Joan: Let's see a miracle.
Cute Boy God: How about that?
Joan: It's a tree.
Cute Boy God: Let's see you make one.
This quote pretty much encapsulates what I love about
Joan, and Joan. The idea that the miraculous is contained in
the mundane, and that the simple actions of ordinary people can
change lives, is one I think that a lot of people don't consider when
thinking about God and faith. Of course, I also love that Joan is
spectacularly unimpressed by talking to the A
lmighty
on a daily basis, and isn't afraid to let Him/Her/Whatever know about
it.
Created by Barbara Hall, “Joan of Arcadia” was about a girl who—as you may have guessed—talks to God. A lot. And not by her own choice. The Big One, who can appear as a cute guy her own age, a six-year-old girl with a googly-eye headband, or any number of other people, gives her tasks. These include things like holding a garage sale or trying out for the school play, and at first glance they seem pointless and even ridiculous. However, in the process, Joan meets people, affects lives, learns things, and generally changes the world a little bit for the better.
This show ran for two seasons on CBS and it started off with an awe-inspiring first season. Even in the second season, which suffered from a qualitative and ratings sophomore slump, was better than 95% of the crap on TV. Then CBS decided it wanted to skew younger (younger? Than a sixteen-year-old heroine in high school?) and cancelled it before Hall and her writing team could pull all the way out of their skid. Sigh. Oh well, shit happens.
I loved the thoughtfulness that went into the writing, the general lack of pat answers to big questions, and the quality of the acting. Alongside powerhouses like Mary Steenburgen as her mom and Joe Mantegna as her dad, Amber Tamblyn held her own and made even Joan's most annoying days worth watching. Hall & Co. even managed to mostly avoid stunt casting, a real danger in a show where God can be anyone.
My Fanfiction
Cuckoo – Joan's getting pretty tired of all Kevin's “crazy” jokes. What she doesn't realize is that he's just doing his job.
Other Fanfiction
FF.net's content runs the gamut from wha?!! to wow, and the JoA section is no exception. Still, sometimes it's worth the sifting to find a really good story.
