God Friended Me (CBS) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

I was a pretty big fan of Joan of Arcadia back in the day, so I've been tempted to give this series a try. Maybe. (??)

"Joan of Arcadia" is my personal high watermark for this genre. It took the idea of being a prophet seriously, causing Joan much trial and tribulation while growing her significantly as a person.

This is a tidier, more procedural show than that one was. The writing isn't as sharp, and God isn't a character in the same way. That being said, while it isn't "Joan"-caliber for me, I'm still enjoying it a lot more than Scott and Mike are.

The show is at its best when it's struggling with moral questions. The show is at its worst when it tries to force a romantic angle between its two leads, Miles and Cara.

The final beat of Sunday's episode, while entirely predictable, brought a huge smile to my face.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I continue to really enjoy this show, especially episodes like tonight where characters are forced to choose between what is right and what is easy. Yes it has its flaws, but it's one of the few things I watch that makes me feel better about the world instead of worse.

 

[Mike Frezon]

it's one of the few things I watch that makes me feel better about the world instead of worse.

That is excellent, Adam. When a show can do that, it is not insignificant.

And it almost makes me sorry I abandoned it at the end of season 1.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The two-hour series finale aired tonight.

You could tell based on the way the last five minutes fast forwarded through two years of story that they got the cancellation news after the season finale had been written. But I'm still glad they had time to give the show a proper ending.

All of the character arcs got wrapped up satisfactorily enough, even though some of the resolutions (Miles's relationship with Cara, Rakesh's relationship with Jaya) were clearly tacked on at the last minute once it became clear that this was going to be a series finale. The most important character arc, Miles's estrangement from his faith, got more in-depth treatment.

As for who is behind the God Account, that isn't answered in any concrete way and I'm not sure it was ever going to be. The final beat certainly pointed to more of a spiritual answer than technological answer, however.

It wasn't the best written or best executed show on television, but when it was good it was really good. I will miss it. It has become a cornerstone of my Sunday evenings.