"Cancun. It’s where we took our first vacation. We called it heaven."How ironic that Reaper’s season finale would have as much to do with God as the Devil. The God factor has been like the white elephant in the room all season, quickly mentioned but not legitimizing itself. And now with the demon rebellion against Satan and his supposed spawn, a whole new bag of heavenly worms has been opened up. I really thought this finale was handled well. It wasn’t one big action-packed event after another, as I initially thought would be fitting for a demon rebellion. Instead, we learned more about Sam’s mysterious origins, some about his parents’ secret, and a bit about the relationship of hell to heaven, which was previously skimmed over. For all the information packed into it, I thought this finale progressed really beautifully and very gingerly tackled all its important matters. I know “gingerly” is a strange word to use to describe this show in general, b...
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"Sam is the son of the devil." — TonyHoly hell. We were right.I mean, I suppose there's some chance this is all one big misunderstanding, but then how do you explain "Someone very carefully went through this [contract] and removed every page that references who Sam’s father is"? And "The kid just got the DMV demon released. When was the last time you saw the devil show mercy?" WHAT? Is it really true? Is Sam even actually under contract? Is his mom his real mom? Would the Devil actually ever harm him?Does Sam have to keep reaping? Someone needs to slap me.This episode is undoubtedly the most important of the series so far and all melted into one big dun-dun-DUN in the end. We all had our suspicions about Sam's origins, but to have it spelled out like this is something I didn't expect. And who knew Gladys would play such a pivotal role in Sam's life? The DMV demon just helped to out Sam to Tony and what are probably his new footsoldiers. These kinds of things don't seem to ...
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Sorry for the delay, everyone!Sometimes your first impressions of people are actually the right ones. The first time I saw Andi’s "boyfriend" Greg? Toolbox. The first time I saw Gladys? Evil. The first time I saw the Devil? Handsome. Erm, bad, bad man. The reality of first impressions on this show is that they're invalid — you never really know what you’re going to get. The Devil spins his webs in devious little ways and doesn’t ever seem to lose. It seems that as soon as Sam ever gets an inkling that the good guys might have a chance, he has to be cruelly reminded that the Devil’s the one calling the shots and, oh, yeah, he’s the man. Knowing that, I got to wondering. Should we even have hope left for Sam’s eternal soul? Or for that matter, for anyone he loves?Andi is someone Sam loves, and as we found out tonight, she still loves him too. Unfortunately, her ex-boyfriend Greg also loves her, and the ensuing battle over Andi’s heart played ou...
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Dear God, Were you watching Reaper tonight? Because this show about the Devil is about 1,000 times more awesome than 7th Heaven ever was. Sorry.<3SandyOkay, seriously. This episode may be my most favorite ever, after the pilot. Last week's episode turned a new corner in storytelling for the show, but this week's cranked it up to 11. It even came close to making me cry. There, I said it. I'm a big baby. WHO'S WITH ME?Did I say this show is awesome? Oh, I guess I did. Well, it is.Since the start we'd all been waiting to see how the storyline with Andi was going to pan out. Some of you had hoped that Andi and Josie would join the team and hunt Demons with the guys, but that seems to have quelled once we all realized that bringing anyone else into the fold would be really dangerous for them. Sam seems to have had no choice tonight in showing Andi how deeply involved he is with the underworld after she witnessed him killing a demon, and put himself on the line to both save his own b...
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Plenty of shows on TV these days know how to balance their funny factor with drama. Scrubs and My Name is Earl particularly do a good job at being comedies that the audience takes seriously. Reaper isn’t quite in that category yet, probably because it deals with the Devil and a demon-catcher instead of folks we can empathize with like a young guy moving up in the ranks at his job or a poor guy trying to do some good in the world. When those shows have a serious message to convey, you quit your laughing and pay attention. Not so much with Reaper. Tonight’s episode did get closer to that than it ever has though, demon rebellion and all. I'm not certain this show even needs to be on that track to Serioustown, but tonight's episode lended this show a new kind of importance, and to me it felt good. Andi was still hanging out in a hospital bed when we revisited her tonight, on the verge of release after the car accident last episode. Whatever you were hoping she would keep in he...
