A Reaping Good Time. (Dead Like Me)

Member Name: antoniakelly

Product:	Dead Like Me
Date:	09/11/08 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intelligent writing, brilliant acting, laughs a plenty.

Disadvantages: None whatsoever.

If you're wondering what that strange yellow light emanating from your monitor is, it's this review, glowing gold, sparkling with the praise contained within. Because sometimes, a TV show is just so brilliant you can't be anything but as positive as a cheerleader on speed.

'Dead Like Me' is the story of Georgia 'George' Lass. She's an 18-year-old virginal college drop-out with a large dose of snark and couldn't-care-less attitude. She doesn't know what to do with her life and she doesn't much care. And then, she dies.

Instead of passing on, George becomes a 'Reaper'. It becomes her job to take the souls from people, moments before they die. She is assigned to "Unnatural Deaths", which largely involves deaths by gory and ridiculous accidents, and sets about living an un-life which involves no home, no pay and very little job satisfaction. And she has no choice. Suddenly, George has a responsibility in life - if she doesn't take a soul before their untimely expiration, they will suffer eternally.

To help with this is a group of fellow Reapers, headed by the mysterious Rube, who plays the roles of mentor, father figure and disciplinarian to George, in equal parts. He's the guy who gets "The List" of people who are to die, and writes the time of death and name on Post-Its, which he then doles out to his Reapers. You could be fooled into believing Rube is a hard, uncaring man, and while his sense of humour is equally hilarious and disturbing, still waters run deep.

Next up is Mason, a brilliantly crafted character who makes me grin every time I see him. Mason 'died' when he was trying to drill a whole into his head to achieve the 'ultimate high'. This should tell you plenty about his character; he certainly hasn't changed his goals now he's dead. Somehow, the writers manage to make a character who is, in essense, a druggie and alcoholic, into one of the most endearing creations to ever grace a television set. He assumes the role of big brother to George, though when she's learnt the ropes of being a Reaper it becomes the other way around.

Then there's Roxie, who has perhaps the most amusing death story, having been murdered by a jealous roommate when Roxie hit upon the concept for legwarmers. Roxie is rude, occasionally downright nasty and relishes her role as a Traffic Warden. She's openly dismissive and is least affected by her role as a Reaper. But she is wise, and sometimes sweet, and you cannot help but warm to her.

Completing the group of Reapers is Daisy, who is one of the most instantly loathable characters you'll ever see. But it's okay, she's meant to be. Superficial, false and always perky, until her true nature is revealed it's easy to hate her and wish her first death had been a final one. But surrounded by the surliness of Rube and Roxie and the utter dottiness of Mason, she provides much-needed positive and light relief.

Other characters include George's mother and sister, Reggie, who we see trying to deal with the aftermath of George's death. Her mother in particular was never very nice to her - an interesting twist, considering this is Hollywood - and she regrets her attitude to her eldest child now George is dead. Throughout the first season George is tempted to contact her family, but ultimately doesn't. Reggie is an intriguing character who seemed to care for George much more than she ever let on, and much more than George ever understood. From her afterlife, George assumes a sisterly role she never did in life, and grows as a person from it.

There's also Dolores, George's boss (yes, Reapers have to have day jobs), who is a sickeningly perky, chatty woman but who nevertheless manages to charm both viewer and George alike.

This series is about George's development as a person and how sad it is that it happens now she's dead and can never really benefit from it. Instead of hating Dolores, she learns to love her. She learns to appreciate and watch over her family. She learns the values of friendship and doing the right thing and tries to find a place in life... now that she's dead.

Although this show can be incredibly sad and poignant, for me it's true gold lies in the comedy. To call the humour "black" is to understate it, and while I recognise this may not be to all tastes, I have cried with laughter. Sometimes the scenario is ridiculous, sometimes it's a cracking one-liner and often it's Mason's latest drug-hazed escapade, but the one thing guaranteed is that you'll laugh throughout.

The ability to make the viewer cry for both joy and sadness is a complete one, and one I have never really experienced before. The sadness of George's character development and how it is essentially futile is poignant and heartbreaking, but just when it feels like it's too much, you're laughing. Humour takes the forefront of the show, but the undercurrent sadness is always there. It is a delicate balance and one 'Dead Like Me' walks with effortless style.

Whatever your character and history, there is someone here you will identify with. The Reapers, quite without their knowledge, form a family group, with Rube and Roxie as parents. They're a tight-knit, committed and supportive group but the show is blissfully devoid of them telling each other this. There is no room for sentimentality in the afterlife, but the connection is there nevertheless.

For me, this is television gold. A series that can conjur every emotion on the radar, make you root for the characters and engage you in the outside storylines at the same time is not to be forgotten.

It was cancelled after two series, apparently because the new director of the network disliked it. Such was it's enduring popularity though, it has now been turned into a film with the possibility of it's return as a series. Few shows can come back after the big C, but if anything can, it's this.

Acted by a cast of relative unknowns (though some will recognise Mason as Belle's boyfriend in the second series of 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl') it is sublimely brilliant in every single way. There are no faults, no bad episodes, no low moments, no shark jumping. It just galls me that shows like this get cancelled when nonsense is renewed season after season.

Even if you don't care for the supernatural, give this a go. For this is, when stripped bare, the story of a young girl finding her way - one of the oldest plot devices in the book. But 'Dead Like Me' adds in humour, sublime writing, snappy dialogue and characters you in turn want to slap and hug. It is, in short, a triumph.

Summary: Sometime's the least well known the best, and 'Dead Like Me' is televisual gold.