In the thirteenth episode of the second season of Dead Like Me, Mason receives a mysterious purple Post-It from Rube while George ponders what it means to move on. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Dead Like Me.
WELL THAT WAS ONE MASSIVE PUNCH OF FEELINGS ALL ABOUT MASON. H E L P.
- Let’s talk about all the other characters before I spend time talking about Mason and his growth on this show. Which, fair warning, will probably take up most of this review! Granted, he’s the main focus of this episode, so YEAH. YEAH.
- I’m starting with George! While there are a lot of smaller moments that I’m happy “Last Call” gives us, I did feel her story was kind of repetitive. How many times can Dead Like Me have the main character ponder her own life or regret what she did when she was alive? I feel like we’ve seen this at least a half dozen times over the course of the show, and I think that’s a conservative estimate. Yes, this episode frames things differently because it’s about George mistrusting the fact that an employee at Happy Time deserves a goodbye party. And she ends up being right about the fact that Brian is awful! Still, having George reflect on what her last day was like on earth didn’t feel all that engaging. I was more interested in Delores. That’s usually the case?
- But George having that wild west chase sequence was awesome! As was her handshake bonding with Crystal! And Delores having that super heartbreaking moment of sadness when she realized that one day she’d have to say goodbye to Millie! TOO MANY FEELINGS.
- Still, at least it all thematically fit in with the episode. “Last Call” explored the idea of saying good bye, and everyone aside from George had an utterly fascinating story. It’s neat to think about how Rube fits in with this, too. The whole reason he’s seeking out his daughter is because he didn’t get to say goodbye to her. I was surprised this episode didn’t continue to show us more of his personal journey, but now I’m guessing that the writers want to save this for the very end.
- It’s nice to have Roxy back in the mix, though I wish she served a greater purpose than tying up the loose ends of the plot. It’s implied that she helped eliminate police interest in Ray’s disappearance, but that’s all it is: an implication. She doesn’t ever seem to get a story of her own, and often, she’s just gone from entire episodes. Why did she have a personal day? I would like that story! Why aren’t we getting it? Is there some behind-the-scenes issue that I’m not aware of?
- Anyway, we get a tough tale for Reggie. After feeding chocolate to JD while home alone, he escapes the yard and is killed by a car. We get another glimpse of the pet reaper, and a somewhat confusing display of guilt from George, who somehow thinks this is her fault? That aside, it’s yet another thing that Reggie has lost. I still think Reggie believes that George is visiting her in some way, or perhaps just communicating with her, so it’s heartbreaking that the dog is now gone, too. That was yet another connection to her sister, even if it wasn’t a conscious or intentional one.
- Plus, George is very blatant lately about appearing at her old house, and I suspect Reggie is going to question who keeps showing up in that red convertible.
- But what really grabbed me about “Last Call” was the aftermath of Ray’s murder. Both Mason and Daisy are trying their best to cope with what happened, though Mason’s not doing to well on the LIE BETTER front. Oh god, he tries so hard and fails so spectacularly. I think Roxy wouldn’t have been nearly as suspicious of Ray’s disappearance if Mason hadn’t been so obvious.
- And then Mason gets a Post-It.
- It’s purple.
- Why is it purple?
- WHY IS IT PURPLE?
- So here’s the thing: Mason provides a lot of the comedy in this show, and I’ve mentioned that he’s often the butt of someone’s joke. At the end of this episode, there is humor in the revelation that Mason simply got the first of a batch of purple Post-Its. There was no special meaning to his differently-colored reap. And yet, what we see here matters. In the wake of having committed murder and possibly setting a vengeful graveling loose into the world, it matters to Mason that this may be his last day. What we get to see in this episode is a poignant attempt by Mason to reach out to the few people in his life who he does care for.
- And that’s not a joke, and I appreciate it so much. This exploration of his characterization of the course of the show is important, you know? I found his plot way more prescient than George’s because he was openly engaging with the idea of saying goodbye. If he knew he was going to move on from this life, what would he do? Tell George that he appreciates and loves her. He’ll give Daisy the engagement ring that she wanted, even if he recognizes that she won’t reciprocate the same feelings that he has for her. And then he warns his final reap of what is to come, hoping to give the man a chance to find peace in his final moments of life.
- The writers are very clever not to reveal the truth until the very end of this episode. It adds so much more suspense and intrigue to the story! When Mason showed up to that lake, I started wondering what this meant. Was this man a real reap, or was he a representative of Death? Was Mason about to be reprimanded for killing someone? There were so many possibilities in those initial moments, and that was so exciting. Even when Mason’s reap is clueless and shocked by Mason’s admission of who he is, the viewer is still left wondering if this really is Mason’s final appearance. You know, if the last image we’d ever got of Mason was of him deciding to go for a naked late night swim with his last reap, I’d be happy. That was his decision, and he wanted to do something silly and foolish with his final moments. We’re even led to believe that he died or passed along with the reap when the next shot is Mason-less. Everyone is at the table except for him.
- I would like to see the next episode address this, though. This show isn’t terribly serialized, but this is such a huge moment in Mason’s reaper life, and I’d feel weird if he’s just perfectly fine in the next episode. I mean, he gave Daisy an engagement ring. That’s a big deal!
- Odds bobs, only two episodes left. I can’t believe it. IT’S ALMOST OVER. 🙁
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