Touched by an Angel (1994–2003): Season 3, Episode 2 - A Joyful Noise - full transcript

( wings flapping )

( gasps )

( panting )

( clock ticking )

( playing
graceful classical music )

( classical music
becomes quieter )

( cassette player playing
pleasant classical music )

( bell ringing )

Do you think I should
take up jogging, Tess?

Jogging is just walking fast
enough to be uncomfortable.

Does he look like
he's having fun?



Well, he's not joggin'.
He's runnin'.

That's right. He's running away
from something.

But he might as well
try to outrun his shadow.

( Children singing
"Greensleeves" )

Listen. Oh.

♫ You do me wrong Ye cast me ♫

♫ Off discourteously ♫

♫ And I have loved you so long ♫

MONICA: She looks
like a little angel.

And she sings like one too.

Present company excepted.

I'm not that bad, am I?

Uh, heh, her name is Melissa.

♫ Greensleeves ♫



( angelic chorus singing along )

♫ Greensleeves was my delight ♫

Ow!

TEACHER: All right, now.

What's going on?

Melissa's not singing.

Why aren't you singing, Melissa?

I don't know.

TEACHER: You don't know?

No.

Liar!

I was just listening
to the voices.

Now see, Randy, she was just
listening to the voices.

No, not your voices,
the other voices.

What other voices?

The ones I hear in my head.

( Children laughing )

That's enough now. Quiet.

You know, Melissa,

I thought you wanted to sing.

Until you're ready
to join the group,

you and your voices may
go and sit in the corner.

( Humming
The Twilight Zone theme )

( children laughing )

All right, children, once again.

One, two, three, four.

♫ Alas, my love
You do me wrong ♫

The poor child.
She's hearing voices.

Can we help her?

Help is on the way.

But it may be
the wrong kind of help.

He may just run them
both into trouble.

( Della Reese & The Verity
All-Stars' "Walk With You" playing )

REESE: ♫ When you walk ♫

♫ Down the road ♫

♫ Heavy burden ♫

♫ Hea-ea-eavy load ♫

♫ I will rise ♫

♫ And I will walk with you ♫

REESE: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫
CHORUS: ♫ I'll walk with you ♫

♫ Till the sun
Don't even shine ♫

♫ Walk with you ♫
♫ Walk with you ♫

♫ Every time ♫

♫ I tell ya I'll walk with you ♫

♫ Walk with you ♫

♫ Believe me
I'll walk with you ♫

ADAM: Wednesday. I had
another nightmare.

It's the same one.
It's always the same one.

And that sound.

It used to be that I only
dreamed about it,

but now, even during the day
when it's quiet,

it invades my waking thoughts
as well.

It's getting to the point where
I'm afraid to go to sleep...

and I'm afraid to wake up.

( Clicks recorder )

( graceful classical music
playing )

( increases volume )

( music ends )

Bravo!

( Clapping )

I'm sorry.
I tried to knock, but...

Yes?

I'm Monica.

The university sent me.

The graduate assistant.

But they told me I couldn't
have one this year.

Well, maybe somebody finally
realized how much you need one.

Adam Litowsky.

I, uh...
I hope you like children.

Oh, yes, I love them.
Little ones and grown up ones.

Does this one belong to you?

Um, that's Katie.

I took that last year
up at our cabin... or my cabin.

Katie's mum and I aren't
together anymore.

I'm sorry to hear it.

I'm sorry to say it, but we all
have to learn to move on.

( Intercom buzzes )

And that sounds like my 10:00.

I hope you're ready to work,
Monica.

Mrs. Houghton.

Oh, yes, Dr. Litowsky.

This is my associate, Monica.

Nice to meet you.

And you. And you.

This is Benjamin.

And this is Melissa.

Hello, Melissa.

Hi.

I bet you're wondering why you
have to come and see a doctor,

when you don't even feel sick,
huh?

Mm-hm.

Well, I'm a different
kind of doctor.

I can help you feel better
about things like,

uh, your friends,

or problems you might
be having in school.

Stuff like that.

But I don't have any problems.

ADAM: Ha. Well...

the best part about coming
to visit me

is the playroom down the hall.

Monica.

There's some pretty fun toys
in here, don't you think?

Mm, yeah.

What are these for?

Hey. Those are my toys.

