This is topic Joan of Arcadia's Season Finale (And Second Season Opener): Shattered Faith in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.
Okay, this season finale was brillaint. Sheer brilliance. If last week was a great finale to relationship arcs, this week completely launched the series in what I think will be its new direction for a season. And it's absolutely, positively, ingeniously logical.
I think what we're now going to see in Season Two is a trial of Faith. And...this is brilliant.
Barbara Hall knows that, as fabulous and emotionally wrenching that this season was, something new and different has to happen next season to keep the story fresh. This, Joan's newfound doubt due to the Lime Disease, is the PERFECT solution.
This season, God physically and audibly appeared to her, turning her from Agnostic to immediate Deist. Of course God exists, here he is, in front of me, talking to me. After she started following his directions and things started working out - and she noticed they ALL worked out - there was no faith involved. It was acceptance. This is real, she knew it was real, so of course she does what he says - even if a lot of complaints come in along the way.
Now - there isn't a certainty. Doubt has been placed in what she once thought was Absolute Reality. Now, she doesn't know if she can trust even her own eyes and ears. Even when she has had God appear in front of her several times and talk to her, now she things she may have imagined all of it. She has Rejected God.
Next Season, I think, will be a continual test of this Faith. I think she will regain a bit of it in the season premiere, but she'll still have reservations and doubt. She may even pull a Nash and simply try her best to not acknowledge the appearanced God may make. She'll still see the Appearances, she'll still hear them, but forcibly choose to ignore them, truly believing that if she ignores them, then these 'sympyoms' will go away.
And maybe they will...maybe God will choose a new messenger. Maybe Grace (she has been taking Hebrew class)...or Helen.
Barbara Hall is brilliant. And now I'm highly considering writing a spec for the show.
*jumps up and down with glee*
I -LOVE- this show.
[ September 24, 2004, 07:45 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
The concept of the finale was great, but I didn't really like the execution. Joan of Arcadia has really managed to maintain a sense of realism despite the whole talking to God premise, but the finale completely did away with that.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
Our family watched this and I was struck by the poignancy of it myself. I had previously commented (to my wife and daughter) on what the CERTAIN knowledge of the existence of God would do for your confidence. I was just captivated by this last episode because I could just envision the loss of confidence associated with the emergence of doubt.
Now I can't claim faith of any sort but just imagine that you KNEW that God existed, not believed, but KNEW and then suddenly that was taken away from you. I will be looking forward to how the writers handle this in the coming year.
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
..and in 15 minutes we'll see where Barbara Hall had decided to take this concept. I'm looking forward to it!
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
Wow. Wowwy wow wow wow.
Just when I thought the show couldn't get any better, any deeper, any more hard-hitting...
The "Dave Cries in almost every single episode" syndrome continues.
-----
"She made you sign a contract?" "...yeah." "Dude."
"It's called One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's about a guy who pretends he's crazy to get out of prison."
"I don't break down. I'm more of a building up kind of guy."
"Only Connect."
"The boy who got drunk and crashed the car, who paralyzed our son, who we specifically decided not to punish for his actions...is suing us for emotional damages."
[ September 24, 2004, 09:24 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
My roommate's computer - the one with a TV card - is dead, and my sister forgot to tape it for me. Posted by Jess N (Member # 6744) on :
I missed all of that! Dang! I love this show! I've been through a crisis of faith (not in the same way as Joan, but in a way that I connect to her confusion) and what God said in the season closer was so important to what will unfold from here IMHO. He told her that in His silence, she must learn to listen and trust that He was really there. What a frightening thing. I'd rather banter and argue with God every step of the way than to hit one of the "black holes" of my life where it doesn't seem He's around.
I'm very interested to see how all of this plays out with Joan.
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
I found a few particular elements of tonight's story hit very, very close to home. Powerful stuff.
And, as always, most of the problems or issues presented in this episode were not completely solved or even really dealt with by the time it was over. Many of the issues will probably take a good amount of the season to explore. I'm excited.
