# Where's the Dead Like Me threads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516 "2004-09-15T05:03:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/21 "2004-09-17T02:32:46Z")
How #19 and #20 get in that order? Aren’t they backwards? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/22 "2004-09-17T02:50:50Z")
There were timestamp problems earlier today. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/23 "2004-09-17T03:35:27Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > Oh, you still die - but your soul is trapped in a dead, decaying body, experiencing all the unpleasantness of being undead (autopsy), not able to speak or cry out… > > Until a reaper frees your soul. Well, what if your body is no longer intact or accessable for a reaper to touch? What of, for example, the people vaporized by a-bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? What if you feed a Gremlin after midnight, but put him on a plane and fly him to a time zone _before_ midnight? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/24 "2004-09-17T03:39:16Z")
In one episode, we saw some Reapers who were from the “Plague” division. Presumably there are specialists for mass disasters. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/25 "2004-09-27T12:07:28Z")
Given the events of the last two eps - finding out Rube’s full name and (probably) how he died, the George and Trip thing - why is nobody talking? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/26 "2004-09-27T18:18:46Z")
I’m a little disappointed, frankly. I mean, George losing her virginity? Set aside that the grim reapers aren’t even human anymore (they have a whole new DNA, healing super-fast and what-not), but if this is to degenerate into that sort of mundanity, then the whole grim reaper aspect wasn’t even necessary. Just make a comedy-drama about a reclusive and melancholy slacker girl. I’m expecting weird stuff, like Crystal (or even Dolores) being Rube’s boss or something. Plus, I want to know what happened to the reaper from last season who was taken into heaven or whatever, and it was such a big deal that Rube went to his boss and asked why (though we never saw the answer.) I’m getting sick of the “death sucks” theme that has permeated every episode. If they meant for George to grow, she could have started learning to cope with her status, rather than screwing some rich dick from the country club. She hasn’t changed one iota from day one. I mean, ostensibly, she’s learned some lessons, but she’s still this fairly clueless malcontent who drags into breakfast, and then drags through the day. I’ll still watch for a while, but the writing needs a shot in the arm. It’s starting to lose me. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/27 "2004-09-27T20:24:35Z")
I don’t agree at all **Lib**. Mainly because I don’t see it as a show about reapers, afterlife and death. I see that whole part as a distoring mirror, where we, the audience, get to look at what’s bizare and shape us in our own mundane, reaper free world. Seeing Happy Time, George’s family, bits and pieces of the other reaper’s lives pre and post death add a perspective to the everyday drama that’s going on in the real world. The soap aspect of that part of the show is soap-y for that very reason. No George doesn’t really grow as a person. How many self absorbed 18-19 year olds do? Even if something terrible happens close to them? For people that age, it’s all abot me, me, me. And if it’s not, if it’s ‘Reclaim the Street’ or "‘Stop globalization’, then it’s because they think they have all the answers. Which bring us back to “me, me, me.” I find the character consistent, and if not likeable, then at least agreeable and credible. I’ve got to keep my suspension of disbelief on a fairly strung up level to neglect all the inconsistencies of the logic in the show, though. But this could be a good place to get them out in the open: - If reapers are immortal (well undead or whatever), why do they need to eat? - Since they all change their appearances after death, how come the wanted poster of Rube was his spitting image? - Why haven’t we seen Millie this year, i.e. the girl playing the persona George shows to the rest of the world? Because there’s no way in hell Trip would take _her_ to bed. As for the loose ends, I’m confident they well be tied up. So far the produceras/writers have shown that they know where they’re going. And I didn’t see it coming this week, but George pouting about guys leading up to her revelation in the end fits the character and the storyline. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/28 "2004-09-27T21:28:18Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I’m a little disappointed, frankly. I mean, George losing her virginity? Because god forbid that a teenage girl would ever do _that_. > [@](#): > > Set aside that the grim reapers aren’t even human anymore (they have a whole new DNA, healing super-fast and what-not), You’re blaming the show because your suppositions concerning it make no sense? The Reapers are supernatural - this we know. Why you believe that it has to involve non-human DNA is a complete mystery to me. > [@](#): > > but if this is to degenerate into that sort of mundanity, then the whole grim reaper aspect wasn’t even necessary. Just make a comedy-drama about a reclusive and melancholy slacker girl. I always thought that the whole point of the show was that no matter how weird your life is, it’s still life. > [@](#): > > I’m expecting weird stuff, like Crystal (or even Dolores) being Rube’s boss or something. A lot of people believe that Crystal is Rube’s boss. I don’t know whether the deleted scene on the DVDs which shows a silhouette of the person who leaves the list which doesn’t look like Crystal is a point for or against; it could have been removed because they ddin’t want to hint as to who it was so early, or because they audibled into Crystal as Rube’s boss. > [@](#): > > Plus, I want to know what happened to the reaper from last season who was taken into heaven or whatever, and it was such a big deal that Rube went to his boss and asked why (though we never saw the answer.) Don’t we all! IMHO it’s a measure of the show’s quality that they _didn’t_ just give us an answer. I’m fairly sure we’ll find out eventually, though. > [@](#): > > I’m getting sick of the “death sucks” theme that has permeated every episode. If they meant for George to grow, she could have started learning to cope with her status, rather than screwing some rich dick from the country club. She hasn’t changed one iota from day one. Go watch the pilot again, then look up the five stages of coming to terms with death. George only lists four of them - the one she omits is the last, acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/29 "2004-09-27T21:46:43Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > - If reapers are immortal (well undead or whatever), why do they need to eat? As Rube says in the pilot, they have physical bodies. That comes with both privileges and responsibilities. They can’t really damage or kill themselves however hard they try, but I imagine they can become _very_ uncomfortable if they don’t eat. > [@](#): > > - Since they all change their appearances after death, how come the wanted poster of Rube was his spitting image? > > - Why haven’t we seen Millie this year, i.e. the girl playing the persona George shows to the rest of the world? Because there’s no way in hell Trip would take _her_ to bed. The whole “public face” thing has been intentionally pushed into the background. As to the questions, don’t forget that we’ve only ever had a very brief explanation of what’s going on with that - and it came from Mason, who isn’t the most reliable source. It’s unlikely that Reapers get issued a carbon copy of their original body, so the public face must be the real one and the as-was face an illusion - this is borne out by the public face appearing in a camera. My best guess is that Reapers appear as their original selves _except_ to people who knew them when they were alive, who automatically see through the illusion to the real appearance of the body. Of course, this explanation will be hulld at the waterline if someone takes a photo of a Reaper and we see their original face, but SFAICR that hasn’t happened yet. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516/30 "2004-09-28T00:09:47Z")
Like I said, I haven’t given up quite yet. Re: the virginity thing, I didn’t mean that losing her virginity per se disappointed me. I tried explaining what I meant, but since it didn’t come across the first time… I’m just saying that dime-a-dozen themes like that can happen on any show. I just want ordinary things like that not to be treated casually by the writers; otherwise, the whole reaping thing just becomes gratuitous. Regarding Rube looking like Rube, I also found it interesting that the rich guy found George attractive, because in the earliest episodes, showing her new appearance, she was rather unfortunately plain looking. Not nearly as attractive as before death. At least to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-dead-like-me-threads/264516.md?page=1)