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Reaper

Review by Matthew Anderson

Pilot Episode

TV Network: WB

Company: ABC Studios

Running Time: 45 minutes (1 episode)

Rated: PG-13: Violence, subject matter

EXTERNAL EXAM

Sam is turning 21 years old. While his friends at the local home repair store are excited, his parents are less enthusiastic. In fact, they are down right devastated. While he finds their behavior odd, he is even more disturbed at the weird events surrounding him. He can move things with his minds, angry dogs seem to follow him, and a strange man who says he is the devil, appears in the back seat of his car.

Sam learns from his father that his parents sold his unborn soul to the devil, in exchange for saving his fathers life. Under the devil's servitude, Sam must track down and return escaped souls from Hell, or else his mother's life is forfeit. At first Sam refuses, but when he is able to stop a demon with the help of his friends Sock and Ben, Sam makes a fateful choice, one that will be with him forever.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: The writing is pretty basic, the situations, while familiar, are very funny. Some of the twists Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas give to the devil mythos are extremely clever. Making the DMV a portal to hell, giving a Dirt Devil as a "vessel" to track down demons, having Sam discover the "fugitives" motivation for the crimes, helps make Reaper more than just a slacker comedy. Even a little "hip" (oooh, kiss of death!)

ACTING: The casting was well done. Brett Harrison as Sam can be sweet, innocent, yet completely driven if the scene requires it. Tyler Labine does physical comedy very well, a huge change from his stiff lawyer character in "Boston Legal". At first, my daughter though he was Jack Black, because of they way he uses his face to great comedic effect. The two of them do a great job at carrying the show.

FAN SERVICE: Tentacles squirm in this title with monster sex being the chosen sex theme. As far as sex between humans, there is missionary, doggie-style, cowgirl, oral, masturbation, and one foursome.

FINAL EXAM

I honestly didn't expect much from Reaper. I have never been a fan of any CW, WB,or UPN shows (Yes, that includes Buffy and Enterprise). I find most of their shows too full of whinny angst, with slow moving plot developments, and being too hip for their own good.

Well, I'm going to eat Michigan J. Frog, because Reaper is damn funny.

Part of what makes this show funny is that the two main characters are easy to identify with. Sam is the good kid, but because of circumstances (not all of his doing at it turns out), he isn't able to go beyond his place in life. When The Devil gives him a choice he can't avoid, he makes a stand and finds that making the best out of a bad situation is better than just running away.

Sam's best friend "Sock" is that looser friend that you can always have fun with. It isn't that he is stupid, it's just that he takes life at face value. He doesn't hold on to grudges (except with his ex), force his views on others, or treat people anything less than with respect they deserve. On the flip side, he isn't above doing something juvenile in order to get a laugh.

Even the minor characters are people you can like. Andi, the girl of Sam's dreams, is beautiful, smart, and totally accepting of everyone's faults. At first, it looked like the character of Ben was going to be the resident kiss ass. When Sam crashes and burns asking Andi out, Ben gives him a consoling pat on the back instead of making fun of him. From that point on, you know that he is one of the good guys, which makes what happens to him all the more......well, I guess you have to find out.

Ray Wise was a great choice for the Devil. He oozes a devilish charm (pun intended) that doesn't go overboard like other portrayals. He can be jovial one second, and focused the next. He gets some great one liners, and he has the physical presence to be both father and authoritarian figure at the same time.

The supporting cast does well. "Thirteen" writer and star Nikki Reed is perfect as the girl next door Andi, and Rick Gonzalez is great as the smartest member of the Sam, Sock, and Ben Reaper trio. Sadly, she was replaced by Missy Peregrym, who had a bit of a rocky start in her first few episodes.

The writing is pretty basic, the situations, while familiar, are very funny. Some of the twists Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas give to the devil mythos are extremely clever. Making the DMV a portal to hell, giving a Dirt Devil as a "vessel" to track down demons, having Sam discover the "fugitives" motivation for the crimes, helps make Reaper more than just a slacker comedy. Even a little "hip" (oooh, kiss of death!)

I can't think of anyone better to direct this series than the king of slacker comedies, Kevin Smith. The pacing is solid, the action top notch, and the humor rampant. You can really feel the spirit of "Dogma" throughout the episode. I hope he directs more than just the pilot.

If you want to enjoy a comedy that doesn't take itself seriously, but still comes through with the laughs, Reaper is your ticket to ride. Do yourself a favor, watch this, and avoid that other slacker comedy Chuck (as in blows).

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