(Cell) Number of the Beast

Before I begin, let's draw an imaginary circle around this post so the Devil won't hear: It's looking more and more like Reaper isn't going to get picked up for second season. That inevitability is unfortunate, as they've finally started to hit their stride, especially since the introduction of The State vets Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black as Tony and Steve, the demons that live next door. Or, more to the point, the gay demon rebels next door.

"We're part of an underground alliance of demons planning to overthrow the devil," says Steve, sounding more like a cheerleader than the leader of a rebellion. And what a plan it was... putting change in parking meters, walking old ladies across the street, not eating children, you, know, being killing the Devil with kindness. Probably would've taken centuries to work, but Steve seemed to be on to something, as it annoyed Old Scratch to no end (recall how he even specifically pointed out his hatred of Steve a couple episodes back). It was obvious once Sam and the Devil's cell phone number entered the picture that Tony's more aggressive approach would win out (he's obviously the top in the relationship,) but I still wonder how someone who fought alongside Lucifer could be that far off in underestimating his foe. And is it just me, or did the killing off of the rebellion happen a little too soon in the storyline? If Michael Ian Black is gone now, I guess at least we have Ken Marino's Tony living to fight on another day.

Speaking of fighting with Satan, it's about time they introduced some of the classic stories of the devil into the Reaper mythology, even if the sword of Archangel Michael turned out to be a cheap Korean town knockoff. Even a breadcrumb trail of Milton's Paradise Lost is worth a meal in Reaper geek returns. Or why not mine take inspiration from DC comics' Lucifer, the Mike Carey written spinoff of Neil Gaiman's legendary Sandman series? Even with the demons presumed dead, save Marino's Tony -- who looks like a revenge candidate for the finale -- there's still plenty of opportunities to... oh, wait. Who am I kidding? We both know that this series is not long for the tube. Sad as it is, though, it's nice to dream about what might've been.

Music? Yeah, there was some of it there. 'Fraidy cat song "I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes" by the twee band Boy Least Likely To played as Sock confronts Josie in the parking lot to little effect. Another chance to score some soundtrack points was lost with the generic cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven." It's tough to think of a version of the song that would've worked as intended, but the sentiment was there. Sam's day involves a lot of Hell, and to get a taste of Heaven in a makeout session with Andi is most certainly just like heaven. I still think don't think it would've been too distracting to have Dinosaur Jr's amazing version, but that's just me.

Previously: Before the Devil Knows Your Dread (Episodes 1.12-13)