JOAN OF ARCADIA: 

THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: violence, sensuality, thematic elements

Rated:

A couple of years ago, CBS decided to take a chance on a show all about a young woman who can talk to God. The result was the extremely popular but soon canceled Joan of Arcadia, but the second and final season is ultimately its best, pandering to what is good in life and reminding us that God really does care what happens in our lives.

Six weeks after returning from summer camp, where she sought extensive therapy to help rid her mind of hallucinations of God, a very different Joan (Amber Tamblyn) enters the corridors of her high school once again. Her family, made up of her cop father Will Girardi (Joe Mantegna), his Catholic-leaning wife Helen (Mary Steenburgen), their paralyzed son Kevin (Jason Ritter), and the brainy scientist Luke (Michael Welsh), hope that continued counseling and sensitivity will prevent Joan from erratic behavior. Believing that her hallucinations were the result of a rare form of lime disease, Joan is increasingly distressed when God starts intervening in her life again, threatening her relationship with Adam Rove (Chris Marquette), and ultimately pointing out to her that as much as she wants to shut Him out, she cannot escape Him for long.

While Joan experiences the ups and downs of her last year of high school and tries to raise her grade enough to get into a good college, her friends and family deal with their own set of circumstances. Kevin is attempting to make it in journalism when a lawsuit from the young man responsible for paralyzing him in a car accident is filed against the Girardi family. The emotional consequences create backlash between Will and Helen, who fears her husband is becoming too fond of his predatory female boss. Helen struggles with her desire to find faith and rejoin the church, despite the disapproval of the men in her family. Then there is Luke's secret relationship with Joan's best friend Grace (Becky Wahlstrom), and an impending tragedy that will leave Joan grief-stricken as she struggles to find her way.

The first season was quite good, but relied rather too heavily on whether or not Kevin could have sex, the boys discussing their groping techniques, and the occasional indiscretion. I was thrilled therefore to pop the second season in and find that such content concerns are nearly nonexistent. Grace and Luke do spend a lot of time making out in a closet, but their relationship never goes further than kissing. Kevin is no longer self-absorbed or in the dating scene (he does mistake a woman's interest in having him move out as being sexual in origin, but she soon sets him straight). Helen has fears that her husband may be leaning toward cheating on her, and even contemplates going out to dinner with an old flame, but turns him down at the last minute, and her husband wards off the woman's advances. The only iffy moment came when Joan and Adam, against their parents' wishes, went to a concert up state and slept in the back of his dad's truck.

Adam comes on to Joan, but she's not ready for sex and stops him, leading to further emotional issues between them. Adam later cheats on Joan, and we are witness to a tearful confrontation between them. Joan catches two boys kissing at school. There's the occasional mild profanity. Viewers might also object to two different personifications of God -- He appears once as a fortune teller who lures Joan in for advice, and again as an effeminate Broadway producer. The nice thing about the show is that most of the episodes are a metaphor for many of the things Christians experience in their walk of faith. What one of us has not wanted to cry on God's shoulder at some point? (Joan gets the opportunity!) Or even yell at Him to His face and ask Him why this or that happened?

From one profound instance to the next, it's always thought provoking and mindful of its audience. It contends with many enormous issues (teen drinking, promiscuity, faith, etc) while approaching them in an addictive format. I finished the set in about four days, and my mom marathoned them over a forty-eight hour period. Many episodes will tug at your heartstrings. The only complaint I have is that in one instance, Joan refers to God being a universal God, implying that all religions ultimately lead to Him. This is not true, as most of us know, but is hardly a stumbling block on the whole of an otherwise excellent series.