waitandhope The first few episodes make it seem just like any other drama on television. But after watching 5 or so you begin to see things differently. It was a brilliant concept with perfect casting, especially Morgan and Maya, the chemistry there was very real to me and felt honest. When she's later replaced the show never has the same feeling and something is certainly lost.Unfortunately a DVD box set was never produced except for Seasons 1 and 2 and then only in the UK. I myself was able to purchase both before they went out of print. Season 3 was only ever released online through a recording off Citytv.So what's the shows shining glory? Well........ Gabe certainly enhances the mystery around things, being able to see the devil and sometimes interfering in his plans. What's awesome is the little hints left in every episode that carry the story forward later, everything works out so well and you realize the entire situation is far more complex than we imagined. This is not simply a story about the devil and saving people from hell, it's designed to weave something intricate together that forms the framework of a deeper story. We catch a glimpse near the series end when Morgan is unsure whether the demon being exorcised is real or just the devil masquerading as a demon. We learn Morgan has never seen demons serving the devil and doesn't believe it's really one, but the demon puts forth a convincing argument. So just what is happening here? Was the demon real or just the devil pretending?There are a few scenes that stick out in your mind, when the Devil goes to Maya right after we learn she made her own deal and can see the portals to hell, how Morgan discovers it is awesome! But why did the devil goto her and tell her he was lonely and heard everyone's pain in their hearts, was he regretful? Something here makes you realize he was serious and now we can glimpse something else is happening with the Devil and the over-all storyline.Also Gabes father as an Angel telling him he found something that told him to have a child and make his deal, it was implied this was some sort of ancient artifact we might later find or hear more about but nothing else was done with it as the series was cut short. We did learn it was so ancient even Morgan wasn't able to read the language Gabe wrote down.Now when they took Jeri to hell that was a remarkable moment because it was just absolutely stunning to me as an audience member. I thought they'd have her continue following Morgan until the end of the show but nope, they decided she knew to much and off she went. But there's more here, as if the deal Gabe's father made lead to it. Infact everything links together very well and I'm sure they had some reason the devil wanted her soul particularly. He later blames her for continuing to pursue Morgan even at the risk of ignoring her son Gabe, justifying that as a the reason she deserved to goto hell. But Gabe also knew ahead of time she'd be going, saying goodbye to her as she left. So clearly Gabe knows who the devil will take or wants, sometimes can interfere as he did with the girl being raped by her father.There's a treasure of content we could explore here, shaping an entire universe unlike anything today on tv.The best parts were Morgan learning the devil made the deal with him because he'd have ended up curing Katrina of the plague and bringing it to the world saving millions of lives. This was utterly crazy at the time and we were left wondering omfg how could he be so horrible, this devil.Another moment we question what's going on is when Morgan's going to freeze to death in the meat locker at the restaurant, the devil reveals part of the deal made was to keep anyone from finding him for 30 years. So he'd remain frozen, eventually thaw out 30 years later since he's a collector he can't die. Yet the devil provides him a way out saying he didn't make the deal saying people can't find him who don't know where he is already, then hands him a phone. That's another moment we see that changes the dynamic in the show because the devil isn't doing it for kicks, or for compassion, what it appeared to me was something about the story was playing a part, the devil may have been changing or somehow Gabe's influence or Morgans interfering with his evil judgments. But let's not forget he says Morgan is special, and infact told Maya he was telling the truth when he said he loved her!It's possible that in some moments the devil was actually god masquerading for some unknown reason, however we KNOW Morgan has never said god exists and thinks maybe only the devil does, though he believes in heaven. In one instance Morgan does see the gateway to heaven taking someone, and to me this implied something with him was changing too. Like the devil he was also not stuck in 1 kind of moment, unlike characters of today both were evolving.My take on everything here was as much as the devil had deals that moved around luck, whatever was happening had a larger role in the devil and making him less evil or something like it. He helps Morgan in the freezer, helps Maya telling her Morgan's honest so she will trust him, even curing Maya of aids which he states himself as if proud of it. It's possible god was trying to balance the evil with good in the devil or something, giving him a chance for redemption also.These are some things to consider, as well as the Yogi episode where he vanishes and Morgan tells the devil he never saw the portal to hell anywhere. It's brushed off by the devil as meaningless but I suspect something else happened as the devil always leaves bodies behind when taking a soul. Perhaps it would have added more later to this dynamic going on, maybe the devil isn't what he seems?Infact I am not sure the devil is what Morgan thinks, it was unclear because he did good things and states himself people always have choices. And when seeking redemption the devil showed judgment about what someone needed to do for it, saying a few times people shouldn't get it for doing just this or that.I'd love a Netflix reboot but since nobody's ever heard of this show I doubt we'll ever get one, but it was amazing and truly wonderful to see.

