They were right, You Can Never Go Home Again

This episode opens at a rural gas station on an overcast day with Rube (strong, sardonic actor Mandy Patinkin) and George (competent nubie Ellen Muth) having just a few moments alone before extracting two souls. The scenes between experienced actor Patinkin and intriguing actress Muth are always interesting. His flat expressionless sarcasm is often biting, though meant to guide, and regularly leaves room to doubt his sincerity. In response, George's facial expressions and her sarcastic responses are enjoyable. I am often amused by the way they play off of each other, with George seeming to get under Rube's skin: to both annoy and touch him at the same time.

I must mention one small detail that struck me about the two souls they took. It's a small thing, I know, but I like the way the dialogue between the two extracted souls echoes a basic message which permeates the entire show. It turns out the two were mutually attracted, but neither acted on their feelings. Each episode so far has either subtly or explicitly commented on living life fully while you can; wasted time and missed opportunities are frowned upon.

Rube, in his dry acerbic fatherly way asks George how being dead is treating her. The truth is, George is having some problems severing her ties to her old life and accepting her new place in the Undead community.

Having to take a "day job" to make ends meet, George is trying to settle in as an office assistant, but finds she is repulsed by most of her office co-workers, their antics on the job, and the new sunny attitude she has to exude to keep her job. The scenes between George and her boss are always entertaining, because before her death it was clear what she thought of Ms. Herbig. Before her death George was openly dreary, detached and derisive. And she spent more time hiding out than trying to interact or work. I look forward to seeing how much smoke George can blow up this woman's skirt. And now, that George is taking more of an interest in what is going on around her, questions abound both at the office and as a grim reaper. Unfortunately, the other reapers are not flowing with information. Mason is often distracted. Roxy is jaded and not the warmest grim reaper, if that makes any sense. While I admire the concept of a ditzy reaper who is probably as superficial and vacuous as she was in life, Betty was largely wasted in this episode. I didn't understand the purpose of her magazine quiz in the car. In fact, unless it was to again illustrate Mason's usual attempt to steal a quick buck, I am not sure why this entire scene was in the episode.

My favorite scene of the episode takes place when George tries a vis-à-vis reconciliation with her mother (Cynthia Stevenson who oscillates between being dull, stiff and boring, to expressing true anger and hurt). George now realizes she misses the stagnant life and emotionally disconnected family she took for granted. As the now unrecognizable Undead George (or UnGeorge in the credits, played with wrenching emotion by underrated and largely unpublicized Laura Boddington), she attempts to reconnect with her mom. But the reunion doesn't go as planned and George is stunned by how angry and protective her hitherto seemingly emotionally stilted mother can be in her on-going grief.

It was huge disappointment for George and well- played with bewilderment and heartbreak by all three actresses. I particularly liked the way the camera angles were shooting between George and her mother's alternating points of view.

Surprisingly, Roxy and Rube are the ones who offer George some measure of comfort. Rube is not happy to hear about George trying to return home and make contact with her family. He tells her she can never go home again. It's as simple as that. In the end, it is Rube, her boss, supervisor, guide and new father figure, who helps her begin to come to terms with letting go of the attachments to her old life. It is a sad observation of the episode writer and a harsh lesson for George to learn that our lives really are no more than a series of memories and experiences. We don't own anything and can't hold on to anything once we are dead. Apparently on DLM this is true, even if your physical essence is still tethered to this world. It will be interesting to see if this lesson sticks with George.