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'Reaper': Crazy little thing called love
Tonight's episode of Reaper, "Greg, Schmeg," answers that age old question: what would happen if you gave the Sandra Bullock movie Love Potion #9 a supernatural twist? OK, so maybe that query isn't up there with "Is there a God?" or even "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?", but it was answered nevertheless in an episode that put aside recent mythology and focused on perhaps the Devil's greatest adversary: not a cadre of mutinous demons, but love.
Both the main plot (Sam's attempts to fend off Andi's ex Greg) and the subplot (Ben trying to avoid being arrested and/or killed thanks to his sham marriage) demonstrated the various and sundry things people will do in the name of love. Some people right anthemic rock songs in the name of love; Greg sells his soul to the Devil. I didn't really mind that this wasn't exactly a shocking revelation; Sam himself figures it out in about six seconds. The answer behind the mystery wasn't important.
What was important in this plot wasn't so much Greg himself, but Sam's further temptation by the Devil. By the end of the episode, we realize that the line between what Greg's willing to do for Andi isn't terribly removed from what Sam's continually willing to do for her. The Devil's goal, thus, is to bring Sam down to Greg's level, corrupting Sam irrevocably.
After all, that's the Devil's overarching motivation in Reaper: to prove that he can turn Sam into an immoral, depraved entity. He attempts this not because Sam is some pinnacle of morality; he's an Everyman, with as much capacity for good as evil. The Devil is interested in tipping the balance, not toppling the pious. The more Sam resists, the more the Devil gets interested in bringing Sam down to his level.
And what better way to do that then through love, that emotion that functions as a fluid, swinging door between the sides of light and dark? The Devil certainly knows that the road to his particular neck of the woods is paved with best intentions, and as such allowed Sam to reveal his secret for the sole purpose of using Sam's love for her against him there on in.
I'm actually fine with "The Continual Temptation of Sam" as an ongoing plot, in that it inserts Andi directly into the main action of the show. As I've mentioned before, for too long she sat on the sidelines, unaware of Sam's status as the Devil's errand boy of violence. It would be a shame to let her in on his secret and still sideline her. So as long as the show can vary up the threats posed to her, I'm happy to have the Devil keep on leveraging Sam's emotional investment in Andi.
On a slightly less dramatic but equally insane note, Ben successfully overcame his fear of his fake wife Sarah and brought his relationship with Cassidy public. Cassidy comes from the Judd Apatow World of Women, in which women are not only drop dead gorgeous but willing to not only put up with but indulge crazy, not-all-that-good-looking, slacker men. Now, that might seem like a knock against Judd Apatow, but I approve of his world, since it's the kind of world in which I want to live. The women in my world don't think consider moving from a hospital cafeteria to the patio section of the Work Bench as an upgrade.
Best Reaper quotes of the week? Glad you asked!
- "Trust, honesty, integrity...I don't like those words, not one little bit."
- "You hold my life and little Esteban's life in your hands, Ben."
- "Now, by cat, do you mean cat, or some type of dragon?"
- "All of the excitement of being the other woman...none of the guilt!"
- "I sent money to seven Nigerian princesses, and I never met any of them!"
- "You have a trophy!" "Yea, for attendance!"
- "If you ever feel like turning that triangle into a square..."
All in all, a solid episode, maybe a notch below the recent run of episodes, but a slight respite from the manic pace of the "overthrow the Devil" plot line really isn't anything to truly complain about. The final scene indicated that, for the first time in a while, Sam truly surprised the Devil, and I'm intrigued to see what the Devil has in store for Sam and Andi in the near future.
Why do you think the Devil wants to corrupt Sam's soul? Should Andi stay in the thick of things? And what's the craziest thing you've ever done in the name of love?
Ryan turns his id into a homicidal maniac over at Boob Tube Dude.
Loved this episode! Hilarious, and with a chainsaw-wielding maniac. Everything I could ever ask for.
pending | May 6, 2008 9:32:11 PM | #I was kind of negative about the episode upon first watching it, but I've since (yes, in the 3 hours since it's aired) come to accept it as a good episode. Unlike pending, it wasn't EVERYTHING I could ask for, but it WAS sort of fun. And that's more than I can say for a lot of other stuff airing nowadays.
David M. | May 6, 2008 9:52:02 PM | #Ryan,
Great review as usual. Sixth paragraph down, last sentence... "...I'm happy to have the Devil keep on leveraging Sam's emotional investment in Sam." Umm... don't you mean Sam's emotional investment in Andi?
