S01.E05: Unfriended

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

The “God” account unfriends Miles after he’s reluctant to act on the latest friend suggestion, a young woman who is dealing with emotional trauma following the death of her sister. Also, Cara reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Eli; Jaya stuns Rakesh with some news; and Arthur is uncomfortable when Miles turns to his Uncle Terrance for advice instead of him.

[mommalib]

This was a good episode. Miles is finally becoming more accepting of the god account and it seems him and his father are starting to understand each other more. And we see that Cara pushes and challenges Miles and doesn't let him give up. I'm glad Cara's was boyfriend was seen very little, I don't mind that until Miles and Cara get together.

[shapeshifter]

This show is on at a convenient time and seems to nicely wrap things up each episode rather than dangle the angst in soap opera fashion.

 

Cara's not-quite-ex-boyfriend has great hair.
His new rooftop garden venture seemed chosen for the purpose of showing off the fragile beauty of Violett Beane (Cara) among delicate flowers. 
Sheesh. Even her name is perfect.
Oh. I just realized. Beane was probably selected for the role in part because of her angelic look.

 

Note to any young ladies watching: If a guy you don't know follows you home late at night, do not invite him into your apartment in hopes that he too will be on a gød mission.

[UNOSEZ]

I know I'm super late.. But the way the ex was introduced annoyed me... Not the plot point of an ex coming back to get in the way of the two leads.. That's pretty standard and while cliche I like the show enough to push past it.. But ur just strolling along and you see ur ex that you dumped standing with another man staring into his eyes holding a rose in the middle of a conversation and you not only interrupt  and yammer on but you ask to get her info again and barely acknowledge the other man... I mean Geesh a dude who does that is someone who's probably entitled 

[MissLucas]

I wish there were signs that the ex was not just brought in to temporarily delay the ship - but nothing so far which is a pity. It's a minor quibble. Another decent episode. I like that we get glimpses of old 'friends' and I hope they keep that up - obviously not all of them each episode but from time to time would be nice. A simple facebook update will do, easy on the budget.

I'm still not quite sure how Rakesh fits into all of this but I enjoyed his plot this week. We finally got some answers about Jaya's reluctance and I liked Rakesh deciding to do something about his life (and listening to some excellent advice courtesy of Ali).

The conversation between Miles and his father about what it means to follow a calling even if you want to walk away was some powerful stuff.

'Atheist guardian' was a great moniker.

Edited October 30, 2018 by MissLucas

[Yeah No]

I didn't realize until just before he searched for it again that the purpose of the God account unfriending Miles was so that he would seek it out himself and voluntarily make the commitment to its mission for him on his own.  Instead of just following along, Miles had to realize that he wanted to accept the mission it was calling him to make.  Miles was not totally unaware of this, which is why he had that conversation with his father about callings.  I did feel it was strange that after all that he didn't come to at least suspect that the account was really God, but I suppose that it wouldn't be the first time as a believer that I have been similarly frustrated with an atheist.  I'm like, "Dude, it's right there in front of your face!"  I think it's still going to be some time before Miles puts all of this together.

I loved the scene between Rakesh, Jaya and their families.  I don't think we've seen the last of her.  Can't he go visit her?  She'll have to come home from time to time too.

22 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Note to any young ladies watching: If a guy you don't know follows you home late at night, do not invite him into your apartment in hopes that he too will be on a gød mission.

Hah, as a New Yorker, this was the FIRST thing I thought!  I also found myself freezing the frame on some of the aerial scenes and figuring out what I was looking at.  One of them started at Central Park South looking south near 6th Avenue.  I was able to pick out my old orthodontist's building.  I'm long overdue for a trip to Manhattan.  When I go to NY I visit my Dad but he doesn't live in Manhattan.

