ReaperI Want My Baby Back
Original Air Date: Mar 31, 2009
Ashi – TwoCents Reviewer
ashi@thetwocentscorp.com
What makes a person, nature or nurture? Let’s explore the old question Reaper style with demons and zombies!
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[photo: CW]
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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What makes a person, nature or nurture? Let’s explore the old question Reaper style with demons and zombies!
ReplyDeleteThe “zombie” would be Mr. Oliver. He’s not quite dead or alive because of the deal with the Devil that made Sam a reaper, but he does need to keep cool in a freezer when he’s not out and about. Devil Daddy doesn’t see why Sam’s so bummed out for him and figures he shouldn’t care because human daddy ruined his life before he was born. Gradually Sam starts seeing his situation the Devil’s way. Mr. Oliver is popping in unannounced to hang out with his ol’ boy, then getting on his case for neglecting family. Nice try, but the Devil’s Sam’s real father, not him, much as that sucks. Sam feels no obligation to listen and entertain his other “father.”
Speaking of fathers, the Devil wants Sam to stake a wannabe vampire soul and send her hell’s way. Soul’s got some moves, but she’s pretty easy to seal. But what to do with her IBOOH – Intentional Birth Out Of Hell? Have their good demon friend Tony adopt her! The boys sure can’t take care of the baby.
Kristin singing heavenly karaoke and cradling the baby to her chest makes it even harder for Sock to keep his feelings for her at a brotherly level. He hates it, but he and Ben decide he has to medicate his sexual urges to keep the family situation familial. Meanwhile, Andi gets an invitation for dinner with not Sam, but Morgan. Besides thinking Morgan’s an obnoxious, arrogant arse, Andi will never consider dating him because he’s the Devil’s son. Little does she know, so is Sam. Uh-oh. Know this, guys: not trusting your girlfriend enough to tell her you’re Satan’s son gets you spilled coffee and eternal dumpster duty.
Seems that little Stevie (named after Tony’s love Steve) can’t stay on earth because her mother was a blood-guzzling murderer condemned to hell. Devil makes sure to tell Sam that at work. No way Tony will give her up, especially not to the Devil. When he has Sam, Sock, and Ben over his place for lunch and returns from tomato shopping to them raising a stake vessel at her, he makes that very clear by going demon and throwing them around the apartment. Maybe there’s a way to keep the Devil away from her. If she’s baptized, she’ll be cleansed and made one of God’s children.
Ben’s grandmother scores them an emergency baptism ceremony. Tony can’t go into the church because it’s consecrated ground and he’ll burst into flames, so Andi will have to play mommy for Stevie’s christening with “daddy” Sam. She wants nothing to do with him, and Tony can relate. He almost killed Sam because he thought he was evil incarnate, until Steve appeared as an angel saying Sam had goodness in him. Andi sees that, but she’s still scared of him because of his father. Sam understands – he’s scared of the same thing.
No time to worry about that, though. The gang has a runaway baby carriage, and it’s heading for a glowing lava portal to hell. Luckily Sam catches Stevie in time, only to find the Devil ready to take her with him. He thinks it’s funny Sam cares so much about her, probably because he realizes that both their parents screwed up their lives without considering the consequences their children would be forced to face. Sam tricks the Devil into letting her go by claiming as a bad seed she can turn so many more people to the dark side as she grows up. Well, Sam thinks he tricks him. He lets baby Stevie stay on earth, but not out of self-serving kindness. He’s convinced she’ll turn out evil just like her mother, and he wants to rub that in Sam’s face. And maybe he’s alluding that’s the same path Sam will eventually take. Morgan seems to be. He’s hinting at the same thing to Andi, who’s sure Sam’s a good guy – until Morgan reminds her some of the worst souls look like the nicest people on the surface…
Back home, Kristin catches Sock taking his meds and tosses them. She sisterly loves him for his bright spirit and doesn’t want anything taking that away and changing who they both are. Sock’s not going to tell her the real reason he considered meds at all, so taking out his sexual frustration playing racquetball with her seems the right way to go.
Mr. Oliver invites Sam over to his new place – storage unit 18. His father’s pitiful living space reminds Sam how awful he’s treated him since he came back from the dead into his life. Even though Mr. Oliver made that horrible deal making him a reaper, he raised him to be a good, moral person. And as a good, moral person, Sam’s letting his human father move himself and his refrigerator into the guys’ garage. Such a sweet son, isn’t he?
Lots of intensity and emotion built into the theme of this week’s episode. Everything about taking care of Stevie (who was too adorable, might I add) mirrored Sam’s situation, right down to having parents trying to influence how they’ll turn out to be. We’ve seen Sam do some virtuous things before, like use his Get Out of Hell card to save Andi’s old boyfriend Greg’s soul and help Red redeem himself. But he’s done some bad things, like keep secrets from Andi for his own selfish reasons and use his relationship with the Devil to get what he wants. I really think this season we’re going to see Sam teeter on the fine line between light and dark. The Devil’s all too excited over watching which of his sons will come out the proper Prince of Darkness, but Mr. Oliver’s there to remind Sam that he doesn’t have to be his father’s son. Well, Devil father’s son. It’ll be interesting but spooky to see how else this season will explore Sam’s struggle of conscience.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Give us your two cents. Maybe Sam’s not nice enough to let Mr. Oliver live with them for free. If so, he’ll need some help with rent.