Reaper - The Home Stretch - Dead Series Walking

This episode or Reaper, at it's core, was about competition, and that's what has essentially squashed all hope of it returning for another season. Long before the season premiere, the series was moved into the line of fire, a sacrificial lamb led to Idol slaughter. Which is why the news that the series is essentially dead, just burning it's remaining episodes (whistling through the graveyard, ala above pic from the episode,) shouldn't come as any surprise. Yet, it stung just the same.

Those working on the series saw the writing on the wall pretty early. A few weeks ago Tyler Labine signed on to star in the FOX pilot Sons of Tucson, and shortly thereafter creators/writers Tara Butters and Michelle Fazekas signed a 2-year deal with 20th Century Fox, cementing the notion that the series was done for.

Back to competition, The CW essentially sent Reaper into it's Tuesday night battles armed with a fire extinguisher, much like Morgan did to his half-bro Sam. The introduction of a sibling rivalry was an interesting idea in theory, but so far it's mostly fallen flat, and actually takes time away from Ray Wise's Satan. It's a sibling story, though, that's made more sense than the Sock/Step-sister storyline that went nowhere and may never be brought up again.

The other competition in the episode relates to this season's over-arching plot involving the escaped/emancipated soul Alan and his trick for beating the Devil: A good old fashioned duel with the devil. Might I suggest this 'easy' way to beat the Devil?



Playlist: Reaper - Episodes 2.08
1. "Walking on Sunshine" - Katrina and the Waves
2. "Black Hole" - Aqualung
3. "Got It Bad" - The Broken West

Previously: Follow the White Rabbit (Episode 2.02)