'Dancing With The Stars' Season 14 Dream Casting
'Happy Endings' Scoop: James Wolk On Being Max's Valentine
Reaper: Charged
(S01E02) "You're just gonna bring escaped souls back to hell. That's cool, right?" -- The Devil
Reaper is one of those rare hour long shows that really feels like 30 minutes. When it draws to a close, I'm thinking "What? It's over already?" The writing on this thing is top-notch, it doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator, and the chemistry between Sam and Sock is perfect. Although the real capper is Ray Wise as the devil. The man has old-school style and charm, and that's something you probably never really expected from the master of hell. Or did you?
Although, one thing has me scratching my noggin after last week's pilot episode: why does Sam keep working his mundane job at The Work Bench? I mean, he's been given pretty cool powers, and gets a "vessel" delivered to him every week that he has to use to catch an escaped soul from hell in. Sounds like a full-time gig to me, so why does he need to keep selling power saws and unloading generators? Oh wait, the hottie he lusts after works there. Okay, I'm sold.
Plus, if he wasn't there, we'd miss out on all the great work-related humor, in addition to the other cast members that work there with Sam and Sock. Especially people like Rick Gonzalez, who plays Ben. Although he's normally a bit over the top as an actor, his understated, deadpan delivery in this show just cracks me up for some reason. Thankfully he's in this episode a bit more, although it's hard to shine comedically in any scene that you're forced to share with Sock. He is what sends this show over the top each time out. Although he holds his own fairly well, especially in scenes like this:
Ben: "Well did the Devil give you instructions, a manual ... anything?"
Sam: "No, the Devil just pretty much sets me up for failure."
Ben: "Yeah, well he is the Devil."
So, this week's vessel turns out to be a remote-control monster truck. A vessel so cool that Sam and Sock spend time at work setting up little miniature tracks for it out of building supplies. Now, if working for the Devil was actually that awesome, you could pretty much put me on shift right away. I know it's gimmicky, and it'll be different every week, but I already can't wait to find out what the next one is going to be. Plus, the scene where the real truck runs over the monster truck just as they're about to use it made me literally laugh out loud. When a show can do that while I'm watching something by myself, I can dig it.
Sam comes into his own a bit more in this one as he stands up to the escaped soul all on his own, much to Sock and Ben's amazement (and later chagrin). The electrically powered Arthur Ferry was a bit easier to take down than the flaming fireman from the pilot episode, and Sam even pulled it off with a half-smashed vessel. So, he's got the ability to be a bit of a badass when he needs to be, and I'm also fairly envious of his gelled up hair. Working for the devil with a decent do? Who wouldn't be jealous?
I just really hope that Reaper manages to avoid falling into the "freak of the week" syndrome that plagues shows like Smallville and Supernatural. Sure, it can be a necessary plot device, but here's praying (get it?! that they can keep things as fresh as this episode managed to be. They straddle the line between camp and straight up horror fairly nicely, a bit like Shaun of the Dead did, and that's all due to the writing. If someone manages to lure the writers away from this show (which I hope will only happen on a cold day in hell) and they sink into fart jokes, then just go ahead and shoot me right then. Please don't drag it out.
Although if they leave Ray Wise in as Beelzebub, I might have to keep tuning in, even if that happens. Who knew that the Devil watches Ellen? Although if you stop to think, it actually makes perfect sense.
| Abso-smurfly! | |
|---|---|
| Jessica Alba! | |
| Dr. Jaeger, Dr. Cuervo, Dr. Captain Morgan, he has two titles. | |
| Good morning Linda Blair. |
19 Comments