Episode Report Card Deborah: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Medium and the Message
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.09.2003
Helen: "Okay. Is it wrong to pray for them -- personal miracles, I mean. Not 'world peace' or 'save the planet,' nothing altruistic. Just plain old, shopping-list, God-as-Santa, 'give me this one thing and I will stop smoking!'" There's a frantic edge to her voice. Father Ken thinks she should stop smoking for herself. She says she doesn't smoke. He tries again to suggest that she come to his office; it would go better, and they could have tea if she came to see him there. Man, I don't know why he's so jittery about trying to talk to her there. Most religious officiants I have ever met have been thrilled to be engaged on the subject of spirituality just about any place and any time. In fact, I avoid bringing it up unless I'm prepared to invest some time and energy into the whole discussion. Of course, I haven't been as labile and desperate as Helen most of those times. She explains that she was raised Catholic and she was taught not to pray for specific things: "But there is this one miracle that I would really, really like to have. It's like something you see in a store and you can't stop thinking about it and you start to believe it already belongs to you and it's just misplaced. But is it wrong? Can it actually do harm to pray for something you want?" Father Ken, painfully conscious of what Helen wants to hear, says, "I think prayer can never hurt, as long as you understand you might not recognize the answer right away. Most miracles occur in hindsight." Good answer. Helen thinks about that, and starts to reach into her purse to fish out some money for the donation kettle, as consternation covers her face and she asks, "Why don't I ever feel better after I talk to you?" Father Ken shrugs, "I don't know." Helen races off.
Will and Daghlian are walking through a large, picturesque red barn out in the country. Daghlian thinks it's odd that they drove around for fifteen minutes and found a red barn. Clearly he's never been to the country before, because about the only colour of barn more readily found than red is a weathered grey. Will likewise scorns the whole thing: "And Madame Blavatsky gets a hit. What are the odds?" As Will stoops to pick up a horseshoe, he reminds his lieutenant that the longer this takes, the more likely it is they're looking for a body. As he hangs up the horseshoe (in the wrong orientation -- prongs down), he hears Mrs. Reinemann yelling, "Oh my God! Oh my God!" They run out of the barn and into Charlotte, who says that everything's fine. The parents come running around the corner; Mrs. Reinemann is waving a tattered stuffed animal which she says is her son Eric's toy, Toby. Daghlian takes it to put into an evidence bag. The parents embrace each other. Will says he'll call for a unit. Charlotte says, "Chief...you should get your guys to comb the area." Will: "Is that how it's done?"