Joan of Arcadia

A couple of years ago there was a brouhaha over the possibility that Hollywood film producers were avoiding making films or television programs that used God as a base. Mrs. Gardner received an e-mail from a friend sending her this information, a form letter, decrying Hollywood's refusing to use God in entertainment productions and signing up persons angry enough over the situation to get something done about it. Mrs. Gardner was surprised at this since she was a regular viewer of the CBS Television program "Joan of Arcadia," that dealt with a teenage girl having regular conversations with God.

A couple of years have passed and last year, I decided maybe I should investigate the program Mrs. Gardner so enjoyed. I'm not much of commercial television watcher because of commercials. I prefer PBS and the non commercial film channels i.e. IFC and TCM among others. So except for an odd episode or so I never really watched "Joan of Arcadia" and got a handle on what was happening. That has been corrected by the available DVD's covering the entire two year history of the program. I found that it was an impressive two years dealing with an interesting concept of God, with excellent stories and dialogue and a truly outstanding performance by Amber Tamblyn as the title character Joan.

I might note that the series lasted only two years. I believe that it was that old devil of what makes the money go round. The show just wasn't picking up enough of an audience to justify keeping it running. You would think that with the concern over the lack of coverage of God on the networks that the program would have had a ready made audience. But once you see "Joan of Arcadia" you realize that it is not that attractive to more conservative viewers interested in seeing more of God on television. For God in "Joan of Arcadia" is not the powerful strongly built middle-aged gentleman represented by Zeus, Jupiter, Thor and other of the earlier religions. Probably the most symbolic image for God is in Michaelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel where he is reaching out to Adam. Man is made in God's image, which when you think about it means that God has an infinite number of appearances. In "Joan of Arcadia" this is readily apparent when you find that the initial appearance of God is that of a rather cool looking high school student in a leather jacket. Subsequent depiction's of God on the show have a wide range of human look a likes. Some stand out. My personal favorites are God as a ten year old little girl. It is fun to see this child wearing rather wild kids play clothes advising Joan as to how to behave in certain situations and to do important chores that she, God, wants her to do. Probably my second favorite is an elderly woman who in a late episode in the series comforts Joan after a particularly unfortunate episode in her life.

There are several different cast members who are either friends of Joan or family members. Joan is the second child of the Girardi family. They live in the town of Arcadia somewhere in the US. In reviewing sites on the net that discussed the film I found references to this being in Maryland and in another instance Wilmington, Delaware served as the model city.

There are five members of the Girardi family. The father, Will Girardi, is played by veteran film actor Joe Mantegna who most notably has played lead roles in films of writer/Director David Mamet. Mr. Girardi is an acting chief of police in the city of Arcadia. Will is married to Helen Girardi who is played by veteran actress Mary Steenbergen. Helen works in the Attendance office at the high school that Joan attends. She is also a fall away Catholic who is trying to reconnect with the church. She is motivated by Joan's supposed conversations with God. Eventually Helen becomes the schools art teacher, a role she is well qualified for because of her education history in art.

There are three children, Joan, her older brother Kevin who is a paraplegic having been seriously injured and paralyzed from the waist down after an automobile accident on graduation night. Kevin is approximately nineteen. He is joined in the family with Joan's younger brother Luke who is a genius and a bit on the geeky side. Luke is a fifteen year old. The two brothers are played by Jason Ritter, Kevin, and Michael Welch, Luke.

Amber Tamblyn plays sixteen year old Joan. It's a marvelous performance which I find right on the money. Watching her mannerisms, expressions, and reactions is very reminiscent of my own granddaughter Sierra who is a high school fifteen year old. The whole show is centered on Joan. My granddaughter Sierra had to inform me that Joan of Arcadia is a take on Joan of Arc from French history. I wasn't quick enough to note that connection. Incidentally, Sierra really loved the show and enjoyed watching it I would assume that it would probably be of interest to most teenage girls.

In the initial episode Joan awakens in the middle of the night hearing a voice calling out to her. Then in the morning she looks out her bedroom window and sees a person, a young man, looking up at her. She tells her family about this incident, and they go outside but find no one there. On her way to school on the bus Joan also notes a good looking young man looking at her on the bus, and later sees him at school. At noon time he accosts her and they are talking until Joan finally asks him who he is. He tells her that he's God and he gives her a task to perform. He also tells her she will see him again, but that he will not look exactly the same. The task he gives her is to do is to take a job at a nearby book store. Joan checks it out and decides to skip it. Then at lunch in the school cafeteria the next day, one of the food servers, asks her if she got that job yet. Joan has to say no, and the server tells her she needs to do what she's requested to do. In this case God, the server, is a much older woman.

