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'Reaper': Stuck in neutral
I had one thought running through my mind all night. A thought that haunted every scene, every moment, every character interaction. A thought the rendered nearly everything else in this week's episode of Reaper null and void: "They got that place for $1200??? Sign me UP!" Which may give you an indication of just how mediocre this week's episode was.
Now, I get it, I do: the point of this week's episode is to ironically show just how little Sam how truly grown up. And that's a fine point to make, except at this point in the show, Sam's inability to learn from past mistakes is actually making him less endearing as a character. Sam's shortcomings should make him more identifiable as a protagonist: after all, i want a hero with imperfections that he must continually battle to overcome. I'm not looking for a saint here.
But I am looking for someone who doesn't keep walking into the same Brick Wall of Life week in and week out without forgetting why his head's all bruised. And Sam straight up doesn't learn from his mistakes. He constantly runs headlong into danger. He constantly butts heads with the devil. He constantly refrains from saying anything remotely related to the truth to the girls in his life. And as such, as the end of every episode, only the soul and the vessel have changed. Every day, it seems we're wasting away. (You know, to quote Bon Jovi.)
Those glasses were designed to show exactly one thing: just how Sam is. There was a time, pre-strike, in which Sam finally seemed to be growing into his role both as demon hunter and a man independent of both his parents and the Devil. But that's long ago in a galaxy far, far away at this point. I understand the need to take a long-term approach to Sam's character arc, but at this point, I'm ready for ANY sense of character development so I can watch this show for something more than its latest soul of the week.
As for this week's soul: Henry the Hunter, a soul so lame that they couldn't even hire an actor to portray him. I felt absolutely terribly for the actors on this show to literally mime their attacks this week, with Sam's paintball attack rendering Herbert as a polka-dotted pugilist waging war on cross-country runners. As for the Magic Bullet vessel...it slices! It dices! It captures souls! If I wanted overt product placement parading as plot, I'd watch Smallville.
As for the "gay neighbors who are demons" plotline: look, I'm psyched Michael Ian Black's getting work, because I'm pretty sure there's nothing left for VH1 to love about the 80's. And Ken Marino? Love to see you post-Veronica Mars, my friend. Hopefully this is some overarching "Hey, demons are people too!" tolerance plotline. But I can see a whole host of ways in which this plot can go very, very, very wrong. Luckily, no one really watches Reaper anymore so even if this plotline gets horribly offensive, only like twelve people will march on The CW's gates.
A few more thoughts about this week's episode:
- Loved the return of make-shift costumes for Sam, Ben, and Sock. The ugly running suits? Brilliant.
- Those same suits led to Sock's line of the week: "I'm pretty sure the space shuttle can see us, Ben."
- I kinda really want Sam's deer-laden hunting cap, please.
- Sam's parents seemed concerned about him leaving the house. Does this have something to do with the contract Sam's dad burned?
- If Cady wasn't the daughter of the devil, how can we explain the creepy bowling and the breaking glass? Is this a function of Sam's burgeoning demon powers?
But enough about my thoughts...tell me yours! Is Sam maturing or merely stagnant? Are his parents intrinsic to the plot or just red herrings? And honestly, how much would that apartment go for in your neck of the woods???
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.
1st things first, I really wanted Ted to call it Socklifting instead of shoplifting since I don't think any of the 12 of us watching thought it was an actual customer Ted was referring to.
Regarding your questioning of Carly, perhaps Sam didn't wear the glasses long enough to have them 'work their powers' - I'm reaching here.
Rishi | Mar 21, 2008 12:26:42 AM | #sorry that should've been Cady not Carly
Rishi | Mar 21, 2008 12:27:24 AM | #sorry that should've been Cady not Carly
Rishi | Mar 21, 2008 12:27:36 AM | #1200 bones for an apartment like that can only happen in TV land where it's not unusual to see even fast food workers living in posh penthouse abodes (in high cost of living cities like NYC or LA, no less).
I actually liked tonight's episode and thought Sock had a lot of zingers. Will agree that Sam's character is in a rut; for that matter, the show is in danger of becoming a demon-of-the-week affair. Hope that's not a result of the producers throwing in the towel due to the show's possible cancellation.
Oh, and Sam's mom is hot.
Z-Wulf | Mar 21, 2008 1:18:14 AM | #I agree that this episode was disappointing. Sam does not seem to learn, further he asked the Devil a question he really wanted to know the answer to, despite knowing that the Devil lies, so the answer is still unclear.
I would argue that the strange happenings around Cady could be Sam's doing. Perhaps his emotions influence his powers.
Speaking of his powers, it does look like they're doing away with his power of the week. I miss Sam trying to deal with stuff disappearing, or having no traction, or how about when all the food he touched turned into bugs and Sock had to feed him like a mother bird...
It seems like it's too early in the season to feel nostalgic about this show. Maybe they have given up...
