Friday, August 2, 2013

Dead Like Me, Season 1, Episode 11: Bicycle Thief



Add to the list of things George hates is public transportation which gets George to the Waffle House smelling of oranges. We have another anecdote of someone Daisy had sex with and Mason advises George to steal a car. Rube has a lot of patience; though not so much when Mason starts whining. And rather than stealing a car, Rube pushes the idea of getting a bike.

On to George’s work where she discovers bikes are very expensive and Josh, her co-worker, keeps talking to her; though apparently he saw a job that pays well she may be interested in – which she gets! Rejoice… except Delores who is very very upset about George leaving; George is nice about it but makes an excellent comment about needing a job more “living wageish”.

She may be sorry to see George go but Delores is determined to throw a massive going away party. George tries to stop her, but Delores is determined – and really really angry about George leaving (since she considers Happy Time home), repressed under all those disturbing smiles. George looks around at their colleagues and realises how many of them have personalised their work space and turned it into a little home and co-workers she’s never met before are suddenly really upset that she’s going.

The party begins – and anti-social George instantly hides from her own party and her newest super-duper friend, Stephanie, offers her drugs. And Delores looks awfully jealous. As the party progresses, Josh says how important George must be to get such an amazing party – but George says it’s all Delores so Josh assumes Delores must really care about her – but George says she cares about Happy Time; which Delores over hears and she very pointedly gives George the silent treatment. I think I had a boss like her once.

George tries to get back into Delores’s good books and fails badly – and then realises Stephanie’s casual “look out for each other” statement meant far more in Happy Time, when she finds her under the table tearing up paper looking for… blue and having to save yellow.

After rescuing Stephanie, Delores makes a tearful speech about George leaving.

Daisy’s Reap is a tortured artist, complete with artsy speak he doesn’t sell his art, that’s not why he paints – besides things don’t see until after the artist dies. Yes, Daisy was quick to pay attention to that one. One Reap later and the artist has drunk something he really shouldn’t have. She collects a painting she likes and heads off – followed by the ghost of the dead guy. She takes him to the Waffle House and hands him over to Rube where the ghost objects to her painting theft. Rube tries to point out the man is dead – but the artist insists. (So Rube doesn’t necessarily disapprove of stealing from the dead just conning the bereaved).


Rube tries to haul Daisy over the coals for trying to claim something with every life and how her “acquisitiveness” disrupts his schedule (more than just theft then) and seems to have lost patience with her and leaves her to deal with her own straggler.

And Mason’s Reap is a gay couple, he poses as someone taking a survey and they let him in because he’s cute – and it’s time for cocktails. Of course it is. And Mason asks completely out of line personal questions (at least they don’t let the “which one of you is the woman?” stand). Why do they invite him for a meal again? Thankfully it’s not nearly as awful as it could have been (damned with faint praise), the first man dies by accident and his partner collapses in grief and panic. The ghost tells Mason he can’t leave his grieving partner alone.

Mason hangs around because he has to Reap both of them – but when Henry, the survivor plans to kill himself with a knife, Clancy, the ghost, tries to get Mason to stop him. Mason says he can’t and Henry movingly speaks about living without Cary. Cary suggests he takes pills instead and Mason passes it on. Cary thanks him – and encourages Mason to keep the watch he stole. Mason is visibly moved

Mason returns to the Waffle house and hands the keys to his house to Daisy – saying they need more space. Daisy sees his watch and asks if he’s gay. Well, so much for visibly moving scene.

At the house tortured artist guy talks about spending 2 years to make his painting, what that means to create something outside himself – and how Daisy doesn’t understand. He shows her where to hang the painting and talks about her needing more light – she doesn’t understand and he tells her she has to try harder. He leaves, making her more confused but he says he realised he painted it for her – and walks into the light.

George ends up spending the night at the Waffle House and heads to her new job. And finds her working in the same room (a very sterile room) as a man who refuses to talk to her and only communicates via email. Actually I’ve got 2 or 3 co-workers I wish were like this. After 5 minutes of this, she swears at him and leaves – this office doesn’t feel like home.

She returns to the Waffle House, depressed – and Rube has bought her a bike. Awww. And he gives her her new address; though neither George nor Daisy know why Mason has given up the house – Daisy is extra bemused by how sweet Mason was. And George is bemused by how nice Daisy is being.

At the Lass family (everyone so happy about the dog) and getting a doggy door for said dog. Which Joy installs – and JD promptly uses and disappears through. Yeah this was not well thought out. They go looking for him and Reggie assures Joy it wasn’t her fault. Joy and Clancy continues to look and Joy mistakes his suggestion they split up to look for the dog as asking for a divorce. Oops.

Riding her bike, George runs into JD, the escaped dog and returns the dog to the Lass house, where tensions are already flaring again. Clancy starts to complain about how stupid it was to fit the doggy door before fixing the fence but Reggie stops him.



It’s another episode without a whole lot of meta or ongoing plot – not a bad episode but with none of the main characters growing or developing or any plot I’m always left with a sense of “why?” Though this time I think Mason and Daisy may grow a little – which would be a relief.

The portrayal of the gay couple started highly shakily (and, really did it have to start that way? Aiming for this meaningful poignant portrayal but we had to begin with gay jokes? Can TV writers just not help themselves or something?) but ended up being pretty touching and meaningful, even if they both did end up dead. But tell me that this isn’t the full extent of the inclusion on this show?


Why has Roxy disappeared again?