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S01.E02: The Good Samaritan

formerlyfreedom

By formerlyfreedom
in God Friended Me [V]

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formerlyfreedom

formerlyfreedom

Quote

Miles gets the opportunity of a lifetime when a satellite radio company wants to put his podcast on the air, and the God Account suggests that he befriend a single mother. Also, Cara tries to build a relationship with her estranged mom, and Rakesh is crushed when he spots Jaya on a date.

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stonehaven

stonehaven

I liked this episode better than the first..although asking a stranger to watch your kid was a risky move..I'll hand wave it for now. Still, the "Beautiful Boy" scene got me...as Lennon's been gone for nearly 40 years..and his birthday would have been Tuesday....

I will keep watching.

  • Love 6
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bettername2come

bettername2come

I'm thinking next week Supergirl's going to win out in my non-DVR having household. I want to like it, but it's just, meh. And at the end I saw it was produced by Greg Berlanti and now I'm really disappointed, I expected better from you, Greg! Seriously, I just finished Eli Stone, I know he's produced better God Talks to Me shows. Then again, if Berlanti's got two shows going up against each other at the same time slot, he probably doesn't care which I watch. Damn you, Berlanti!

  • Love 1
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Lady Calypso

Lady Calypso

I think I was initially hesitant when Katie first left her son with Miles, but when she asked for his driver's license as insurance, I was impressed with that smart detail. As someone who always yells at shows when they have characters do the most irresponsible things for drama, I was prepared to be annoyed at Katie for leaving her child with a total stranger. I think her taking his license is something that was a smart writing choice.

This episode was stronger than the pilot, for sure. I do agree that Cara's a weak link, but not because she's a bad character. It's just that they haven't quite figured out what to do with her besides being Miles' future love interest. Also, I hate television career cliches. There's always a writer, doctor, and/or cop so Cara's career as a journalist is the least interesting part of her. Luckily they focused more on her family drama, which I don't totally hate. I do think, with a little more creative thinking on the writers and showrunners, Cara could be integrated further with characters.

They're doing a good job with balance the "case of the week", as it is, and the personal stuff. Miles' stuff with his father and sister is very intriguing. It's a bit cliche in terms of the dialogue, but the actors are all selling it and I like that there's still tension with Miles and his father. Unlike Cara's stuff with her mother, Miles isn't forgiving him for their tense relationship, he's part of the issue despite him not seeing how closed minded he is, much like his father, and they're not hiding behind tense smiles and awkward conversation, acting like everything's ok. That's how I feel about Cara and her mother, as there is still a lot of unresolved issues with Cara and her abandonment and the show is either sweeping it under the rug, or they're going to let it bottle up and explode a few episodes down the road (I haven't decided which yet since the writing is still wishy-washy).

Ali's very much underused at the moment. So far, she's been a therapist to other characters and I look forward to when she gets her own plot, outside of bringing her brother and father closer together, and pep talking other characters.

Rakesh obviously has a lot of trust issues and a lot of self deprecating thoughts. He obviously has walls up, which is why he's pushing his new girlfriend away. I'm guessing he'll be one of the ones that "God" pushes Miles toward helping, and perhaps it'll be done subtly throughout the season. 

As for this God thing, I'm torn. On the one hand, I like answers and I'm afraid that this show going supernatural will make things confusing for a possible second season. On the other hand, I think having God turn out to be some genius hacker who is likely stalking Miles and his friends, or is even someone already in his life, is a cop-out and undermines the entire premise of this show. I'm not sure how they'd be able to turn that around and still send out a strong message. 

The writing is still clunky in places, but I think it also shows a lot of promise. 

  • Love 5
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Yeah No

Yeah No

On 10/4/2018 at 11:08 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I found there are a couple different kinds of atheists.  Those who don’t believe in God because they don’t believe in God but honestly what fun would a show like this be surrounded by them?  Then there is people like Miles.  The ultimate Daddy issue.  They stopped believing in God because if God allowed all the bad things to happen what kind of God is he? 

This show is a little too whistfull for me.  Not sure I will keep up with it.

Yeah, I call the latter type of atheist "reactionary" or "throw the baby out with the bathwater" atheists.  Like the people I knew in childhood that were hit by too many mean nuns or joined a bible church only to find out the pastor was embezzling money from the coffers and then not only left the church but decided God was bunk too.

The former type of atheist would be either the rational or scientific atheist.  The first denies God on the basis that it's an irrational/illogical notion based on the projection of the mind's deepest needs, and the second type does not believe because there is no scientific evidence of God's existence.  Or it could be a combination of the two.

I liked this pilot and I didn't think I would.  Sure it was sappy and contrived in parts, but given the lack of meaning in a lot of TV these days I'll take that as part of the trade off for something perhaps with a little depth that makes a person think or feel.  I'm not sure it will work out as a series, though, especially if it becomes repetitive and formulaic, which it seems like it has no choice but to become.

By the way, the church where Miles and his father were in their scene was Holy Trinity Episcopal on East 88th St.  This thanks to my husband, who is a NYC church historian!

  • Love 3
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Empress1

Empress1

I'm watching this for the lead - The Mayor was an underrated show, in my opinion. Everyone who isn't Lea Michele (I can't stand her) was great on it, especially him.

Nice to see Dawn-Lyen Gardner (she's on Queen Sugar). The "Beautiful Boy" scene was lovely.

One small nitpick: they kept saying "go down there" for uptown locations. Katie lived on 170th St. - very north. 

  • Love 6
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Guest

Guest

This show is really cheesy and contrived. I don’t know why I’m surprised- it’s a show about God having a FB account and using it to communicate with an atheist podcaster!

