This episode was heavy on both the drama and the comedy, a nicely balanced
mix of both in my opinion, considering the topic that screenwriter Christina
Ray had to tackle this time around.

Directed by Holly Dale, this powerful episode guest stars Paula Rivera as
Gloria, a junkie who sold her soul to the Devil ten years ago to get off
drugs and launch a noble mission to help others beat their own addictions. In
an interesting plot point, we learn that Gloria is Maya's Narcotics Anonymous
sponsor. Sonya Salomaa (Maya) pulls out all the stops in this episode,
delivering one of her finest performances so far in the series. Excellent
work, Sonya!

The comedy in this episode comes from the Devil in the guise of a larger than
life -- and uglier than Hell -- drag queen, played by Robert Kaiser (aka Joan-
E). I don't usually like brash, ballsy comedy mixed in with my sci-
fi/fantasy. I prefer clever lines and biting wit as opposed to the kind of
over-the-top one-liners you'd expect from a stand-up comedian -- but it works
here, thanks mostly to Kaiser's subtly menacing delivery.

Cutie-patootie actor Jesse Moss (babe alert!) is summoned for a return
engagement as Maya's charmingly naive little brother, Ty. I sensed a few
sparks between his character and Taylor, played with perky perfection by
series regular, Christine Chatelain. Hmmm...I wonder what might come of this
in the months ahead.

All in all, a fantastic episode.

KJC