Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 2, Episode 19 - Dear God - full transcript

32 cents to send a piece
of paper from here to there.

Ben told me this would happen,

but I didn't believe it.

Ben?

My good old friend Ben Franklin.

I helped him start
the post office

a couple centuries ago.

Your old friend?

You told me he was
a nosy motormouth.

Well, most of my best
friends are motormouths,

if you get my meaning.



Now, where was I?

Post office... the old days.

Back then, communication
wasn't so easy.

People would wait weeks, months

to hear from their loved ones.

So they would take time
to write from the heart.

But now it's mostly
bills and sweepstakes

and that free detergent
in those little bitty boxes.

Nobody's communicating anymore.

They're just wasting trees.

I wish I got some mail.

As of now you do.

Look, Tess.

I may be a winner already.



Yes, you are, baby,

and neither rain nor sleet
nor snow will keep you

from your appointed assignment.

Oh, excuse me.

We're closed.

Don't blame me.
I got here on time.

Max!

I'm so sorry.

Would you please come
back tomorrow morning?

We'll be open at 8:30 sharp.

Max has been with the
post office almost 30 years.

Is he always like that?

Oh, no, sometimes
he has a bad day.

But that's what happens
when you try to keep life out

instead of letting it in.

He must be very lonely.

He is.

It's the price you
pay when you're trying

to keep yourself safe from pain.

It's too high of a price.

And Max has been
paying it a long time.

He dropped a letter.

It's not really
addressed to him, is it?

He reads God's mail?

And he answers it, too.

♫ ♫

♫ When you walk down the road ♫

♫ Heavy burden, heavy load ♫

♫ I will rise ♫

♫ And I will walk with you ♫

♫ I'll walk with you ♫

♫ Till the sun
don't even shine ♫

♫ Oh, oh, oh... ♫

♫ Walk with you ♫

♫ Every time ♫

♫ I tell you, I'll
walk with you ♫

♫ Ooh, ooh, walk with you ♫

♫ Believe me, I'll
walk with you. ♫

Hello.

Don't waste your breath.

Every branch has its cross
to bear, and Max is ours.

He seems like a
very private person.

Private? Try paranoid.

I'm your supervisor...
Ms. Raphael.

Not Miss, not Mrs., Ms.

And your name is?

Monica.

They sent you down from Central?

You could say that, yes.

Let's bring you up to speed
on parcels and bundles.

Then we'll check you out
on stacking and sorting.

My personal favourite.

That's where the action is.

This is the lunchroom.

30 minutes...
Punch in, punch out.

There's a greasy
spoon down the street,

but they're slow.

If you're late, you're docked.

And wash the mayo and ketchup
or what have you off your hands.

We deliver a clean
letter in this station.

Pardon me, Max.

I'm Monica.

These letters are
ready for sorting.

If you don't mind
my asking... I do.

You don't know what
I'm going to ask yet.

Don't know, don't care.

I'm new here.

That's not a question.

I was wondering, what does
a mail sorter do, specifically?

Or generally?

I sort the handwritten
letters by zip code specifically,

decipher bad
handwriting occasionally,

and handle the dead
letter file generally.

Dead letters?

How does a letter die?

Can you read this
chicken scratch?

Berum... gum...

Can't read where it's going.

No return address.

Nowhere to go.

That adds up to dead.

Into the "Dear Santa",

"Dear, Easter Bunny,
Dear Elvis" box.

Oh, by the way...

Stamp machine's
stuck again, Max.

Don't mess anything up.

I have a system here.

"Dear God,

"How do you make the
stars twinkle like that?

"My brother says you
use a million lightbulbs,

"but my sister says
they're diamonds.

"Write back and
tell me the truth.

Love, Ben."

"Dear Ben..."

What are you doing?

Oh, don't worry.

I won't tell anyone.

Do you answer all
the children's letters?

It's kind of a hobby.

"Dear Ben,

"I'm glad you like
looking at the stars.

"But it isn't God who
makes them twinkle.

It's air pollution."

Right.

"If there really were a God,

we wouldn't have any pollution."

It's true.

But you can't
write that to a child.

Someone has to. Why?