Nevertheless, it’s enjoyable fluff. When the mom explained the meaning behind Beautiful Boy, I may have teared up. 

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MissLucas

MissLucas

I'm still not sure what to make of this show. At times it's going for the emotional jugular and taking no prisoners and the next moment there are some clever turns in the writing like Katie asking for Miles' driving licence. I also appreciate that the message of his podcast in the final montage was deeply humanistic without referencing God. He's still not convinced but he's willing to listen himself.

I like Cara but I'm still not getting her story or rather her mother's. How did mom explain Cara's existence to her second daughter. Here's your older sister that I abandoned because staying with her and her father would have turned me back to the bottle? Where's Cara's father in all of this? And daughter no 2's father? How does it all fit together?

Last week God was in Jersey, this week s/he was in Hell's Kitchen - I wonder if that's becoming a thing and if so what's next on the itinerary?

  • Love 3
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Trini

Trini

(edited)

I thought this episode was a bit clunky, but nothing bad enough to keep me from watching. I'm willing to watch a few more to see if the show finds its groove. Because I'm also here for the lead. I thought Miles was pretty charming in this episode.

I think they might need to be more specific (or at least more specific than they were in this episode) about the conflict between Miles and his father. It just seemed really general to me. They should spend more time on that in another episode.

I don't mind Rakesh's story but... at the moment, I don't really care about his love life.

I agree that they need to find better ways to utilize Cara. But it's only been 2 episodes, so, we'll see.

Edited by Trini
  • Love 1
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Trini

Trini

Oh, forgot to mention: So is Miles' podcast going 'mainstream' really off the table so soon? I hope that's not permanent; and that it's still something that he works on as a subplot.

  • Love 1
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tennisgurl

tennisgurl

Hey, its Dawn-Lyen Gardner from Queen Sugar! Fun seeing her pop up!

I thought this was a stronger episode than the pilot, and I think we are getting to the shows mission statement. His podcast closing us out, talking about how important human connections are and the need to communicate, even with people we disagree with, was a great message. 

The lead is just so likable, his smile just lights up the whole room! And he has a nice voice as well, the scene with him and the kid at the piano was just...*sigh* Agree with everyone else that her taking the drivers license was a smart move, which was nice to see. And the Beautiful Boy scene got me, I cant lie. 

I hope that figure out more of what to do with Cara. I like her, but I hope to see more of what makes her tick as the show goes on. I also want to see more of Miles sister, who has basically been everyone's therapist so far. Which, does make sense, for a woman who is both a bartender AND a psych student! Its like Sam and Fraiser from Cheers mixed into one person!

The show is still a bit clunky, in an early series kind of way, but I am enjoying it, and I hope it has time to grow, as it has a lot of potential. 

  • Love 8
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Lonesome Rhodes

Lonesome Rhodes

(edited)

Having offered, and given, my DL to a few folks who needed reassurance, I loved that it happened in this ep.

My concerns about the leads' denial of the unexplainable remain.  Then again, if they do go all-in, there goes a major tension.

I like Rakesh the most.  He seems the most authentic, given the outrageous happenings.  His reticence in breaking down his trust wall in a relationship is very real, imo.  She really was on a date!  How is he supposed to handle such a thing???  She did nothing wrong.  Neither did he.  A potential real-deal love is among the scariest possible things a human can experience!

I am not as sanguine about the Reverend.  He has experienced a lifetime of folks leaving, returning, leaving and tons of doubts about faith and his church.  If he has even half a brain (he certainly does) he knows that the best approach to bringing back a lost lamb is a gentle one.  Flashing anger and negative judgment will always result in a skittish person to run away.  Yes, his emotions are screeeeeeeaming at him.  He is sure his son is damned if he does not come home!!!!!!  But, a man of his ability would be able to handle the encounters we have seen with much more patience.   I will watch to see if he is able to be more mature.

Edited by Lonesome Rhodes
  • Love 2
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thecatmeows

thecatmeows

(edited)
On 10/7/2018 at 9:35 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I think I was initially hesitant when Katie first left her son with Miles, but when she asked for his driver's license as insurance, I was impressed with that smart detail. As someone who always yells at shows when they have characters do the most irresponsible things for drama, I was prepared to be annoyed at Katie for leaving her child with a total stranger. I think her taking his license is something that was a smart writing choice.

I agree. I'm glad they had her to do that - I was hesitant about her feeling comfortable leaving her son with a total stranger. 

On 10/7/2018 at 9:35 PM, Lady Calypso said:

As for this God thing, I'm torn. On the one hand, I like answers and I'm afraid that this show going supernatural will make things confusing for a possible second season. On the other hand, I think having God turn out to be some genius hacker who is likely stalking Miles and his friends, or is even someone already in his life, is a cop-out and undermines the entire premise of this show. I'm not sure how they'd be able to turn that around and still send out a strong message. 

I hope they don't take a supernatural route. I'd rather it be a genius hacker. It is a cop-out, though. Still, I don't want them to take a preachy religious route, either, because I think they'd have a hard time retaining viewers (my boyfriend would stop watching, I know). 

I'm enjoying this show thus far, but I'm afraid it'll be less interesting when we find out who God is. I like the "mystery" and the miracles being performed. 

Edited by thecatmeows
  • Love 1
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jhlipton

jhlipton

I didn't like this as much as the original.  Part of it was that the "Beautiful Boy" was terribly inconsistent about being touched, especially by his mom.  No way he would have let her grab him when they left the music store.  That made the ending fall a little flat for me.

Cara is easy on the eyes -- that's a good enough reason for her to stay for me.

  • Love 1
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