[ September 24, 2004, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
I hate that part of Faith.
-Trevor
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
My prediction:
quote:Next Season, I think, will be a continual test of this Faith. I think she will regain a bit of it in the season premiere, but she'll still have reservations and doubt. She may even pull a Nash and simply try her best to not acknowledge the appearanced God may make. She'll still see the Appearances, she'll still hear them, but forcibly choose to ignore them, truly believing that if she ignores them, then these 'sympyoms' will go away.
Was spot on, by the way. But it also went beyond that. Barbara Hall knows what she's doing. I have faith in her!
[ September 24, 2004, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]
Posted by Jess N (Member # 6744) on :
Isn't it just wonky that the hardest part of faith is the part that causes us the most pain?
Like you Dave,the thing I like the most about Joan is that problems aren't solved within the hour time frame. Healing, relationships with anyone (including God) and understanding what faith means takes extended periods of time. I come away from each episode with the idea that it's one in literally thousands of steps Joan must take to stay on page with God. It's fun to watch her journey and know that the journey is as important as the end result.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
At least Joan had a basis for believing to begin with - it becomes a little more complicated when Gawd doesn't put in an appearance now and again.
-Trevor
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
...which is exactly what Joan's mother is dealing with.
Posted by Jess N (Member # 6744) on :
Well, yeah. God being absent does complicate matters because then you have to (gasp) make decisions based on what you think might be right and then (worst of all) you have to make a conscious effort to believe that God is there, even if he's being silent. There have been times in my life where I've been screaming into the darkness, "Where are You?" When I finally stop screaming and just whisper to myself, "I know He's there...I know He's there..." that's often leads to having his presence return. Sometimes it's enough to just know He's there, even if you can't see Him, hear Him, or sense Him. It's in these times that you have to just trust...
that's another hard part...
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
I tend to scream "I know you're there!" a lot too, but usually I'm walking into a dark basement with a blunt object, looking for the hockey-masked serial killer.
Not with a flashlight, mind you - that would make way too much sense.
-Trevor
Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
While Joan does at times tackle tough theological 'existential' questions, it's also the day-to-day practical themes that make the show wonderful as well, putting things into a perspective or way of expression that really hit home.
Although re-inforced by the God-stoyline, the overall theme of Trust is major in this issue. Every single family member has a secret or an issue they don't want to share or discuss with the family - or anyone - and each has their reason why they don't want to tell.
Having something you feel intensely about, and yet feeling that you're not being able to tell anyone about it is one of the most frustrating - and at times harmful - things in the world.
[ September 24, 2004, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: Taalcon ]
Posted by Jess N (Member # 6744) on :
Obviously this is a unsubstantiated fear you have here. Everyone knows that hockey-masked-serial-killers don't hide in dark basements, silly. They hide under the beds of sexually active teenagers in far away summer camps waiting for the bed to rock.
Dave: You are absolutely on target. I'm also kind of glad that they worked through the whole "let's tiptoe around Kevin" thing too. One other thing that I adore about this show is the whole dynamic between Joan's mom and dad. It's good to see a mom and dad on network television that literally crackle around each other. I love them because they are so in love.
[ September 25, 2004, 12:01 AM: Message edited by: Jess N ]
Posted by the_Somalian (Member # 6688) on :
I'm looking forward to the real shocker later in this season--when it is revealed that God is actually Alphalfalaxisaz VI from Venus, on a quest to test her womanhood. Can't wait!!!
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"When I finally stop screaming and just whisper to myself, 'I know He's there...I know He's there...' that's often leads to having his presence return."
I'm tactlessly going to point out that I'm tactfully refraining from comment.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Give in to the Light Side, Tom...
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
From Tom, that was actually far more retrained than I would have given him credit for.
-Trevor
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quote:retrained
Freudian slip?
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Hah! Bravo.
Sadly, no - you would have to ask Christy, but I suspect we would have to settle for restrained and not retrained.
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