Missy Peregrym and Bret Harrison by Jack Rowand/The CW
It's been a trying season for the CW's Reaper (Tuesdays at 8pm/ET). But even after a crippling writers' strike and disappointing ratings, this supernatural tale of a boy and his Devil returned post-strike with its strongest episodes yet. Though the show just got picked up for a second season, two of the show's executive producers, Tara Butters and Tom Spezialy, got on the horn with us to gab about the show's mind-blowing May 20 season finale. Readers be warned: Some content may be considered spoiler-worthy. — Sandra Kofler
TVGuide.com: I can't believe the season's almost over. How do you cap off all those storylines?
Butters: Well, we have some really fun stuff in the last few episodes.
Spezialy: And we have a huge finale.
TVGuide.com: Oh?
Spezialy: You know so far that there's a rebellion, that Sam has been reluctantly tied into it, that it's had a huge setback and that Sam's parents sold his soul out from under him. Well, that's all going to converge in the finale. We'll begin to understand some of the secrets behind the parents' decision and that maybe the Devil does have an agenda here regarding Sam and his future.
TVGuide.com: And that Sam is not just an arbitrary reaper?
Spezialy: No, he's more special than that.
TVGuide.com: So we get to know more about what's behind Sam's dad's influences before the end of the season?
Both: Yes!
TVGuide.com: What about the Devil? What kind of mood is he going to be in for the finale?
Butters: Actually, you'll see a side of the Devil you haven't seen.
Spezialy: Viewers may find they like the Devil more than they thought.
TVGuide.com: The funny thing is, I already find him so likeable. For a Devil.
Spezialy: Well, he's a complicated fellow. We try to remind the audience that the Devil was, in fact, once divine himself and fell from grace. He wasn't born out of some cauldron in the bowels of hell — he once aspired to be godlike in his own right. He's a very conflicted fellow.
TVGuide.com: Well, fans have long debated whether Sam is the Devil's son. When we asked Ray Wise about it, he just said, "I think that's a swell theory."
Spezialy: [Laughs] He's a bit of a Devil off-screen too.
TVGuide.com: What's it like knowing fans are so involved in what may happen to these characters you've created?
Butters: I think it's great. I like that the fans are involved. My first job was as an assistant on The X-Files, so I know how important it is to have a very loyal fan base. And I think we have that on this show.
Spezialy: It may seem obvious, but we're fans of the show, too. These are characters we really love. So, we enjoy the ride as much as they do. And it's important to us to know we've satisfied their itch and their curiosity.
TVGuide.com: So what's going on with the other characters?
Butters: We have Sock, who ends up having a fling with a demon.
TVGuide.com: Wow. Considering his wet dream starring Gladys, I should have known he'd be into that sort of thing.
Spezialy: It has… unexpected results.
TVGuide.com: Will we be seeing Cady for the rest of the season?
Butters: No, Cady doesn't make an appearance.
Spezialy: But her storyline's not over.
TVGuide.com: I love how this show just keeps us asking so many questions.
Butters: I think we answer questions as much as we pose new ones. Hopefully the fans will feel that we've sated certain wants along the way.
Spezialy: Our storytelling was never meant to be haphazard. Tara and executive producer Michele Fazeka came into this series with a long arc in mind, and we're finally getting a chance to pursue that.
TVGuide.com: So can we expect a big Devil-wrath in the finale?
Spezialy: Let's just say the Earth is still spinning by the end of the season.
TVGuide.com: Any casualties?
Spezialy: I think we can say not everyone survives.
TVGuide.com: Will we have to wait for until next season to see how things get resolved?
Butters: Things are resolved, but we definitely platform a second season.
Spezialy: I don't know if things are resolved exactly, but they do advance. It's going the next step and saying, "OK, here is what all of last season meant, and here's where it goes."
TVGuide.com: What consequences will the events of the season finale have for the characters?
Butters: Sam's life will become even more complicated.
Spezialy: In the beginning of the series, the sort of emotional and physical jeopardy for Sam usually involved the soul-of-the-week. But as we move forward, the emotional and physical jeopardy and complications are as much his personal life as the soul-of-the-week.
TVGuide.com: These new episodes in particular have really brought a new importance to this show.
Butters: The last five episodes of the season just keep building on each other. They just keep getting better and better, and they're fun. At the end of the day we try to be fun and entertaining, and I'm really proud of them.
Spezialy: See? We strive to be enlightening — and end up being entertaining.
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