[mommalib]

14 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I know I'm super late.. But the way the ex was introduced annoyed me... Not the plot point of an ex coming back to get in the way of the two leads.. That's pretty standard and while cliche I like the show enough to push past it.. But ur just strolling along and you see ur ex that you dumped standing with another man staring into his eyes holding a rose in the middle of a conversation and you not only interrupt  and yammer on but you ask to get her info again and barely acknowledge the other man... I mean Geesh a dude who does that is someone who's probably entitled 

I think something will turn out to be not right about him. He will seem like the perfect changed man but there will be something underneath. And yeah he did kinda disrespect my dude Miles.

Edited October 30, 2018 by mommalib

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, mommalib said:

I think something will turn out to be not right about him. He will seem like the perfect changed man but there will be something underneath.

If we assume they are going for Biblical symbolism, the ex is in a kind of Garden of Eden.
So:

• Would he be Adam (about to do something to get himself exiled from the garden—maybe something for Cara)?
• Or would the ex turn out to be the Snake in the garden?

Or maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

[mommalib]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If we assume they are going for Biblical symbolism, the ex is in a kind of Garden of Eden.
So:

• Would he be Adam (about to do something to get himself exiled from the garden—maybe something for Cara)?
• Or would the ex turn out to be the Snake in the garden?

Or maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

I think more of the snake variety. He will do something or get involved in something that Cara will find out about through the God account.

[UNOSEZ]

@shapeshifter @mommalib damn I didn't even think in biblical terms... I just thought dude was kinda pushy.. To be honest I softened a lil bit on him this episode tho all his changes were so caramel driven I guess that in itself is a warning sign

[SnarkySheep]

On 10/22/2018 at 1:09 AM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Were there no repercussions for the corruption of the work computers?  Surely, IT discovered Rakesh's new software?  Does he have Admin privileges?  Not if he isn't IT himself.  He is not management.   If he is IT, how on earth would they forgive him running off when their system crashed?

I still don't have a super clear idea of what exactly Miles and Rajesh do...customer service?

[Guest]

I thought this episode was not very good. 

Maybe the premise of the show is losing my interest. 

However, if I hadn’t watched it, I would have missed this quote from @shapeshifter so overall, it was worth it.

Quote

 

Note to any young ladies watching: If a guy you don't know follows you home late at night, do not invite him into your apartment in hopes that he too will be on a gød mission.

[Yeah No]

49 minutes ago, deaja said:

I thought this episode was not very good. 

Maybe the premise of the show is losing my interest. 

That's interesting as I thought this episode ran very deep.  The God account disappeared when Miles seemed to lose his commitment to his mission with it and reappeared when it knew Miles was ready to return and voluntarily recommit.  The message here is that God wants us to seek him out, not just dutifully follow what we think his mission for us is.  The discussion between Miles and his father tied into that.  God chooses us but we in turn have to choose God.

And maybe it was me, but I also saw a parallel between that greater plot and Rakesh and Jaya.  Her leaving forced them to examine their feelings for each other and choose each other rather than just go along not defining that or even thinking about that stuff.  When faced with losing someone you might have to face how you would feel if they were truly gone from your life.  Same held true for Miles and the God account.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Yeah No

[mommalib]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

That's interesting as I thought this episode ran very deep.  The God account disappeared when Miles seemed to lose his commitment to his mission with it and reappeared when it knew Miles was ready to return and voluntarily recommit.  The message here is that God wants us to seek him out, not just dutifully follow what we think his mission for us is.  The discussion between Miles and his father tied into that.  God chooses us but we in turn have to choose God.

And maybe it was me, but I also saw a parallel between that greater plot and Rakesh and Jaya.  Her leaving forced them to examine their feelings for each other and choose each other rather than just go along not defining that or even thinking about that stuff.  When faced with losing someone you might have to face how you would feel if they were truly gone from your life.  Same held true for Miles and the God account.

It was a wonderful episode. Forget about the premise, Miles and Company are helping people through real life issues and doing it in a caring and genuine way. A show like this is needed right now.

[jhlipton]

On 10/21/2018 at 10:09 PM, Lonesome Rhodes said:

Other than "finding me," what is it that Fliss found?  It was a great adventure, but what was the spiritual/God point?  