Andrew. What brings you here?

I'm still waiting for orders.

But in the meantime,
the doctor needs a painter,

and apparently
you need some backup.

I do?

So I'm told.

Melissa, right?

Yeah. Andrew.

Uh, now Dr. Litowsky thinks
this wall here is really boring.

So he wants me to paint
something on it.

But I... I don't know.
Do you have any ideas?

Something to make him relax.

He seems kind of nervous.

( Chuckles )

So a relaxing picture?

Yeah.

Okay. Let me think about that.

Who is singing to her?

Are these the voices of people
that she knows,

or are they characters
from...? From a book?

She won't tell me.

( Sighs )

Well...

Melissa is seven-years-old.

Her father is gone a lot
on business.

She has been the complete center
of her mother's world,

and then suddenly,
a new baby arrives,

crying, demanding and getting
everything that he wants.

Melissa now has to compete
for your attention,

so she pretends
that she's hearing voices.

She can't describe them
because she doesn't hear them.

But she knows that even talking
about them

is unusual enough
to get your attention.

So she does, and it works.

Here you are.

So that's all this is?

Well, I wouldn't underestimate
sibling rivalry.

I mean, in some cases,

it can even pose a threat
to the baby

if the older sibling
is angry enough.

Melissa keeps asking if she can
be alone with Benjamin.

Absolutely not.

Let me meet with her
and see what I can determine.

But in the meantime,

do not leave Melissa
alone with the baby.

Hi, Andrew.

Hi.

Melissa, are you having fun
in here without me?

Yeah.

Can I play too?

Mm. We weren't really playing.

We were just talking.

Oh, you were?

Well, uh, Melissa has some ideas
for Andrew for the wall.

That's... That's very good.

Let's go with that.

Great. Okay. Well, I have
some paint to mix.

So, um, I'll be back
in about an hour.

Thanks.

I can take it from here.

See you later, Melissa.

MELISSA: Bye. Bye-bye.

So, uh...

Now, if you could paint anything
on that wall, what would it be?

Is it my wall or your wall?

Pretend it's your wall
at home in your room.

What would it look like?

It would have shelves on it.

Okay. What would be
on the shelves?

My dolls.

Oh, you have a lot of dolls?

Yeah, about a hundred.

Oh.

Do they ever...?
Do they ever talk to you?

Or sing to you?

Whose voice do you hear
when you hear voices?

Do you think maybe

that it's pretend voices
that you hear?

No.

They're not pretend.

It's real.

Nobody will be angry with you
if you tell the truth, Melissa.

I am telling the truth.

Is that why I'm in trouble?
Because of the voices?

No. You're not in any trouble.

We're just here to talk.

Don't you ever hear stuff
nobody else can?

( Wings flapping )

No!

No.

( TV playing in background )

( bell ringing )

Yes, dear?

Where's Mrs. Pulliam?

Mrs. Pulliam has been promoted
to music librarian

for the entire school system.

It's a very important job,

and I'm sure we're
all very happy for her.

I know she is.

And now you have me

until your principal is able
to find a permanent replacement.

Yes, dear?

When Mrs. Pulliam left...

Yes?

Did she remember
to tell you that.

Melissa's weird?

I do not accept the word "weird"
as a description

for anyone in this class.

However, if anyone would
like to be described as

"one who stays after school
and cleans the erasers,"

please identify yourselves now.

Uh-huh. All right.

Let's do our warm up.

I want to hear the mi.

♫ Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi ♫

CLASS:
♫ Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi ♫

Mm-mm. Mm-mm.

Uh, just when is
this little concert of yours?

In two weeks.

That figures.

Okay. Try it one more time.

The mi. The mi.

♫ Mi, mi, mi, mi ♫

ALL:
♫ Mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi, mi ♫

Mi... mi... mi. Mi.

Wait right here, kids.

( Angelic choir singing )

All right, come on.

Looks like a nap time for you.
Come on.

MONICA: What are you
looking for here?

A key, a code word, something
she might say or do

that will help me talk my way
into her world.

We know she's pretending
to hear voices.

It might help if we knew who
she pretends those voices are.

But what if she's
not pretending?

What if she really hears voices?

Then we have a serious problem.

I was wondering if it would
be worthwhile observing Melissa

interacting with her brother.

Putting her together
with the source of her anger

isn't the answer.

