George (Ellen Muth) is getting sick and tired of taking souls. Plagued with insomnia, she wanders the streets on her bicycle and ends up in Der Waffle Haus to find the other reapers having a meeting. Rube (Mandy Patinkin) has called them in, except for her, for self-evaluation. They have to fill out forms. George is strangely upset that she does not have to do this. She protests that she is a considered a good worker at Happy Time, and there are clips to prove it.
We are then treated to clips of Rube arguing about food from the season, Daisy (Laura Harris) telling everyone about her sexual adventures in Old Hollywood, Mason (Callum Blue) screwing up, and Roxie (Jasmine Guy) getting angry with everybody. Rube shows George paintings in a book, including Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.
Rube has to go and reap a soul. George takes a peek at the post-it note and discovers that the death will occur in her family’s driveway. She demands to come with him and he refuses. She can’t do anything about it anyway, so she should stay and look at the pretty pictures. There are clips of her being generally recalcitrant and rebellious. She storms out and bikes right over to the house.
Rube shows up, not the slightest bit surprised to find George there, and sits down on the steps with a cup of coffee for her. He asks if she could do anything about it if it’s a member of her family about to die, and she admits she can’t. He says that if you stand too close you can’t see the painting. The last question on the form is: What are you doing here? The milkman arrives and Rube reaps his soul just before a Graveling backs his truck over him.
The title is from a 1942 oil and canvas by Edward Hopper, portraying people in a downtown diner late at night. It’s probably the most famous American painting. A brilliant homage painting shows Bogie, Marilyn, and Elvis in the same diner. The episode was directed by James Whitmore Jr. Leave it to a series like Dead Like Me to take the dreaded season-ender TV clip-show and turn it into something fun, meaningful, and fascinating.