I think it's time for some consequence to the unbelief in the leads.  

She found her old friend (who became her new friend) and a whole bunch of cool places that her friend liked in her new home.

Please, no bad consequences for unbelievers.  That would turn me off completely.

8 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

I still don't have a super clear idea of what exactly Miles and Rajesh do...customer service?

As little as possible?

[mojito]

Quote

Joe Morton is 100% going to get with the attractive age-appropriate shop owner. That's why she's attractive and age-appropriate.

True, if you just people over 50 as a single age group. I don't. Morton is  almost old enough to be Gimpel's father. She might be a good catch for him, but not vice-versa.

Cute show. Much like "Early Edition", I don't need to know any answers, I'm just enjoying watching the coincidences and how they connect people together. I like the atheist vs god angle and am willing to suspend belief for the sake of pleasant puff stories. Eventually, the sap will get to me and I'll just tune out. Or if Miles becomes a believer, I'm out.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I thought it was a pedestrian ep.  The best aspect of it was we did, indeed, have a consequence for Miles' doubt:  God removed himself.

Good on Jaya for deciding to go to Minnysota.  I thought the parents' supper was poorly conceived and executed.  We did not need a direct kinda/sorta confrontation.  The tension was already obvious and legitimate.  Nobody would be good enough for Jaya and Rakesh is nowhere near ready for a genuine relationship nor is he prepared to led a household in the super-patriarchal culture he's from.    

I really liked Pastor's story of improvising prayers on the battlefield.  It wasn't "there are no atheists in a foxhole" and it was a Pauline type of approach.  Just step up.  Be strong.  Not piety in those moments.  Perilous settings.  I hope to learn more.

I always bet against any alcoholic becoming dry for even a year.  The odds are almost 100-1 against any given attempt succeeding to that extent.  The one portrayed tonight was unusually savvy about her plight.  She was an alcoholic before the accident, so the fact of the argument just before the tragedy changed nothing.  It was about something(s) else.  One meeting at a time, young lady.  God bless.

The Mork speech at the end (podcast thoughts) were especially weak, imo.  Re-friending God was nice to see.  Why didn't he stop talking and pay appropriate attention?   That's a beauty of podding.  You get to stop/start/delete/perfect before you publish/air.  

[Trini]

I'm not expecting any solid answers about the God account, because that's not really what the show is about.

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

I thought it was a pedestrian ep.  The best aspect of it was we did, indeed, have a consequence for Miles' doubt:  God removed himself.

You know, I don't really think God removed himself completely.  He took a step back to allow Miles to discover him on his own, which he did for Miles' benefit, not as a consequence, which I think is symbolic of what God does for creation in general.  I realize I'm getting into the theological here, but it's hard for me not to as this show puts me squarely in that zone.

[MissLucas]

Well, it's difficult to talk about this show without getting into theology. But I agree - I did not think God removed himself. He took a step back to give Miles time and space to figure out what he really wants. Obviously this leads directly into the next theological minefield: free will. But there you go, he!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I am happy to grant the point that God never removes himself.  Ever.  We do an excellent job of distancing ourselves.  :)

Yet, he absolutely removed/suspended an outrageously awesome grace from Miles and his crew.  I would be crushed if I had direct contact like the FB page and friend requests only to have them disappear. 

The significance of the final scene goes away if God had not acted as he did.  To me, that indicates the intention of TPTB.  

[mythoughtis]

I’m willing to discuss fictional people as if they are real people because we usually know real people who behave like the fictional people.. so we can assume and extrapolate.  I can’t bring myself to discuss a fictional God as if he is a real God. God is portrayed on this show as the writers imagine he would be.  But that’s not a quantifiable, provable theory.  I feel We have no way to really know what God would mean by unfriending someone.   In fact, it’s foreign to my reality because we are taught that God ‘friends’ everyone no matter how late they show up to the party.

But more than happy to discuss the rest of it. Interesting to see that some stereotypes were being brought out for discussion ... the extreme helicopter  parents,  the  extreme demands that the offspring must all be doctors or professors or extremely successful.  

