stiffs seem to enjoy doing on this show.

The last of the Fisher family isn't actually family, but he might as well be, he's just as out there as the rest of them. Frederico (Freddy Rodriguez) and wife Vanessa (Justina Machado) buy their first home, but instead of being a happy occasion, it becomes a bone of contention between Rico, David and Nate. David and Nate tell Rico they can't give him a loan to help with the house buy, but then turn around and spend a load of cash on a rather stupid renovation for the funeral home. Frederico, tired of just playing second fiddle in the funeral home, is on the quest to become a full partner, but neither Nate or David seem to take him seriously. In the end, however, Rico gets the last laugh as a surprise inspection at the funeral home - and a windfall, put him in power position to get what he wants.

The second season of "Six Feet Under" ends with as much drama as it began. The Fishers, so often separated from each other emotionally by their own internal issues, draw together for support as tragedy threatens one of their own. The spirits of life and death becomes stars in their own right as season two draws to a close, leaving the viewer hanging in anticipation for what will come next in the extraordinarily un-ordinary lives of the Fisher family.

DVD Bonus Features

* "Anatomy of a Working Stiff: Life as a Dead Body" - a 20 minute behind the scenes look at the special effects used in the Six Feet Under morgue, featuring three "deaths" from season two, including details on how each actor was body-casted and how each corpse became life-like. Includes interviews with the actors playing the corpses, Todd Masters of Masters FX and executive producers Alan Ball and Alan Poul.

* Five audio commentaries, with directors Daniel Attias and Rodrigo Garcia, producer/writer Jill Soloway and executive producers/directors Alan Ball and Alan Poul

* Episodic previews and recaps, a season one recap, cast and crew biographies.