Martin Markov This a rare kind of show, because most genre TV tends not to stray too far from the action-adventure template that usually makes it lucrative, and it shows because it got canceled after three seasons and way too soon in my opinion because this is an excellent supernatural drama, emphasis on "drama".The premise goes thusly: In the 13th century, at the onset of the Black Plague, a young monk named Morgan Pym (Chris Kramer) is tricked by the Devil into selling his soul to him, in exchange for not going to hell after the 10 year contract has expired, Morgan is tasked with collecting the souls of other people who dealt with the Devil after their 10 years of enjoying the outcome of the deal are up, and is effectively immortal.However, at the beginning of the new millennium, after meeting with a junkie named Maya (Carly Pope/Sonya Salomaa) and nursing her back to health, he rediscovers his desire to help people and manages to persuade the Devil to allow him a 48 hour window to help find redemption for the people who dealt before their time is up and their souls are sent to hell.Unfortunately not only is the Devil constantly throwing curveballs in Morgan's direction to distract him and impede his progress in saving souls, but intrepid journalist Jeri Slate (Ellen Dubin) begins to suspect Morgan of being trouble due to him being in the vicinity of several high-profile deaths (from his job as a collector) and serves as a constant annoyance and an impediment to his progress, all the while her autistic son Gabriel (Aidan Drummond) has an unexplained connection to the Devil, Morgan and the people he's trying to save.If the show seems very formulaic to you, Morgan has 48 hours to save someone before they go to hell, many episodes do something to shake up the formula, the most common method being Morgan failing to save the person from going to hell, as such the show never loses its tension due to a 100% success rating on the part of the main character. Also the running B plot of Maya trying to stay sober and the C plot of Jeri trying to figure out who Morgan is while struggling to care for Gabriel, may seem out of place in a show like this but are always amazingly written and performed by the cast and never feel like they don't belong given the dramatic and mature nature of the series.And speaking of which, this is not an action series like Buffy or Angel or Supernatural, there are no monsters of the week and Morgan rarely fights something and every time he does we know he won't die since so long as he continues to be a collector (even if he's actively sabotaging his job), he's completely immortal and heals almost immediately from any wound. This is a drama, and the climax usually involves people talking rather than people fighting (even though sometimes fighting happens anyway). If this sounds boring to you then I don't recommend but if you would like your genre TV with more drama and less action then the Collector is the show for you. Just keep in mind that it was canceled before all of its story arcs were resolved so you won't be (crushingly) disappointed once its over and it's really the only thing stopping me from giving it a 10.The show is only available in its entirety on Amazon Prime, as the third season never got a proper home video release, so if you don't have an Amazon Prime subscription yet, this show (and The Man in the High Castle as well) makes it worth it on its own.9/10 (Excellent)

videotvguy I found the Canadian show this year, and i really loved the first time i saw it, first i thought it was a movie, but it isn't. It was actually one of the most dark shows and it's almost in the same level of Spawn. The character of Morgan Pym, it's one of my favorite characters ever, close to solid snake, because he's tough but out of clichés, the guy also have feelings inside, which is actually good. Chris Kramer put the skills on this, he's a great actor. The other characters have deep questions like: i need a life, how can be good for something. The guest stars are wonderful, with a lot of conflicts and problems. The themes are excellent very dark, themes like: alcohol, murder, incest, mental illness, money, and on and on. You can see there is some silent hill elements on this series, silent hill the game of course, not the movie. In some way this series is put solid snake on silent hill town and some Spawn spots, brilliant combination.Finally there is an evil agent in all this, very interesting, and with different faces all the time. The main theme is excellent: "you are good but you are working with the evil". The twist of the stories are very well done, you really can open your mouth really wide when you see the ending of the episode. If you want horror, action and dark places, The collector, it's your best choice.

loco_73 I really like this TV show. When compared to most of the refuse that populates TV land these days, this show is refreshing, fun, poignant and very engaging. I cannot wait until the new season starts. I like the premise of the show, the cast, the plot/storyline and the production. I hope this show has a good run. What I find interesting, is that the actors that impersonate the devil are dead on...and very well chosen for that part. You never really know what the devil will look like in any episode. For those that think that this is just a campy and light show, pay more attention to the content. It deals with very heady topics like addiction, prostitution, violence, greed etc. and all other kinds of vices, to which people succumb and become such enticing prey for the devil. Chris Kramer's character, Morgan Pym, symbolizes the eternal desire of man for understanding and boundless love as well as a never ending search for redemption. All I can say is that The Collector is excellent. A viewing pleasure...more please!