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'Reaper': Going in circles
You know, I think it's from watching too much Lost, but I sorta kinda expected the whole "overthrow the devil" plot to last more than one episode. Oh sure, the major architect of the plot still lives, but the immediate threat to the Devil has already subsided. Tony's new target? Sam, and his sexy new 'do. As if this Reaper didn't have enough problems on his hand as is.
I know the entire show revolves around Sam's conflicted relationship with the Devil, but at some point, he should really employ the "Opposite George" technique used by Mr. Costanza in the famous episode of Seinfeld. Whenever he gets the urge to do something when the Devil is involved, he should simply pull a 180 and go the other way. By doing so, he could have seen what I'm sure the majority of you did: that the entire episode was one long and elaborate trap.
While the in-episode mechanics were predictable, I will say that I absolutely LOVED the fact that the show directly addressed how these three schlubs could have landed that sweet, sweet apartment. I don't care whether this was pre-ordained in the overall story of the show or deftly refitted; it speaks to the attention to detail I crave in long-form episodic storytelling. All too often we see television characters living off little more than welfare living in the equivalent of McMansions: it was excellent to see a logical explanation for this iteration of that stereotypical situation.
It's also nice to see the "Demon of the Week" plot taking a back seat to more important narrative concerns. While the original versions of this tried and true staple amused and provided character insight, they lately have gotten in the way of more important concerns. Andi's relationship with Sam, the shady nature of Sam's contract with the Devil, and Tony's war with...well, everyone, take precedent at this point. And this is how it should be. In many ways, the show only introduced Cubby Bryce as a villain in order to maximize the impact of the last-minute twist.
As far as Andi's relationship with Sam goes, let's just say this boy knows how to wrestle defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm not sure I've ever seen a leading man stick his foot in his mouth this often and with such vigor in my life. This isn't exactly academic television criticism here, but Andi was super smokin' hot in her smoochtastic scenes near the end. Shut up and smooch, dude. Or if you feel that bad about lying to her about paying a janitor to pretend to be her doctor, tell her before unleashing your newly moussed hair upon her unsuspecting eyes. It's too darn silky to resist, Sam. Not fair. Not fair at all.
At this point, it's almost more unbelievable that she wants to be with Sam than Josie got back with Sock. I know Sock looks hot in her robes and all, but c'mon. I know I should be rooting for this trend, as one married to someone way too hot for him, but it's straining credibility in the way that Tony's morphing into Tim Curry from Legend clearly stretched the show's F/X budget for the week. In a week brimming with apocalyptic imagery, huge portent, and the mass extermination of a rebel demon clan, there was simply too much time spent on the semi-unbelievable romantic relationships of the show.
I'm fine with exploring these relationships, mind you. I just felt this week wasn't the time to explore them. Maybe the showrunners felt they only had a finite number of episodes before the plug was pulled and so stuffed the final episodes to the brim. Should the show get renewed (and here's hoping it does), let's hope the producers strike a better balance between episodes centered around mythology and those smaller, character-based episodes that take the mythology from simply "cool" to "deeply satisfying."
What did you think of the failed insurrection: too soon, or appropriately short? Is Andi's trust in Sam justified or naive? And will Tony supercede the Devil as the Big Bad, or is the Devil as Big a Bad as one can have?
Ryan also posts every 108 minutes over at Boob Tube Dude.
And yet again with the "cancellation clock" mention. Does it ever end?
Enjoyed the episode and really enjoyed that the mythos was explored. While it would have been nice the rebellion to have lasted longer than an episode, I'm okay with it ending tonight.
David M. | Apr 22, 2008 8:22:29 PM | #It was a fantastic episode with a great ending. This show just keeps getting better. I really enjoy the dynamic between the devil and Sam, and how Sam is really just a pawn in everything. It's really quite interesting.
I really want Ray Wise to get more screen time.
MooTrain | Apr 22, 2008 9:16:59 PM | #Great episode, but the talk of the devil loving God was done much better in an old FOX show where the devil was played by the guy who plays Lionel Luther in Smallville, and when asked if he (the devil) loved this girl demon, he (the devil) said, " I don't love her. There was only one time in my life when I loved and THAT was a long time ago."
