I think stylistically the pilot of Dead Like Me is VERY similar to "Wax Lion."

I think DLM and Wonderfalls are basically the same exact concept, with a little different twist. There's a young slacker girl, very smart, with tons of potential, who's basically wasting her life, and avoiding human interaction when fate steps in and says, "OK, you've had your chance, now your ass is mine!" In Jaye's case, inanimate objects start talking to her, and George gets pulverized by a toilet seat from space. The result is pretty much the same, in that they're forced to help total strangers against their will, but the consequences for George are much harsher.

I found DLM to be a very rich and rewarding experience. I thought that watching George struggle and rebel and suffer some really heartbreaking moments, and then start to open up and come to life was really amazing. Very fertile ground for a character to grow in, and a great arc from where she started at in the pilot to where she ended up at the end of the first season. I'm really looking forward to the new ones starting in July.

The final episode of Blue Murder is due to air on Global (Canadian network) Friday night. Kari Matchett is a member of the current cast.

I think DLM and Wonderfalls are basically the same exact concept, with a little different twist. There's a young slacker girl, very smart, with tons of potential, who's basically wasting her life, and avoiding human interaction when fate steps in and says, "OK, you've had your chance, now your ass is mine!" [snip] The result is pretty much the same, in that they're forced to help total strangers against their will, but the consequences for George are much harsher.

Yup. I found a lot of similarities in content as well as style, although George has more of a support network than Jaye does. (I love Mandy Patinkin, he's marvelous in that role.) But the consequences for George are, in fact, much worse: she's dead, and she can't help her family, which is falling apart. Like Jaye, she can't resist her destiny either, but the cause-and-effect of George's resistance is a little clearer.

I love the secondary characters in DLM a lot, even Daisy. And I want to find out if the Reapers can change after death, because if so, why is Doyle Mason still so stupid?

I know that the last few episodes seemed a bit wandery, and it's not a show with a tight plotline, but I enjoy the hell out of it when I watch it.

I absolutely adore Mandy Patinkin in that role, he is just so laid back and, and, well right for the role. And I thought it was really decent of him to let DB off the crap accent hook by producing the worst Scottish accent ever, in the the whole history of everything.

And yes that includes Scotty.

I agree, Mandy Patinkin is one of the best things about the show, and the rest of the cast is great too - nice ensemble. Even some of the guest stars really get a chance to shine, which is nice.

I think Mason hasn't grown because he doesn't want to. He's a fuck-up, and he'd rather get stoned, and that's part of his charm. He's comic relief, but he still gets a few scenes that go a little deeper. Maybe George will inspire him to want to grow up.

I like Dead Like Me a lot, but I wish they hadn't thrown out some of Bryan's great ideas after he left. The biggest thing was the gay Clancy storyline, of course, which was going to result in an episode where George finds out her father's gay and realizes she therefore probably isn't even supposed to exist, so that makes the fact that she does even more special -- it's kind of a wake-up call. He also had an episode dealing with reaper mythology, and a storyline in which George kills a reaper and finds out that's where gravelings come from; they're dead reapers and it's kind of like reaper hell. Finally, he had a longer, bittersweet scene between Betty and George where they discuss the afterlife and why they "can't go where they go" which got cut from "Reaping Havoc." There are other little things, too, but those are the big ones... and I really would have loved to see all that stuff happen.

Quoting: a storyline in which George kills a reaper and finds out that's where gravelings come from; they're dead reapers and it's kind of like reaper hell

Okay, that would have been frelling cool. Wow.

The bit about Clancy? Well, I dunno. I suppose it could have worked, but that family was pretty dysfunctional already. I did feel as if his storyline was dropped a bit most of the way through the season.

The gay Clancy thing was set up in the pilot and then dropped, is what bothers me. Remember at George's funeral when her dad's hugging that guy and George asks Rube if a friendly hug between two men is supposed to last that long? There's also a tiny bit in the episode "Sunday Mornings" -- a man walks into the restaurant, sees George's friend comforting Clancy, and leaves looking upset. Little things, but I noticed them before I knew of the dropped storyline, and it bugs me that they didn't follow through.

I posted more details on SaveWonderfalls, but the Comic-Con is definitely a go. The Wonderfalls screening (of "Lying Pig" and "Cocktail Bunny") is on Sunday, July 25. I still don't have the exact time, but it's shortly after Joss Whedon's thing. The second Knitting Factory screening is still happening, too (there was a bit of trouble with it -- the studio wasn't happy that it was a paid event -- but I think it's worked out now). It's on July 23, and they're showing "Crime Dog" and "Muffin Buffalo." I might be going to both screenings (no definite plans yet), and if I do, I'd love to meet any Buffistas who are going.