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Episode Recap: "Acid Queen"
Tonight's episode of Reaper was immensely thrilling, the pinnacle of everything this show has aspired to be since it started. They fully executed romance, mortal danger, misunderstandings, even love triangles, revenge and demons in one hour. You know, that description disturbingly reminds me of the mornings I obsessively spent watching Days of Our Lives circa 1997 and its bizarre storylines (remember when Marlena was possessed by he Devil? Anyone? OK, don't hate me). But this was tender and surprising and thrilling. I couldn't ask for more.
After some consternation, the guys figured out a way to break up with their new BFFs, neighbor-demons Steve (Michael Ian Black) and Tony (Ken Marino), only to find that they'd been hasty in doing so after the two prove they're harmless and misunderstood. Still, you have to know they're hiding something — Steve very obviously took an active interest in Sam's unique buddy-terms with the Devil. What could he want? He did save Sam's life (how awesome was that?), but I can't help but feel that he can now use that against Sam and make him return the favor. Nice demons are still demons, son.
Then there's our girl Andi. Not everything in life has the best timing, including Andi and Sam's googly-eyed admiration for each other. After Andi spits out that she does actually have real feelings for Sam, the two do what they're good at and get all awkward again until Sam decides to return the sentiment by asking her out for Friday night... Even though he's still with Cady. Though he'd been trying to do the right thing and break up with Cady all episode long, I can't help but feel this is all going to be a big mess when she comes back. Her mortal-ness/sanity is already in question, and here Sam goes two-timing her/it. Real smart.
Of course, it took an escaped soul, Nikki Manders (Erica Cerra), almost killing Andi to make the reality of the situation come to a head. Tony saved Sam's unthinking ass when he whipped out an extra ticket for Andi to attend the Friday night Seattle Style event with the Guys so that Sam didn't have to ditch her for the bazillionth time for soul-hunting. But from the look on Sam's face I knew he wasn't happy about mixing business with pleasure. We've all been waiting to see if Andi or Josie would get involved with the soul-hunting, and this would be a rather perfect way for that to happen. Too bad Andi's life ended up in terrible danger because of it.
I really expected that Andi would wake up from the car accident not remembering a thing. It would be so easy to write off a girl dripping bloody acid from her fingers and getting trapped in a soap bubble (Did anyone else think this bottle of bubbles vessel was odd?) as the result of a hallucination-induced concussion, but the writers didn't. I would say there may some hope yet that Andi will be let in on the real goings-on, except that this last botch-up made Sam feel so incredibly guilty that I doubt he'd ever let Andi know what his life really is now. In fact, it makes me wonder whether he'll even keep Sock and Ben around as co-soulfighters. And that really frightens me.
So are Andi and Sam doomed to never really be together? It hasn't been addressed until now, but the Devil had a point near the end: Sam doesn't have a choice in whether he helps the Devil out for the rest of his life or not, and because of that anyone Sam gets close to could to get hurt or maimed in the process. It's heroic and kinda fun to catch demons with your friends while you're young and unfocused, but what happens when Sam really grows up? Will Sock and Ben still be there to help him catch souls when they have their own relationships or families? Can Sam ever let himself love anyone? I really want to root for Sam and Andi, but being the good guy that Sam is, he might not let himself get involved. He finally realized as he left the hospital that he may be forced to live his life secretly from everyone he loves so that no one he loves gets hurt. It's immensely sad to realize the guy probably has no way out of the disastrous fate his parents put on him.
This was my favorite episode. We do have to wait until April 22 to see where everything's going to go (and I'm way excited that Black and Marino will no doubt have a continuing arc on this show), and I have a brand new excitement and respect for this show, different and greater than before. I hope you all enjoyed it too and I can't wait to hear what you all thought of it. See you in a month!
Quotestime
Sock: "Yes, Steve and Tony smell terrific, and yes, they have great taste in beer, but they are demons."
Devil: "Serious question: Are you a boob man? Ass man? Leg man? What’s your preference?" Sam: "I’m not having this conversation.” Devil: "I’ve always been more of an ass man myself"
Steve: "The homophobe thing, alright, I don’t agree with it, but I understand it. But fallen angels doomed to walk the earth for all eternity, that weirds you out?" Tony: "Racist."
Devil: "Good job, Sammy. My heart’s swollen with pride. Wanna go to a strip club? I know one with a good buffet."
Hey, Reaperholics, know where you can get your daily dose of your favorite demon-hunter? Our Online Video Guide, of course.
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Mar 28, 2008 8:11 AM
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Great episode. It did indeed have it all. I would however like to see Andi and Josie get more involved in the demon hunting. I am also convinced that there is more to Andi than we know. I think she has a secret herself.
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Mar 28, 2008 9:32 AM
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Great episode. One nitpick with the review, however. I think you will find that Nikki was played by Erica Cerra (from Eureka). Her name was in the credits and Nikki certainly looked like her, but, in your defense, the CW website does list Emmanuelle Vaugier in the role (but tv.com lists Cerra). Perhaps it was a last minute switch. They do look a lot alike.
