(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.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-03-2007 @ 9:01AM
cyber_grrrlll said...
Well it looks like Tuesday nights are finally somethng to look forward to again, which I haven't done since Buffy left us. Welcome to Reaperday!
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10-03-2007 @ 9:47AM
humdinger said...
I doubt getting rid of the writers would ruin the comedy since this episode was written by the show's creators.. just like the pilot was. I don't think they'll be leaving their own show unless the CW execs thought that fart jokes were funnier then smart ones.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:09AM
Sam said...
I want to see more of Dolores Herbig (brown eyes).
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10-03-2007 @ 10:40AM
Tele-Toby said...
"why does Sam keep working his mundane job at The Work Bench?"
Here's a good reason - How much does the Devil pay him to collect the souls? Sam still needs money to survive on Earth and he's not going to get any scratch from Old Scratch. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
I just hope this second episode was not a sign of things to come with repetition. Even Ben getting injured was an echo of the pilot episode. Otherwise, it'll just turn out to be 'Threshold' with laughs.
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10-03-2007 @ 3:29PM
bella said...
Don't get me wrong, this is probably my favorite new show of the season but I am having a tiny problem with the fact that Sam's doing the same emotional thing for the past two episodes. He's all upset about doing it, he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't want to pull his friends into it. Then he pulls his friends into it, does his job and realizes he's pretty good at it.
Then the next show starts and he's right back at square one with the "I'm not the right man for this job, I don't want it thing." He's had the same conversation with the devil and his friends over something, they made it appear anyway, that he'd all ready resolved in the Pilot. If he doesn't want to do the job, keep that consistant. Make him always not want to do it, don't make him realize that he's really good at it and he's happy he's found something he can do right and then go back to crying about it.
Other than that loved it.
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10-03-2007 @ 11:12AM
Megan said...
This episode seemed like a half-hour show because it was PACKED with commercials. I wouldn't normally watch TV live, but my tivo was tied up with House. Oh my GOD there were a ton of commercials. Anyone else notice this?
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10-03-2007 @ 12:09PM
lisa said...
I absolutely love this show. My favorite new show this season.
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10-03-2007 @ 12:09PM
whawha said...
Did anyone else notice a continuity error (I think)? In the first ep, Sam's dad sits Sam down and says that "Your mother and I sold your soul..." during the episode, his mom's all sheepish about doing it and even caps the show sitting remorsefully, lamenting about the decision.
But in this episode, Sam's father goes to lengths to keep the "selling stuff" from his wife. And she wants to know what's in he box and all. Did they have more reshoots than just the stuff with Missy?
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10-03-2007 @ 1:03PM
MrC said...
I think what Sam & Dad were trying to do was keep the "I'm working for the Devil" stuff away from mom, not the my soul was sold.
Remember in the pilot where his mom was basically having a breakdown on the front porch and telling Sam she would go in his stead and he reassured her he'd completed his task and had no further obligation to Ray Wise.
Anyways I liked the episode a lot even though it had a lot of similar elements to the pilot, which is not uncommon for a first production episode.
My opinion of Missy P(whatever) as Andi has improved greatly watching her actually interact with characters instead of being chroma--keyed into existing scenes like last week.
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10-03-2007 @ 1:26PM
jpn said...
I agree that I can not get enough of Dolores Herbig...as in her big brown eyes....no more apartment cleaning webcam site!!
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10-03-2007 @ 1:36PM
trocoloca said...
My question is: why doesn't the devil himself just do the job? He spends enough time with Sam - he could just do the work and it'd be over.
Yeah, I know - it's TV. But, that is so bothering me and causing me to give up the show.
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10-03-2007 @ 6:17PM
SILKYofPD said...
I LOVE THIS SHOW.!!! It's edgy, campy and just plain fun...It's about time.!! I only watch shows that can make me escape everyday life. I don't want to know "why" anything. I just want to be entertained. It's pretty early in the season, but I believe this will be my new addiction. I'm going to be waiting anxiously for "Reaper the Movie", which I know is coming. I can't get enough of this cast. The chemistry is awesome...flawless..!!!
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10-03-2007 @ 9:21PM
Matt said...
This will be a good year for new shows, I think. While there's some crap out there, I really hope Reaper is among the cream that rises to the top. Sock is just plain awesome. As much as I enjoy Nikki Reed, I LOVE Missy Peregrym, and was glad to see her cast instead. And, I was one of the four people who watched The Loop, so seeing Bret Harrison back on TV so soon is a nice touch.
Hopefully the writing will stay strong as the weeks go on. If so, I think they'll have a hit on their hands.
Kind of a side note...but did anyone notice that Ben was once again injured in the line of duty? I wonder if Ben being injured while they're fighting the escaped soul will become a regular gag.
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10-03-2007 @ 9:40PM
Scott said...
Does anyone know of ANYWHERE legal where this show is available online? It's not being rerun on CW or on SciFi, or any other cable network. It's not on iTunes. It's not available in streaming form from CW's web site. It's not on Yahoo's TV site. Are they THAT determined to keep people from seeing it??? The show's fanbase is scifi/geeky types. How could the show not be available to catch online ANYWHERE? Very frustrating. I even want to PAY for it and I can't find it anywhere legal.
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10-04-2007 @ 6:38PM
Jennifer said...
http://tv-links.co.uk/listings/1/9031 has Reaper, though so far only the pilot is up.
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10-04-2007 @ 11:58PM
Joe said...
I think Ben getting hurt all the time will be a recurring joke. I thought it was hilarious when he got hurt this episode and when Sock started laughing, I assumed it was because Ben had been hurt again. I forsee a strong future of Ben getting in alot of pain.
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10-06-2007 @ 2:53AM
uagent said...
Yeah, I guess the show does seem a little formulaic, but I think it's more the lines that get me hooked (last week's "Dude, I was an asshat." pretty much sealed the deal for me). Also, it's fun to see the President from C&C: Red Alert 2 as the Prince of Lies, who then proceeds to tell Sam lying never solves anything.
By the way, of COURSE the Devil has old-school style and charm...he's "a man of wealth and taste", remember?
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10-06-2007 @ 5:17PM
Oreo said...
What bothered me is they spent the first half of the show going "I can't do this" to the devil. Wasn't that solved at the end of last week's episode.
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10-08-2007 @ 6:31PM
Jeffrey Lipsey said...
I wasn't a big fan of the second episode as much as I was of the pilot.
"I was disappointed that the writers didn’t develop Sam and his sidekicks more as characters. In the two episodes so far, Socks has been established as a Jack Black-like character while Ben gets hurt all the time. They have to develop Sam’s abilities more while integrating his sidekicks less if they want to create a successful series."
http://lamererun.com/2007/10/03/reaper-charged/
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