Episode Report Card Deborah: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Are You There, God? It's Me, Joan
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 18 | Aired on 03.11.2004
As Joan's leaving, her phone rings again, but this time the ring tone is "When the Saints Go Marching In" and the display says, "Incoming Call: God" against a background of fluffy white clouds. Ha! That? Was awesome. She answers it: "Ha ha, very funny. What now?" It's Convenience Store God, asking, "Joan…should you really be going home right now?" Joan replies, "Okay, can I get something off my chest here? What's with God the sexist? Yeah, I said it. How come the girl in the family has to do all the cooking and running around? How old-school is that?" Convenience Store God ignores some customers while he defends himself: "Okay, Joan, check my record: I think you'll find when I call one of you to action, it doesn't matter which chromosome I gave you." Joan: "Oh, and this is your call to action? Go and run a bunch of ridiculous errands?" He reminds her she made Luke a promise. Joan: "I also promised my angry mother I would get my butt home." God thinks she's in an interesting situation: "What are your priorities? Which commitments will you honour?" Joan says he's getting very good at stating the obvious. He says he couldn't hear her and that the line is breaking up. He's totally faking the static. Couldn't God just arrange for static? Joan says, "This is not funny…hello? Hello?" She finally hangs up, sighing heavily.
They're finally out of the elevator and there are EMS people everywhere. Will's holding the newborn, wrapped in a dark blue blanket, and asking, "Who's a baby girl?" Aw. Though she's half uncovered, and you know, it's probably cold out there. You might want to wrap that baby appropriately. He adds, "Bet you're hungry." Toni comes along with Dick, still in cuffs, and says impatiently, "Okay, Will?" A paramedic comes over and takes the baby, who's adorable. Will says to Toni: "So that's it -- we just hand her off?" She reminds him, "Safe haven law, remember?" Will hands her to the paramedic and says, "Yeah. But I'll never get used to this." Toni: "Some people just can't handle the responsibility." They watch her being taken away, and then we see Maria on a gurney, avoiding their glances. Dick: "It's a hell of a thing." Will: "Can I just ask the obvious here? What's a father of three doing embezzling money from your own company?" Dick cringes a bit: "I'm not comfortable with that term, 'embezzling.' It's more of a Robin Hood kind of thing." Some other cop comes over and asks, "Is this the guy, Captain?" Will thanks Dick for all his help, and then says, "All right, get him out of here." As they leave, Dick gleefully says, "Shotgun!" Heh. When the other cop makes a face, he says, "Just kidding." Will and Toni watch the EMS people take Maria away. I do not understand the point of this storyline. I appreciate that it was not the usual clichéd resolution of the "trapped with a pregnant lady" plot. But what was the purpose of it, exactly? They've already publicized the safe haven law on this show. I can only assume it's supposed to be making a point about responsibility, in keeping with themes elsewhere in the show. But perhaps Maria was doing the most responsible thing by giving the child up. Toni's comment really irked me, because she knows jack about Maria's life and situation, so where does she get off judging her as irresponsible?