[shapeshifter]

46 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

I’m willing to discuss fictional people as if they are real people because we usually know real people who behave like the fictional people.. so we can assume and extrapolate.  I can’t bring myself to discuss a fictional God as if he is a real God. God is portrayed on this show as the writers imagine he would be.. . . .

But more than happy to discuss the rest of it..  

So far I've been doing this^ too (not discussing the show's Gød character) but, now that you've pointed out, @mythoughtis, that "God is portrayed on this show as the writers imagine he would be," I might be able to discuss the character of God in the show by qualifying the character as a portrayal of the writers—although so far I haven't felt the need to discuss the character.

I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with a fictional personification of Gød in the manner of this show—it seems that eventually the personalities of the writers will define the God character, just as a portrait artist's visage tends to appear in the face of the subject. That would be okay with me if the writers intended to convey the God character as being a part of all of us—but I doubt that's their conscious intent. 

Edited November 1, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Lonesome Rhodes]

My intention is to never offend.  I try to keep any sharing of theology to the very basics. 

TPTB decided to make the character "God" in the fashion of the Episcopalian Church - the church of Miles' Dad.  This is very much unlike Lucifer, by way of example, where "God" was decidedly not of any standard faith.  

Cheers to all.

[mythoughtis]

19 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

My intention is to never offend.  I try to keep any sharing of theology to the very basics. 

TPTB decided to make the character "God" in the fashion of the Episcopalian Church - the church of Miles' Dad.  This is very much unlike Lucifer, by way of example, where "God" was decidedly not of any standard faith.  

Cheers to all.

I’m not offended. I just can’t  join in the conversation about the character ‘God’ in this show. But happy  to discuss and snark on the other characters. 

[shapeshifter]

53 minutes ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

TPTB decided to make the character "God" in the fashion of the Episcopalian Church - the church of Miles' Dad.

Thanks, I missed the Episcopalian connection. Of course, if the show has legs, I imagine the gød personna potentially branching out into Budhist, Muslim, and other cultures. But maybe the writers don't share that vision. 

[jhlipton]

On 10/29/2018 at 4:11 PM, MissLucas said:

'Atheist guardian' was a great moniker.

Now I want to be a Guardian Atheist!

On 10/29/2018 at 9:01 PM, Yeah No said:

I did feel it was strange that after all that he didn't come to at least suspect that the account was really God, but I suppose that it wouldn't be the first time as a believer that I have been similarly frustrated with an atheist.  I'm like, "Dude, it's right there in front of your face!"  I think it's still going to be some time before Miles puts all of this together.

This atheist thinks that this episode shows that it doesn't matter whether it's really God behind the "God account".  Helping people is the right thing to do, a proper calling, regardles of whether you're doing it for God, or just because it's the "right" thing to do.

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

I’m willing to discuss fictional people as if they are real people because we usually know real people who behave like the fictional people.. so we can assume and extrapolate.  I can’t bring myself to discuss a fictional God as if he is a real God. God is portrayed on this show as the writers imagine he would be.  But that’s not a quantifiable, provable theory.  I feel We have no way to really know what God would mean by unfriending someone.   In fact, it’s foreign to my reality because we are taught that God ‘friends’ everyone no matter how late they show up to the party.

But more than happy to discuss the rest of it. Interesting to see that some stereotypes were being brought out for discussion ... the extreme helicopter  parents,  the  extreme demands that the offspring must all be doctors or professors or extremely successful.  

I realize that kind of discussion is not for everyone, but it's something I do and have been doing my whole life - to find symbolism in things.  Of course it's not provable or quantifiable, but that's the realm of Theology for you.  This show does involve a bit of "artistic license" for me in that a consistent God would friend everyone the same as Miles, but that doesn't mean I can't find some universal truth in the story.  Like the way I can find universal meaning in the Book of Job even though it's a very personal story between Job and God.  What I think is my opinion and I certainly don't expect everyone to think my way.

