TVSquad

(S02E09) There were those expected Reaper funny moments, but overall, this was a pretty serious episode. We really only juggled two major storylines this week, and neither of them were about collecting escaped souls. We had Sam beginning his instruction in bringing about the end times as our main focus. On the opposite end of the spectrum, and providing the most laughs, surprisingly enough, was the ugly breakup saga of Nina and Ben.

Andi was right about Sam; he's getting darker for the world he's trapped in. His machinations tonight with the Devil's shut-in "girlfriend" Sandy were downright diabolical. Sure, his ultimate goal of taking down the Devil and freeing himself is noble, but is he willing to do too much to get out of it? Not that I really see a more pure approach working. In fact, I've always wondered just how much the Devil knows. I would think he knows everything that Sam does, even when Sam's trying to betray him or undercut him in some way. Hell, he's the Devil. He's probably proud of him when that happens.

It was actually pretty damned scary when Nina was trying to kill Ben. She's an interesting character, because she's this powerful bad-ass demon, but she allowed Sock to push her around virtually all night. She could have eviscerated him without a second thought, but it seems her conscience wouldn't allow her to do it. Is that a residual effect of her love for Ben, or is she just a good person, as it were? We know she's a fallen angel who regrets the decisions that made her a demon, but she still has evil in her.

Certainly her jealous rages tonight showed how capable she was of some pretty horrid behavior. That said, the scene in the car was one of the most awesomely hilarious things the show has done in a long time. Ben and Sock singing along to Cher's "Believe" was so perfect! Do you believe in life after love? Certainly makes you wonder when your jilted demon lover is ripping the windshield off the car.

Ultimately, yes, Ben took her back as we knew he would. He's just too much of a softy to stay tough with her. And he does have destructive taste in women. The true test will be if he can stand up to his grandmother, because strength is certainly not one of his strong points. Still, I don't mind because I actually like this odd coupling.

As for Sam, well the Devil seems to always be one step ahead of him. First, he tempted Alan, and Sam lost out on that angle to learn part two of the "beat the devil at something" technique. Then he actually managed to win Sally's heart denying Sam her information. But in one of the surprises of the night, Sam's zombie dad actually volunteered to go into the pits of hell to try and help Sam from the inside.

Things are really reaching a more complex level on the show, and I am loving every minute of it. It's so hard to find a balance of humor and drama, and with such an odd premise you'd think this show would be a joke, but it just isn't. The acting is superb all around, Sock and the Devil are a hoot every time they're on the screen, and now I'm rooting for Sam to find a way out of his deal. Hopefully, the writers get an indication of the future of the series beyond this season so we can get a proper series finale, if necessary. Even more hopefully, it gets renewed for another year.