'Reaper' recap: The season 1 finale
May 21, 2008, 11:03 AM | by Gary Susman
Categories: 'Reaper', Mini TV Watch
Well, "Cancun," the Reaper season finale, kind of fudged the whole question of Sam Oliver's paternity, but we do know this: his father is one hell of a guy.
I was actually kind of hoping that the Devil (Ray Wise, right) really was the sire of Sam (Bret Harrison, left), just because their mentor-protégé relationship is so much fun to watch. Also because it would make Sam's loyalties in the looming demon rebellion against Satan that much more complicated. Still, the revelation in the season's final minute that the elder Mr. Oliver is apparently a demon offers some possibilities for season 2. I'll admit, that was a revelation I didn't see coming.
Actually, the most interesting character this episode was Tony, who reminded us, after weeks of neighborly friendliness, that demons are not always nice guys. He began the episode by dropping a washing machine on Sam (a test to see if Sam had enough devilish power to save himself and thereby prove he's Satan's son; Tony didn't seem to upset by the prospect that, if Sam were a mere mortal, he'd be crushed to death) and later buried Sam alive in a demon-proof cage. Give Tony credit for being cleverer than he's seemed so far (given the ill-advised rebellion attempt a few weeks back that killed his lover, Steve); he not only recognized that Sam might be the spawn of Satan, but that he was also certainly a mole for Mephistopheles. And he took advantage of that situation by withholding from Sam the key info: that the King Solomon-designed cage was meant to imprison not the Devil but Sam himself. (Plus, Tony got to buy the parts cheap, via Sam's Work Bench employee discount.)
Tony also ran the emotional gamut when he learned Steve had been appearing in visions to Sam (and not to himself); he went from disbelief to jealous anger to awestruck wonder to regret to forgiveness within moments. Despite Tony's assertion that not even God's vast capacity for mercy extends to demons, it seemed that Steve really had become an angel and ascended to heaven. ("It's better than Cancun," Steve exclaimed, justifying the episode's title.) Tony realized he had to rescue Sam from the box, though curiously, he did not rescue Mr. Oliver, who'd jumped into the cage to save Sam. Had Tony figured out what was confirmed in the final scene, when Mrs. Oliver showed up to dig her apparently unharmed husband out of the abandoned cage? Not sure, but at least now we know why Sam's dad ripped out all the pages in Sam's contract referring to his paternity, as well the nature of the secret he told Sam he was forbidden to divulge.
I didn't really dig this week's subplots. The escaped soul of the week, an evil fortune teller who was easily dispatched back to hell via a hurled baseball? Meh. Sock breaking up with Josie for no good reason save his own immaturity? That's just Sock being Sock. Sock falling for beautiful succubus Marlena? He'd already fantasized about Gladys, so his attraction to another demon was no great stretch, especially since her kisses gave him the world's greatest adrenaline high and super strength. (Each kiss also took a year off his life, but as Sock noted, they're the crappy years at the end.) Not sure why Marlena was attracted to Sock, but that was less irksome than Sock's trying to pimp her out to Ben so that he could feel the high, too — and Ben eagerly going along with the idea. Ben seems too sensible to shorten his life over a momentary high, not to mention making out with a demon when he already has a dream girlfriend in Cassidy. (Where was she, by the way?) At least Marlena had the good sense (and self-esteem) to find Sock's scheme appalling; she may be a life-sucking demon, but she's not a whore.
Oh, and that fireworks effigy of Mr. Oliver? That was pretty awesome to watch, and it made a nice, emotional close to the episode and the season. It was a send-off that Sam's dad would surely appreciated, had he been there. (And if Mrs. Oliver had been a little quicker with the shovel, he might have been.)
Questions: So, how many years did Sock shave off his life? When is Sam going to find out that his father is not only still alive, but is a demon as well? Is Sam's mom a demon, too? Is Sam really their child, or is he adopted? (After all, the Devil himself left open the possibility that he really is Sam's dad.) Since Tony's cage idea didn't work, what's the rebellion's Plan B? Finally, are you pleased with the way Reaper's first season played out, and what do you want to see happen next season?
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