Joan takes the job and finds out that by doing it she performs a deed that is useful to society, in this case leading to the apprehension of a serial rapist/killer that the police department have been unable to identify. He had attempted to drag Joan into his vehicle when she was on her way home from the book store, but she escaped and was able to provide an identification of the man and his vehicle.

All of Joan's activities at God's request involve tasks she is asked to perform that will have benefits to society including members of her own family and friends.

Joans parents begin to worry about her and her conversations with God. Her younger brother Luke suggests she's nuts. When God talks to her, no one is aware of it. God usually addresses her by Joan so she knows that it is God she is talking to. There is one funny incident when the parent of one of her school friends, who Joan hasn't met refers to her as Joan. Joan thinks it's God. Actually, Joan is one of the helpers at a back to school night and is wearing a badge that says Joan on it.

When summer comes her parents send her away to a camp where children who are suffering from hallucinating events are wheedled out of there strange beliefs with psychiatric treatments. When Joan gets back she is convinced she is cured, and refuses to acknowledge God when he/she speaks to her. This happens several times, until finally something drastic happens that would have been averted if Joan had responded to God. She breaks down after this event and is comforted by the elderly lady God when she, Joan, is upset and crying. This event brings her back into responding to God.

In some instances Joan argues with God about the task she is asked to perform. It's satisfying to see her treating God like an equal. Some episodes result in some very entertaining results. In one God has her go out to take diving in a swimming class. She does this but in one grand attempt to do what he says she makes a tremendous belly flop off the high board. The next day she runs into God, in this instance a cleaning lady at the school, who laughs and kids her about her big belly flop. Joan is really angry and tells God that it is inappropriate for God to make fun of one of his humans. Another funny incident involves a failure in a science project that spectacularly douses one of Joan's friends and the teacher in a shower of splashed water.

Some of the supporting players are memorable. These include Adam Rove played by Christopher Marquette who is Joan's principal friend from the opposite sex. Adam is one of those deep type people that others have trouble understanding. He lives with his father, and has many strange sculptures in his home that he has created. Peculiarly he always calls Joan, 'Jane,' except when he is angry with her.

Grace Polk is Joan's best friend. She is a very different girl, rides a skate board and dresses in very masculine clothes. A couple of Joan's other friends ask her to find out if Grace is a lesbian. Though carefully addressed by Joan, this results in very strong response from Grace that her sexual persuasion is no ones business but her own. Like most of Joan's friends Grace has a cross to bear in this case it rests with her mother being an alcoholic. Grace's father is also a rabbi. Joan consults with him one day on God without letting Grace know she is going to talk to him, which also angers Grace.

Glynis Figiola is another friend. A very tall slim girl who was involved in the incident with the science teacher. She is kind of a geek as well.

Friedman is still another. He is a boy who comes up with a lot of wiseguy comments and is continually being berated by the girls. All these people are in the science class together along with Joan's brother Luke. The science teacher, Mrs. Lischak, is a delightful eccentric who caries a baton with her which she occasionally bangs on a desk to gain attention. She's played by the tall Elaine Hendrix who has been in a number of films as a chief supporting player. Friedman is played by Aaron Hindestein, Glynis by Mageina Tovah and Grace by Becky Wahlstron. None of these players are of high school age, but it isn't obvious that they are older.

A couple of more players I particularly liked were Sidney Tamiia Poitier, daughter of film actor Sidney Poitier. She's another very lovely girl who becomes friends with and guides Kevin when he gets a reporters job at the local newspaper. She's on the staff and mentors him and eventually a personal relationship develops.

Two last observations. The writing is spread out between about seven different contributors. It is uniformly good and seamless in the way each writes to the shows themes. Also, God is played by more than ten different people including among others Amber's father Russ who is a paid dog walker and always appears walking about a half dozen dogs on individual leases when he addresses Joan. And, finally, Helen in her search for closure in her concern over her declining Catholic faith is advised by the local priest to consult with Sister Lilly Walter. Constance Zimmer has this role and she plays the nun as a woman with tattoos, eccentric clothes and a strong will. Joan first sees her from a distance and thinks that her mother may be buying drugs from a woman of the street. Actually, Sister Walter is a disciplined Catholic with a just certain free spirit.

The last couple of episodes lead to what was going to be a third season which of course was never realized. In it they develop another new character that of the devil. God tells her that some of her most challenging tasks will be in dealing with this new threat in her life.

Joan of Arcadia is about as good a show if you can find on network television. It probably would have been more appropriate on PBS where the more leisurely environment would have allowed it to continue on into Joan's college years, and where it is more likely to have acquired a larger audience. For a network show I can't recommend it more highly.