5 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

TPTB decided to make the character "God" in the fashion of the Episcopalian Church - the church of Miles' Dad.  This is very much unlike Lucifer, by way of example, where "God" was decidedly not of any standard faith.  

Cheers to all.

I agree with you, and perhaps that's one reason why I feel I can relate to it so well as I am an Episcopalian.

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

Now I want to be a Guardian Atheist!

This atheist thinks that this episode shows that it doesn't matter whether it's really God behind the "God account".  Helping people is the right thing to do, a proper calling, regardles of whether you're doing it for God, or just because it's the "right" thing to do.

Whether or not one believes in God, helping people is always the right thing to do and is its own reward.

[jhlipton]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

a) I can find universal meaning in the Book of Job even though it's a very personal story between Job and God. 

b) I agree with you, and perhaps that's one reason why I feel I can relate to it so well as I am an Episcopalian.

c) Whether or not one believes in God, helping people is always the right thing to do and is its own reward.

a) It's a personal story between Job and God, sandwiched between and odd encounter between God and Satan (which was written much later, I believe)

b) If I were to become a Christian (which, not going to happen), I would be an Episcopalian (or possibly a Methodist).  They are by far the most progressive Christian churches.

c) And so say all of us, regardless of religion or lack thereof.

[Trini]

Late to catch up this week, and not much to add, but I thought this was another good episode, and I think they are doing a good job so far of not having every "mission" be cookie cutter similar. It was nice that Miles accepted his 'calling' to help people.

[Lady Calypso]

I've fallen a bit behind the last couple of episodes but am catching up on what I've missed.

I do like this series a lot. I enjoy that Miles' mission was really pushing him to look into these connections on his own, rather than doing it just because God told him to. Unlike the pilot, where the God account relentlessly hacked Miles until he gave in, the account disappeared long enough for Miles to make the step to finding Rachel Blake because he was curious. I actually thought it was a good way to do it. Typically, I'd complain about God unfriending Miles so early in the series, but I think it actually was beneficial to do it now, when he's still very much skeptical and still learning the lessons being taught to him. Also, it taught Miles a little bit about selflessness and how he should want to help people, rather than him feeling like he has to help people. Maybe, there will be an episode where the God account doesn't suggest anyone and Miles has to find someone on his own merit, maybe even through one of the accounts of someone he's helped. 

In terms of Cara's ex, I'm not rooting for him to be a bad guy, but I'm ultimately hoping that him reappearing actually links him to one of Miles' friend requests somehow. I'd much prefer Eli be a person that Miles and Cara and Rakesh need to help, since I know Eli/Cara isn't a long-term couple. But I also like Kyle Harris after his stint on the pretty abysmal show Stitchers so I wouldn't mind seeing him hang around here for a bit and not be a plot device for Cara/Miles, which wasn't even needed in the first place. 

Also, moving to Rakesh and Jaya, as much as I want to like Rakesh and can relate to him somewhat, I need him to really start to grow as a person instead of overreacting with Jaya and letting his anxiety and paranoia take over. He's a real immature jerk sometimes, such as him confronting Jaya in front of their parents after discovering she's going to work at the Mayo Clinic. I do like Jaya, though, and like how she's willing to help. 

Otherwise, I do like how we get glimpses of previous people he's helped through their Facebook accounts. It's a nice touch of continuity.

[tennisgurl]

I feel like the purpose of the episode was that Miles just wants to help people, and the God Account, no matter what it actually is or who is behind it, is helping him do that. I dont think Miles is really behind the whole "an all powerful deity is sending me friend requests* thing, but he loves to help people, so he choose to keep it up. Which I think was the real point of the God Account unfriended him. He was kind of forced into it at first,  but now, he has chosen to keep up with it. Its actually pretty consistent with a lot of prophet stories from the bible, where God is pretty forceful in calling the person to service, but the choice has to be their own, as free will is a pretty big thing. So I liked how this played out. 

I also liked seeing that things are going well with the previous people that Miles and company helped, and checking on them a little bit. I hope that we can continue getting little updates on previous characters from time to time.