Kids should hear what they
need to survive in this world.

There's no God who's
going to snap his finger

and make things better.

The only thing to
believe in is themselves.

The sooner they
learn that, the better.

But what you're
saying isn't true.

Really? What makes...?

Where'd you get that?

Oh... you dropped it.

Well?

Don't you have work to do?

Tess.

It would help if he thought
you were on his side.

The tattoo on his arm...

Was he in a concentration camp?

Auschwitz.

He was six.

I volunteered to go there,
but I never got assigned.

I wish I had.

No, you don't.

Here we go.

Six flowers, a
dozen lighthouses,

and 50 unforgettable
scenes from the Civil War.

Although, President Grant,

he wasn't quite that tall.

Thank you.

Look who's just arrived
by special delivery.

Hi.

Death never goes too
far from a man like Max.

Looks like you
could use some help.

I can't reach.

Do you want me
to mail it for you?

Somebody usually helps.

Oh, okay.

Well, I guess that would
be me today then, huh?

Okay.

Ready?

Here we go.

Thank you.

No problem.

"To God: Heaven. From Tanya."

Sweet little girl.

Mm-hmm.

I don't understand.

Max answers all the
other letters to God,

but why doesn't he answer
the ones from Tanya?

Look at them.

All from Tanya, all unopened.

He's not supposed to open
these, but it looks like he did.

One or two, anyway.

Would it be wrong
if we read them?

Oh, it's a federal offense

to tamper with
other people's mail.

But they don't
even belong to Max.

I mean, they're
addressed to God,

and, well, we're like...
God's secretaries.

Personal assistants.

Don't tell me what you are.

I know what you are.

You're just plain curious.

And... me, too.

Secretaries, huh?

Assistants.

Maybe we could ask permission.

We?

You.

It's okay by Him.

Okay, now, this
was the first letter

that Max opened.

"Dear God,

"my name is Tanya. I'm
seven years old... almost.

"My birthday's next
week and Daddy says I get

"to blow out the candles.

"I know you're not
supposed to tell your wish,

"but can I tell you, or
do you already know?

Love, Tanya."

All right.

"Dear God, I don't
understand your letter real well.

"'Course, if you aren't real,
then how come you wrote to me?

"It sounds like you
were in a bad mood.

"Sandy has lots of bad moods.

That's when she hits."

"Dear God, today is my birthday.

"How long does it take
for the wish to come true?

"Daddy says he's feeling
better, but I know he's not,

and Sandy keeps hurting me."

"Dear God, Daddy says
the angels are coming"

"to take him to heaven soon.

"Please let me go with him.

"I would rather be in heaven
with Daddy than here with Sandy.

"My writing is bad because
she hurted my hand.

Please write me soon."

"Dear God, I am crying.

"If you don't have time
to write me, that's okay.

"I'll... I'll see you soon.

Love, Tanya."

Is that why you're here?

Is that why Tanya could see you,

because she's going to die?

I-I don't know that.

I-I don't know that.

I do know it's going
to be complicated.

Complicated?

What could be more simple?

There's someone out
there hurting a child

and I can save her.

Hold on a minute.

You don't have the power to
save anything on this Earth.

And the one who does
wants you to stay with Max.

Max? But Max won't help her.

You don't know that.

Sure, I do.

Humans get a chance
every day to help someone,

but they won't
because they're afraid.

Well, I'm not afraid.

That's right.

If you help Tanya,
you risk nothing.

But if Max tries to save
her, he'll risk everything.

And that's what will save him.

If, if, if he helps!

Maybe he won't even try,

but maybe he will
try and succeed.

Maybe he'll try and fail.

It's his choice.

And whatever choice he makes,
you've got to be there for him.

But, Tess, who will
be there for Tanya?

Who do you think?

I'll have a bologna
sandwich on white.

And do you have
any dried prunes?

Just ran out.

I can imagine.

Yeah. You?

Do you make your lattes with 2%?

Our whats?

You know, I'll have a
nonfat steamer with hazelnut.

Cappuccino?

Let's just narrow this down.

We're talking food or beverage?

Give the lady a cup of
coffee and some boiled milk.

