Episode 6 – ‘Living+’
This episode was directed by Lorene Scafaria, known for the painful-to-watch ‘Too Much Birthday’ episode in season three. Scafaria described ‘Living+’ as a “companion piece to Kendall’s 40th debacle,” also acknowledging that there’s “a built-in anxiety to seeing Kendall on stage.” In a surprising turn, Kendall defies expectations, impresses the audience and garners positive online feedback. The episode concludes with Kendall triumphantly floating in the sea, basking in his victory. Scafaria passionately advocated for including this scene, stating:
“I think there were days I was the only person who wanted to shoot it – as a super fan of the show I really wanted to see Kendall face up in the water, and, you know, even though there are dark clouds on the horizon, and it’s a victory lap he’s doing alone, I think that’s a really powerful image.”
Scafaria also skillfully employs visual techniques to depict the fracturing relationships between the three siblings. With Kendall on stage, the three spotlights trained on him make him have three shadows behind him. Kendall’s longing for his siblings’ support is emphasised with this shot, as “it does feel like the echoes of his siblings being up there with him, but he is completely alone”.
Mirrors also play a significant role in the sincere and brutal conversation between Tom and Shiv. Scafaria utilises the mirrors to visually portray Shiv’s conflicting emotions. At times, three reflections of Shiv highlight her inner turmoil, while in other shots, Tom’s presence both behind and in front of her reflects his lingering influence.