MONICA: But she talks to dolls.

Maybe she'll talk

to a real one.

MELISSA: Yeah, yeah.
( giggling )

They've never left me
alone with you before.

But I'm glad.

We've got lots to talk about.

MELISSA:
I don't remember being a baby.

Oh, here we go.

MELISSA: She makes sounds.

And it talks to you.

This is a waste of time.

I wish you could talk to me,
'cause I'm starting to forget.

Forget? Forget what?

That's the hard part about
growing up. They go away.

Nobody else in class
even hears them anymore.

Oh, my God.

That's the only thing
I remember about being a baby,

Benjamin, and that's what you've
got to try and hold on to.

Even though
you're getting bigger.

You have to keep listening,
or they go away.

Who?

Who?

Sometimes I think I'm
the only one who can hear them.

But you hear the angels,
don't you, Benjamin?

'Cause you're still just a baby.

She didn't just say "angels."

Of course.

Of course what?

She hears angels.

Well, she won't when we're
finished treating her.

( Thunder rumbles )

( flamboyant classical music
playing )

( music stops )

( bold classical music playing )

( electricity crackles )

( wings flapping )

( thunder rumbling )

( bell ringing )

( angelic choir singing )

( wings flapping )

Ahh!

WOMAN: Hold on there.

Let's take a breather.

I'm Clara. Sit for a minute.

It's kind of late for a young
lady to be out, isn't it?

I came to see the angels.

You think there are angels here?

Sometimes I can hear them.

And this is the tallest
place I know,

so I figured maybe this
is where they sleep.

Don't you know?

Angels are there to be awake
while you're sleeping.

Sometimes they sing to me.

You hear the angels.

Mm-hm.

That's very unusual.

That's what everybody says.

I guess people aren't
supposed to hear angels.

No, it's just

that it's unusual for someone
your age to still hear them.

But you hear them, though.

What do you mean?

Well, there are a lot
of noisy sounds in the world.

And the older you get,
the more noise you hear.

Grown-up sounds, like, um,

school bells, telephone bells,
televisions, radios...

And the dishwasher,
it's really loud.

And the dishwasher, right.

All those sounds and...
kids forget about angel voices.

But you haven't, have you?

That's what I told Benjamin.

He's my little brother.

He's only six-months-old.

It's almost time
for Benjamin to wake up

and have his 2:00 feeding.

I bet someone's gonna notice
that you're not in your bed.

Yeah.

Better be getting back.

Yes. Well, why don't I walk
you back, just to be safe, hm?

Okay.

You're the oldest person
I've ever met

who knows about the angels.

I bet I'm the oldest person
you ever met... ever.

All right, Melissa.

Tell me what you think
it looks like.

Just be honest.

It's an angel flying.

Mm-hm.

And that's an angel too.

She's singing.

So... why are you showing me
all these pictures of angels?

Does it make you feel special
to see angels?

Well, I don't usually see them.

You were showing them to me.

So at school, in choir,
you don't see angels?

No. I just hear them.

Well, how do you know
they're angels?

I just know.

You know what I mean?

I'm not sure. Tell me more.

You know how you just
know something, like...

Like you know there is God.

You just know, right?

Do you?

Sure.

Because of the angels?

Did they tell you
that God exists?

Nah, everybody knows about God.

Don't you?

Well, I'm... I'm interested
in your ideas, Melissa.

You... don't believe in God?

What would that mean
to you if I didn't?

Oh, I think that
would be very sad.

Um, um, Melissa would you ask
your mum to come in here

for a minute before you go home?

Are you going to show her
the angel pictures?

Well, I'd like to tell her
about them, yes.

Okay.

She seems in fine spirits today.

I realize
that you're new at this,

but you've got to
look closer, Monica.

This child
is in serious trouble.

( Scoffs )

Because she hears angels?

That doesn't seem like
serious trouble to me.

Because she truly believes
she's hearing them.

Her mother informed me today

that Melissa started
sleepwalking.

Sleepwalking?

Yes.

They got up
for Benjamin's 2:00 feeding,

and they found Melissa
in the living room

wearing her raincoat,

talking about
a woman named Clara.

Clara?

Thank God they found her
before she walked outside.

Yes, of course.

Um, this Clara, how exactly
did she describe her?