I totally dug last night's episode. One thing you didn't touch on that I liked was how Andi was all IN to Sam being a reaper. It made her HOT... and that was hot. Totally agree with you too about the world of Judd Apatow women. That is a world which we must all aspire to. :-)
Soul Reaper | May 7, 2008 8:44:14 AM | #Thx, Soul. Fixed now.
Ryan | May 7, 2008 9:27:35 AM | #...an Everyman... Sheesh, what is this, the Canterbury Tales?
I did like the little tricks Jerry was using, turning the telescope to a rifle for example, to get Sam to, well, pull the trigger. And having a homicidal maniac (monster) with a chainsaw lumber after you was pretty sweet. (Go American!)
pakopako | May 7, 2008 9:52:23 AM | #The reason the Devil wants to corrupt Sam is.....He doesn't really own Sams soul.
One person can't give away what they don't own. So the Devil has to try and get Sam to give up his soul. Sam could walk away at anytime.
This is a great show! Has the CW renewed it for next season? Anybody? They'd be crazy not to. If they don't, I hope some other network picks the show up.
miller | May 7, 2008 9:55:26 AM | #Sadly the show hasn't been renewed yet. I guess we find out next week at the upfronts.
Scott: I'm not sure Sam can walk away. Didn't he try to in the earlier episodes and the Devil showed him it would be very bad for him if he did.
Darius | May 7, 2008 10:59:59 AM | #I really liked this episode, but not as much as last week's when Andi finally found out about Sam's "other job". The writers have been doing an excellent job with continuity, since I wasn't expecting to see Greg back or that 'Get out of Hell' card again. When the Devil initially gave Sam that card, I figured that Sam would use it to save Andi from Hell, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him use it for Greg instead.
I guess that's why I like Reaper so much-- there is always some twist that I hadn't anticipated (since I can usually predict TV storylines from a mile away). If The CW does not renew this show, I think that it should move to ABC Family, since I noticed that ABC Studios actually produces this. I think Reaper could fit into ABC Family's lineup, especially if they pair it up with their sci-fi hit Kyle XY. Unfortunately, I think The CW is more interested in pushing their new Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off into the fall schedule. :-(
Paige | May 7, 2008 11:20:05 AM | #Yeah, Ryan, I love your recap, but you might want to proofread them, I spotted a couple of problems above. I knew what you meant though, and content is more important than such details, so I'm not bashin' you or nothin'.
I liked this episode of Reaper, I have no criticism. Once again, the Devil gets all the good lines, and his blend of sinister and ridiculous is spot-on. I loved it when he said "what a dick" during one of his rants.
Siansonea | May 7, 2008 12:03:19 PM | #Aside from just a tad too much running and yelling whenever the chainsaw maniac went after our favorite foursome, the episode had some great lines and was a nice deviation from the usual “escaped soul of the week” storyline.
The funny thing about Andi is, in some ways, she could eventually be a more capable reaper than Sam. She’s a fairly strong, physical woman with fast reflexes who can get pretty damn feisty when needed.
Last week's episode (aside from her running away in key moments) proved that she can hold her own in sticky situations. Despite being tied up, she almost yanked Sam into the truck through the car seat access opening, and in the hospital, threw a sweet punch decking the escaped soul before using the scythe to capture it.
In addition, in last night’s ep she displayed quite a bit of excitement and enthusiasm over Sam's reaper duties.
I would argue that, given some preparation and experience, Andi could be more of an asset to Sam when capturing souls than either Sock or Ben.
This could add some spice and variety to the soul of the week plot. Instead of Sam, Sock and Ben always going after the soul, the show could mix it up and occasionally have Sam, Andi and Sock (or just Sam and Andi) hunting down the soul.
DL | May 7, 2008 12:09:44 PM | #Everyone...
