Powered by i.TV
May 26, 2012

Why I'm excited Reaper is back tonight - VIDEO

by Debra McDuffee, posted Apr 22nd 2008 2:22PM
Reaper screenshot of Sam and The Devil in a fieldReaper's back and I'm excited. If you are too, don't go looking for your fave show in its old time slot, Thursdays at 8:00 EST. It's got an all-new night and time, Tuesdays (tonight!) at 9:00 EST on The CW.

Now, why am I so excited about Reaper's return?

1. The Devil
He's suave, slick, sarcastic, and nasty -- I love him! Ray Wise couldn't have been a more perfect casting choice for this modern-day incarnation of Satan himself. From popping up at inopportune times to manipulating Sam's love life, The Devil wreaks havoc in such a subtle, funny way that you can't help but appreciate the underlying evil with the debonair facade.

2. The back story
We know Sam's parents sold his soul; what we don't really know is why, and what Sam's father has to hide. I love the promise this holds, especially to give Andrew Airlie as Sam's dad a meatier role.

3. Gladys
Whenever the friends return an escaped soul to the DMV, you can be sure Gladys will have a snarky comment for the threesome. From orchestrating a fantasy dream of Sock's to insulting the trio on the lame vessels they are given, she's the DMV's bright spot.

4. The pranks they pull on Ted
Poor Ted, trying to run the Work Bench with a strict managerial style, seeking out the respect of his employees. And getting only sass, snark, and pranks. Andi leaves a note on Ted's car to apologize for the fake damage; Sam steals the video surveillance cameras; Sock taunts him with the talking snowglobe.

5. The Vessels
Each week, the devil gives Sam a new vessel with which to capture the escaped soul and send it back to hell. There have been a myriad of comical choices, from a Dirt Devil to a remote-controlled monster truck to a hand-knit snow people sweater. It seems that Sam often has some sort of operator error, like being unable to blow a bubble with the wand when the bubble stuff is his vessel, or trying to fix the broken toaster that needs to spark to capture the soul. And how about when Ben takes a liking to the dove (naming him Winston)? Is that funnier than Sock carrying around a snowglobe with an advice-giving soul inside? Priceless.

6. The new demon neighbors
Not only do I love these actors (Michael Ian Black from Ed and Ken Marino from Veronica Mars) but I love the way they are being used. They are not just demons, they are gay demons, who feel they are unfairly prejudiced for being... demons. The gay thing never comes up, which is such a funny social commentary.

But the biggest reason...

7. It's getting Buffy good
I was beginning to get nervous that Reaper would not live up to its potential. It became very formula and seemingly dropped the back story of Sam's father's mysterious burning of several pages of the contract which sold Sam's soul to The Devil. I now have some hope that they may get back to that, and that even more intrigue lies behind that back story.

We left off with the demon neighbor proposing a partnership to Sam to work together to take down The Devil. Now we are getting somewhere. The potential for a deeper storyline, for the danger to become just a little more dangerous and the dark to become just a little darker. If they keep going along these lines, this Buffy fan will be satisfied.

Want a clip from tonight's episode? Look no further....

Add a Comment

*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

13 Comments

Filter by:
Phish

i dont agree with 99% of the stuff you spew debra, but i'll have to agree with your opinion about ray wise. he is perfect in that role, and should get an emmy!

April 22 2008 at 11:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
driftwood

I'm glad you didn't mention the Sam and Andy relationship. I think it's one of the worst romantic combo on television right now.

But I'll always keep coming back for the devil.

April 22 2008 at 9:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
nattyff

Actually i think that the post strike episode are the best ones, they have more story and the best part of all NEW GREAT NEXT DORR BUDDYS!!!

April 22 2008 at 7:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mj green

I loved this show when it first came out. Ray "Jerry," is fantastic. Remember the great Halloween commercial? But, when the show came back after the strike, I found I couldn't watch it anymore. It just wasn't good. Like Buffy? I don't think so. I'm so bummed.

April 22 2008 at 6:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joey Geraci

I really am liking this show more and more, and based on that clip, this episode shouldn't be a disappointment! Sam needs someone to kick him into gear a little bit, and for that person to be Andy, all the better! Hopefully he will tell her about the devil business soon too.

April 22 2008 at 4:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Scott

I like that the show is evolving beyond the monster-of-the-week formula a little. I even like the demon neighbors. But I wish Michael Ian Black would tone down his "gay" affectations. They're stereotypical and over-the-top, borderline insulting. Marino has found a happy medium. There are enough light-in-the-loafers "fairy" images of gay people on TV. We don't need any more. If they want these two characters to be beyond that, Black should dial down the feyness from a 10 to about a 7.

April 22 2008 at 3:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Franklin

Yeah, this show reminds me a little of Buffy (but with male leads) crossed with Ghostbusters.

I find it interesting also that this show was created by two women (analogous with the fact that Buffy was created by a man). Joss Whedon gets all this praise for creating cool female lead characters, but I also think the creators of Reaper should get praise for nailing down the psyche of 20-something males in this day and age.

April 22 2008 at 3:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
lucyfan62

Yep, this was the show's original time slot! I love the show and hope The CW shows it some love too! Bring it back next season!!!

April 22 2008 at 3:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Will

The new neighbors have made the show better. I'm actually excited about this show again.

April 22 2008 at 3:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
zelig2

The best is seeing Michael Ian Black and Ken Marino working together. It's like one long skit from the State.

April 22 2008 at 3:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

Follow Us

From Our Partners