Foreigners.

Nobody's ever asked
me to have lunch ever.

I wanted to talk to you

about something in private.

I'm telling you up front,

I'm not signing any petitions,

I don't go to office parties,

and I don't trade shifts.

But you do answer God's mail.

So?

So... why didn't
you answer these?

You shouldn't have opened them.

Somebody had to.

It was obvious you
didn't want to read them

because you know what's inside.

A little girl is in trouble
and she's counting on you.

To do what?

Dress up in a God suit
and hop over to her house

to hide candy eggs
in her backyard?

And hang a stocking full
of salvation on her mantle?

She's waiting for a
fairy tale to come true.

She's waiting for
someone to save her life.

I don't want to get involved.

You already are involved.

You answered the first letter.

All I told her is
what I tell everyone.

That there is no God.

If she can't handle that...

Well, she didn't believe you,

because she's got the true
faith of an innocent child.

Innocence kills.

The sooner Tanya grows up,
the less disappointed she'll be.

Max, she may not get
a chance to grow up.

Her faith is the only thing
that's still keeping her alive,

but it's dying, and she will,
too, unless you do something.

I don't have to listen to this.

If you want to get yourself
into a mess, you help.

But she needs you.

Look, I'm not going
to let you leave here

until you hear me out.

Is there another
way out of here?

Back there.

Whoa! That's $6.50 whether
you eat the stuff or not.

Max, I brought you
here for a reason.

And I'm leaving
for a reason, too.

Little girls who lie end up

in big trouble,
Tanya, so stop lying!

What did you do with
the money, Tanya?

I didn't take it, Sandy. Honest.

I had a $20 bill in
my pocket and now...

You trying to mess
with my head, ain't you?

No, I just wanted to get
some food for Daddy.

He's hungry.

I'm sick and tired of
taking care of him...

and you.

I need a drink.

Hi.

Hi.

I know you.

I've seen you
at the post office.

That's right.

If I give you a letter,
will you mail it for me?

Of course I will.

It's right back there.

Come on. It's okay.

That's Daddy.

I thought I had one more stamp.

I know I put it here somewhere.

Daddy says the angels
are going to take him soon,

so I drew him a
picture of heaven.

Where's my stamp?

I know it's here.

Hi. What are you doing here?

Max and I were
having lunch next door.

Coincidentally?

I got him to the door,

but he walked in all by himself.

Well, let's see if he walks out.

Poor man.

Will it be soon?

Very nice.

Lots of stars.

This is going to be
my last letter to God.

Why?

He doesn't write me back.

And all my stamps are gone.

You must spend a lot on stamps.

If you don't get milk at
lunch, you can save a dime.

So I drink water.

Wait, I'm sure I have a stamp.

Yep, here it is.

Thank you.

Tanya?

Come and meet my daddy.

Baby.

I'm here, Daddy.

Who do you got with you?

This is Max.

He's going to help
me mail my letter.

I work at the post office.

Could you get me a
glass of water, baby?

Okay.

Hey, man, come closer.

Please... please
help my daughter.

I'm dying.

I don't want her to
be here when I die.

I can't.

Sandy's got a temper.

Take her before she comes back.

There won't be
nobody to protect her

when I'm gone.

Here's the water, Daddy.

I can't.

Please?

I can't.

Please?

I'm sorry.

Hey, my letter!

Daddy?

It's okay, baby.

Max...

You blew it, Miss Wings.

Blew it?

Oh, Tess, I had to try.

Uh-uh, not that way.

That man had a
free will of his own

and you took it away from him.

He was not ready to
go into that apartment.

So why are you surprised

that things worked
out the way they did?

I was just trying to help.

But you didn't.

You're worse off now
than you were before.

And Max is going to be
harder to get to than ever.

And that poor little girl is
in more danger than ever.

I'm sorry.

Well, you should be.

You know better.

You've got to remember,
there are no shortcuts.

You got to go straight
for Max's heart.

What heart?

What's the matter with you?

Have you been licking
too many stamps?

Judging a man is easy,
compassion is hard.

You remember that.

Yes, ma'am.

You've been hanging
around with Max too much.

You're talking to
yourself. Stop it.

