Reaper/Headscratchers

• The Sock and his Step-Sister subplot. There just is no reason for it within the show. Yes, Sock was lecherous during the first season, but not to this extent. It's just annoying and squicktastic to watch, and the sooner it's over, the sooner Canon Discontinuity can kick in. Though on the other hand, Ben and Nina are adorable.
  • But it's hilarious! There's no reason for the Ben and Nina subplot either. They need something to do with the characters.
  • Eh, Ben and Nina are hilarious. Sock not being able to bone his stepsister is just...lame.
  • Ben and Nina (And Nina in general) ended up being very, very important.
• Steve breaking Sam's hand in the middle of Sam's challenge with the devil. In what twisted way is Sam being damned "all for the best?" In what way is Andi sacrificing her soul "all for the best?"
  • Sam has some sort of "special destiny" involving Armageddon and his status as the Devil's son. This destiny may require Sam to remain bound to the Devil, until he does whatever it is he does best.
    • Which is apparently slacking off and drinking games. Yup. I'm feeling pretty good about the end of the world, aren't you?
      • You dare doubt? Oh ye of little faith...
  • Sam is suprisingly good at doing Devil's errands while remaining healthily reluctant about it, clearly unenticed with the prospectives of his job, and generally uncorruptable, all in all a perfect Anti-Anti-Christ. The upstairs' plan looks something like this to me: have the Devil stuck up with Sam, have his notorious vanity nudge him into trying to convert the boy into a full-fledged Herald of Apocalypse anyway, fail miserably,... ,PROFIT.
  • Explained in the Word of God entry on the main page.
• The Devil cannot enter circles. WHAT??? So first we learn Sam's neighbors have some secret room that the Devil cannot infiltrate. At this point its believable since they're demons and thus might have some insight into the Devil's weaknesses. Then we find out that this is because the Devil can only enter a room through corners and the room is circular. Ok... Then we see that a white picket fence in a circle is sufficient, even though its perfectly possible to step over it. Then, when out in the open, Sam's neighbor draws a circle on the ground with chalk so they can talk without the Devil hearing. That sound you her is the show's entire credibility crashing and burning to the ground. Does that mean that you could indefinitely avoid the Devil by carrying a hula hoop around? The only way this makes any sense is if the Devil really didn't have that weakness but made people think he did so he could lull people into a sense of false security.
  • It's not supposed to make sense. It's magic. And it's generally employed consistently within the plot.
  • Consistency doesn't make it any less stupid.
  • It's just a shame the show didn't continue so they could use the hula hoop trick.
  • Considering that he knew about all the plans of the rebellion, I'm going with the "fake weakness" theory.
    • He knew all about the plans of the rebellion because even though everyone talked about how important it was to stay in the circle, they started going on about their plans anyway as soon as they left.
  • It's more like The Devil cannot use his powers to remotely spy or remotely interfere on someone in a circle, he has to turn up in person if he wants to do anything. It makes perfect sense when you just rephrase a little.
  • I think you're confusing bad writing and Show Their Work. The idea that evil can travel through corners is a superstition that goes back centuries, and is part of the reason that circles are used in summoning and protection spells. Admitedly it doesn't make the idea any less ridiculous, but at least it wasn't the writer's.
  • Actually they do explain it in the very first episode its established. The Devil is always hiding around the corner, listening to people's secrets so he knows exactly how to tempt them. As a circle has no corners for him to hide behind, he is rendered powerless to hear inside of one. This is not the same as being rendered unable to enter circles or exit them, nor does this mean he is powerless within one. We see him able to enter circles when the Demon Rebellion summons him and we see he can leave one when he teleports Sam and himself outside. He also brings the building down on top of the Rebellion, showing that inside of circles, his powers do work.
• Related to the above: Season two showed the characters constantly discussing their plans to break Sam free from the devil without circles. The devil could have teleported himself or Sam at any moment and heard this discussion and could have sabotaged everything.
• The entire goddamn premise of this series: the idea that the Devil can own a mortal's soul without them exercising their own free will and choosing to give it up. Excuse me? I thought one of the central tenets of Christianity is that every man is a free agent and that the Devil has to persuade you to sell your own soul for something you want via Faustian bargain. Nobody, not even your parents can sell it on your behalf without your consent. God should have stepped in during the first episode and immediately freed Sam from the Devil's control. Or at least retcon the situation into Sam selling his soul willingly to get laid or for some other plausible reason.
  • "Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the sins of their forefathers; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities." Isaiah 14:21.
  • "He does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." Exodus 34:7.
  • Ah, but you're missing an important part: Sam had a choice. The Devil said that if he didn't do it, he'd take his mother instead. So basically she sold her soul, with an opening in the contract so that her firstborn could buy her debt, so to speak. Sam could have just been an asshole and told the Devil to go screw himself, no trouble.
  • Why pick on the soul selling thing for not conforming to one particular version of Christian theology, when not much else in the series does either?
  • They actually address this point when Andi brings up the fact that Sam didn't sell his soul to the Devil, his parents did. Steve and Tony both have a look of "What? Thats not right?" which is why they offer to take a look at the Contract to see exactly what it says. Given that it takes him quite a long time in the first place to even ask for a copy, instead relying on his father and Tony to provide a translation of what the terms are, its not hard to imagine that the Devil is playing on Sam's ignorance of the situation. This could imply that the Devil doesn't own Sam's soul at all and the end of Series 2 was a Kansas City Shuffle on his part. Another possibility is that his soul may be automatically bound to Hell as a result of him being one of the Devil's offspring.
• When Greg sells his soul so he can hypnotize Andi into loving him and everyone goes on about how cute and romantic it is. Right, selling your soul so you can essentially drug and rape someone is just what I think of when I think romance.
  • Apparently wanting to rape somebody body and soul is AOK if you have low self-esteem. Sam's ultimate solution in that episode might be the most crowning example of Lawful Stupid put on film.
  • Yeah, it just Sam that calls Greg selling his soul for Andi kind of romantic in a way, and Andi tell him that no, it's just crazy. Everybody during that episode are pretty much creeped out by it, including Sam. and for the resolution, the only other option were to kill Greg or leave him alone while he has the power to control Andi and that anytime he get too mad, a crazed killer appears to kill the source of his anger with a chainsaw and not a whole lot of care about collateral damage. Sam is good, and good people are willing to forgive others when they admit that they messed up and show regret, especially since in the end, Greg never did anything worse than making out with Andi even though he could have done worse, so yeah, wrong, but not punishable by death.
• So, how precisely does The Work Bench stay in business? The employees regularly rob the store blind and wander away from their shifts with zero real consequence. Ted shows absolutely no interest in following any sort of labor law and even at one point hires a woman who clearly doesn't have a work visa. The place gets somewhat trashed on a regular basis. It's kind of amazing they all have jobs.
  • Clearly, the devil keeps them in business.