So it’s been a while since I’ve written anything about Reaper…but that’s nothing to do with loss of love over the show. Far from it. If anything, my enjoyment of the show has only grown. It’s just one of those shows for which maybe 2,000 words should be dedicated to entire season, not each individual episode.

When they first debuted, I put Reaper well ahead of Chuck in terms of overall quality: while I enjoyed both, Reaper hinted at a much larger backstory. Now? I’d put the two neck-and-neck, honestly, with Reaper still coming out slightly on top. The reason? While Chuck has unleashed a series of insanely entertaining episodes in the past month, it may have drained its narrative reservoir, so to speak. We’ve seen Sarah’s confession of affection for Chuck, the return of Bryce Larken, and the overall upheaval of the norm on Chuck, all in ten episodes. But with Reaper? Still a whole lot to unravel, and a few more questions to boot.

To wit: who broke Satan’s heart all those years ago? Assuming Sam is correct, a woman in Satan’s past did a number on him. Couple that with the ongoing mystery surrounding Sam’s contract, his father’s burning of a certain page, and Andi’s mom’s insistence that he tell Sam’s Dad hello, and you have the possibility that Andi’s mom has a lot, and potentially everything, to do with what’s going on with Sam’s contract with the devil.

Maybe Satan and Sam’s dad both competed for Andi’s mom’s affection. Suppose Sam’s dad won. Suppose Satan set in motion a series of events that would negatively impact not only the parties involved, but their offspring as well. Possible, no?

In any case, the questions yet to be answered are still sufficiently intriguing, and Reaper has done it without sacrificing character development. Chuck could learn a thing or two from Reaper.