Jason | Apr 22, 2008 10:38:03 PM | #that show my friend was BRIMSTONE
pretty good show in retrospect, but it wasn't so great when it was actually on and airing new eps on fox friday nights before Millennium. IT suffered a lot of the same probs that Reaper is now actually, namely that every ep was more or less similarly plotted, with slight variations on what had been done before, and questions as to whether or not it was gonna go anywhere.
Only in Brimstone's case it was a lot more brooding, a lot more violent, and not nearly as humorous.
Also had a good veteran actor making for an interesting devil (in that case John Glover) still i have good memories of watching it, and looking foward to new eps till fox canned it. it did manage to make it almost a whole season though!
matt | Apr 23, 2008 1:28:55 AM | #
come to think of it
it was the same plot too
devil recruits a bounty hunter to hunt down escaped souls and maybe the devil would reconsider letting the man out of a contract or off the hook of being damned
| Apr 23, 2008 1:30:37 AM | #I liked that there was a little more than the usual demon hunting. That gets old quick.
A couple of things...
If I were a bounty hunter for the devil, I would take some time to do some research... Sam's whole "weren't you thrown out of heaven?" questioning implies he knows very little about the devil's backstory. If he were my frenemy, i would want a little more info.
excellent episode. One of my favorites of the season. I noticed the show has turned from single episode plots to a full out serial drama (or in this case dramedy), which I am excited about. Serial dramas are my favorite type of TV genre.
CW | Apr 23, 2008 7:32:38 AM | #I agree that this show keeps getting better every week. I was getting tired of watching The Demon of the Week storylines. I was glad to see more backstory and mythology about the Devil. I was surprised that the rebellion storyline was over so quickly, but it should be interesting when Tony comes back for revenge.
I remember weeks ago that a lot of viewers were complaining that Sam, Sock and Ben would never be able to afford that huge apartment on their measly salaries. Sock mentioned that it used to be a meth lab, so that's why the landlord gave it to them so cheap. It was such a good twist when they revealed that it was the Devil who signed the lease as a way to control Sam! Great job, writers! :-)
Paige | Apr 23, 2008 9:47:14 AM | #Love the title of this recap Ryan.
I finally had a chance to watch my favorite popcorn TV show late tonight (damn the timing of the NBA playoffs).
Aside from 1) the lack of mentioning what became of Cady, and 2) Sam's new haircut (I prefer his previous ‘do), things picked up fairly seamlessly from the last pre-strike episode.
I thought it was smart to quickly get in and get out of the rebellion storyline... although I'll miss the Steve-Tony as neighbors dynamic. Dragging out a complex "here's how we're going to kill the Devil" plot could have resulted in a prolonged, convoluted mess given all of the other characters and story’s the show has to juggle. Obviously, you can’t kill the Devil and one episode featuring the circle of insurgent Demons Anonymous was enough for me.
The Devil is always going to be one step ahead of Sam and his bunch. After all, the Devil has been at it just a wee bit longer than Sam has been one of his bounty hunters. Perhaps if the show is renewed (c’mon CW!), Sam will eventually learn from these mistakes and eventually figure out he still has control of his soul (only he can sell his own soul) and begin to search for the opt-out clause. That will make for some interesting storylines.
I thought it was one of the most poignant scenes on an otherwise comedic show when Ray Wise talked about God. It really made you buy into how Sam could actually feel bad about double crossing him. I actually thought he would warn the devil somehow first. What would be really interesting is if Sam gets a heavenly ally down the line. I thought this was one of the best shows and speaking of new hairdos, Andi's looked absolutely stunning. She is one of the hottest chicks on TV period.
Steve | Apr 24, 2008 10:04:47 AM | #I think Reaper is a great show in many ways and has a lot of directions in which it could go. I'm along for the ride wherever it takes me - I like all the characters and their interactions - I hope it gets renewed for another season!
DaisyRose | Apr 24, 2008 1:55:30 PM | #
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