Yes, ma'am.

Ms.

Yes, Ms.

Do you know where Max is?

Out sick.

First time I can remember
him ever calling in sick.

Wish he'd mentioned it sooner,

so I could've
looked forward to it.

Sick?

Look at this... another
kid disappeared.

Father died in some flophouse.

They think the addict
girlfriend took off with her.

Kid was getting
beat up all the time.

Nobody ever says a
thing until it's too late.

Kid's probably dead by now.

Oh, no.

Maybe it's a blessing.

What kind of future
did she have anyway?

Max...

Max... are you in here?

Yeah.

Do you mind if
I turn on a light?

No.

Ms. Raphael said
this was the first day

that you'd missed
work in 30 years.

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't make it
out the front door.

It wasn't your fault, Max.

It was my fault.

I should've helped
her, but I didn't.

I wanted to, but...

But you were afraid.

Tanya was afraid, too,
but she never lost hope.

They take it away
from you sooner or later.

Better to give it up and
make a clean break of it.

When did you lose your hope?

It died with my family.

In the war?

In the gas chambers.

And your belief in
God went with it?

There's no God.

I used to think so.

I tried to write
him a letter once.

I wanted him to
keep my family safe,

to inscribe us in
the book of life.

All I had to write on were
the soles of the shoes

my father made
for me just before...

before...

He was a shoemaker?

He put them on my feet
and he said, "Never forget..."

Wherever these shoes take
you, you are walking with God."

He was right, your father.

My father believed
God would save us...

right up till the day he died.

I never saw my father again.

I tried to finish my letter
to God, but I couldn't.

He'd left me... like
everybody else.

I lost the shoes.

I lost my family.

And ever since,
I've walked alone.

There's no God.

Oh, Max, I know
that there is a God.

And there's a reason that you
and Tanya were brought together.

You couldn't save your family,

but you can save Tanya.

It's too late.

We don't know that.

But it will be too
late if you do nothing,

too late for her, and
too late for you, Max.

Yeah, what can I do you for?

I'm looking for a girl.

Coffee, I got.

Girls, you got to
look for yourself.

No, no, no, this girl.

Yeah, I saw this. Shame.

You know her?

Who's asking?

I'm a friend.

Looks like she
could've used one.

Cops were asking about her, too.

She's just gone.

And it's too bad about her old
man, 'cause he was a nice guy.

But this wacko
girlfriend of his,

she comes in here stoned,

dealing right here
at my counter.

I don't need this.

Why didn't you call the
police? Or social services?

Why didn't you
help the poor kid?

What about you?

You did say you
were "her friend."

Oh, God.

Have you noticed

how even people who
don't believe in God

call out his name in
their loneliest hour?

What are you doing here?

You can't ask for His help
unless somewhere deep inside

you truly believe in Him

and in the message
He's asked me to deliver.

Who are you?

I'm someone you
want to believe, Max,

but you're afraid to.

Afraid of God,
afraid of an angel.

No. No angels.

No God.

No hope.

I don't know what's going on...

if I'm losing my mind,

but if you really exist,
please let me find her.

Max.

Tanya.

Are you okay?

Sandy took me
to this guy's house.

But then they smoked
something and fell asleep.

And I came back to see
my daddy, but he was gone.

Oh, it's okay.

Everything's going to be okay.

Coffee.

And a hamburger?

And French fries.

And French fries.

Would you like something
to drink? Mm-hmm.

Hot chocolate? Um, okay.

Tanya Brenner?

Yeah.

Put your hands on your head.

Now. Why?

You're under arrest.

But he's my friend.

You have the right
to remain silent. No.

Anything you say can and
will be used against you

in a court of law. But
he was trying to help me.

You have the
right to an attorney.

I don't understand.

He got involved.

He did the right thing.

I know, but God has a plan

and just because
you don't understand it

and Max doesn't understand it

does not mean that
God doesn't understand it.

But they're taking him to jail.

He's so afraid to be locked up.

He already is.

Without faith, a man's
mind is a lonely cell, baby.

Oh, Tess, what can I do?

You just be ready to
lend a helping hand

and let me take
care of the rest of it.

Please! You have to
help me get out of here.

You can't stay here anymore.

Please. I have
nowhere else to go.

If they find you,
they'll kill us all.

I'll give him just a
little while longer.

No.

I'll give you my shoes.

Max.

Max.

What do you want?

I thought maybe there was
something I could do to help.

No, you've done enough.

I'm sorry about the
way things turned out.

Well, it's all part of
God's plan, right?

No, it's not.

Then why is He
sending me an angel?

Because you need one.

Isn't it enough that you
made me believe in God?

Lots of people believe,
but trusting Him...

That's the next step.

Trust.

Are you kidding?

Do you know how much it hurts

to know that God exists
and that He hates me?

God doesn't hate you.

Then why didn't He let me
die with the rest of my family?

Why am I still here?

I don't know.

You're here because...

because they didn't find you

and you're still alive
because you have a purpose.

What about my mother and father?

Are you saying that their
lives had no purpose?

No, God gives
everyone a purpose,

but humans still have
the choice to hate and kill,

to destroy their
lives... and yours.

Guard!

Guard!

Get her out of here.

Get her out of here.

I want her to go.

I'm not interested in
a message from God.

I got it already.

Six million

men, women and
children are gone.

Where was He?

What was He doing?

He was weeping for His children.

Don't say that to me.

He abandoned us!

No.

That so many died
is unimaginable,

but that anyone lived... Max!

Without God, no one
would have survived.

You don't know.

You weren't there,
were you? Were you?

No.

I was.

I've seen you before.

I'm Andrew.

Now, I remember.

You were Death.

I didn't bring it, Max.

I just... I just helped
them through it.

It was a privilege to
witness such courage.

I saw you in a
room like this before.

It was the last time
you saw your father.

Oh, God.

He was a remarkable man, Max.

Do you want to know how he died?

Let me tell you.

He died on his feet, Max.

Oh his feet.

He was praising God.

He was thanking God
for his life and his family

and asking God for
one more blessing...

That He would walk
with his son, Max,

for the rest of his days,

no matter how
many there were left.

And that journey has
brought you back here,

to a room like this,

back to the last place
you saw your father.

You know, that's where Tanya
knew to go when she was lost,

back to the last place
she saw her father.

Never, never forget, Max.

When God is no
longer real to you,

or you feel as if
you've lost your faith...

just go back.

Just go back and
He will be there

waiting for you.

God loves you, Max,
and He always has,

and he doesn't
want you to forget.

You can't forget,
you mustn't forget,

but for all the
horror and terror

that you knew in this place,

you also knew
faith and love here

and if you don't
come back and get it...

they will have won.

Oh, come on.

When those officers
come in for their snack

give them a little
truth with their coffee.

I don't want to give
them indigestion.

Just tell them
what you told me...

That that girl was
upstairs the whole time

and Max was just
trying to rescue her.

I don't know.

Oh, you're going to love
getting involved. Trust me.

Last guy told me that

was recruiting
volunteers for Nixon.

Hey, guys.

Listen, I kinda
remember something

about that little girl.

Oh?

Yeah, well... the
guy you picked up...

Well, the truth is,
he wasn't doing

what you think he was doing.

Tanya!

They said you were back here

and I could come say hi.

I'm so glad you did.

I wanted to mail this
on my way from school,

but I didn't have a stamp.

Well, stamps we've got.

What's that?

Another letter to God.

I have to ask Him
for one more thing.

What?

My foster place is nice and all.

Mrs. Dunlop bakes
me cupcakes and stuff,

but... But?

It's not like a real family.

I'll tell you what.

I'll help you mail your letter

and you can help me mail mine.

Can we use an angel stamp?

One angel coming up.

Is yours a letter to God, too?

No, Tanya, it's an application

for me to try to be
your foster father.

It's a long process,
and I won't do it

if you don't want me to,

but if it all goes through, we
can be a family, you and me.

If it's okay.

I guess it's okay.

Up you go.

Up we go.

That's right, up we go.

Oh.

No, come in.

Come in.

Well, how can I help you?

Oh, special delivery.

I'll be right back.

You wait here.

Thank you.