An average
16-yeard-old, Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn) is going through the
growing pains typical of any teenager. But after she and her
family (Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Ritter, Michael
Welch) relocate to Arcadia her life gets especially interesting
when God starts paying her visits.
CRITIQUE
Joan of Arcadia
is a pretty decent show considering it deals with religion
somewhat and the subject of God. Since I'm not a religious person
I didn't find the show appealing completely, but the fact that it
doesn't preach to its viewers makes Joan of Arcadia good
entertainment. The characters are good and the actors portray them
convincingly. Seeing the incarnation of God as another person in
each episode was refreshing and kind of fun to watch. Joan's
reactions and God's tasks are interesting. The majority of the
plotlines are decent to good with a few standouts but some
clunkers as well. This show is good here and there but I wasn't
completely enthralled by it.
THE VIDEO
Paramount presents
Joan of Arcadia in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors look clean
and well saturated. Print quality is quite good with nice detail and
sharpness. A few flaws exist such as grain here and there, but
overall they don't distract. Optional subtitles include English, Spanish and
French.
THE AUDIO
Paramount presents
Joan of Arcadia in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. Dialogue is
clear and easy to understand. The front speakers do a good job
emitting the sounds and music. A perfectly fine sound presentation
that gets the job done.
THE EXTRAS
The extras are quite
generous for a first season by Paramount. There are six audio
commentaries with writers, director, creator and some cast.
Also available are
deleted scenes for over a dozen episodes spread across all
six discs running an aggregate 26 minutes.
The Creation of
Joan of Arcadia is a 9-minute look at the genesis of
the show featuring interviews with Barbara Hall and James Haymen.
Joan of
Arcadia - A Look at Season One is an 18-minute featurette
that looks at shows from the first season and includes
thoughts/comments from Barbara Hall, the crew and cast members.
The amount of clips is a bit staggering.
Lastly there is a
God Gallery running almost 15 minutes that looks at six
characters who played God on the show.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm recommending
Joan of Arcadia based on its original idea and the way the
writers explore its potential. It's good entertainment but I don't
love it or think it's great. Fans will appreciate the extras more
than I, but overall this is a good DVD package from Paramount.