She said, uh,

she was a... A kind grandmother

with a nice sweet voice

who knew all about,
uh, her angels.

You see,

now that everything that she's
saying is being questioned,

she's making up an ally
to support her lying.

Well, what is she isn't lying?

Well, of course she's lying.

Or more accurately,
she's delusional.

I hate to say it.

We may be looking at a classic
case of psychosis here.

Melissa might be schizophrenic.

EMILY: Oh, my God.

She met Clara.

Well, then, there's our answer.

Maybe for Melissa,
but not for Adam.

I wanted to believe that it was
an overactive imagination.

Why do you think
the beliefs of children

are any less real
than the beliefs of adults?

Because they are children.

And it's our responsibility
as adults

to provide them with
our guidance, our protection.

I want to get Melissa started
on Thorazine

as soon as possible.

Isn't there another way?

Medication doesn't seem
like the right answer.

Monica, do I need to remind you
that you're here to learn?

Schedule Melissa to come
in here as soon as possible.

Well, you have an opening
tomorrow afternoon.

No, I don't.

I didn't see any appointments
on the schedule.

It's not a patient.

It's my daughter's birthday.

Do you know why we've
been going to see Dr. Adam?

Because I got in trouble
at school

for hearing the angels.

Dr. Adam thinks that maybe...

He thinks
that you would feel better

if we made the angels go away.

Why?

Because you're not supposed
to hear things like that.

I'm sorry.

Honey, you didn't
do anything wrong.

The doctor thinks that we...

That you should take
some medicine

to help make the voices go away.

Forever?

Yeah.

I'm going to miss them.

Everything's gonna be okay.

ANDREW: Do you
remember Van Gogh?

MONICA: Mm-hm. What about him?

Seriously disturbed dude.

But, whoa.
Could he handle inspiration.

There was an artist.

What is your point?

Ah, it just seems a shame.

I mean, by the time
they're Melissa's age

most kids... they don't hear
the choir anymore.

But maybe she's gonna
be a great musician

or... Or singer someday.
Maybe this is her inspiration.

Now, um, Tess is handling
the music part of this, right?

Not... Not you.

What is wrong with my voice?

N-nothing.

It just seems that if you're
gonna be a part of this case,

then you have something
to contribute... besides music.

I certainly do.

I just wish I knew what it was.

It's funny, isn't it?

How Melissa is trying so hard
to keep hearing something,

and Adam is trying so hard
to drown something out.

But what is it?

What is it that he can't
bear to listen to?

Maybe he's just a sensitive guy.

He always has
those earphones on.

Well, he's going to need
them today.

Children's birthday parties
are anything but quiet.

Oh, he's going
to a birthday party. Whose?

Katie's.

Katie's?

( Melancholy theme playing )

Katie.

Katie was only seven,
the same age as Melissa.

How did it happen?

I don't know. I wasn't there.

I expected to be,

but then I was pulled off
the case at the last minute,

and somebody else handled it.

I'd forgotten about it
until you mentioned her name.

A child psychologist
whose own child is dead, huh?

There are so many kids
who really need his help,

and all he wants
to do is silence

the one little girl who doesn't.

Andrew, have you noticed
something funny

about these humans? Hm.

When life is easy,
they love everyone.

Everything is beautiful,
and God is good.

But when a human's heart
gets broken,

suddenly the beauty disappears.

The laughter of a child
brings only pain...

and the faith of a child
is just a fire to be put out.

How can a man with so much
sorrow like that help anyone?

And how many other
children will he treat

with his own broken heart?

Monica, I just remembered
something.

There wasn't an angel with Katie
when she died.

( Knocking )

Yes.

Melissa's mother just called.

She started medication.

Good. Good.

May I speak with you
for a moment?

Mm-hm.

( Elegant classical music
playing )

I think you're letting
the loss of your daughter

affect your judgment
about Melissa's treatment.

My daughter... has nothing
to do with my work.

What will be left of this child
if you destroy her faith?

She has faith in something
that doesn't exist.

Children are talked
into believing in God...

and angels.

And maybe it doesn't
actually hurt them...

but sometimes...

when you have a child like
Melissa, who is truly ill,

it only makes treatment harder.

I don't believe
that Melissa is ill,

and I don't believe
that anyone talked her

into believing in God.

