"Reaper" season finale recap: "The Devil and Sam Oliver"

I'm finally getting caught up on all the stuff I missed while I was away on vacation. Yesterday, I watched the last two "Reaper" episodes of the season. These also might be the last two episodes ever, as the CW hasn't picked "Reaper" up for a third season. The show's production company is still shopping the show around, possibly for syndication (see details here), but I think it's unlikely. Even if the show does return, it will be without creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, which means it could have a totally different feel.
With all that in mind, I had mixed feelings watching the season two finale "The Devil and Sam Oliver." On the one hand, it did set up some good questions for a possible season three, mainly just what is God's plan for poor Sam (and now Andi, who also lost her soul to the devil)? On the other hand, the episode was strong enough, both from an entertainment perspective and from a mythology perspective, that I'm OK if it doesn't come back.
The finale was kind of a greatest hits of all the things I love about this show. We had Sam dancing like a monkey at the devil's behest; Sock turning back into the season one Sock we loved; Andi showing some spine and, best of all, the returns of both Steve and Gladys. Good stuff.
Here are a few more of my thoughts on the finale:
* In his blog recap, The Star Ledger's Alan Sepinwall took issue with the fact that we suddenly learned that Sam is good at quarters -- something we'd never seen evidence of before. It's a good point, but that twist worked for me, as it was totally in character. It's not like we suddenly found out he had a secret gift for organic chemistry.
* Sam's monkey dance was a highlight, as was the Devil's delighted reaction to it. But, for me, the best moment was Sock describing his trip after accidentally ingesting chemicals given off by Ben's hallucinogenic toad: "I tasted music. And it tasted like garbage."
* I really like the character of Nina. Her relationship with Ben was both sweet and funny, and gave a little more depth to a show that was sometimes lacking it. It was surprisingly touching when she volunteered to go through with the exorcism, even though it might send her back to hell, just to restore Ben's relationship with his grandma.
* How come we didn't get to see Andi actually offer up her soul to the Devil? Hearing about it secondhand seemed like a cop-out and robbed that plot turn of some of its power.
* If this show is gone for good, the thing I'll miss most is Ray Wise's brilliantly naughty and hilarious turn as the Devil. All of his moments in this episode were gold, from his deadpan sadness over the loss of his favorite monkey, to his malicious glee at defeating Sam in competition. Please find him a new show.
* I'll also miss Rick Gonzalez's clever work as Ben and Bret Harrison's solid, everyman charm as Sam. "Reaper" was a show that didn't always work, but was always worth watching, if only for its charming slacker vibe and the likable performances by most of its cast. Like everyone, I'm still on the fence about Tyler Labine's performance as Sock, but, truth be told, I liked it more often than I didn't like it, so I'll miss him, too.

Returned!

Ok, all -- I'm back from my journey to the Indianapolis 500 and, aside from camping alongside the racetrack and sharing a set of port-a-potties with a bunch of drunken hooligans, it was pretty good.
But, of course, I missed the blog. And, really, could I have left at a worse possible time? I've barely gotten to write anything about the new fall lineups, about which I have some strong feelings. So, even though all my fellow TV writers have moved on to arguably more important things (like the steaming train wreck that is "Jon & Kate Plus 8), I'm going to write a few quick thoughts on some of the broadcast networks' recent announcements.
* Does anybody else get the idea that Fox was only allowed to renew one of its low-rated, acclaimed cult sci-fi series. How else to explain why the network renewed "Dollhouse" and not the equally worthy "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles?" I really would have liked to see them both come back, especially since "TSCC" was just hitting its stride with a great finale. But I'm glad that at least one of them will return. "Dollhouse" just got better as it went on, and I'm interested to see what Joss Whedon and co. will do with a second season.
* NBC renewed the cult series "Chuck," but canceled "Medium" and "My Name is Earl." CBS has announced it will pick up "Medium" and another network might pick up "Earl," but I'm thinking the latter is unlikely. Where would "Earl" go? The show, which I loved in its first two seasons, is running out of steam. And where would it go? ABC picked up "Scrubs" when NBC dropped it, but that show still had some creative juice left (at least, that's what I've been told. I don't actually watch it.) "Earl's" returns are diminishing, and I'm not sure anyone else wants to jump on board.
* OK, for me, this was the saddest announcement: The CW canceled "Reaper." Well, maybe. ABC studios is still trying to sell the show, and syndication is a real possibility. Check out all the details here at the ReaperDMV fan site. They encourage writing to your local CW affiliate, and I second that.
I know "Reaper" never really lived up to the promise of its pilot, but I was really fond of it. I loved Ray Wise's cheeky performance as the Devil, and Bret Harrison had a nice Everyman charm as reluctant soul-hunter Sam Oliver. I still held out hope that it would gel a little better as it went on, but I always enjoyed it. I'm not surprised it's gone, but I'm still really sad.
In fact, I was so distracted by "Reaper's" cancellation, I barely noticed that The CW didn't pick up the "Gossip Girl" spin-off with Brittany Snow. That was a little surprising, as the show's had a lot of buzz. But, judging from the back door pilot that aired as a "Gossip Girl" episode, I can't say not picking it up was a great loss.
Well, that's it for now. I'll have more on the new shows once I get a chance to see some. I also plan to start watching the summer shows soon, so I'll have reviews on those in the near future as well.