Just in case our trusty SDMB needs to go down again around 9pm tonight…here’s the rallying point! God tells Joan to throw a party while her parents are gone. Will we see more Joan and Adam kissing? Will we see more Kevin looking for dating tips from Bear? Will we see more Arcadia town corruption?
Hee hee hee…I can’t wait!! 
I’ll be watching!
You know, I wish I would have thought of that one in high school. “But Mom, God told me to throw the party!”
Sounds like a good one tonight!
Yeah, sure He did.
I hope not. I’d like to see them get romantic later in the series, now is too early for them to get together. I like the tension between them. Instead, I would like to see Kevin and NewspaperCutie get together.
My power went out tonight and I only saw the last ten minutes. Could someone please fill me in ?
Ha! I am psychic. 
I liked this episode; I’m glad to see Kevin get back into life. I think things ended nicely for Joan & Adam too - just enough, but not too much.
dragongirl:
I’ll just give you a quick recap, perhaps another, more articulate Doper can elaborate… The kids sent their parents on a weekend spa retreat for “married weekend” so they could relax and be away from everything. God told Joan to throw a party. Joan & Luke awkwardly threw together a party which became quite a success. Adam came to the party and was trying to get romantic-ish with Joan (trying to kiss her, dance with her) which she rebuffed. God steps in and tells Joan basically to re-create with Adam, tell him how she feels, etc. She finds him on her lawn, dejected and getting ready to leave. They talk about not knowing where things go from here and she asks him to dance, and they dance. Kevin stays late to write an essay at NewspaperCutie’s request (after some flirting) and they finally kiss. That’s the Cliff notes version. Maybe someone else will be able to add more details. hth
Slainte summed it up well, but he/she missed an important part. Will got into a fight with another spa goer, played by Jay Thomas and then Will and Helen talked about how being taken hostage a couple of episodes ago really shook him up.
I so love this show! I know, I keep saying that every week, but it just gets better and better.
Wasn’t sure I was going to like the show tonight; I kept getting weird thoughts about Adam & Joan. I also did -not- like the Spa place or people (what a strange bunch!), but everything tied together in the end, which is one of the best aspects of this show–how well the cast and story work together.
Did anyone else think that the kid who told Joan about the party (I’m not sure, but I think he was one of the G-d incarnations) looked a bit like Alfred E. Neumann?! All he was lacking was some freckles!
No Joan-Adam kissing, but it ended very sweetly with them both opening up to each other, then hugging and dancing together.
No mug yet, tarragon?
Great ep., once again. I also liked that they’re making Luke a part of things more and more. And that spa master telling the couple to “chew on the consequences of their actions” in case they got hungry…Priceless!
Aes, if you pop in here, yes, I got it on tape for you and am sending you a tape tomorrow. (A different one.)
So what was the Grand Reason for Joan throwing the party?
Was it just recreation or was it to save the cops?
Perhaps to nudge her into clarifying her feelings towards Adam about their relationship?
I think the party was to save the cops.
I thought this was one of the weaker episodes…the spa weekend was lame…would have been better if dad had busted the obnoxious guy for insider trading or something.
Am I the only one who thought that roving meth lab was on its way to Joan’s party?
I didn’t think it was as good as last week’s, but I’m still well and truly hooked.
Here’s something I’d like to read people’s thoughts on. Given how clearly the Chief was unsuited to a spa weekend, why did the kids give them that, of all things? Was it Joan’s idea? Some place they’d heard their mother speak of longingly? Something they’d won in a contest or raffle? My money’s on either it being Joan’s idea or something one of them one in a raffle.
As I think I’ve said before, I like the parents’ marriage, the way it’s still clear they like and love each other even when they do royally tick each other off. I’m also intrigued by the idea of “Strip Scrabble”. Helen’s reactions to the Chief’s opinion of the spa was also nicely done.
This show continues to toss out interesting ideas to play with, including some of my old favorites. When I saw what the title of this episode was, I assumed they’d be playing with the idea of “recreation” and “re-creation”, but the notion that God could want people to have fun was one which, in my opinion, doesn’t get nearly enough play in the real world. Then again, this is from someone who four years ago wondered if going to England was something which was too much fun and too frivolous to do during Lent. I found out that wasn’t half of what was in store for me that particular year. God’s bit as the clerk in the liquor store was a hoot!
By the way, can someone please spare a bit of sympathy for Will and Helen Girardi? It seems to me that with 3 teenage kids (I’m assuming Kevin’s still a teenager) in various stages of love and lust in their house, things can’t be easy even without an interfering Deity hanging around. Maybe they should arrange a few more games of Strip Scrabble, or would that just make things worse?
CJ
Why do I keep thinking Arcadia is a small town? The downtown scenes show that it has to be a mid-size city.
Mary Steenburgen has remained distinctly lust-worthy since I first saw her a quarter century ago.
I actually got to watch it this week (but had a phone call during twenty minutes of it so your taping wasn’t all for naught, viva) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also made me want to see last week’s episode that much more.
I think I can honestly say that this is the first episode in a long time where I think I genuinely like every character. Will and Helen make such believable parents and look like they’re in love even though they’re only character on the screen; Kevin seems like a good guy and someone I’d love to have as a friend; Joan is just … well, Joan, and I love her for that; and Luke plays the fish out of water and overlooked, exasperated child so well too.
Then, of course, you have all the supporting characters that I can’t remember the name of. The new and redeemed chief of police, the assholish vice principal you love to hate, the lieutenant under Will that was saved in this week’s episode, Grace, Adam, God’s recurring characters (like the boy at the party), Luke’s annoying hormone driven friend, and the girl that’s so obviously in love with Luke.
Speaking of the last character, did anyone notice her in the background of some of the scenes? You could see her steeling herself to talk to Luke a number of times but never did and always looking like a kicked puppy when he would walk off without talking to her. She’s a great character… I hope we see more of her in the future.
I watched the show for the first time last night, and I’m kicking myself for not tuning in earlier in the season. The writing and acting are great, especially on the part of the kids, and the humor is cute and understated. And speaking of cute, I want Adam to be my TV boyfriend. sigh (Never mind that I’m 25…) Anyway, moving on… I loved the idea of having Joan dance with God – that’s so lovely!
It seemed to me, though, that the different incarnations of God would speak to her when other people are present and say sort of…odd…things. For example, the liquor-store-God called Adam by name when he spoke to Joan in front of her brother. Wouldn’t her brother notice and think that was kinda weird? Am I mistaken in thinking she’s keeping her “gift” a secret?
I think that Luke did notice and he in fact said something of a questioning nature, but Joan kind of shushed him and hurried him along.
And yes, Joan is keeping her gift a secret.
My least favorite episode to date. Maybe it just suffers in comparison to last week’s tears-inducing fare, though.
I don’t understand the whole spa thing. If the kids gave them the weekend as a gift, why was Will complaining about the use of their credit card when they checked in?