There is life after death
It’s interesting how a show with so much potential can suddenly stop on a dime. Dead Like Me seemed to have departed just a tab bit early (no pun intended), but like shows such as Firefly it wasn’t quite ready to die (Firefly was cancelled two weeks after airing on Fox network. It’s not shocking because Fox was known for killing shows faster than someone would kill flies in their house. Firefly creator Joss Whedon directed a movie that sprang from the show, Serenity). So with that said, Dead Like Me, which has a huge cult following (not in the literal sense) produced a movie called Dead Like Me: Life After Death.
The movie picks up where the last piece left off, Rube Sofer (head reaper) has left the group and they are now under new management. Cameron Kane, a very shady and ruthless business man, is now the lead. He distributes work like a stock broker and holds people accountable for their failures as much as Will Ferrell’s fans do when he fails at being funny (which isn’t often). When Kane’s uncaring attitude starts spreading amongst the group like a disease, with immediate and significant consequences, the only person to help bring it all back is George. Sticking to her roots, George tries to maintain her excellent job requirements as a reaper, following the rules and avoiding straying. She runs into a snag though, when she is asked to reap a person who has been in a hit and run, she finds out that the person is her sister’s boyfriend. George’s dilemma now is that she needs to consul her sister through this tough time. If she does, she will reveal herself as a reaper. Tough choices…
Having only seen the show a few times, I knew this was unique. The entire concept of people having to reap others into the afterlife was fantastic. I can see how this might have been a cancelled show on network television (the premise is a bit grim — but hey, Touch by an Angel was popular… yeah, not the same thing), but for showtime to do away with it was a bit silly. The show really had some legs and could have lasted longer than Deadwood, not sure why they gave up on it. It seems like the budget for the show couldn’t have been that expensive, mainly because outside of a regular television production, the only thing you would be paying for are the special effects. Anyway, this recent movie really brought out some more life into the concept. You have a dilemma that gets introduced about the possible consequences of not taking someone when they die. That is always a moral decision that is interesting to propose for a show. It does help out the overall theme of the show, where it’s there job to keep the status quo when it comes to death. It’s like if you went to your job and didn’t do it because you felt a need for a change. You would feel that ripple extend out beyond your job and pretty much set some other disasters in motion. So, the movie is interesting to see unfold. There is also a dilemma presented here, that is more human than supernatural, where our main character George has to decide whether to consul her grieving sister or not. That’s tough, a little bit tougher than whether she should do her job or not.
Anyway, the movie is strong with dilemma, but it might be just a tad long on delivery. Certainly this isn’t anything more than a glorified episode. I think that it would have been nice to see a bit more of the mom in this story, but what can you do? Her character seems as if she isn’t quite done getting through the death of her daughter. Her character almost begs for more time on the screen, but alas the movie stayed true to itself by concentrating solely on the sisters. Again, what can you do? Still, if you needed a reason to watch the show again, or you needed some hope that Showtime might come to its senses and start up the series again, this movie should be that hope. I would love to see an FX or a USA pick this series up and bring it back. Scrubs got a second chance, why not this? It has a solid concept and it needs to keep going.
As for the presentation value of this DVD, you get some good stuff. It’s very on-par with typical DVDs and it does nothing special, except bring some pretty darn cool menus (comic based). As for the features, you might be a bit disappointed. You get some good stuff that helps reinforce the need (and shows the desire) to continue the series. It just makes everything a tad bit sadder knowing that there may not be a reboot to this show.
Enjoy the ride while it last, folks!