Exactly. Yet another obstacle. But there are always two copies of any valid contract.
EDIT:
Incidentally, Reaper never did a pilot. (A first episode is not necessarily a pilot.)
I liked the Reaper pilot better and felt it had a much more promising premise. Sam’s relationship with Satan is ripe with all sorts of intriguing possibilities, and it doesn’t hurt that Ray Wise really mines both the menace and the playfulness in the role.
That said, I’d have to argue that that promise has been largely wasted. The devil is still the best thing about the show, but the love story is a supreme buzzkill (and while Andy may be cute GND material, she’s merely a plot device and an actual snooze as a character). And Sock may be funny, but the character has yet to do anything that really surprises me beyond your classic slacker sidekick shtick.
But the real deal killer is Sam. He’s boring and charmless, and that makes me less invested in his various plights (Andy, the contract, etc.). And unlike Buffy, I never get the sense that there’s any real danger in his missions. Nobody’s going to die, he’ll use the vessell, drop off at the DMV, rinse, repeat. The best parts of the show are always Satan, because not only is he a real threat, but he’s the only ounce of charisma in the show, and I always keep hoping he’ll have some of that rub off on our “hero” so he can become marginally interesting.
I’ve seen all but one ep of Reaper, and while I gave it up last week, I thought the Halloween episode might be something special. Wrong! Not bad, but nothing worth writing home about either.
Chuck on the other hand, suffers from one real defect, and that’s that the action sequences just aren’t very well executed. Given that it’s a bit of a cheesy show (intentionally), this is largely forgivable.
But with each episode, we learn more about Chuck and his relationships (w/Morgan, his sister, his handlers). While we may learn more about Sam’s “situation”, we actually haven’t learned much more about him. Chuck is also a funnier lead in a more complex role. Having him play a slacker would be easier than having him play a guy who’s a somewhat-motivated, somewhat-nerdy, somewhat-arrested guy who’s genuinely talented but still a bit directionless.
Sam is motivated week by week largely by fear: if he doesn’t play bounty hunter, the devil will get him (or someone he loves). But Chuck’s situation taps into his inner potential more. He’s compelled to play it suave, to be the hero, to juggle more commitments, and the writing does a much better job balancing this against his own character’s real inclinations. We’ve also seen him make more mistakes–with his family, with the government. He’s sympathetic, but he’s also more fallible.
But that’s true of all the characters–they’re simply richer than Reaper’s. Even the Buy More co-workers add more color than the largely anonymous Work Bench crew. Sock is a goofball but really another pea in Sam’s pod, but Morgan is a loyal, semi-likable irritant whose friendship with Chuck speaks more about both of them. Sam’s parents are usually MIA (unless the plot demands it), but Ellie is a real force in his life beyond his CIA shenanigans. And Captain Awesome is, well, awesome.
My vote goes for Chuck. Hands down. I hope Reaper gets better, but I won’t be watching regularly to find out.
I completely disagree. I find him to be charming and endearing. And I’ve already debunked the frozen plot myth. Plus, I’ll put Reaper’s devil up against four characters of your choice from Chuck. He is perfectly cast, well scripted, and acts his part exquisitely.
I love Chuck. It’s a fun show. I like pretty much all of the actors, I think they do a good job of having both drama and comedy without falling into either camp too much. I don’ t know how many seasons this premise can last, but for one season, it has been and hopefully will continue to be great. Baldwin is a high point, but I liked him going in. The lead actor has a geeky charm that is easy to enjoy, and the hot chick is nice to look at and pretty funny. They did a great job creating characters that are memorable and enjoyable. Mr Awesome? Yes. Awesome! Morgan is pretty funny. The actor who plays Morgan either looks a lot like, or is that guy from that GPS commercial who expresses his love for the GPS device. Which makes the character funnier for me. All of the other nerdherd folks are great in small supporting roles.
I haven’t seen Reaper, so I cannot comment on that. But, I just wanted to say how much I liked Chuck. I am sure Reaper is good, too.
pat
ps:
The first episode of Reaper is called Pilot. So, in a way it does have a Pilot, whether it was a pilot or not.
Star Trek had a pilot. Reaper did not.
Reaper did have a pilot. It just never aired.
The only change between the pilot and the series I know of, is that Andi regenerated.
I love both shows, and for some reason I can’t shake the feeling that they’re in the same universe. I keep expecting a crossover (even though they’re on different networks- hey Chuck [NBC] had a Lost [ABC] reference, so a guy can dream, right?).
They have explained that, though, with the whole “Mother’s Day” thing, that their mom left when they were kids, so they’ve had to rely on each other and thus became much closer than siblings usually are.
I love Chuck and all the characters therein. I love the development of characters over the development of plot, I guess. And I’m looking forward to next week, when we’re supposed to find out more about Bryce.
One “Chuck” segment I wish I’d taped was when Sarah was fighting in her bathrobe and did a roundhouse kick that appeared to show that, contrary to TV conventions, people on their way to the shower don’t wear panties beneath their bathrobes. Sure, most people who live alone don’t bother with the bathrobes, either, but we accept what we are given.
