Reaper (2007-2009)Created by: Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters
Season: One (2007-2008)
Genre: Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller
Number of Episodes: 18
Episode Running Time: 60 Minutes
Viewed: Owned DVD
Meet Satan's biggest tools.
[IMDb]
Comments: Despite all of its faults, I freaking love Reaper. The now-canceled show is about Sam, whose parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Now that he turned 21, he must capture escaped souls and return them to Hell along with his two buddies, Sock and Ben. And, of course, during his "day job" he works along the love of his life, Andi, but is afraid to make a move. That's about as much synopsis as you're going to get from me.
I watched the show when it first premiered in 2007, but due to working and the lack of a DVR at the time, I only saw part of the first season. Nonetheless, I was very excited to finally pick up the only two seasons of the show recently and watch what I missed. The first half of Season 1 tends to be a bit formulaic, as each episode is more of a "monster of the week"-type deal. But the interaction of Sam, Sock, and Ben is the highlight of the entire show. The writing makes it feel as if you were hanging with your friends each time you watch an episode. The character of Sock (Tyler Labine) is extremely funny and he always steals any scene he's in.
The second half of Reaper becomes more complicated as new plot lines are introduced. Certain episodes don't have any "monsters" at all, as they deal with Sam's romance, his dealings with the Devil (played superbly by Ray Wise), and a plot to overthrow the Devil. While I certainly appreciate the more intricate story, the show loses a bit of its innocence that it had initially. While I normally would wholeheartedly approve of getting rid of the one-monster-a-week scenario, there are several plot holes along the way, which annoy me to no end.
A few things I noticed (some moderate spoilers along the way): Sam has a brother that disappears after the first few episodes. That I don't have a problem with, but it is a loose end. Another issue I have is that Sam begins a romance with Cady, who may or may not be the daughter of the Devil. Her and Sam hit a rough spot (mainly because Sam loves the shit out of Andi) so she says she needs to take a break and will be back in a few days. She never comes back. No real mention is made of her again, and the whole "spawn of Satan" storyline is transferred to Sam. Oh. Things like this annoy me as it shows a massive lack of focus for the show. I hate when storylines aren't planned out and things are written in on the fly.
Still, despite its flaws, I love Reaper. It's never religious (which would make me vomit when watching this show) and is a ton of fun. The interaction of the main characters is top-notch and it feels like you are hanging out with your friends when watching the show. Sadly, there's only one season after this, so it was fun while it lasted. But for now, at least I have 13 more episodes to watch.
I watched the show when it first premiered in 2007, but due to working and the lack of a DVR at the time, I only saw part of the first season. Nonetheless, I was very excited to finally pick up the only two seasons of the show recently and watch what I missed. The first half of Season 1 tends to be a bit formulaic, as each episode is more of a "monster of the week"-type deal. But the interaction of Sam, Sock, and Ben is the highlight of the entire show. The writing makes it feel as if you were hanging with your friends each time you watch an episode. The character of Sock (Tyler Labine) is extremely funny and he always steals any scene he's in.
The second half of Reaper becomes more complicated as new plot lines are introduced. Certain episodes don't have any "monsters" at all, as they deal with Sam's romance, his dealings with the Devil (played superbly by Ray Wise), and a plot to overthrow the Devil. While I certainly appreciate the more intricate story, the show loses a bit of its innocence that it had initially. While I normally would wholeheartedly approve of getting rid of the one-monster-a-week scenario, there are several plot holes along the way, which annoy me to no end.
A few things I noticed (some moderate spoilers along the way): Sam has a brother that disappears after the first few episodes. That I don't have a problem with, but it is a loose end. Another issue I have is that Sam begins a romance with Cady, who may or may not be the daughter of the Devil. Her and Sam hit a rough spot (mainly because Sam loves the shit out of Andi) so she says she needs to take a break and will be back in a few days. She never comes back. No real mention is made of her again, and the whole "spawn of Satan" storyline is transferred to Sam. Oh. Things like this annoy me as it shows a massive lack of focus for the show. I hate when storylines aren't planned out and things are written in on the fly.
Still, despite its flaws, I love Reaper. It's never religious (which would make me vomit when watching this show) and is a ton of fun. The interaction of the main characters is top-notch and it feels like you are hanging out with your friends when watching the show. Sadly, there's only one season after this, so it was fun while it lasted. But for now, at least I have 13 more episodes to watch.
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