redthroatedloon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
redthroatedloon) wrote2004-10-26 07:57 am
redthroatedloon) wrote2004-10-26 07:57 am
Dead Like Me Comments
The Significant Other and I have decided that Dead Like Me is one of the best series on TV today (with the exception of Stargate, of course...). Last Sunday's episode, which we saw last night, just left us speechless. Well, not speechless (because nothing short of a removal of his vocal cords would make the S.O. speechless), but just amazed.
There were so many moments that were just done so very, very well.
There was Rube saying goodnight to his young daughter, knowing that he was about to go off and do something very dangerous (and the audience knowing that he was gonna die and never come back). Singing "Forever" to the little girl (and, thank god, keeping it low and low-key, which must have been a strain for Mandy Patinkin, whose ability to pull every tiny emotion out of a song and blast it across the country is well known).
Which led to Rube saying goodbye to his elderly daughter, which had me in tears. It was just perfectly written and performed, simple and dignified, without any of the television forced-feeding of mawkish sentimentality that would usually accompany just a scene. It really threw me.
The scenes with Joy, Clancy, and Reggie were also marvelous. The S.O. was extremely impressed, especially with the last scene, where Joy tells Clancy "You were a good father today. That doesn't make you a good husband." The normal TV drama would have had her softening and the audience going, "Aw -- she's gonna take him back. Aww." Nope. There's a slight possibility, but they were miserable together and the man left her for a student. It's gonna take more than him just wanting it for her to give that a try again. The actress played it perfectly.
But of course, the scene that left us gasping was the last one. What the fuck was that? Did George know what would happen when she touched Ray? Or did she suspect that something would happen, and was satisfied when it did? And what did happen? Obviously, she took Ray's soul, and so he disappeared as a graveling, but where did he go? (If anywhere.)
And the character development here is marvelous. We are first told George has changed (by Delores, whom we believe), and then are shown that she has matured -- so much so, that she can handle a situation that has two supposedly "older" reapers, Daisy and Mason, totally freaked.
In fact, this episode was all about maturing. Rube being able to say goodbye to his daughter. Joy being able to talk reasonably with her husband, and Clancy being able to deal with his daughter. Reggie learning to handle her dog's death, and being upfront about her belief about George. Mason finally, maybe, getting a clue. And the whole thing with George.
I'm really looking forward to the next episode. It's the season closer, which I'm not happy about, but the last few episodes have been so well done, and this one (Halloween, when apparently reapers take on their own appearances) has such potential, that I'm really psyched.
There were so many moments that were just done so very, very well.
There was Rube saying goodnight to his young daughter, knowing that he was about to go off and do something very dangerous (and the audience knowing that he was gonna die and never come back). Singing "Forever" to the little girl (and, thank god, keeping it low and low-key, which must have been a strain for Mandy Patinkin, whose ability to pull every tiny emotion out of a song and blast it across the country is well known).
Which led to Rube saying goodbye to his elderly daughter, which had me in tears. It was just perfectly written and performed, simple and dignified, without any of the television forced-feeding of mawkish sentimentality that would usually accompany just a scene. It really threw me.
The scenes with Joy, Clancy, and Reggie were also marvelous. The S.O. was extremely impressed, especially with the last scene, where Joy tells Clancy "You were a good father today. That doesn't make you a good husband." The normal TV drama would have had her softening and the audience going, "Aw -- she's gonna take him back. Aww." Nope. There's a slight possibility, but they were miserable together and the man left her for a student. It's gonna take more than him just wanting it for her to give that a try again. The actress played it perfectly.
But of course, the scene that left us gasping was the last one. What the fuck was that? Did George know what would happen when she touched Ray? Or did she suspect that something would happen, and was satisfied when it did? And what did happen? Obviously, she took Ray's soul, and so he disappeared as a graveling, but where did he go? (If anywhere.)
And the character development here is marvelous. We are first told George has changed (by Delores, whom we believe), and then are shown that she has matured -- so much so, that she can handle a situation that has two supposedly "older" reapers, Daisy and Mason, totally freaked.
In fact, this episode was all about maturing. Rube being able to say goodbye to his daughter. Joy being able to talk reasonably with her husband, and Clancy being able to deal with his daughter. Reggie learning to handle her dog's death, and being upfront about her belief about George. Mason finally, maybe, getting a clue. And the whole thing with George.
I'm really looking forward to the next episode. It's the season closer, which I'm not happy about, but the last few episodes have been so well done, and this one (Halloween, when apparently reapers take on their own appearances) has such potential, that I'm really psyched.
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I'm not there yet and don't want to be spoiled.
But I wanted to say the one about "rites of passage" with gramma made me weepy about 6 times. Daisy with the priest. (Maybourne!) and the one before with the pre-op transexual. And the VIPR ep with Mason kneeling over the shot woman shouting "What's her name!?!" Egad, I just go *gape*. It's amazing how they've made these generally unlikable people so... likable.
You are correct in your assessment *nods* Best show around, with the exception of DaVinci's Inquest, which I pity you all for not being able to see.
Egad, Mason shouting "What's her name!?" Kept me up that night, that moment.
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