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« Reaper
Yet Another Review
Reaper
slacker turns Bounty Hunter (for The Devil)
Type of Pilot: Comedy; Action
Similar Shows: Brimstone, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
The Inner Light: Sam: The Demon Slayer
Strengths: Ray Wise. One of the best actors going. And this a role tailor-made for him. The charm, the menace, the smile. Who else could play The Devil?
Weaknesses: We've seen all of this before. In Buffy, for instance.
Impressive Characters: The Devil, as played by Ray Wise, just leaps off the screen. It's a Grade A performance in a Grade B production.
Impressive Actors: Um, Ray Wise.
Less-Than-Impressive Characters: Sam, the main character, is kinda blah. He's a loser, a slacker, and - it seems - the Devil will help him become a better man. But, there's really no compelling reason to watch him. Bret Harrison, the actor playing him, is grand. He was better in The Loop playing a similar, but more proactive, character. Bret's watchable, and can hold a show together, but Sam is, well, kinda blah.
Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Tyler Labine is great as the best friend (side-kick). I love him. But why does he always seem to be playing the exact same character?
Continuity: Hard to say. Maybe they'll go the self-contained episodes route, and maybe they'll set up an arc of some sort. I hope they opt for lots of continuity. It will help raise the show up.
Rewatchability: None. I watched the pilot. It was fine. But I'm not keen to see it again.
Other Info: Reaper will air opposite House, on Tuesdays at 9.
Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:
Ray Wise
It's a good concept, and Brimstone only got 13 episodes with it, so maybe this one will last a few years.
The villain in the pilot was excellent (but didn't get enough screen time)
Three Things I Really Don't Like About This Pilot:
It's basically Brimstone, done in the style of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.
It's basically Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, using the storyline of Brimstone.
See above. Honest. The "devil's bounty hunter" bit comes from Buffy, and the humour and gang of friends helping out comes from Buffy. It's a lot like both of them, and nowhere near as good.
Miscellaneous Comments:
I've seen this before and I've seen it better. It was called Brimstone and it was a very dark, very cool show. But, this is done with a light touch, and if they can tell great stories, I'll stick around.
GRADE: B
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Sep 1, 2007 2:55 AM
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My basic joke about shows like Brimstone and now Reaper is that the Devil sets a goal on the number of spirits/demons the "hero" needs to capture in order to be released from the contract. Of course, the main characters don't claim to be Christian. If they were, they would know that THE DEVIL IS A LIAR!!! And they will never get out the contract. And the show should last more than 7 episodes. Oops, my bad.
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Sep 5, 2007 12:20 AM
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Ray Wise as the devil is perfection. Also of note is that Kevin Smith is directing! Plus Missy Peregrym (Heroes) plays the hot chick/lust interest.
I'm really looking forward to this- it looks funny....
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Sep 7, 2007 3:32 PM
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