Please please please put a sock in it, already!

Seriously, “All Mine” is an improvement on several levels, and creators Tara Butters and Michelle Fazekas deserve praise and support for that.

So why am I including a large picture of the lovely, lovely Valarie Rae Smith at the top of this post? For two reasons. No! Make that three reasons:

1. *sigh*;
2. since the show continues to waste her in a thankless role so superfluous that only her computer was actually needed, it seems the least I can do is give her a little extra love here; and
3. it’s very difficult to come by timely and relevant pictures from the current episodes. I don’t yet have the connections that some of the bigger kids have. That will change, though; yes, it will change. AND THEN THEY’LL ALL PAY! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*ahem*

Also, did I mention *sigh*?

But I digress, probably because digression remains more interesting to me than discussing tonight’s episode. Nonetheless, let’s get back to it, okay?

The notable stuff:

• I actually got a genuine laugh, the first of the entire series, when Sam referred to the Devil under his breath as an “ass”. There’s just something perfect about not only using such an inadequate description for the most powerful evil force in existence, but also doing it under your breath, as though (a) he might hear, and (b) you could hide it from him. I’m sorry, but that’s funny stuff. It was the only laugh in the episode, but, again, that was one laugh more than were to be found in the previous two episodes combined.

• The villain’s story, whilst still relatively mundane and ho-hum, had slightly more appeal than the last two, and even included a tiny bit of misdirection, which made for a surprise revelation. Again, a small improvement, but worth noting.

• With the title, “All Mine,” and the fugitive’s backstory of obsessively containing her lover, I get that the writer might have been trying to thematically tie that into Sam’s jealousy over Andi and his ambivalence toward bother her plans to go back to school and her apparent flirtation with another guy, but it really didn’t quite gel, mainly because there just isn’t enough meat to this show or the character relationships yet. Still, if Reaper is going to last, it’s going to have to branch out more often into even slightly more sophisticated storytelling like this. It’s the only way to keep it from getting stuck in the sitcom rut that dominated the first two episodes. More, please.

• No sign of Sam’s family this week; I can’t help but wonder whether that trend is going to continue. It probably should, as there’s not a lot of mileage to be gotten out of Sam’s brother acting jealous and Mom maybe fretting over what he’s got to do for the Devil. It worked when Buffy the Vampire Slayer first had to hide her secret life from her mother then later had to deal with her mother’s fears, but, as I’ve been pointing out for a couple of weeks now, Reaper is no Buffy.

• The conceit of dressing the boys up in vessel-specific clothing does seem to be shaping up into a standard gag now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but nor is it a laff riot. The main thing I come away with from the team activities is that it’s really touching that Sam’s friends have consistently decided to back him up, even though he’s doing very dangerous work, and Rick Gonzalez as Ben continues to grow on me, which is a good thing because it allows for some relief from the obnoxious and annoying Sock.

• As for Sock, it was nice to see that he was toned down a bit this week, a little more approachable, a little less too cool for the room, but great God almighty WILL THEY PLEASE STOP WITH THE HORRIFIC SCENES WHERE HE TRASH TALKS OR MANIPULATES JOSIE. Those scenes are beyond offensive, beyond obnoxious, in no way enjoyable or amusing, and stretch believability well beyond the breaking point. I have a good feeling toward Josie, and such scenes disgust me on her behalf. Worse, they destroy any of the goodwill that each episode struggles to produce with regard to Sock.

• I still think this show needs a shift in tone. If it’s going to be a comedy, they should shorten it to 30 minutes and include more scenes with Ray Wise. But I don’t think it should strive for comedy; instead, it should try to develop more in the hipster dramedy mode of something like, again, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One thing Reaper continues to lack is a sense of danger or importance in what Sam’s doing or the risks he’s taking. I think this show is going to need a major death, and I’d like to nominate Sock (though I actually think that Ben might end up being the sacrificial goat if it comes to that). Get rid of Sock and either bring in a less obnoxious character or increase Ben’s role (and range). Whatever, we need some danger.

So that’s my take on things. Reaper is improving, but it still has miles to go before it becomes a first rate entertainment.

Now you!