Tonight, I saw Dead Like Me for the first time, and I rather enjoyed it, even though I was really confused. Can someone tell me the back story? How did she die? Why are there so many flashbacks? Any information will help me a great deal.
Have watched since the series started and am really enjoying it.
A quick take
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George was killed by a flaming toilet seat from the Mir when the spacestation reentered the atmosphere in an uncontrolled descent. George’s family, especially her sister, are having trouble dealing with their loss.
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Back story…well, Reapers are used to collect the souls of the dead. They take the souls prior to the actual death to prevent suffering, then the Reapers escort the dead to the jumping off point for the dead’s fate. Betty (an early character) tried to follow a soul in about the third episode or so and disappeared. Her fate is not known.
George became a reaper as the one who collected her had fulfilled his quota and went to his reward. As George was the last soul collected before this reaper went on, so she replaces him.
Several early shows dealt with what happens when death gets screwed up with missed appointments or George’s reluctance to collect souls. Fairly gruesome outcomes for tampering.
Reapers don’t get paid, so they have to find ways to earn money and find places to stay. Sometimes by holding other jobs, sometimes by theft. Hence, why George works and Mason steals.
Reapers just take souls. In George’s department, the accidents that kill are set up by Gravelings. You’ll see gravelings flashing around the accident sites.
- Flashbacks…just story telling, I imagine.
I saw the show for the first time the other night and I was equally kinda confused. Boxcar you’ve cleared a lot of things up, but what I still don’t get is where is George’s office job? I mean is it in the living world or is that an office in the netherworld or something?
If it helps, the episode I saw was the one where Mandy Patinkin (don’t recall his character’s name, was it Rube?) took the soul of a water cooler man, and George was asked to be on the office bowling team.
I get that they’re dead…I’m just not sure if the Reapers’ interactions are in the living world, like when they hang out at that diner.
saramamlana
The Reapers are undead but living in the, well, mortal plane, for lack of a better descriptor.
The office George works in is the one she was headed for on the day she was killed. No cosmic reason for her to be there except she knew there was an opening. The reaping part of the Reaper business is just a public service. The Reapers aren’t paid so a job (or theft) is a requirement.
Reapers interact with folks in a normal manner, but there are some things they can’t do; for example, go back and visit their mortal families, or at least make themselves known directly. George can leave things behind, and talk with her family in her Reaper persona (forget her name) but if she brings up personal stuff, the memory she tries to share is lost to her. If she wants to hang on to her past she can’t go talking to her family.
If you haven’t caught a shot, George’s appearance to the living is entirely different from what her living appearance was. That is why she can interact with her family but not be recognized.
The Reapers don’t age, either. This could be a problem as the show goes on. I am not sure how old Rube is, but I think he was killed in the late 1800’s. The new girl, Daisy, talks about sex with Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable. I think she mentioned she died on the set of “Gone With the Wind” so that means she died in 1939.
I mean, if the show runs five years, won’t the aging set in?
Anyway, the Reapers do live among and interact with the mortals.
What ever happened to Jasmine Guy?
Marc
Dunno where Roxy (Jasmine Guy) is. IIRC, her last episode was when she had to take the soul of the man who was nice to her even though she had written him a parking ticket. I don’t think she has shown up since.
For those not following, Roxy is a reaper who earns her living as a meter maid (parking enforcement officer?) for the city.
The show is slowly picking up speed as we move along. I liked the first ep, but then I though it sort of idled, while trying to hammer in the consequences of what it means to be a reaper. As of the two latest episodes, it’s gained momentum again.
I really like the Dilbert-esque take on work in cubicle America, and how it’s juxtaposed to the work as a reaper. That infernal waffle house with it’s jodeling (sp?) is almost surreal. As I understand it, Showtime is repeating earlier episodes like crazy. Try to catch them.