(S01E17) All things considered, this has been a pretty good week for Reaper. In light of the very real possibility that next week's season finale could have been a series finale, news that the show has been picked up for next season is cause for celebration. Sure, the thirteen episodes for mid-season part isn't ideal, but hey, gift horses and whatnot. I am already looking forward to a Reaper/Supernatural block on Thursday nights. And hey, there was a new episode too. There was a lot going on, but the big news was that after months of patience, there is finally some news on the contract. That, and the rest of the episode, after the jump.

Gallery: Reaper

Once again this week, the show managed to weave a collection of stories together. Let's start at the bottom and work our way up. Ben and Sara, not that the story wasn't good, but it's hard to compete with the contract. I like the way this has all played out. Giving a much bigger story to Ben makes a huge difference. It's been pretty obvious from the get go that the marriage wasn't going to end well, and tonight it all came crashing down.

The lead up was fantastic, with Tyler Labine stealing the scene as they prepared for their interview. "Benjamin, rip off that shirt. We gotta get you lubed up." The combination of fear and bewilderment emanating from Ben through the entire process was perfect, even forgetting his own mother's name. But the crucial scene was that of the proposed bribe. I was hoping and hoping that Ben was going to throw her under the bus right there, showing up only to wave goodbye as the immigration agents carted her off. Nice guy Ben just doesn't have that in him though. I knew the money was gone, but was guessing it had gone back to Manchester with Sara, not that she was on the lam. Nice that it leaves the door open for her possible return in season two.

Then we had one Mike Volta. Richard Burgi is always good, so nice casting there. Just as a soul of the week, it was pretty solid. The back and forth between Mike and Sam reminded me of the old cartoon "Don't Give Up The Sheep" with Sam the sheepdog and Ralph the wolf. Both of them just going about their jobs. No reason they couldn't be civil during their off time. I also really liked the Polaroid vessel, and the disposable flash bulbs were a great touch. Another interesting bit of Mike's tale though, was the possibility that comes out of what we learn about Mike. Given his penchant for seducing married women, is it so inconceivable that he could be Sam's father? Certainly all signs point to Jerry at this point, but it's certainly not something that is set in stone. Don't they look alike?

But the best part of Mike's story was that it gave Gladys more to do. If you had seen any of the previews for the episode, they blew the big reveal that she was Mike's inside man long ago. That was unfortunate, but not a huge deal as there was plenty more to the story. As it played out, it was almost a little sad when Gladys revealed that she did it because she was tired of being lonely. Awwww. It makes you feel for her. Not unlike the reaction we saw from Sock. I like that he has formed such an attachment to Gladys. Blaming himself for her death, and how he fretted over her burial.

Her resurrection came as a relief. And given the nature of it, I'm going to start operating under the notion that Claire from Heroes is a demon, because the idea just makes the show so much more entertaining. It's also worth mentioning the showdown at the DMV between Jerry and Gladys. Just the looks from the two of them were fantastic. I know that the CW doesn't get Emmy nominations, because of entirely too many sticks stuck in entirely too many asses. And neither do supernatural/comedy shows, but good grief, is anybody better at their job on TV than Ray Wise? I am awfully thankful that Sam, and his special connection, were able to get Gladys her old gig back. She's just too much a part of the show to be gone so soon.

And finally, the contract. It's been a long wait, but I was thrilled when Andi butted in and got Tony on board with taking a look at the contract. And even happier to see Conrad Coates (The Dresden Files) as Kenneth, the go to demon for contract law. Not only did we learn what we had expected, that the page Sam's father ripped out had to do with who Sam's real father was, but he removed multiple pages that referenced it. Just that one little reveal sets up a whole pile of conflicts for the big finale.

Now that Tony believes Sam is one of Jerry's kids, does he tell him what they found? Will the other demons share Tony's protective nature where Sam is concerned? Assuming that they do tell him, how's that scene play out with the parents? And does Sam jump to the same conclusions as Tony, Kenneth, and the rest of us? It could make for some great scenes with Sam and Jerry. So many ways to go, but we'll have to wait until next week to see how it all plays out.

One quick edit to settle the debate on which camera Sam was using for the vessel. On the left, an admittedly grainy screencap from the episode. And on the right, the Polaroid OneStep. Two points for bc and tracey.