'Reaper' puts on its training wheels

After a few weeks in which "Reaper" sought to balance the onscreen time devoted to Sam, Sock, and Ben, this week's episode put the focus more directly on our nominal hero. All three got screen time, all performing various forms of "training," but Sam clearly stood front and center this week along with a certain someone all too happy to share the spotlight, so long as it means he didn't actually have to do any work.

That someone? A fourth musketeer to the usual soul-snatching proceedings: The Devil's son, Morgan. Think Captain Awesome from "Chuck" crossed with an evil mannequin and you get the general Morgan gist. The Devil recruits Sam to help one of his many ne'er-do-well sons learn some valuable life lessons. Things like hard work, determination, and not getting thrown in jail on a nightly basis.

Morgan's a charmer, but his fashionable attire and oh-so-white smile belies the soul of a monster, one who calmly and almost cheerful tells Sam how he'd stomp on his corpse if it meant getting to the top. Naturally, Morgan's attitude puts Sam and Company directly in the cross hairs of this week's soul, Edmund Fitzgerald. If the name sounds familiar, it's because you might have had the misfortune of hearing Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" at some point in your life. If you heard it, and didn't kill yourself right after, mazel tov. That's one of the most depressing songs in the history of ever. If Elmo from "Sesame Street" heard that song, he would never respond to tickling ever again. Happiness would be too far from his furry self.

Anywho, Edmund went down in his own wreck in the Pacific, and is back for all his worldly possessions. A hoarder, he. And he's packing gold coins that turn into cheesy, CG scarabs. Like ya do. That being said, Edmund himself was fairly creepy, what with his poor man's version of The Gentlemen from the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episode "Hush" vibe pervading the weekly proceedings. And while his lack of gag reflex made me gag, his death at Sam's hands was actually one of the coolest to date. Dare I say that Sam's...getting good at this?

The Devil certainly thinks so, and by episode's end, he's uncertain which hellish offspring to support in his rise to the right hand of himself. Sam's now stuck in the awkward position of being such a good soul catcher that he's actually more entrenched in the Devil's grip than ever before. While the Devil favors Morgan on a personal level, he's more impressed professionally-speaking by Sam. With Morgan off to enjoy some unearned vacation in the Caymans, look for Sam to continue pulling ahead on the inside track towards Hell's #2 position.

Course, in some ways, all of this was mere preface to the cliffhanger of the week: Sam confronts his zombie dad! Not too much of a cliffhanger, as I was too bothered by the fact that Sam's Mother has apparently been living in the same house all this time and not once has Sam even tried to see her. Had he refused Andi's request to deliver a freezer there (a request she really didn't need to pass on to Sam, of all people), THEN watched from afar as the delivery was made, I could have rolled with this discrepancy. But the whole ending felt horribly forced. Too bad, since this is the plot "Reaper" fans have been waiting for since the end of Season 1.

In Sock Land, he found an excellent way to earn more pay through less work. No, he didn't get a federal bailout; he subcontracted Ted to work his shifts. Poor Ted, initially wandering the parking lot of the Work Bench like...um, a kid that's lost his mother in a store not unlike the Work Bench. Because Sock is as subtle as a bull in a china shop, Andi catches wise to his plan almost instantly, and as punishment, officially hires Ted back under Sock's official tutelage. So, Ted's back. Yay?

Over in Benville, looks like the boy's having a little trouble pleasing his demonic lady friend. At first he thinks it's because of the interspecial aspect of their biological interactions, but Gladys casually and entirely too graphically explains that it's more than possible for a human to please a (literally) horny lady. Confusion yields awkwardness yields ultimate truth: before her official fall from Grace, Nina fell in love with a mortal man, who was killed by God's wrath upon learning of their relationship. So, she's a little gun shy with the homo sapiens. You know how it is.

Other tidbits from tonight's ep:

1. Kristen returned, in a much more clothed and much less annoying form. I guess this is an improvement, but her presence on the show in general had better eventually tie into the demon world or it's just a waste.
2. I'm glad the show didn't give Andi a crush on Morgan. Been there, done that with Andi under the romantic spell of a demon.
3. Ben's prep for getting it on with fully demonic Nina was absolutely priceless. I had to pause the DVR due to excessive laughter.
4. Speaking of laughter, best quotes from this week: Sock: "Papa needs a new jet pack." Ben: "Well, some people probably like that car. I...also do." Gladys: "I like to make learning fun, so bring along plenty of plastic garbage bags!" Ben: "I used to have 'it.' Like, four or five years ago."

But mostly, the episode set up Sam's crossroads: ever closer to the one demonic father figure, suddenly confronted by the moldy form of another father figure. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, for sure. Let's hope the mysteries surrounding Sam's father lives up to the expectations we "Reaper" fans have had all these long months.

What did you think: solid ep, or mere placeholder for the eventual arc with Sam's parents? Would you want Morgan back as a potential rival for Sam, or should he stay in the Caymans? Does Nina's backstory make her more sympathetic or was it just overkill? Leave your thoughts below!


Ryan is trainee-less over at Boob Tube Dude.