Yossarian | Mar 21, 2008 7:27:07 AM | #ahh... i love the humor of it, but the damned thing never goes anywhere. nothing ever really changes (as someone said, it's basically just a "demon of the week" thing now). if it weren't for the humor, i'd have stopped watching after the first episode.
oh, and what happened to sam's brother? i think the last time i saw him was the pilot.
washington | Mar 21, 2008 7:41:43 AM | #I don't as much of problem with the $1200/month apartment, since living in fancy digs on part-time minimum wage jobs is typical in TV Land, as I do with the 3 Amigos constantly leaving work and not getting fired. Is that the reason Home Depot never has anybody at the register?
I also don't understand Sam's constant bickering with the Devil. I get that he doesn't want to be "the Devil's bounty hunter" but is that any reason to put his and his buddies' lives in danger?
Before the strike it seemed that the Devil and Sam were coming to an accommodation; in this episode Sam has regressed to a child. However, I got the impression that this episode wasn't about Sam or the escaped soul as much as it was about the Demon Neighbors and the Devil's Daughter. It really felt like the writers had already finished their story arc and said "oops, we've got more episodes to film, we'd better toss another bag of "Plot Mix Helper" into the pot". It had that second book in a trilogy feeling (or, perhaps more correctly, the third book in a former trilogy that's now a seven book epic).
Chris | Mar 21, 2008 7:51:27 AM | #I pretty much suspend my disbelief when I watch these types of shows so maybe I enjoy them more than most other viewers (the other 11 -Hee!) but I continue to like this show and hope it gets renewed for next season.
DaisyRose | Mar 21, 2008 9:53:26 AM | #I have to say that I completely disagree that last night's episode was mediocre. In fact, I thought it was probably one of the better episodes of the season. There was some nice character development, two interesting new characters, and the soul was kind of cool
Not to mention Nintendo Wii and The Magic Bullet. Can television get any cooler?
David | Mar 21, 2008 10:16:34 PM | #i liked it
Kris | Mar 22, 2008 9:23:33 AM | #I liked it, too. At least well enough, in light of the phenom that nearly all TV viewers seem to be experiencing: Namely that the first episode back of our favorite shows is a bit disappointing. They have been away too long, and the writers are not yet up to speed. Things will improve.
Tony | Mar 22, 2008 1:54:34 PM | #Where is Gladys?! Two new episodes and she hasn't returned, the trips to the DMV were some of the funniest moments pre-strike. I think I may give up on this show as the strike has ruined it and it will be a miracle if it gets renewed :(
Chance | Mar 22, 2008 7:56:06 PM | #Ach, someone needs to say it! They canceled Veronica Mars for this crap!!!
VM Forever | Mar 23, 2008 8:57:04 PM | #The author of this article needs to proof his own material before publishing it or get an editor to do it for him. Sloppy mistakes throughout.
Wy | Mar 24, 2008 8:24:57 AM | #Sam does need to grow up plenty more. He needs to just cooperatee with the Devil. Even though he is the Devil, he always seems to treat Sam with respect, and tries to be helpful. Sam is disrespectful and mean, nasty, and not very nice, when he is interacting with the Devil. In fact, his character is not very likable at all when he is dealing with the Devil. He seems more like the Devil, and the Devil seems like the nice guy here.
I can't stand Sock. With friends like him constantly meddling in your life, why would you keep him around? Sam should always be dealing with this issue without Sock and Ben.
Actually, Sam would have been much better to have shared his secret with Andy instead of Ben and Sock.
Andy is the best part of this show. She is kind, wise, and honest, and has a moral compass. Why wouldn't Sam share his problem with her, of all people, instead of two of the biggest babies and underachievers in the world?
How do they just leave work almost every day that they work? Especially with a boss that seems to pay great attention to detail???
hsdppres | Mar 25, 2008 7:14:04 AM | #I liked the episode. I have faith that the writers are going to use the dudes from the State for good and not evil.
I'm hoping for another season!
Jen | Mar 25, 2008 10:18:25 AM | #Count me as one of the 12 people watching Reaper and will continue to watch until The CW stops airing this show.
I also hope that the writing will improve so it's something more than the escaped demon of the week; we'll get the more confident, mature Sam back; we'll see Gladys again; more screen time with Andy; and lastly, the return of Sam's special demon senses.
RLD | Mar 25, 2008 1:01:54 PM | #ummm.... am I the only one who figured that the whole "how can they get this wicked place for $1200?" question meant that the devil was behind it?
I wasn't surprised to find out that the guys next door were in league with the devil as something seemed to be "up" with them from the start and the revelation of their horns seems to confirm that the devil set the boys up to live in that place and be "taken care of" by the gay demons....
thoughts?
In the ep, Sock did say that they got the place for cheap because it used to be a meth lab.
Jayne | Mar 28, 2008 11:30:06 PM | #
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