B.A.

"A Man of Faith", Episode #103.



Cast: Matthew Long, Logan Lerman, Christine Lahti, Edwin Hodge, Jessica Par‚ John Slattery, Lina Patel.
Director(s): Peter Markle.
Producer(s): Greg Berlanti, Vanessa Taylor, Mickey Liddell, Thomas Schlamme.
Writer(s): Maggie Friedman.

Original Airdate: October 3, 2004.

Jadzia

Thanks for starting this thread, B.A.

I find myself looking forward to this show. I was also this way with Everwood: watched the first episode and slowly found myself more into it after a few shows.

B.A.

They just said that this is the first new show of the season to be picked up for 2005.

Tracer Bullet

I was surprised by that. It's the earliest renewal I've ever heard of.

B.A.

That's what I was thinking, too.


Tonight's episode was another good one. I liked it when Bobby stood up to his mom. Who would have thought that she was anti-religion?

Christine Lahti does play a great elitist bitch.

Jadzia

I'm still waiting impatiently to learn what the first cancelled new show of the season will be.

Seriously, hadn't something been cancelled already this time last year?

On topic, haven't watched this episode yet. We actually watched a DVD tonight.

DJLinus

Good episode tonight.

I've seen them all except one, so I feel like I can now make an informed opinion: I really can't stand the mom.

Patman

I liked this episode for its smaller stories, like Jack being smart enough to figure out Marcus's sacrifice for him (flunking tests to get placed on academic probabtion) to get him back on the track team, and then for Jack to take matters in his own hands to make life easier for Marcus's family, that shows good character. Now he also had his dinner with Missy's family and having Missy's father trying to procure an oath for Missy's chastity was a bit creepy, but funny.

Bobby's search for an understanding of religion given the paucity of any interaction with any organized religion due to his humanistic secular upbringing by his mother comes to a head when his friend asks him to get him through the studies to get through his bar mitzvah. Bobby shows some backbone and his mother decides to use this opportunity to expose Bobby to all religions so he can make a more informed choice should he want to go down that road. Bobby's leaning towards Catholicism because his father was Catholic, though Grace paints a less-then-stellar picture of his church attendance record in the time she knew him before he went out for milk and never came back.

It's revealed that Bobby does become a reverend, the second with such a background to become President. Marcus goes on with stories of Bobby leading a non-denominational service on Sundays in a chapel he had made in the basement of the White House, and it was a good time with sermons from Bobby each Sunday.

Grace has to contend with a walkout staged by a campus christian organization after Grace belittled a muslim female student's support of her faith in pointing out that Grace's bias might influence how she taught on the subject of religion. Grace also gets a new TA who is later revealed to be the son of a heavy contributor to the university, so she has to be convinced why he should stay on, and she decided to let him stay on as her TA while having to eat some crow for her views on being closed mind on her issues with her bias towards religion.

MrX

Nice debut for Bradley Cooper

I liked the episode but Grace is really starting to get on my nerves

Patman

Grace is the catalyst, she's the one that will push Bobby to confront many societal issues. Grace will probably never change her views (thus, being a catalyst), but she will mold Bobby's openness in investigating, rather than just towing the party line from just being in a certain group or demographic.

Also, I liked how they tell us that Bobby was a "believer" in previous episodes, and that we know he does have a strong views on faith due to being a reverend, and obviously being interested in these issues while also becoming interested in affecting change via the political process makes him a candidate that took on organized religion on his journey to the White House.

Flynn

This was probably my favorite episode yet. It has started moving the characters forward. Good stuff.

Frank TJ Mackey

Yet another terrific episode.

As far as lots of people not liking Christine Lahti's "mother" character; isn't that kind of the point?

King Jaspo

I guess I am the lone dissenting voice. I thought it was horrible.

The message was more important than the story.

Yes, we all have had each member of our family go through a different religious crisis on the same day. Puleeeeez.

And the mother. First half psycho ... second half perfect mother. Come on, the world does not tie up in a nice neatly tied box at the end of an hour.

The ending made me never want to watch the show again. There is just too much of a self-righteous smugness oozing from this show.

..... and I am an atheist pacifist vegetarian... Hell, I am even left handed.

Patman

Perhaps it's your bias...

B.A.

That's what I thought.

King Jaspo

"Perhaps it's your bias..."

I just thought if they are going to seriously examine religion, they could have made a more profound statement by having one story line about Bobby gaining faith. Having three story lines about religion on one show just trivialized it to a blatant message about tolerance. How they delivered the message was too obvious and distracting.

Story before message.

mverleg1

Grace didn't have religion nor did she want it.
Bobby didn't have religion but wanted to get it.
Hebba had religion and embraced it.
Warren had religion, but clearly was apathetic towards it.
(I think, and this point was less clear) Jack has faith but not religion.

I liked how they took the same topic and presented multiple views at the same time and how each of those people dealt with their views. Admittedly, it can sometime come across as a bit preachy, but you can't easily do a religious show without having some sort of preachiness to it. I liked it.

calhoun07

Actually Grace had religion then didn't want it. Bobby confronted her about her Catholic upbringing, but I guess she got turned off by her hypocrite ex husband and just decided that religion as a whole was a bad thing. And it probably is, but that's another discussion for another thread.

clckworang

King Jaspo, I have to kind of agree with you. I thought this was by far the weakest episode yet. It just didn't do it for me; it did feel kind of trivial and self-righteous.

The reason why I quit watching The West Wings two or three years ago was because I thought it could be way too preachy at times. I have thought that a little bit about this show as well, but I thought it really had that tone tonight.

If it keeps this up, then it will make it easier for me to just stick to one Sunday show during this timeslot: Desperate Housewives (really loved the first episode).

But we'll see; I haven't given up on this show yet.

Jergen

I liked what the Muslim student had to say to the Professor, how she felt more free being covered up instead of having to live up to the American standard of beauty. An interesting perspective.

clckworang

I will agree with that, Jergen. The comments from the Muslim student were probably the highlight of the episode for me.

King Jaspo

The conflict between the student and teacher was the highlight. Except it was a "train". On track and visible a mile away.

This is a problem with a new show. It is difficult to see beyond the message because the characters are new and often one dimensional. All we really know about the mother is that she is a lunatic (much like me). The first season of Everwood seemed much more preachy than the second. But Everwood doesn't devote an entire show to a single theme explored across all characters. Smallville does this quite often and it bothers me everytime they do. There should be a name for this kind of multiple similar story line manipulation.

I still think Everwood and Smallville are great shows. I still think Jack & Bobby has the potential to be as good. But the time slot and episodes like this last one could really hurt it's chances. The really need to find a good home for this show. Maybe swap it with the Mountain.

Jadzia

This episode could have been called "Are You There God? It's Me, Bobby." Bobby's religious journey reminded me of Margaret from the Judy Blume book.

I actually like Grace, even though I can see where she is annoying. I happen to agree with her viewpoints; I just think she is too abrasive and unyielding in how she expresses her opinions.

Great casting of Ed Begley Jr. as Missy's dad. They looked identical!

I thought Jack was kicked off the team as a punishment. Surprised they would even allow him back just because they had an open slot.