Tonights episode begins with Bens new girlfriend Nina. Shes cute, she sweet, and shes a demon. There was that one time she tried to kill Sam:and Ben knows they have to come up with a lie to tell Sock, Sam, and Andy. They come up with one, but its pretty clear that Nina isnt going to be able to lie very well.

At The Work Bench, its announced that Andy is the new general manager after Teds departure. Her first problem quickly arises and its Sock. Hes created an alter ego in order to collect double pay, and shes going to have to stop him.

In enters the Devil, hes in the middle of tempting an alcoholics anonymous meeting, and Sam is disgusted. The Devil tells him he must land a hook on the chin of a boxing demon, and Sam is troubled. He knows nothing about boxing, and hes not exactly tough.

That night, the boys meet Nina at the Booze, the local bar. After an awkward conversation, Nina slays Bens burger. Its a bit unusual, but the boys dont seem to be phased.

Ben and Sock go to meet with the new Demon, Red, and he quickly beats Sam to a bloody pulp.

The next day, Andy confronts Sock about the alter ego, Les Nessman. She tells him Les must quit, and Sock isnt too happy about this.
Nina comes to The Work Bench, to see how Bens friends liked her. Ben asks her the ultimate question, is she dating him simply to kill Sam? She says no. But she is a demon after all:

Sock devises a plan to help Sam prepare for his next encounter with the demon. He tried to teach Sam how to avoid getting hit with a pitching machine, but it doesnt work out too well. Something else happens when the boys see Red again anyway, but not before he beats Sam up again. Red tells Sam to go back to the Devil and tell him that he only needs two years to win the championship that he couldnt win when he was alive, and then he will go back to hell willingly.

Andy finds out that Sock (as Les) has threatened a sexual harassment suit against her instead of having Les quit. Shes infuriated. She was almost fired:but Sock says that this will get him off the hook. Im not sure if I follow his line of reasoning, but Andy decides to fight back.

In the parking lot, Nina almost runs over Ben and Sam. She claims she was confused with the pedals in her car, but Ben thinks she was trying to kill Sam. Out comes the truth, and Sam finds out that Nina is a demon. Sam is upset, and tells Ben that they have to break up if they want to stay friends.

Ben agrees to break up with Nina, but hes not happy about it.

Sam goes back to bring The Devil Reds offer, and he quickly says no. Theres no bargaining with The Devil. It is revealed that The Devil was the one that destroyed Reds life, and Sam is even more disgusted with The Devil.

Ben takes Nina out to dinner, and breaks up with her. Shes very upset of course, and starts turning into her demon-self during dinner. It is obvious that she had genuine feelings for Ben.

Andy cleverly calls corporate and tells them that Les has died, and they send a bunch of grief counselors to The Work Bench. Her problem with Sock is over for now:at least until next week.

Sam tells Red that The Devil wont let him compete for the Title. The Devil surprises them during their meeting, and makes them fight. Selflessly, Red sacrifices himself and lets Sam hit him in the jaw, sending him back to hell. Its rather sad - he was good in life but for taking a bribe, and he was good in death too.

Ben takes advantage of the grief counselors, and talks to them about his break up with Nina. Sam takes pity on him, and tells him that he doesnt mind if they get back together. Ben promises that she wasnt trying to kill Sam, and Ben believes him.

Ben goes to win Nina back, but shes extremely upset. She threatens to kill him, but she gives him another chance.

At Less wake, Sock is collecting money for the funeral. The Devil shows up at the bar, and Sam tells him that Red let him win. Sam tells The Devil that he allowed Red to do something good by sacrificing himself, and thats where the show ends. I imagine that hes not going to be too happy about this.

What Worked

The twist that The Devil did something good in the end. After he was tempting members of an AA meeting, its obvious how much enjoys his job. But now that he had a hand in something good, I dont think hes going to be happy about this. The look he gives Sam after he breaks the news to him shows that we will see this again - for better or for worse. I imagine hell have a tougher, more problematic demon for Sam next week. He does need to get back in control, after all. Nina and Ben. They remind me a lot of Xander and Anya from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and thats a good thing. Its nice to show that not all demons are bad, and that its not going to be black and white all the time. This will allow the show to explore new routes, just like it did with BTVS.

What Didnt Work

Not much didnt work; I liked this episode better than last week. I think it was funnier, especially Sock (I adore him!). The demon was clever, the Nina and Ben relationship worked, and Socks alter ego was great. They didnt show the annoying sister, and therefore I think this episode worked pretty well.

I would say that the reasoning behind the sexual harassment suit wasnt the best, but with Sock you cant really expect things to be completely thought through!

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

The Sweet Science was written by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. It was directed by Tom Cherones. Reaper airs on The CW, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST.