Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005): Season 2, Episode 21 - Common Thread - full transcript

- So the fourth dimension is...
- Time.

Right. I knew that.

You explained that. A lot.

- So do you get it now?
- No.

I mean, how is that a dimension?

- Space I get because,
you know, it's space.
- Dude,

the test is tomorrow.

And tomorrow is a dimension.

What does that even mean?

I don't know.

I don't know, but I have
to ace this test, ok?



Will you please, please just
come over and help me study?

This will help us.

Is this gonna be weird?

No. We're fine.

People break up all the time
and they stay friends.

Right?

You are so not fine.

Hi.

I just got a call from michael at work,

and I think I'm getting a promotion.

- Mazel tov, dude.
- Thank you.

Cool. We were, um...

- kind of studying.
- Would it be weird

if I joined you guys?
This is the only time I have to...



it would.

Obviously it's too soon for that.

We could study tonight...

I work.

You know what?

Forget it. I'm fine.

What's her problem?

You're not seriously asking me that,
are you, dude?

Whatever.

Hey.

Sims 2. It's arriving this afternoon.

You wanna help me install it?

You want a piece of me, too? Huh?

I am one person, ok?
Just one. Uno.

So why don't you and everyone else
just take care of yourselves?

Virtual reality is looking good.

Awesome pattern, don't you think, Joan?

God knits?

It's a great way to center yourself
when you have to pass the time alone.

Oh!

Subtle reminder that I don't
have a boyfriend anymore.

Cute.

So you want me to be spinster Joan,

knitting her way to the grave.

- Knitting is the new yoga.
- Very meditative.

I knitted this top.

- No.
- Yeah.

That is seriously nice.

But you're god. I could never do that.

You used to love knitting, remember?

When you were 8 and reading those
little house on the prairie books.

Yeah. I tried to make
a scarf by myself, but

the yarn kept getting all knotted up
and I couldn't hold the needles right,

so the whole thing just unraveled.

You can't put too much
tension on the arm.

That was your problem.
You have to relax, get into the groove.

That's the meditative part.

I'd look like a total dork
knitting, no offense.

You have important work ahead of you.

It requires focus and understanding.

What work?

There is a simple question.
Finish the scarf, Joan.

But I don't even know
where it is anymore.

Season 2, episode 21
"common thread"

Ohh! What next?
I have to make my own car?

- Do you need to be medicated?
- What?

No.

I'm just knitting.

It's very hip right now, very meditative.

- Damn!
- Yeah. Looks fun.

Gotta try it sometime when I'm 100.

Look, I came by
to cut you in on something.

I hate my life.

Why?

Well, let's see.

Iraq, corporate corruption,
and you and Rove.

It's just really awkward
being around him, that's all.

He walks up all excited about his big promotion,

and I know he's just waiting for me to
excited for him because I can feel it.

- What does he expect?
- I came to talk about me.

He's very needy.

I know he's artistic and sensitive and
everything, but he can use that to,

you know, manipulate people.

- Just like he used you...
- You know I won't do this.

- Won't do what?
- I won't talk trash about Rove.

We've been friends
since the second grade.

I can't believe you're taking his side.

He slept with bonnie while
he was still with me!

I'm not taking anybody's side.

Don't you get it?
I don't want there to be sides!

Maybe we should all break up.

But Grace...

Mrs. Girardi?

Father Payne.

Ha ha ha. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I went to
Catholic High School and

that was our nickname for the principal.

- Then why don't you call me father Dave?
- Ok.

His real name was Angelini.

He's probably still out there somewhere
whacking kids with the board of education.

- Sorry. I'm rambling.
- It's ok.

You said that there was something
we shouldn't discuss on the phone.

Sorry for being so cryptic.

As I said, I work at
Saint Vincent's hospice in Hamilton.

There's no easy way to say this.

I'm here on behalf of Edmond Dodd.

Should I know who that is?

He's the man who assaulted you in 1980.

You mean the man who raped me.

Yes.

Edmond has advanced pancreatic cancer.

His doctors say he could die at any time now.

He wants to apologize
to you for what he did.

He wanted me to ask
if you'd come see him.

So what do we do?
We're out of money,

we're down to our last happiness
and we've got flies.

Go in the hot tub.

That always perks up
the Sims, you know.

We can't do that.
We're gonna have another baby.

Forget the baby, man.

If you neglect it long enough, a
social worker comes and takes it away.

Oh, dude, these are, like,
uber doritos.

The platonic ideal of dorito-ness.

- ?Que pasa, mon ami?
- You're stoned.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

- Yeah.
- But, my mom is downstairs.

Chill, dude. I didn't smoke here.

I swiped it from my uncle herb.

He has glaucoma.

Dude, focus. The social worker's
coming. He's here.

When I see him, it just makes
me remember how hurt I was.

Am.

I know it's time to move on but all that

old stuff is still there, you know?

- You want some brotherly advice?
- Huh...

no thanks, Sir Dumped-a-lot.

Exes can't be friends.

You have to cut the cord.

- Oh? What about Brad and Jen?
- Huh, what about Ben and Jen?

- Hello!
- What about Ben and the other Jen?

- What about the other Jen and...
- what about shutting up for one minute?

All done protecting and serving.

Arcadia is on its own.

Watch it.

Ooh, coleslaw and... cheese grits.

To what do we owe
this culinary delight?

I felt like comfort food.

If you want to order
chinese, go right ahead.

- Told ya.
- Me?

I love down-home cookin'.

Are you ok?

It's the onions, Will.

I have work. See ya.

You're chopping that onion
as if it ran the school board.

I said I'm fine.
Stop playing detective.

- Damn it!
- Hey, you ok?

Stop asking that.

I got it.

So it wasn't the onions.

I got that.

Uh....

the guy in art school...

that man who raped me...

- They found him?
- No.

He found me.

Through a priest.

He wants to see me.

He wants to apologize
to me before he dies.

Sick bastard.

- What are you doing?
- I'm calling the D.A.

He has pancreatic cancer.

He's in a hospice.

He'll be dead before it'd
even get to trial.

Yeah, well, he's not dead yet.

Are you actually thinking of going?

I don't know.

I think maybe this was brought to me

- like some kind of test.
- No.

Don't. This is not
some mission from God.

This is the man who raped you.

Are you going to give me a sticker
that says "inspected by God"?

- Just admiring.
- Yeah, well...

I really messed up this part.

I dropped a stitch and purled
when I should've knitted.

It's hard starting over, isn't it?

Yeah.

But the book said it's ok to drop
a stitch every now and then.

Well, it's the imperfections
that make it unique.

Then I'm definitely unique.

The persians make the most
beautiful rugs in the world...

not that I play favorites.

But on each rug, no matter
how intricate and exquisite,

the artist makes sure
there's some small defect.

It's called a persian flaw.

It's a recognition
that perfection exists only in me,

an acceptance that life can never really
be lived exactly the way you expect.

I love the colors.

If you're looking for Grace,
she's at her house.

I'm not looking for Grace.

You ok?

- Michael fired me.
- What?

Yeah.

He said my work's been sloppy
for the last month and, um...

you know, I've been
coming in late.

And then what's really sad
is that he's right.

You know, I totally have been
doing a lame-ass job.

I mean...

- with everything that's been going on...
- Oh.

So now I'm involved in this?

- I just... I just meant.
- I know what you meant.

Ok, but I can't stand here and

listen to you talk about how you were
so wrapped up cheating on me

that you screwed up your job.

It's not my problem, not anymore.

I thought we were gonna be friends.

I know how you'd like things to be,

but life can never be exactly
what you expect, ok?

Fine.

Dude, it's not heroin.

It's not heroin.
It's just a little recreational ganga.

- I've only done it a few times.
- Dude,

you had to call child protective
services for a Sims baby.

- I mean, if you can't handle
virtual reality...
- I'm a scientist, not a father, ok?

I'm expanding my neural frontier,

exploring inner space.

Where is your spirit
of discovery, doctor?

Tetrahydrocannabinol affects the

potassium and calcium channels
to your cerebral cortex,

which reduces the levels of the
neurotransmitter anandamide.

Yeah. Somebody's been
doing some reading.

Intrigued, are we?

It slows down your brain.
Why would you want that?

Because it also releases
that sweet nectar dopamine,

which heightens perception of music,

food,

sex...

which, when I start having it, will be

- remarkable.
- If you like getting stoned,
that's fine,

but experimenting with drugs
is not a genuine scientific pursuit.

Oh.

So there's a limit on self-discovery?

Deviating from the norm
is precisely what generates

our most extraordinary
advances in science.

Plus,

you laugh your ass off, dude.

I fantasized about
bringing a gun today.

My husband's a cop.
He would have happily given me his.

I didn't.

Mrs. Girardi,

- if it's too painful...
- No, no, no. I want to.

I do.

Forgiveness is an
important part of faith.

Thank you for coming.

I don't know how to do this.

I'm just so sorry.

Every day, I think about what I did.

Did you work on campus?

Did I know you from
somewhere? I mean...

Why me?

I don't know.

I'd never done anything
like that before. I swear...

and I never did again.

The next morning when I woke up...

I hoped it was a dream...

but I saw the scratch marks.

Is that your family?

Do they know?

When I met father Payne,

he helped me find God.

I want to repent.

Please, I want to repent.

When?

When did you find God?

When you came in here?

That's pretty convenient.

I know that Christ is with me.

Well, then you don't need
my forgiveness, do you?

- Mrs. Girardi, perhaps...
- No.

You grabbed me.

You held me down,

your hand on my throat so that I couldn't breathe.

And then you...

you left me there.

Do you know how long it took
before I could get through one day

without being terrified,
without thinking of you?

To let myself be touched again
by someone who loved me?

25 years I lived with that,

and now you have
a deathbed conversion and you

want me to spare you the guilt
for your last couple of weeks?

- No.
- Please.

You feel every bit of this agony

every single moment until it ends you,

and then maybe you'll begin
to understand what you did to me.

You're getting exactly what you deserve.

I hope you rot in hell.

Hey.

Hi, honey.

How's your finger?

It's fine. It was just a little cut.

I've already
forgotten about it.

It's kind of oozing.

Look, I hate to sound like you,
but if you need to talk...

Your knitting looks good.

Yeah. If Ray Charles did it.

- Mom, you just seem a little...
- I'm fine.

Ok. Sorry.

- Oh.
- I'm up.

Hi, Mr. Girardi.

- Is Joan here?
- Yeah. Come on in, Grace.

She is the den.

- You want a towel?
- I'm cool.

Rove isn't here, is he?

No. Why?

He went hiking this morning
up Mount Nashman.

He hasn't come back.

Nothing.

I don't feel a thing.

Nothing,

- nada, niente, zippo, goose egg.
- Dude, dude, dude, dude.

Chill out, man.

Let the mellow enter your soul.

I'm telling you, it's a waste of time.

My cb-1 receptors are obviously too strong

to be overwhelmed by a little THC.

- These are amazing.
- Sun chips.

Best kept secret in the chip aisle.

They're like the filet mignon
of the genus chipium, dude.

So, like,

crisp and crunchy and yet
with the optimal sweet-spice ratio.

I could cry, dude.

I... I am crying.

Dude, cb-1 receptor
shields weakening.

Taking a nap, maybe.

You just don't know how hard your
neurons have been working until you...

you give 'em a little down time.

Soak it up, man. Soak it up.

Are you sure your parents won't smell this?

The hepa filter, dude.

It's for my allergies.

There could be a biological attack

and the hepa would save the Friedmans.

You think there will be?

A biological attack, I mean, someday?

D-d-dude.

Oh...

Who, who, who, who?

- It's Grace.
- Buzz kill.

Let it ring.

Dude, I mean, it won't stop.

- I mean, I have to...
- it's Grace!

You might as well
give the feds a jingle.

She hung up, dude.

- She must know.
- What?

Dude, chill out. Let's put some
music on, man.

All righty, then.
A little snoop dogg, huh? Hmm?

- No. Too many words.
- Dude, your computer's on.

Power save.

Pink Floyd.

- Too obvious.
- Dude,

your camera's pointed at us.

Dude, we could be mass broadcasting
all over the internet!

It's not online, ok?
Bjork. All right...

No. Too nordic.

No, dude, it could be mass broadcasting
all over the internet!

Dude, stop saying it could be mass
broadcasting all over the internet!

- He was pretty upset, wasn't he?
- Yeah.

- How upset?
- I don't know,

I didn't want to talk to him.

- Me, neither.
- This is important.

- There's a family history of suicide.
- Yeah. We know that, dad.

- Have you tried calling him again?
- No,

I keep getting his voice mail.

There.

That's the trail we used to take.

Oh, God.

Adam's truck.

Oh, my God.

Adam!

Adam!

Adam!

Adam!

Adam!

Adam!

He said he'd be back by 6:00.

He was gonna pick me up at work.

He always calls.

No suicide note.

I'm sorry, Mr. Rove. It's important
that we, uh...

I... I understand.

We should head back to the station

and organize a search team.

He's got to be on the trail.
Why can't we just go...

The trail is washed out around mile 3

and we've had some loose boulders coming down.

We can't just leave him out there!

We've already lost 3 people
on the mountain so far this year.

We don't want to lose anymore.

All right, guys. Come on
down off the hill.

Meet back at the station.

Why did he do this?

Adam! Damn it!

Come on, dude.
Let's go wait back in the car.

Oh, it's Grace again, dude.

Dude, answer your phone.

She definitely knows.
She saw the broadcast.

Dude, there was no broadcast.

Who else do you think knows?

Oh, man, my heart is beating like it's
trying to get out of my chest, dude.

Maybe there was something
in that stuff, man!

Maybe it was laced!

There was nothing in it, ok.

I'm fine.

My uncle Herb, he's fine.

- His sight even improved.
- No, no.

I'm telling you, dude,
it's beating too hard.

Listen: du-dub, du-dub, du-du...

oh, my God, I think it skipped a dub.

Dude,

you're totally flippin' out, man.

You need to chill, breathe.

People have been smoking
weed forever, yo.

Breathe.

Neurotransmitters shutting down!
Brain in revolt!

What do you like about this, Friedman?

Nothing anymore.

- Have you already check
all the vehicules?
- Hey. Hold up.

- I'll walk you guys out.
- Allright.

So we just have to sit
here until morning?

I don't understand why
we can't go look for him.

It's too dangerous for them
to send anyone out.

But isn't that what they do?

It's dark. The rain is too heavy.

The helicopters can't fly.

So what's gonna happen to Adam?

As soon as it gets light
or the rain lets up,

they'll start looking.

Hey,

any news?

Um, no.

Dad and Joan went up there.

How could he be so stupid?

Maybe he doesn't care.

That's what I'm worried about.

So, uh,

how'd it go today?

Did you see him?

Dad told me.

Well, he had no right.

I was worried about you.

Let's not do this, Kevin.

Talk?

About this?

Yes.

So what happened to me
is open season, but...

I said: let's drop it, Kevin.

Look, mom...

I... I know what it's like to have
something happen to you that...

- no one else can really understand.
- You don't understand this!

I have never claimed to know
what it's like to be in that chair,

so don't you patronize me!

I'm so sorry.

But it's been 25 years,
and seeing him, I...

I am right back there, and...

I just cannot talk about
this with my children.

I just can't.

The really sick thing
is I wanted to hurt him.

But when I cut him off,

he had this expression on his face like
he was gonna crumble or something.

And for a second...

it felt good.

I've seen him like that.

After his mom died...

he totally shut down.
He stopped talking.

I don't think I heard more
than 10 words out of him.

Until you came along.

Why did he have to hook up with Bonnie?

Dude, it's...

it's not just him.

So if I had slept with him,

then he wouldn't be
out there right now?

It's not about sex.

It's...

sometimes you're not the easiest
person to connect with.

What do you mean?

All I'm saying is, what Rove did,

it was low, yeah,

but maybe he didn't know where he stood.

I loved him.

I mean, I still love him. He knows that.

Yeah, but still...

it's like you always have something
that you're keeping to yourself,

something you're hiding.

Oh, great.

And what do you think I'm hiding?

All the insane things you do,

the clubs you have to join,

you never really let anyone in on all that...

not really.

You just want us to go along with it.

I... like to try stuff.

Like knitting? What's that about?

Somebody suggested it.

- Who?
- What...

what difference....
What difference does it make?

People who keep secrets, Girardi...

I've been there.

It keeps people away.

I hate this. It's too stuffy in here.

How's the knitting going, Joan?

So God cares more about
knitting than Adam?

I think we don't
have much to talk about.

You're angry.

I understand.

You know, it's your
fault all this happened.

This secret life we've been having
has totally messed up everything.

You could share me
with whoever you want.

Oh, yeah, yeah,

and wind up back in the funny farm.

No, no, no. You shouldn't
tear all that out.

- That looks good.
- You know, it's just a stupid scarf!

Unraveling it isn't
gonna make it disappear.

It just changes form.

Am I ever gonna see him again?

I don't mean in another form.

I mean here, now.

You feel how painful it is to try
and sever a connection,

but they can never really be broken.

All of creation shares a common
thread, like your scarf.

How you use that thread
becomes the pattern of your life.

So what's happening now...

Is it because...

I... I knitted my life wrong?

I believe in you.

I've seen the ripples. I've seen
how it changes people's lives.

Even when I didn't see, I trusted you.

And you've developed strength,

and understanding, and faith.

New challenges are gonna
make you even stronger.

For what?

Huh, for what?

How much stronger
do I have to be?

Hello?!

Hello!

Anybody!

Adam!

- Jane!
- Adam!

Jane.

What happened?

- I'm ok
- Are you ok?

I'm ok. I'm ok.

Yeah, huh, Ryan...

Ryan helped me out.

I was lost, too.

Never should've been out here.

Adam!

- Dad?!
- Adam!

Dad!

I'm ok. I'm ok.
My son.

- Grace!
- Adam!

- So you're Joan!
- Oh yeah.

I was wondering why He wanted me
to go hiking on a day like this.

What? Who?

Who are you?

Ryan Hunter.

See you around, Joan.

I can't believe I missed
the whole thing.

At least someone had
an anxiety-free night.

Who?

You.

Oh, yeah.

Did you sleep ok last night?
You seem a little slow.

No, I'm... I'm fine.

I was just, you know,
just studying with Friedman.

You should take a break
every now and then, unwind.

No, I actually like
the... the winding better.

I... I gotta go meet Grace.

See you guys later.

I finished the froot loops.

Perfect. There go my vitamins.

How you doing?

Fine.

Everything worked out, right?

Did you talk to Adam?

Last night at the ranger station.

He seemed fine.

You can't hold yourself
responsible, you know?

That's what they say.

It's true, honey.

You two are going through
a difficult break-up,

but if Adam makes a bad choice...

but I had something
to do with it, right?

I mean, we're all
connected like the scarf.

One piece of yarn.

If you cut it up into little pieces,
it's useless.

Can't make anything out of it.

I am responsible, partly.

We all are.

For everything that we touch
and everything that touches us.

Where did this come from?

God.

Isn't that what God says, mom?

Right, sorry. Probably
just low blood sugar.

It was like I couldn't
breathe, you know,

and my mind was like this separate
being at war with my body.

Did you even notice that
I tried to call you?

Yeah, but

I was kind of in the middle
of a neural nightmare.

And I was in the middle of a real one.

I didn't know if
I'd ever see Rove again.

I really needed to talk to you.

It's nice to know
how dependable you are.

Look...

I'm just a dumbass kid
who did a dumbass thing,

had a panic attack and
I thought I was gonna die, ok?

That's it.

And you thought you were gonna get
some sympathy from me?

Well, you bet the wrong hand, cheech.

- I already have to live
with a drunk at home.
- Look, I'm sorry, ok?

I wanted to answer the phone, but...

I'm not dealing with another
brain-dead person in my life.

I threw out Friedman's pot.

Ok? And the Pink Floyd
box set, all right? It...

it's over.

Moron.

Agreed.

You ok? Your eyes look like tomatoes.

My head feels like it got hit with a shovel,

and my mouth feels like I ate dirt.

Which conceivably I did, but

yeah, I'm ok.

Not that I give a crap.

Oh, I'm sorry.

They said that it was ok for us
to use this room to fill these out.

I don't work here.

Oh.

You came to see Edmond?

He, um...

he passed away this morning.

He finally found some peace.

I'm Anne, and

this is our little girl Kimberly.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Oh, I'm Helen.

How... how did you
know Edmond?

In school.

It was a long time ago.

A friend told me that he was sick.

Daddy's in heaven now.

You can talk to him in your prayers.

- Well, I'm sorry for your loss.
- Oh, thank you.

Thanks.

You ok?

Yeah.

Finish the scarf?

Oh, You know,
it's never really finished, is it?

- Tryin' to take My job?
- No.

But I do have a few suggestions...

like give Sean Penn a sense of humor.

I know how hard this was for you.

But now you know how much
more you're capable of.

Why does that scare me?

'Cause you know that every day you'll
face things that you can't foresee...

and you know you can't avoid 'em.

You just have to adapt...

keep going.

Ok, who was that guy that
brought Adam out of the woods?

- Another connection.
- To me?

'Cause I don't know him.

Connections exist long
before we're aware of them.

They've always existed.
Always will.

So You talk to him, too.

Come on, don't hang me
out to dry here.

Does he know that I talk to you?

- Because this is starting
to feel really weird.
- Don't worry.

Just take it one stitch at a time.

Hey.

Hi.

How are you doing?

I'm feelin' kinda stupid.

You know, I was just tryin' to get
some time to myself, you know.

I never thought about the rain.

I was really scared.

'Cause I thought...

you know.

No. No.

No, I could... I could never
do that to you.

I'm sorry, Jane.

I didn't mean to drag you through
a whole 'nother mess. You know?

I know.

I'll stay outta your way.
Ok? I promise.

No. Adam, I...

It takes too much energy to pretend like

we're not connected anymore.

We still are, just in a different way.

That's the hard part.

And the good part.

So you don't freeze...

in case you ever get lost again.

What are you drawing?

- That's that guy.
- Yeah.

Ryan.

I just got him...
stuck in my head. You know?

Do you like it?

Yeah. Sure.