Finally saw the final national prime-time network Nielson ratings for last week (4/28-5/4). All numbers are millions of (all) viewers for the CW network shows and their corresponding time slot competition:
Reaper = 2.6 (2 weeks ago = 2.3) [Tuesday]
Up against 2hr American Idol (25.1), Dancing w/Stars Result (17.1), Hells Kitchen (11.9) and Shark (10.2)
Gossip Girl = 2.5 (2.5) [Monday]
2hr Dancing w/Stars (18.2), 2hr Deal/No Deal (10.0), Bones (9.8) and Big Bang Theory/HIMYM (8.1/8.8)
One Tree Hill = 2.6 (2.9) [Monday]
Dancing w/Stars (18.2), House (14.9), 2.5 Men/Rule of Engagement (12.9) and Deal/No Deal (10.0)
Beauty and Geek = 1.7 (1.5) [Tuesday]
2hr American Idol (25.1), NCIS (14.8), Most Outrageous (4.1) and According to Jim (3.9)
Next Top Model = 4.2 (4.4) [Wednesday]
2hr Deal/No Deal (7.9), Price is Right (7.2), Wife Swap (5.9), and ‘Til Death/Back to You (5.6/7.1)
Farmer Wants a Wife = 2.4 (debut) [Wednesday]
American Idol (22.8), 2hr Deal/No Deal (7.9), Criminal Minds (13.0) and Supernanny (5.5)
Smallville = 3.8 (3.6) [Thursday]
Survivor (12.3), Smarter Than a 5th Grader = (8.4), Ugly Betty (7.9) and My Name is Earl/Scrubs (6.7/5.8)
Supernatural = 2.6 (2.2) [Thursday]
CSI (18.0), Grey’s Anatomy (15.3), The Office/30 Rock (7.8/5.4) and Don’t Forget the Lyrics (7.3)
Other CW shows (new episodes only):
2hr Smackdown = 3.8 (4.3) [Friday]
Everybody Hates Chris = 1.2 (1.3) [Sunday]
Aliens in America = 1.0 (1.1) [Sunday]
The Game = 1.5 (1.6) [Sunday]
Just my perception, but it seems that CW throws most of its promotional muscle (including print and radio advertising) behind Gossip Girl, America’s Next Top Model and the debut of its new reality show Farmer Wants a Wife.
Last week, Reaper still had 2.6 million viewers (up from 2.3 two weeks ago) despite fairly little promotion, more than Gossip Girl, Farmer Wants a Wife and matching Supernatural’s numbers.
It deserves a second season renewal.
write anthemic rock songs not right anthemic rock songs
I thought last night's episode was good, but not great. I do like the scenes withthe Devil in them, or Andi, but I have a hard time stomaching Sock for any lenght of time. I would not want him as my friend.
Somebody already mentioned it, but the guys acted like little babies when it came to the Chain Saw guy. Even when they knocked him off of the roof of their car, they should have gone back to confront and defeat him then.
Always good to see Gladys, especially with an expanded role.
The subplot of Ben's false marriage is a bit much to take, but I loved his line where he said that next time he entered into such a marriage, he would triple his fee.
I'm still interested in the neighboring demons' claim that Sam is special because the Devil usually never talks to Reapers like he does Sam.
HSDPpres | May 8, 2008 6:59:47 AM | #Nobody's mentioned it, but I loved the "Devil's Most Wanted" book Gladys has at the DMV. And, I loved even more that Abe Lincoln was in it.
Cute throwaway moment.
more Reaper quotes from this episode:
"You’d be dead if you were in that treehugger. Go America" (Sock on the hybrid car)
Sock: "No way, Hell’s Most Wanted?"
Gladys: "We have a few outstanding cases."
"Sadly, all sales are final." (The Devil, on soul-purchases)
"Bullying me will never work. I do, however, respond to bribes." (Gladys)
"Then we’ll run away together. You like Buffalo? The winters are murder." (Sam)
"You gonna offer us anything to drink? No? Fine." [whips out juicebox from nowhere] (Sock)
Sara: "My, my, my. When did we acquire testes?"
Ben: "Yesterday."
I stumbled upon this video that the cast and crew of "Reaper" made lip syncing to Public Enemy. It's very funny, but unfortunately no Bret (aka Sam):
http://tinyurl.com/666fpm
Carrie | May 8, 2008 2:16:08 PM | #Two more:
“The only person playing by the rules is you” (Satan to Sam)
Andi: So what kind of soul did you use on the bug lady?
Sam: Uh, defective toaster.
Andi: That is so hot
Tinyurl 666 -- nice!
And IDR; the CW has not always been logical. I personally think it's CBS' dumping ground for reality TV failures, but it really could be an established network too.
I agree with IDR, but I heard somewhere that the CW wants to be like an all-girl network, a mini Lifetime and that Gossip Girl will be it's driving force, so I don't know what that does for Reaper, Supernatural, Beauty and the Geek. i hope it's not true, but if it is, I hope they sell the other shows to other networks.
Love Smallville and all, but it's getting ridiculous, it was originally to be a 5year show, now going on its 8th year. And when are they gonna stop with all the super villians. Everyone has been waiting for the Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent meeting since season 1!
Jason | May 10, 2008 6:57:26 PM | #
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