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I generally
hate using cute little terms like ‘quirky’
to describe shows or movies that are a little
bit… uhhh… quirky. What makes
this even more difficult is that I especially
enjoy shows and movies that fit into the
category of… uhhh… quirky. So
when head about the Showtime series, “Dead
Like Me”, I started wishing that I
had the really good cable (you know, the
one with all the movie channels?). I heard
so much about the show, and the fact that
it mixed Death with Comedy made me want
to see it really bad. Then there was also
the ‘quirky’ factor which made
it even worse.
Last year, the good folks at MGM Home Entertainment
(now Sony) saw fit to release the entire
first season of “Dead Like Me”
on DVD for people like me who are to cheap
to spring for the really good cable. This
was one of those DVD releases that I made
time to start watching the same day it came
in, after all I was ‘dying’
to watch it (insert website reader groan
here). I ended up watching the entire 14
episode run in 4 days. I loved the show,
that’s all I can say. The blend of
Death and Comedy was perfect, even going
so far as to deliver a very heavy dose of
sarcasm, which is my favorite form of humor.
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Of course, if you’re reading this review,
and have never seen the show, you probably haven’t
got a clue what it’s about. I’ll try
to fix that for you. The main premise of the show
proposes that Grim Reapers exist in all shapes
and sizes. None of these shapes seem to include
the requisite cloak and scythe, however. Nope,
the Reapers that inhabit our world look just like
everybody else. They could be anyone from the
guy that drives the bus you ride every morning
to the homeless guy you pass everyday on your
way to that bus. But that is an important distinction;
they have to be some nameless person that just
blends into the woodwork. It could even be one
of your co-workers. (I myself often keep my eyes
open for the ‘Angel of Layoffs’ so
I can hide if he passes by.)
Ellen Muth stars as Georgia “George”
Lass, a young girl with no direction in life.
As a matter of fact she has no appreciation for
life either… well… until the day she
dies.
After enduring a day of being made to get out
of bed by her mother (Cynthia Stephenson) and
being forced to go to a temp agency to look for
work, she meets her doom by being hit by a toilet
seat that falls from the Mir Space Station (without
burning up in the atmosphere I might add). From
the moment she dies, her life is destined to never
be the same.
She soon finds that she has been ‘drafted’
into becoming a Grim Reaper, whose ‘sole’
purpose is to retrieve the ‘souls’
from the very nearly departed moments before they
meet their demise. What surprises her, and allows
for no end of laughs for me, is the decidedly
corporate attitude that permeates her new job.
Her ‘boss’, Rube (Mandy Patinkin)
holds daily meetings at the local waffle house
and hands out assignments to the crew on little
post-it notes. The problem is that the info on
the notes isn’t as detailed as a Reaper
might like. It only contains the first initial,
last name, location, and time of the ‘appointment’
and it is up to the Reaper to determine the identity
of the soon-to-be-corpse.
The other Reapers that make up George’s
little group include Mason (Callum Blue), Roxy
(Jasmine Guy), Betty (Rebecca Gayheart –
who left the series during the 1st season) and
Daisy Adair (Laura Harris). Each one met their
demise at different periods in time, and as the
series progresses, we learn about each one of
them. All of the characters are terrifically well-written
and acted, and the relationships that build between
them and the reluctant George are priceless. Being
that George is the main focus of the series, she
constantly finds herself trying to insinuate herself
back into her family’s life, or at least
spy on them to make sure they are okay. When you
become a Reaper your appearance to the living
changes, so she is able to get quite close without
causing too much difficulty. And of course, this
little obsession of hers offers no end of trouble
between her and Rube.
What is fascinating about the series is that aside
from all the wickedly dark humor, there is a lot
of philosophizing going on. It’s not until
after her death, that George begins to realize
how good life really was, and how much she misses
it. Granted she still gets to ‘live’,
which includes getting a job and finding a place
to call home, but it’s not her old life.
As we see her grow and learn to appreciate what
she no longer has, it really makes you think about
what you have now, and how precious it really
is.
Sadly, shortly after the release of the 1st season
DVD, the news spread that the series was going
to be cancelled after the end of the 2nd season.
I was totally bummed out about this as I enjoyed
the series immensely. Granted, I could at least
look forward to the DVD set of the 2nd season,
but no more after that? I say, “Crap.”
I don’t know of there was any push to save
the series by fans (like shows like “Roswell”
and “Firefly” have benefited from),
but if there had been I wish I could have joined
up. I would have picketed for this one.
That said, the aforementioned DVD set for the
second season was released last month, and I only
recently received it and had the time to review.
Of course, with e series like this I hate using
the term review. Let’s just say I watched
it… and enjoyed it every bit as much as
the first season. There was a little part of me
that hoped that the show starting sucking during
this season, that way I would be less saddened
by the show’s ‘demise’, but
not a chance. If anything, the second season was
even better than the first.
The only thing the show suffered during the second
season (other than its imminent cancellation)
was the departure of creator Bryan Fuller, due
to creative differences with the studio. Fuller
was also responsible for another series that was
cut down before its time, “Wonderfalls.”
His creative vision made both of these shows fresh
and funny, if not just a little left of center.
Though I could tell his control had been taken
away, the series still kept up some strong forward
momentum, thanks in part to the tremendous cast.
The new 4-disc set offers up all 15 episodes of
the series’ 2nd (and final) season. I did
enjoy the extra features this set offered up,
but missed the actor commentaries from the 1st
season. I guess since the show was ending no one
really felt like speaking up, and I can’t
say that I blame them. While there are no commentaries,
this new set does have an 11-minute featurette
about the show that does allow the cast the chance
to talk a bit. What’s sad about these interviews,
however is that they talk about the show as if
there is going to be a 3rd season. Seeing them
so excited about the series only makes me imagine
how they had to have felt when the axe fell. What
a shame.
There is also a featurette the focuses a bit on
the minimal special effects that are used in the
series. The most interesting to me were the CGI
“Gravelings” (the little monstrosities
that set into motion the events that often end
someone’s life). They’re creepy little
buggers and it was cool seeing how they were designed.
You’ll also find 9 short deleted scenes,
but there’s nothing to tell you what episodes
they’re from so it was difficult to place
them into particular episodes.
“Dead Like Me” might not appeal to
everyone because the humor could be very, very
dark at times. Plus, all the characters talked
like sailors (which doesn’t bother me, but
I know it will bother some). The writing was incredibly
sharp and funny and if I had anything to say about
it, there would have certainly been a 3rd season.
Episodes:
Send in the Clown
The Ledger
Ghost Story
The Shallow End
Hurry
In Escrow
Rites of Passage
The Escape Artist
Be Still My Heart
Death Defying
Ashes to Ashes
Forget Me Not
Last Call
Haunted
Starring: Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Callum Blue,
Jasmine Guy, Laura Harris, Cynthia Stephenson,
Britt McKillip
Extras: “Dead Like Me… Again”
Featurette, Putting Life Into Death Featurette,
Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1) Enhanced for
16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Sony / Columbia Tristar
Release Date: 7/19/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website
We'll give Dead Like Me: Season 2 an A.
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