As many critics have noted, it’s the Year of the Geek in terms of new television heroes, those with brain of “Macgyver” but the brawn of, um, a mop handle. “Reaper”’s protagonist could easily be compared with the titular character of “Chuck”: two nerdy lost souls more interested in playing “Halo 3” on their XBOX360 than they are in engaging in the world around them. But whereas “Chuck” gets the government’s entire database of secrets to propel him along his way from stunted man-child to man, our protagonist Sam has the Devil to thank him for his kick in the pants.
The Devil, played by Ray Wise of “Twin Peaks” fame, plays His Almighty Awful with the charm of “The Pick Up Artist” and the psychological motivation of Tony Robbins. It’s the odd yet intriguing notion that the Devil’s intervention is actually GOOD for Sam. His slacker parents allowed him to quit college since it made him “sleepy”. The Devil provides purpose in Sam, instills initiative, and wakes Sam from his lifelong slumber of banality.
It helps that the tasks the Devil has for Sam are largely positive in nature. Sam worries he’s doomed to hell, but really, all he has to do is send already damned souls back to Hell. He’s the Boba Fett to The Devil’s Darth Vader, and the metaphor’s apt, thanks to the deliriously geeky world that “Reaper” inhabits. I’m not sure if the writers donated all the “Clerks”-esque references, or if pilot director Kevin Smith infused the show with them, but sufficed to say, this is a show that knows it’s geeky references.
Whereas “Chuck” knowingly sends up the spy genre, “Reaper” knowingly sends up the Aint-It-Cool culture: Bert “Sock” Wysocki would be a stand-in for Kevin Smith even if Smith hadn’t directed the pilot. It’s hyper-aware of the genre it inhabits, it knows the rules, and the fun comes both from the meta-commentary and the way these characters finds loopholes in the “rules” of the genre they find themselves within.
“Chuck” relies on as much visual pizzaz as verbal pizzazz: “Reaper” featured some impressive visuals but seems keener to exploit things on a verbal level, and that’s a good thing, given that it’s on the CW where the average show gets a budget of $11 per week. (Except for “America’s Next Top Model”, which has a line item of $50K to make Tyra Banks “extra fierce” on a weekly basis.) While “Chuck” charmed me more, “Reaper” had me laughing out loud more often. (Victory glazed ham, people. Victory. Glazed. Ham.) Both things are hard to achieve. Needless the say, I’m looking forward to seeing the follow-up to both.