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Showtime (Ended 2004)

Episode Score

 
8.9 Great
198 votes

Your Score

Air Date

Friday September 12, 2003

Production Code

111/P464

Episode Summary

It's time for annual evaluations for the Reapers. Meanwhile, George is desperate to know whose name is on Rube's post-it, for the address is that of her family's house.

  •  
    10 Perfect

    Annual self evaluation time, and a death to take place at the Lass' hide show

    It's past the witching Hour and the reapers gather at the Waffle House to take their annual self evaluation to which George is excluded. She is angered later to learn that Rube is to take the soul of someone at her address, she is secretly relieved when it turns out to be the milkman, but she continues to find it hard to let go of her family. Meanwhile Daisy is hiding something, and she is not about to let on what it is. All this episode is covered with flashbacks from this season, with a cameo from the dearly departed Betty

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  •  
    9.2 Superb

    Reaper tests hide show

    An excellent episode that starts a little bit slow but grows up to be yet another awesome Dead Like Me episode.

    It shows what all the characters stand for.
    Roxy is a tough-ass b!tch who doesn’t let people walk over her.
    Daisy is a girl who puts on a smile but there is more behind it, also she blows a lot.
    Mason is a guy who makes life pretty interesting for himself.

    George can’t sleep and she goes to the waffle house where the other three reapers are making a test but she isn’t allowed to (I mean, hellow. Be thankful).
    She also finds a card in a book about someone dying close to her home which freaks her out and gets her mad at Rube, she isn’t afraid of him like everyone else.

    The best thing about this episode is the way it continued the beautiful father/daughter relationship of Rube and George. The way she annoys him is exactly like a daughter, and the way he always manages to comfort her. It’s wonderful, also poor George is tired of it all but it turns out that she was worried for nothing. The one who died was a milk guy who got squashed by his own truck,

    It’s also interesting the way Daisy was pictured on a painting, there is something about her.
    ‘Nighthawks’ isn’t one of the show’s best but it still manages to continue and develop this excellent show. It has also a depressing feeling to it which gives this show an extra genre.

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  •  
    9.7 Superb

    First of all - this is not a regular Clip-show, this is the "Best of" of all the scenes that are important for each and every character in the series.It is so cleverly executed that if someone missed all the episodes before, this would be the one to watch hide show

    As one of the reviewers pointed out - it is kind of early for a series to have it's 12'th episode be the Clip show, but in this case it is so well placed and arranged that it stands as one of the best episodes of that type that I have ever seen on TV. And I have seen a lot of them.

    The authors have placed their characters in the middle of the evaluation test, in the middle of nowhere (Der Waffle House), in the middle of the night. Each and every one has their role in the series (and in life) is brought down to one or two specific scenes. But the manner how it is done is not only character revealing, but it defines the series as a whole. It has all the "Best of" moments that made me laugh and when I think of this series, I think of this episode. From the scenes with Rube and George(who has her personal breaking point)to the scene where Roxy hits Mason with a wan as he is stealing coins from the parking clock. The fact that George is the only one not given the test should not fool you, because she has far more worse and serious test to do: What if someone in her family dies?Would she be able to help? The answer is, as always, given by Rube: No. You can't stop fate.
    Anyway, it was a nice one to watch, and a real must-have for all the Fans out there.

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  •  
    10 Perfect

    This is less a review than a comment, but since I'm level one, it won't let me do much on here. I'm surprised no one has made a reference here to the Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks". Nobody noticed? Or it was too obvious to comment? hide show

    This is less a review than a comment, but since I'm level one, it won't let me do much on here. I'm surprised no one has made a reference here to the Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks". Nobody noticed? Or it was too obvious to comment? One two three four five.

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  •  
    8.5 Great

    Not just another clip show. hide show

    I was very surprised to see a flashback episode in such an early episode. Usually, that's something that comes much later in a show's life, and almost always as a filler.

    This, however, was not the case here, since many of the clips where never shown, and since overall, there was plot advancement (sort of) and character development.

    We got to see more of the softer, kinder Daisy.
    Through George's remark, and the way Daisy looked at that painting, we start to realize that she's more than a shallow manipulator.
    Funny how once again a painting is what melts away that mask she always wares.
    According to George, Daisy is "sad about something", and although this episode wasn't centered on her, the few glimpses were enough to make me want to know what that something is.

    The Rube-George plot made me angry.
    I've always liked Rube, but the way he gave her that 'test' was cruel.
    He broke her down to the point of tears, until she admitted that there's no stopping fate.
    Did he have to do that? Did he have to make her think someone in her family was going to die?
    I don't know, maybe he did. She IS stubborn.
    Personally, I think she had learned her lesson by now. She has tried not taking a soul and causing someone to miss his appointment with death, and nothing has worked.
    Even so, when it comes to family, I doubt logic comes into play. Even after her past mistakes, and even after tonight, if someone in her family ever actually has a meeting with death, she will definitely try and stop it. And I hope she succeeds.

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Episode Cast and Crew

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  • Featured Death:
    - Graveling messes with parking brake and runs over milkman (soul taken by Rube) []
  • It has been stated by numerous Dead Like Me cast/crew (including Ellen Muth) that Nighthawks is their favorite episode of the whole series. []
  • Episode excerpts were written by:
    Dan Fesman, Bryan Fuller, Stephen Godchaux, Paul Lieberstein, John Masius, Pete Ocko, J.J. Philbin, Tom Spezialy and Harry Victor. []
  • This episode posed as a clipshow, featuring excerpts from previous episodes. The purpose of the clips is to ironically juxtapose the reapers' (self-serving) self-evaluation with the often comical reality. []
  • Roxie: I was out like a light when you called me.
    Rube: No, you weren't, I heard your microwave ding in the backround. What were you whipping up in there sweethart?
    Roxie: I like popcorn. I like to watch old black-and-white movies and eat popcorn. []
  • George (to Rube): Fuck your book and fuck your world. []
  • Rube: I didn't decide someone was going to die in your driveway. It's not always about you Georgia. []
More Quotes

Allusions

  • George: Did you all get together to vote me off the island?

    Sensing that her fellow reapers might be conspiring behind her back, George channels Survivor. []
  • George: Some allegedly great writer.

    The writer, of course, is Raymond Chandler, author of "The Big Sleep" and one of the great figures of American literature. []
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