The series is set in Los Angeles, and depicts the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home, along with their friends and lovers.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, subject matter and character development.
Gabe (Eric Balfour) invites a friend, Andy (Timm Sharp), to come over to his house, kicking his six-year-old brother Anthony out of the room so they can use drugs.
Suddenly, Gabe and Andy hear a noise coming from the room, and are shocked to find that Anthony accidentally shot himself with a gun.
Nate is surprised when two different homes prioritize profit over the family's grief, and is later shocked when Brenda pretends to be a dying cancer patient.
Gabe and his mother, Vickie (Wendy Schaal), visit Fisher & Sons to arrange Anthony's funeral.
Hiram hopes they can rekindle their sexual life prior to Nathaniel's death, but Ruth deviates his advances.
Previously free to check out from the world on a regular basis, Gabe now faces the reality of life — or, more to the point, of death — at every moment.
And when Ruth unwittingly (but predictably) takes one tab of X on a camping trip, the hour's only ostensible dose of humor proves a major buzz kill.
[9] In 2016, Ross Bonaime of Paste ranked it 21st out of all 63 Six Feet Under episodes and wrote, "“Life's Too Short” begins with one of the series' bleakest openings, as Gabe's six-year-old brother accidentally shoots himself.
Brenda and Nate test out various funeral homes to see what Fisher & Sons is getting right, and Ruth goes on a camping adventure that turns into an unintentional ecstasy trip.