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Joan of Arcadia Ongoing thread (1 Viewer)

MattBu

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I know that I love the non-denominational aspect, I'm also a HUGE sucker for God v Satan. So..I don't know. I'm more of a fan of fallen priest vs Satan and then his faith in God is restored, a la the Exorcist, but the kind of situations that I'm thinking of are WAY too R-rated for a VERY family oriented sitcom. Damn Joan for being so hot.

I agree that this will be a hard show to keep going for awhile. I mean at some point Joan is going to have to tell SOMEONE that she is talking to God, that might be the cliff hanger for the season finale. I'd like SOMETHING because the show is bordering on becoming too formulaic. I wouldn't mind if there was an episode that focused on one of her brothers, or maybe Luke losing his virginity to Grace, SOMETHING other than this formula:

Joan Rolls her eyes at how lame her parents are ----> Joan has witty repartee with her brothers ----> Joans father has a crisis in the police office ----> Joan struggles with maladies of high school life ----> Joan sees God who tells her to do something that she wouldn't normally do ----> Joan rolls her eyes at God and saunters off to join the endeavor ----> Joan becomes confused at why she has been asked to join/befriend the club/friend/outcast/elderly person/place of work ----> Joans father butts head with DA/Mayor/Arson investigator ----> Joans Fathers underling gives him a look as if he can do no wrong ----> Joan has more witty HS repartee/perhaps recieves guff for her endeavor ----> At this point perhaps Price yells at someone or suspends someone or gives a glaring eye at someone ---->Joan solves crisis and perhaps averts danger herself in which case ---->Joans parents breathe sigh of relief that their only daughter is ok/give sad look at older brother/ignore younger brother ---->Joans father solves crisis only to open the door to further crisis ----> Family has hug/dinner/therapy.

Did I miss anything? ;)
 

Patrick Sun

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1/9/04

I thought tonight's episode was very touching, and heartfelt as death's effect on the living is examined through rememberance of a boy who died too young, and words in a letter.

Will appears to have figured out a way to keep the family in Arcadia while not having to take a job that would slowly but surely shackle him and drain his spirit.

Kevin finally makes a move, and gets back into living, and not just rolling around in life.

Luke also makes some headway in his infatuation with Grace, though it takes a science project to give them some common ground and embrace being underdogs.

Joan and Adam finally find a way to break down the walls, and Adam's mother's letter to him frees him from his self-imposed prison (i.e. "in stasis") and he's able to accept Joan's apology and move on with their connection.

Good episode.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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This is my favorite television episode of the season so far. Just beautiful. Using the cover of "Across the Universe" and tying in the Beatles connection with Mrs. Rove's Yellow Submarine reference was astounding.
The whole letter scene brought a tear to my eye. I'm not a crying man. The scene with the two amongst what appeared to be falling feathers or paper machete did it again.
All of the characters have been dragged through so much pain this season; it was wonderful to see a moment (however brief) of just happiness.
It was also pretty daring in how many plot threads it moved forward this episode, but without the rushed feeling of Season 2 Everwood.
This was the first episode for me where they really nailed Kevin's character. My biggest sticking point with the show's early episodes was how much of an emphasis was placed on the chair rather than the character. Here was a flawed human being who could face life rather than drown under it. I finally begin to get an understand of how he could be the high school hero; instead of the caustic sarcasm there was likeable charisma. Hopefully his future trials will be dealt with from this character's perspective, rather than the chair's.
I liked Will's personal struggle, and the moment between father and son and the following shot of all the weight draining from Joe Mantegna's face was great. We've known he was a great talent for a long time, but neither his headlining shows or his mainstream film choices have matched his ability. Though he's only a supporting character in this, it's one of his best roles. The scene between him and his only friend, the new undersherif played well. I think Roebuck is a great character, and I'm glad we'll see more of him as Mantegna's boss.
I also thought they refined the dynamic between Luke and Grace in a really wonderful way. The sophmoric "I hate you but I love you bit" is too overdone in television, and I'm glad they've tweeked it just slightly into something a little less obvious.

The device of Joan being able to see dead people once they've passed was an interesting addition to the show's mythology. I also liked God giving Joan a glimpse of The Big Picture and her overloading. (I equally liked them not being so pompous as to try to show what the big picture is.)

So yeah, I loved this episode. Great way to kick into midseason after a good-not-great E.R.
 

Chris

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When they played "Across the Universe" it may have been one of the first moments in years that a TV show has made me outright cry. Very well done, and I thought the entire episode was done.

This show has quickly become one that is a must watch/collect. I'm eager for DVDs of this series.
 

Steve Schaffer

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I was already very fond of this show. Our local CBS affilliate got their HD up and running earlier in the week, so last night's episode was the first I'd seen in HD, so I got the double whammy of fantastic pq along with perhaps the best episode of the series to date.

I too am not particularly weepy and cheap sentiment leaves me cold if not angry, but the letter reading scene did have me tearing up, not only with the story itself but with the wonderful way the sequence as written and acted.

How often does one see a show where all the plot threads have happy outcomes at the end of the episode yet one does not feel manipulated and sugar-coated?

