If you were a fan of the cable TV series Dead Like Me (2003-2004), you may have been disappointed that this whimsical series about the lives of a Grim Reaper squad, and the youngest member in particular, George, came to an end after only two fairly good seasons.
But you may not have heard that there was a movie sequel, Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009). However, don’t let the fact that I’m mentioning it tempt you into running right to your TV and seeing it, because it’s inferior to the series.
First of all, Rube is gone, and the character who takes over as squad leader has the requisite accompanying mystery, but all the personal warmth of a squid wrapped around your face.
Second, the actress who played Daisy was replaced (due to other commitments), and her replacement simply didn’t have the same personal flair as did the original actress, Laura Harris, nor the chemistry that had been developed between Daisy and Mason. Most of the other supporting characters and their actors, including Reggie (but I’m not sure about Murray, who I always felt stole every scene in which he made an appearance), make return appearances.
But in the end, it came down to the story they were trying to tell. The charm of each episode of the series was the attempt to tackle a couple of problems in maturation, one applying to one or two of the squad of Grim Reapers, such as Daisy’s vanity, and one applying to a member of George’s now-grieving family. One can argue that the replacement of the squad leader, the primary problem in this movie, is another question of maturation, but it’s not handled in a manner that really inspires the proper reaction in the audience, and that’s because character logic broke down. Roxy, in her bring-in-living role as police officer, gets to meet and drink with the Police Commissioner, and when faced with her next reaping, saves the man instead. Why? Roxy was a strong by the rules character. No reason is given for her sudden change.
Delores and Mason really go nowhere, and Daisy has regressed. George cruises along, but reveals herself to her sister, Reggie, another big no-no.
But, worst of all, the directives from Upper Management, or whatever that entity might be called, are occasionally wrong. Is this deliberate miscommunication by the new squad leader? Something else? It’s never explained, not even hinted at, and while we could laugh at it as double-entendre deus ex machina, it’s deeply unsatisfying as a plot mechanism. The best plot mechanisms are organic to the characters and their situation, and this is like inserting a Predator into the movie and expecting it to make sense. Sure, there’d be a novelty element to a powerful creature discovering Reapers are unkillable, but so what?
