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Joan of Arcadia - The Second Season by Bethany Rooney, Elodie Keene, Gloria Muzio, James Hayman, Joanna Kerns
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DVD detailsActor: Amber Tamblyn, Jason Ritter, Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Michael Welch Director: Bethany Rooney, Elodie Keene, Gloria Muzio, James Hayman, Joanna Kerns Brand: TAMBLYN,AMBER DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 968 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-11-28 Audience Rating: Unrated Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Joan of Arcadia - The Second SeasonDVD Review: Curses to CBS for cancelling this Summary: 5 Stars
Futurama was 5 seasons in when Fox decided to unfairly cancelled. While it was a great run, it did feel like it was a perfect time for them to go without being repetitive or "not as good as it was" like what people say about the Simpsons. Something like say, Firefly, on the other hand, was cancelled long before we knew where the show was going and what the story arc would be. Joan of Arcadia was a show that found its niche, was developing steam but was cancelled. It's one of those shows that you start to get comfortable with until out of nowhere it's gone.
Joan Girardi is a normal high school girl: has a nice(if somewhat deadpan) boyfriend, good friend, nice family but then there's the thing that God keeps talking to her making her do stuff. At the end of last season, Joan was sent to what she calls "crazy camp" since there was a possibility that talking to God wasn't real but of course he is. The main threads of the season involve a lawsuit, a questionable boss, Joan's other brother's disability and another guy who knows about God but doesn't share the same sense of reverence.
Sometimes it's hard to like shows like this when they're so addicting but then you start to notice inherent flaws that keep popping up. One is that the show does have a formula. Smallville it was a kryptonite freak-of-the-week while cop shows are cases, in this case it's God showing up in different forms, giving Joan a "mission", Joan does mission but finds problems, halfway God returns, sometimes with a new face and more advice and end of the episode returns and does a big summary of what Joan learned. While it is fun to find all the different versions of God she sees (mine is probably the weird goth kid with the incredibly anime-inspired hair or the overly-sentimental big guy with a love for poetry and noels), it does get a bit repetitive and a bit too convenient since some people who need help never seem to show up again or even versions of God. Cristy Carlson Romano does one version of God...seriously, and she's in 2 scenes and boom. Did they really need that many Gods?
Now is this one of those preachy religious shows that basically acts like a 43 minute Catholic recruitment method? Not really. The religious angle never seems forced although God's avatars sometimes push it with the "I'm so great"-type lines. Ultimately though the human interest stories is what's great as every character goes through something and it seems at times natural and realistic although some things seem to be really stretching. Despite appearances in films like The Grudge 2, Amber Tamblyn is easily the star of the show, showing the same cutesy lovable side while also being vulnerable and emotional. Some of the other roles are likable but at times they almost seem interchangeable or just not as compelling.
The cancellation possibly couldn't have come at a worst time. The show introduced the idea that instead of Joan being God's helper, that a new kid is something entirely different, Joan's full purpose is revealed and you're thinking in a giddy tone "oh boy, now this is gonna be good!"....but then there's nothing. At least Firefly got a resolution with Serenity and Futurama's coming back but we still don't know how this thread would've unfolded. I hope that we at least get some kind of resolution in some way or the show pulls a Family Guy and comes back but I doubt it.
It's always hard purchasing season sets like this since there doesn't seem like a lot of room for repeat viewings. Simpsons, X-Files or Smallville have enough stand-alone episodes so you can watch them out of order and Joan does have it but it's also a bit hard to re-watch. It is a worthwhile show to get into but be warned: there's no end to watch since we never got an end so if you feel frustrated at the lack of an ending, get in line.
More Joan of Arcadia - The Second Season reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Joan of Arcadia - The Second SeasonA high-school girl is approached by strangers claiming to be God with assignments for her to complete. Genre: Feature Film-Drama Rating: NR Release Date: 20-MAR-2007 Media Type: DVD
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