He was a corporate lawyer. A Republican. He listened to prog-rock and probably voted for George W. Bush twice. In the world of Six Feet Under, a show basically fueled by high-art pretension and bohemian angst, Ted Fairwell should have been the ultimate villain. Instead, he became the anchor.
Honestly, when Chris Messina first popped up in the fifth season as ted six feet under, most fans collectively rolled their eyes. We’d spent years watching Claire Fisher (Lauren Ambrose) date "interesting" disasters—drug-addicted artists, pretentious mentors, and guys who were, quite frankly, a mess. Then came Ted. He was stable. He was kind. He was... boring? At least, that's what we thought at first.
But looking back from 2026, Ted Fairwell represents something the show rarely touched: the radical idea that stability isn't a death sentence for creativity.
The Republican in the Room
Claire meets Ted while she’s temping at a law firm, a job she hates, in a life she feels stuck in. They are total opposites. Claire is the quintessential blue-state art student; Ted is a suit-and-tie guy who genuinely believes in the systems Claire wants to dismantle.
Their political debates are some of the most realistic scenes in the series. They don't scream. They don't "cancel" each other. Ted challenges Claire’s reflexive cynicism not with hate, but with a weirdly charming, mid-2000s earnestness. He’s the first person in her life who doesn't need her to be a "tortured artist" to find her interesting.
It’s a shock to her system.
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He likes her. Not the "art" version of her, but her. When Nate dies—the event that shatters the final season—Ted is the only one who doesn't let Claire drown in the family's shared pathology. He provides a perimeter. He takes her keys when she’s too drunk to drive. He shows up.
That Infamous Mix CD
If you want to understand ted six feet under, you have to talk about the music. In the series finale, "Everyone’s Waiting," Claire drives away from Los Angeles in her Prius, heading toward a new life in New York. The song playing on her stereo is Sia’s "Breathe Me," an iconic TV moment that still brings people to tears two decades later.
But remember how she got that music?
Ted gave her a CD. It wasn't "cool" music. It was a collection of songs he liked, unapologetically. In a show where characters often used their taste in art as a weapon or a shield, Ted’s lack of musical ego was a breath of fresh air. He didn't care if he was hip. He just wanted her to have something to listen to on the 3,000-mile drive.
That drive is the ultimate pivot point for Claire. She leaves Ted behind to pursue her dream, and for a long time, we’re led to believe that’s the end of their story. The show tells us she has to go alone to become who she’s meant to be.
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The Long Game: That 2025 Reunion
The genius of Six Feet Under is the final six-minute montage. We see the entire future of the Fisher family. We see how they live, and more importantly, how they die.
For years, people debated whether Claire and Ted stayed in touch. The montage gives us the answer. During Ruth’s funeral in 2025, a gray-haired, distinguished-looking man appears at the back of the crowd. It’s Ted. He didn't just move on and forget her; he showed up when it mattered.
They reconnect in their 40s. They get married.
There’s a beautiful, grainy shot in the montage of their wedding. It’s simple. No drama. Just two people who finally timed it right. It suggests that Claire needed those twenty years in New York to win her awards and see the world, and Ted needed those years to... well, probably keep being a solid guy in Los Angeles.
Why Ted Matters Now
A lot of modern viewers struggle with Ted. They see his political leanings as a dealbreaker. But the show argues that human connection can—and should—exist outside of an ideological echo chamber.
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Ted was the "safe" choice that turned out to be the "brave" choice. For Claire to choose a man who was so fundamentally different from her upbringing was her final act of rebellion. She stopped rebelling against society and started rebelling against the Fisher family's cycle of dysfunctional, high-octane romance.
He pre-deceased her, of course. We see Claire as an old woman in 2085, lying in bed, surrounded by her photographs. On her nightstand, there’s a picture of Ted. He was the one who went the distance.
What You Can Learn From the Ted/Claire Dynamic:
- Opposites don't just attract; they balance. Ted provided the structure Claire lacked, while Claire gave Ted a window into a more colorful, emotional world.
- Timing is everything. If Claire had stayed in LA for Ted at 22, she probably would have resented him. The 20-year gap allowed them to meet as equals.
- Integrity beats "Cool." Ted’s honesty about who he was—even when it was uncool—is what ultimately made Claire trust him.
If you're rewatching the series on Netflix or Max, pay attention to the small moments in Season 5. Watch how Ted listens. He’s not waiting for his turn to speak; he’s actually hearing her. That’s why, in a show defined by death, Ted Fairwell felt like life.
Stop looking for a partner who agrees with everything you say. Look for the person who will show up at your mother's funeral twenty years after you broke their heart. That’s the Ted Fairwell standard.
Go back and watch the final montage again. This time, don't just look at the deaths. Look at the photos on Claire's wall in the final scene. Look for the man in the suit who didn't care about being an artist but loved the woman who was.