Even bounty hunters for the Devil have to get a break sometime, right? That’s what Sam (Brett Harrison) is banking on when the object of his desire, Andi (Missy Peregrym), asks him to accompany her to a Flaming Lips concert the following weekend. Finally, a weekend alone, long road trip, sleeping in her car, hmmm... What guy could resist? Now, all he has to do is catch this pesky damned soul just in time to hit the road. Not exactly. It seems vacation time was never stipulated in his contract and the Devil won’t budge. And Sam thought his boss at The Work Bench was tough. Making life even more difficult is the fact that things keep disappearing: his car keys, his money, his wallet, his car. It must be a clue, but what does it mean? Sam also has frightening visions designed to point him in the right direction. In one, he is stabbed by a customer, in another the Devil shows him a dead man in an apple truck. Finally, Sam follows the apple trail to a festival with a mediocre magic show starring Enrico Bellifiore (Darren Shahlavi), where he sees a heckler get stabbed on stage and apparently walk away unharmed, only to show up dead moments later. At last, he has his uh…man. Now all he has to do is trap him with the vessel, which happens to be a very benign looking white dove that his friend Ben (Rick Gonzalez) names Winston. So, Sam, Sock (Tyler Labine), Ben, and Winston plan to hunt the damned soul at the fair and take him out after the show. Unfortunately, they need to hurry because the Devil arranged for Andi to be sitting front and center, and in harm’s way. Feeling Sam needs a little incentiveâ€and that his previous death threats didn’t workâ€the Devil decides putting the woman he loves in jeopardy will light a fire under Sam. It does. A sword-fighting showdown ensues and the boys unleash Winston, who turns into a malicious flock of flesh eating birds and take the guy out in true Hitchcock style. With that taken care of, Sam still has the problem of what to tell Andi. He can’t go to the concert with her, and she’s not happy. Feeling as bad as evil can, the Devil decides to make things right with Sam by requisitioning a copy of his soul contract. He’d produce it himself, but the bureaucracy downstairs is pure hell. What Worked I love the originality of the dove as the vessel. And I’m happy we’re learning more about how Sam lost his soul. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about this contract. However, what I loved most was the Devil. He finally seemed like he meant business. Don’t get me wrong, I love the lighthearted feel of the show and the amicable way the Devil is generally portrayed, but there is always the danger of the audience forgetting just what is at stake if he’s too friendly and likable. “Reaper” seems to be able to strike that balance. What Didn’t Work I felt that the story was a bit too simple this week. Clues point to the magician. It is the magician. End of hunt. I realize there were other things going on in the episode, but I would have liked to have at least one red herring or dead end or something to complicate the search. The escaped souls seem to be too simplistic and one-dimensional, and this week was especially so. Credit Where Credit is Due “Magic” was written by Kevin Murphy (“Desperate Housewives,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000”) and directed by Ron Underwood (“Boston Legal,” “Monk”). “Reaper” airs on CW Tuesday nights at 9/8c.