"Dead Like Me" Pilot (2003)

Director:

Scott Winant

Writer (WGA):

Bryan Fuller (written by)

TV Series:

"Dead Like Me" (2003)

Original Air Date:

27 June 2003 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Train Wreck | Robbery | Strip Search | Bank

Cast

Ellen Muth	...	Georgia 'George' Lass
Rebecca Gayheart	...	Betty Rhomer
Callum Blue	...	Mason
Jasmine Guy	...	Roxy Harvey
Greg Kean	...	Clancy Lass
Britt McKillip	...	Reggie Lass
Christine Willes	...	Delores Herbig
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Joy Lass
Mandy Patinkin	...	Rube Sofer
Jodelle Ferland	...	Kirsti (as Jodelle Micah Ferland)
David Lewis	...	Dave Romain
Matthew Currie Holmes	...	Record Store Employee B.M. Moore
Debbie Podowski	...	Becky
Brad Sihvon	...	Brett
Sean Amsing	...	Druggie #1

Runtime:

70 min | Germany:71 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Trivia:

George's wish that she could just "wish it into the corn field" is a reference to Jerome Bixby's short story, "It's a Good Life," in which a little boy with god-like powers whisks an entire town into an alternate reality, and holds the population in a paralysis of fear. "Wish it into the cornfield" was what his mother pleaded with Anthony to do to creatures, and people, that he had killed. The story was adapted for the original "The Twilight Zone" (1959), with Bill Mumy, and re-imagined for Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

Goofs:

Continuity: In later episodes, it is established that if you reap the soul after death, the soul has the characteristics of the dead body - like claw-marks on the face, flattened heads or even autopsy scars. Yet here, Roxy reaps a woman's soul after a piano has fallen on her, but her soul emerges totally intact and unscathed.

Quotes:

George: [George was supposed to reap her first soul, a little girl, and she doesn't want to do it]
[to Rube]
George: If you want her to die so bad, *you* do it!
Rube: [angrily] I can't, no one can except you. Death is non-transferable, she's *your* mark. Only you can do the deed.
George: Well then, barring any unforeseen accidents, I'd say she has another eighty years.
Rube: Yeah, well you believe me, that's eighty years she doesn't want.
George: What is that supposed to mean?
Rube: Her fate was sealed the moment she got onto that train. Her soul expired. You know what happens when you keep a soul around after its time?
George: No.
Rube: Same thing happens to milk. It spoils, goes bad, souls go bad in all kinds of ways.
[...]

Soundtrack:

Hell

Flawed but promising start to an intriguing show

Having watched the series all the way through a couple of times now, I can appreciate the pilot more than I initially did. It effectively sets up the show's concept and introduces us to all the characters in this quirky universe. The cast all excel at making each character unique – the reapers themselves are a hodge-podge of differing backgrounds and attitudes. And George's off-screen narration makes some clever satirical comments about life and death – her opening story about how death came into the world is a delight.

The main flaw of the episode is that it lacks a really likable character. The lead character George is a self-confessed shirker who's lost interest in the world. Her fellow reapers are aloof at best, downright mean at worst. Even her own family is unpleasant to watch. The story isn't funny enough to be a real comedy; it's more of a light-hearted drama with occasional touches of genuine pathos. If you stick around for the series, you'll grow to like these characters – even for some of the very flaws that make them undesirable in this outing. My advice is to watch the pilot with low expectations. Just get to know the characters and the setup and proceed on to the next episodes. If you like a show that's truly different, you'll enjoy this in the long run. And later, when you watch this pilot again, you'll find it was better than you first thought.