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Mar 28, 2008 9:43 AM
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What about the "interest" Steve has about Sam and the Devil's relationship? The secret room was a little awesome, but I don't fully buy that the prince of darkness can't hear what's said in there. More allusions to the fact that Sam may be more special than he thinks. I do wish the writers would fully explore this instead of having it pop up before huge breaks...
Just my gripe.
Other than that, great episode and is it me or does Missy Peregrym have more muscle than Sam?
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Mar 28, 2008 10:40 AM
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ensign_eddie, I do believe you're correct. We'll double-check with the network and make a change. Thanks for being so observant!
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Mar 28, 2008 11:01 AM
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Gosh, Reaper has gotten good, hasn't it. Love the new neighbor-demons - it's always good to see somebody from Veronica Mars, I don't care who it is. I really thought that that was Emmanuelle Vaugier too - but I guess I should have realised it wasn't because she didn't have the slight "one eye bigger than the other" thing that Emmanuelle has going on. Erica Cerra is wonderful.
So glad to see them finally dealing with Andi starting to find some of this out - and Josie too, I hope. Can't wait to see what's happening.
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Mar 28, 2008 11:12 AM
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I loved this episode! What a riot, how funny were the spurned neighbor demons!
I was very interested in the fact that the Devil speaking to Sam was very rare. I remember back to the episode that Sam's Dad was reading through the contract he made with the Devil for Sam to be a Reaper and he pulled out a page and threw it in the fireplace. I am wondering if Sam may be the Devil's spawn or related to him in some other way.
I really hope that they don't make the relationship between Sam and Andi into an eternal quest. They need to get together sooner rather than later!
Did anyone else think this bottle of bubbles vessel was odd?
Not if you think about this scientifically. Acid needs to be contained in plastic and I think the bubbles were used to safely contain all of that acid until it got into the bottle!
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Mar 28, 2008 11:14 AM
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Bubbles are from soap. Soap is a basic solution. Bases neutralize acids. No real mystery.
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Mar 28, 2008 11:43 AM
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Last night's episode was the best. I do think it would be great if Sam and Andi did get together and Andi helped catch the souls. A girl on the team would be great.
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Mar 28, 2008 12:25 PM
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Since Demons are supposed to be fallen angels, I would presume they can read Latin, and then would be able to help Sam find out what is (or is not) in that contract. Good reason for the Devil to not want them as friends. I am not surprised at all that the Devil never hardly shows himself to the Demons, especially if they are so down on the management level of Hell. These Demons could be part of a secret group that likes and helps humans for all we know. Hence "The Room of Silence."
I am enjoying the show much more since after the strike. The writers are kicking butt with these new episodes, and I hope they keep up the good work. Oh, and if anybody from CW is reading this, I will say right here and now that "Reaper" is a much superior show to the likes of "Chuck" (and I like "Chuck") and "Pushing Daisies," and the Network would be idiots to cancel this show. Especially since the new Thursday placement works with "Smallville" as the lead-in.
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Mar 28, 2008 1:05 PM
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I loved this episode, what worried me though (and yes I know I saw that new episodes are coming in April) is that it seems like a season finale.
So, will Sam take advantage of his new peeps to help him read his contract, which I am now suspecting is something like a custody agreement between the Devil and Sam's mother (who is just so pretty and guilt ridden, I am wondering, perhaps before Sam was born, and before she fell in love with the mortal, she was an unfallen angel who had a one night stand with the Devil which produced Sam). And then, are his new peeps really just his friendly keepers, his real friends, or maybe ready to recruit him for some sort of campaign against the Devil?
I think I know what Josie's role will now be, I bet Sam determines he has to get all of his friends safely away from him and she might just be the one to do it for him.
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Mar 28, 2008 1:14 PM
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I was very interested in the fact that the Devil speaking to Sam was very rare.
I'm glad they addressed this. My son and I have always said that, if the Devil could spend so much time with the reapers - telling them where the souls are, etc. - then why didn't he just capture them himself? Of course, if he did that, there would be no story for Sam and the guys, lol. But I'm glad they have finally said that Sam was special. I'm not sure I'm buying that he's the son of the Devil and don't really want him to be, but I'm interested in finding out the "rest of the story."
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Mar 28, 2008 1:17 PM
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The Devil told Sam that anyone who knows about his job risks eternal damnation themselves. He also pretty specifically forbade Sam from telling Andi.
I believe that Andi would make a great addition to the team, and perhaps Josie as well. Then it really would be a "Scooby Gang."
I thought I read somewhere that Josie was going to try to find out what they're up to. I can see her finding out, and helping to keep Andi out of it. OR I could also see she and Andi finding out together, but not knowing what to make of it, they don't let on to know.
I really like Tony and Steve (they SHOULD have named them Adam & Steve, hehe) and both actors playing their roles. I hope they stay on as recurring characters, but it seems like their storyline will probably be short lived. Too bad.
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Mar 28, 2008 1:39 PM
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So glad that Reaper is back. I have missed my boys! One gripe...where is Gladys?
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Mar 28, 2008 1:39 PM
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I am enjoying the show much more since after the strike. The writers are kicking butt with these new episodes
I hate to break it to you but these past 3 episodes were holdovers from before the strike. The first post-strike episode will be on 4/22.
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Mar 28, 2008 1:48 PM
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