Film Review Stew: DEAD LIKE ME: SEASON TWO

HUGE THUMBS UP SERIES REVIEW RATING!

There are few television series' that can continually hold peoples interests for very long. But those that can are so spectacular that they burn brightest before being snuffed out. Such is the case with Showtime's DEAD LIKE ME.

After two short but extremely sweet seasons, DLM was given the axe for unknown reasons.

This second season is just as fantastic as the first, giving us more laughs, more thought-provoking character analysis, and more gut-wrenching and tear-jerking episodes.

If you're not familiar with the premise of the series, it goes something like this:

Eighteen-year-old Georgia ("George") Lass, on her first day of work, is killed by a toilet seat that blasts into Earth's atmosphere from the disintegrating Mir space station. After the explosion, she's recruited into reaperhood by Mandy Patinkin (Rube). And with Rube comes a clutch of other reapers, all with attitudes, personal baggage, and problems of their own. Most notable among them is Mason (played perfectly by Callum Blue), an alcoholic, drug-using reaper who knows no boundaries. In one hilarious but ultimately sad episode during this season, Mason has to reap the father of a young girl during the girl's birthday party. And Mason has to dress up as a clown to get into the party. But Mason is anything but a clown and, in fact, hates them. So when he's asked to make balloon animals for the children, he produces some very phallic looking items, much to the chagrin of the parents at the party. And then, after he successfully reaps the girl's father, he heads outside to rip off his clown nose and start drinking heavily from a whiskey bottle.

We also get to see Georgia lose her virginity and grow up a bit (even though she's still dead). And we get to witness how Gravelings are made (the beastie little creatures that cause all the bad accidents).

But those revelations pale in comparison to what happens to Rube. In one of the most heartbreaking episodes, Rube discovers that his one and only daughter is still alive, and is about to die. If you watch this and it doesn't choke you up, I fear that you're dead!

It is sad to think that there will be no further exploration of these amazing characters' lives. I will certainly miss not learning what happens to George as she grows psychologically and emotionally. I will miss not knowing if Reggie, George's younger sister, blossoms into a normal young lady. I'll miss all of these wonderful people.