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Tonight's episode of Reaper was immensely thrilling, the pinnacle of everything this show has aspired to be since it started. They fully executed romance, mortal danger, misunderstandings, even love triangles, revenge and demons in one hour. You know, that description disturbingly reminds me of the mornings I obsessively spent watching Days of Our Lives circa 1997 and its bizarre storylines (remember when Marlena was possessed by he Devil? Anyone? OK, don't hate me). But this was tender and surprising and thrilling. I couldn't ask for more.After some consternation, the guys figured out a way to break up with their new BFFs, neighbor-demons Steve (Michael Ian Black) and Tony (Ken Marino), only to find that they'd been hasty in doing so after the two prove they're harmless and misunderstood. Still, you have to know they're hiding something — Steve very obviously took an active interest in Sam's unique buddy-terms with the Devil. What could he want? He did save Sam's life (how awe...
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Oh, how I love a good (mild) cliffhanger. Did anyone else expect the Guys’ new neighbors Steve (Michael Ian Black) and Tony (Ken Marino) to be demons? I mean, I think we've all come to accept that anything on this show that appears to be great at first (dads, vacuums, girlfriends) rarely is. But demons? Adoptive parent demons? Badass, lovey chefs-who-discuss-crown-moulding demons? Oh, Well. Even if they are 28,000% evil, I still want their lobster macaroni and cheese recipe. Yum.I quite enjoyed seeing everyone's storylines flesh out in this episode. And though last week's demon was pretty gnarly, I found Herbert to be one of the scarier escaped souls I've personally seen — you can't see him coming at you! Though in a way, I've come to expect that sort of thing when I walk on New York City streets. At least in my case it's usually just the crazies and not the returned-dead to keep wary of.Sam started the episode out in confident form, backbone intact, hallelujah. Minus his ...
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Q: How happy were you to see the Devil with the blue tie on tonight? (A: Very.) Somehow one can go an entire summer without new episodes of a favorite show, but after said show has aired only 10 episodes and goes the same span with no new word, there's a bit of withdrawal that sets in. It better have all been worth it, writer people. For those of you curious, Reaper's still in limbo. No word yet on a deal that will go beyond the 18 episodes that will comprise this season. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.Well, it was a nice comeback. Not a super magnificent my-face-just-exploded return, but good enough to remind me that I still want more after every episode. We were introduced to Sock's mom (Marilyn Norry), who wore just as much blue eyeshadow as I pictured she would, and her surprise new husband, Morris. Apparently, What Happens in Vegas Stays In Really Hurts Your Kids, because Sock's total deflation over his mom's "betrayal" consumed him for the entire episode. But Tyler Labine (an...
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Episode Recap: "Cash Out"This show makes me wonder what I would do if I were put in the same situations Sam gets shoved into, these tests of honor and morals that give the Devil a clue about what kind of a person he is. Like, would I keep $6 million I found in a closet? I probably wouldn't have bought a gold bling belt, but I probably would purchase a spa day. And a house. And a room full of candy. Sam, you're a better person than I.Okay, down to business. Aren't Sam and Cady great together? I mean now that he's her boyfriend and all. They seem to have nice chemistry, even though she's a weirdo who brings her dead pets to drinky-time. But there's still Andi. Not that I blame her for that forlorn look she had when the guys told her about Sam's new girl who they didn't trust. Andi: "So what's wrong with her?"Ben: "She's a huge fan of Lionel Richie."Not that that really helps when you like a guy who you maybe plan on asking out some time in the next century. Maybe.I was glad that the c...
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Episode Recap: "Ashes to Ashes"Ben: "Does he still have a chance with you?"Andi: "Maybe."This may actually be indicative of how people confusingly act in real life, but if that's the case then I'm not used to these real "human emotions" in my TV. "Maybe"? If Andi hadn't lost a fan in me before, she certainly did then. I suppose the bigger point of her indecision was to put it up next to the Devil's purposeful indecision and to say that any way you slice it, you shouldn't treat people that way. Well, maybe it's actually Andi who's the Devil's daughter because, yes, that's mean, girl, even if that wasn't your intention. It was pretty great seeing Melinda Clarke as Mimi, acting outside her evil wench role on The O.C.. So the Devil's girlfriend is a sweetheart and the Devil likes to go by "Jerry" and vacay in Cabo? I love this show.One thing in this episode that kind of freaked me out was when Sam woke up in the coffin. When Sam slips into the Devil's example sequences before he goes g...
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