I think the feature film divisions of all the major studios should watch this series and take notes.
 

Elizabeth S

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About 5 minutes in, the cable went all strange, so I must have missed 5 - 7 minutes, but I'm glad it resumed, as it was another excellent episode. I love how this show keeps a lot of plot threads running from episode to episode, and reaches back for Rocky's character, rewarding regular viewers with fleshed out storylines. Too many shows act as if last week never happened and try to be standalone episodes for the casual viewer.

And I, too, am already pondering the possibility of a DVD release. :)
 

Patrick Sun

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1/16/04 "Recreation"

The ending was a nice touch to cap off the evening.

And as providence would have happened, things do happen for a reason. Something nice that the Giraldi kids do for their parents help prevent Will from being at the wrong place at the right time.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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The ending was a nice touch to cap off the evening.
Yes it was. The relationship between Adam and Joan is one of the most touching real teen relationships on television. Just an elegant awkward innocence to it that's wonderful to watch. Chris Marquette brings such a wonderful physicality to the role of Adam. He ends a room in a really distinctive way and just stands there in the door way, mouth slightly ajar. A wonderful character actor.

This show is right up there with Everwood for my favorite ensembles on television.
 

GARY C

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"CBS chief Les Moonves also announced that he had renewed four freshman shows: Two and a Half Men, Navy NCIS, Joan of Arcadia and Cold Case."

From yesterdays Studio Briefing at IMDB, just incase anyone didn't catch it. Great news IMO.
 

Patrick Sun

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2/6/04

"State of Grace"

God directs Joan to join the debate team and Joan is worried about her relationship with Grace as she has to argue for the use of metal detectors in schools. In the meanwhile, she helps a stuttering student find a voice as a writer.

I thought Joan really good in tonight's episode, can't quite put my finger on it, but she did.

Luke finally gets a clue and is rewarded with the rush of hormones and the seal of a kiss that opens up a new world of possibilities for him.

Kevin is still having problems with his burgeoning relationship with his editor.

Helen is prodded to go for the art teacher position, recently vacated by the art teacher who could not bear to deal with the new metal detectors at school.

Will's case has to do with a father who beat up a priest under the guise of protecting his son from the priest who he claimed was molesting his son, but the truth was his son was gay, and the father blamed the priest for turning his son gay.

Joan's debate debut turned into an impassioned plea for the world that is, and how guns do make an impact close to home (her fear of her father's well-being on any case that has gunfire in play) and that while it'd be great for an open society with little in terms of prevention, the real world makes it hard to not engage in defensive postures to protect children and teenagers in schools. Grace was touched by Joan's concerns and comes to an understanding of the issues of personal freedom as it pertains to each of them.

This final part of the episode sent shivers down my spine as Joan's words of a teen troubled by the dangers of guns reflect the emotional component to this issue. Amber Tamblyn does such a great job in portraying Joan, and she really is able to get to the core of Joan's pain and concerns.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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The first half of this episode was a bit paint-by-numbers for me, though I suppose that was the point. The second half rocked. One of the things I love about "Joan" is that it portrays issues through the character's eyes. And the viewpoints are weighted accordingly. Nothing irritates me more than shows that spend their running time shoving their creator's viewpoints down the audience's throat.
 

Patrick_S

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Nothing irritates me more than shows that spend their running time shoving their creator's viewpoints down the audience's throat.
Since the characters in a fictional show are the creation of the show's creators aren't the main character's views basically the view of creators? Well at lest the views of the writers.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Since the characters in a fictional show are the creation of the show's creators aren't the main character's views basically the view of creators? Well at lest the views of the writers
Not neccessarily. "Joan" uses it's characters to voice opposing sides of issues through various characters, much like "Everwood."

Lesser shows have the same ideas and thoughts coming out of every character's mouths, or atleast out of every credible character.
 

Jesse Blacklow

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Lesser shows have the same ideas and thoughts coming out of every character's mouths, or at least out of every credible character.
It seems most religious shows (much like the moral "majority" that love them) tend to have this problem. "7th Heaven" and "Touched by an Angel" in particular have/had a maddening way of painting the world, especially the family dynamic. "Joan of Arcadia", on the other hand, has avoided this pitfall.

I am an avowed atheist, but this show has such a humanistic portrayal of religion that I can't help but love it. Rather than preaching to us, it merely lays it's premise out. And the heroine of the story questions both the message and its source, rather than following blindly and without a second thought. In fact, the one time she (reluctantly) went against her own strong feelings, she lost a friendship, which hurt herself and others for a long time. Finally, all actions in Joan's universe have consequences, some relatively far-reaching, some personal, some long-lasting, some temporary, and some in a surprisingly quirky fashion. In other words, just like ours, not always wrapped up in one episode. Can't say I've seen that in many programs these days, religious or not.

It also doesn't hurt that almost the entire cast is extremely talented, even the relative newcomers like Amber Tamblyn. She's been a better actor in any one episode than the entire cast--past, present, and guest--of "7th Heaven's" entire run. If this show manages to keep up the good work, I'd place it my top ten best shows ever. It's certainly in the top 3 for this year.
 

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