I didn’t like Chuck much after seeing the pilot, but it has really grown on me. I kept watching due to Adam Baldwin, and the fact that Chuck calls his BIL Captain Awesome, which made me laugh. Subsequent episodes have built on the good stuff, and I’m really enjoying it now. Only one major misstep: Casey is duped by the feminine wiles of the DEA chick, and winds up tied to the hotel bed - practically fully clothed. What were they thinking? He clearly needed to be a lot more naked. But otherwise a good show.
But I like Reaper too. If it really came down to it, and I had to chose one over the other, I’d probably pick Chuck, just because the Andi business in Reaper has already gotten old. Sam - STOP MAKING DATES/PROMISING TO BE SOMEWHERE with Andi! Chuck had this as a driving problem for one episode, but Reaper keeps hauling it out week after week.
All hail the mighty DVR and HDTV combo. I saw that scene… and had to rewind and pause. Nope, she was wearing panties. Still, it was an impressive scene.
I always catch the end of Chuck while waiting for Heroes to start. Not sure it appeals much to me, or at least enough to take time out of my busy schedule to watch it like I do Heroes. I would watch it if I had nothing better to do.
I watch Reaper, but am slowly being bored by it. I’m not there yet, I am still laughing and like the story, but where is his power? He had a power on the first episode and after that he didn’t. He had slippery feet once, if that counts as a “power,” but it seems like he is generally cursed with something relating to the bad guy. This episode it was a dog, no other power, nothing.
Sam doesn’t really get “powers.”
Stuff like the slippery feet and the bugs appearing whenever he tried to put something in his mouth are just the Devil fucking with him, a clue as to the whereabouts of the next escaped soul, and an incentive for Sam to get off his ass and do his job. They’re not meant to be useful aside from pointing him toward the soul; they’re supposed to be annoying. The Devil is constantly making Sam’s job difficult for him.
He had the telekinesis power in episode 1.
Sorry, I should have been more clear - even with the “explanation,” they still seem way too close for your average adult siblings.
I’ve watched some episodes of Chuck and have enjoyed them. As others have mentioned, Adam Baldwin is fantastic. Just for grins and giggles, I’d love to see him cast as a blueblood at a fancy dinner confronted with disasters, one right after the other–a mashup of Dinner at Eight and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I think he’d be a scream. I love watching Reaper and Ray Wise is overwhelmingly the reason why. He’s a scary Cary Grant, and I’m never sure whether he’s mentoring Sam and forcing him to grow up, screwing with his head just because he can, or both at the same time.
Sam is starting to show baby steps in growth. He didn’t just let Andi go without making his case for a second chance. In the last scene of the Halloween episode, he actually stood up to the Devil and told him he was starting to be able to tell when he was lying. There’s lots of little vignettes like this in the few episodes of Reaper that I’ve seen. I only hope that the CW network gives the show at least a full season at it’s current day and time in order to build an audience, much like Buffy got.
You’ve “debunked” the frozen plot myth? It seemed to me like you said that there was an overarching story arc that we just didn’t get. Well, I get that there will be pay-off regarding the contract eventually, but contract here, Devil there, there still is not a lot of deviation from the soul-of-the-week-formula in each episode. I wish they had executed the idea in a more exciting way each week, instead of me having to wait for Sam to find out that his parents did not really sign over his soul, or that there is a most excellent loophole which will be exploited in Season 2.
And I actually agree with you that the Devil is great (I love Ray Wise, he just finds the right balance between hamminess and menace). But I’d put him up against Harry Tang in a Cowboy costume any day. Or Big Mike and his Zen Garden. Or Captain Awesome teaching Morgan to tuck his shirt. Point being: One character should not have to carry the weight of the whole show, because if the Devil’s not in a scene, that scene loses.
shy guy, yeah, I used “powers” in the loosest sense of the word. But they usually just get showcased in the first 5 minutes of an episode and then you never (or rarely) hear from them again. Why not have them mess up the soul-taking once in a while instead of just the vessel misfiring? Or vice versa, assist the soul-taking. As is, they (at least to me) seem more like filler until you get to the “real” plot.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disliking Reaper, which is why I am still watching it week after week, and which is why I’m hoping for improvement; but if you ask me to pick which one I like better, I’ll go with Chuck.
Well this weeks show had a variation of the Snow Globe not being disposed, the escapee being a real minor historical figure of major history making, two souls instead of one. A soul actually ready to return to hell. I would say they did break out of their rut this week.
Jim
I hadn’t watched that episode yet…that’s what I’m talking about! Much better. It gave us character development (incidentally, similar to what happened in Chuck with regards to our hero working out things with his immature sidekick), fun, some drama, and Ted in a Captain Jack outfit. What’s not to like?
Also, I came back to mention another thing I like about Reaper, and that is that the bad consequences of evil escaping are quite palpable. There’s a girl missing and it’s not one of those things where she’s kidnapped and the gang has to rescue her in the nick of time, and everybody has a great laugh afterwards. No, she’s already dead, and more people will die if you don’t do what the Devil says.