As a matter of fact,
I believe that children are born

with a natural faith in God,

and it's adults who talk them
out of their faith.

Maybe Melissa is one of those
remarkable children

whose heart won't let go
of what she knows

and whose ears can still somehow
hear the voices of angels

a little longer than
the rest of the world.

Don't talk to me about
what children can hear.

( Wings flapping )

ANDREW: What do you think?

Get rid of the birds.
I don't want birds!

( Bell ringing )

Children, children.

We only have a few days
until the concert,

and we have a lot of work to do.

Places, please.

And, sopranos,
I want nice big voices today.

Hey, Melissa!

Wake up.

Can you hear me in there?

I think I'm hearing
your voices, Melissa.

I don't hear voices anymore.

How come?

Maybe I never did.

TESS: Come on, let's
start our warm up.

Melissa, Randy, come on.

( Fanciful classical music
playing )

Possible breakthroughs:

The voices seem to have abated.

With continued counseling
and meds,

I expect that Katie will
no longer be with the angel.

No, no, no, no, no.

That... Melissa... Melissa will
no longer be with the...

( wings flapping )

That Melissa will show
continued improvement...

( knocking ) That...

I'm sorry. I tried to stop her.

My child doesn't laugh
anymore, doctor.

She doesn't play.
She doesn't smile.

She's... She's adjusting
to the medication,

just as expected.

EMILY: Her pediatrician thinks

the medication might
be unwarranted.

MONICA: Perhaps medication
isn't the answer.

Monica, you're not qualified
to second guess my treatments.

She's right!
The medicine is not working.

You should have seen my daughter
after school today.

She was simply catatonic.

Now, I want to take her off
that medication.

It's not so simple.

This is the process
of finding the right dosage

to keep her normal.

( Scoffs )

Normal?

This is normal?

You may have taken
her angels away,

but you have taken her away too.

Just give me
a little more time with Katie.

Katie?

I meant Melissa.

Melissa needs time.

( Door slams )

( mysterious theme playing )

ANDREW: I know it's a little Van
Gogh-y, but I just felt inspired!

I-I-I just saw the trees,

and then the cabin
just came to me.

Had to paint it.

No!

No!

No!

( Pills rattling )

He keeps turning up the volume,

but the truth is screaming
to be heard.

ANDREW:
I was inspired, all right.

You know that cabin
I was painting?

That's where he's going.

And I'm afraid of what
he's going up there to do.

( Somber theme playing )

I'm here at the cabin.

Nothing has changed.

Nothing and everything.

( Clicks recorder )

( birds chirping )

( mysterious theme playing )

( hinges creak )

( door shuts )

( latch clicks )

( faucet squeaks )

The door was still unlocked.

Of course, why would I have
stopped to lock it?

( Clicks recorder )

( wind whistling )

I just can't stand the silence.

( Clicks recorder )

MONICA: If all you
can hear is silence,

then maybe you're not
listening hard enough.

Experiencing auditory
and visual hallucinations.

You think I'm something
in your imagination?

You can't begin to imagine
what I am, Adam.

And the sad thing is,
I wish that you could,

because that's why God
has sent me here.

It's time to start imagining
how much he loves you.

Appears to be some kind
of stress-induced, religious,

spiritual manifestation.

I am an angel,

and there's nothing you can do
that will explain me away,

no drug that will make me
disappear.

And taking your own life,
it won't bring her back.

( Tearfully ): Oh, God.

Oh, God!

She's gone.

All I heard was that...

that sound.

Oh, my God, that sound.

And she was gone.

Tell me what happened.

What happened to Katie?

Adam, I'm not here to stop you
from taking your own life.

That's a decision
that only you can make.

But I can show you what
happened to your daughter.

Do you want me to?

Yes.

The leaves are so pretty.

I just used them
to decorate the table.

Oh.

Are you in a marshmallow mood?

Daddy, you have to eat
lunch first.

Hey! Who's supposed to
be the kid?

( Birds chirping )
This is gonna be

one of my super-duper fires.

Listen! Birds!

Daddy, wait.

They're inside the fireplace.

What?

They must have built
their nest up there.

Man, you have good ears.

I didn't even hear that.

Daddy, you can't light the fire
until they leave.

Katie, they could be up there
for weeks.

So?

What about my marshmallows?

( Giggles )

Daddy, wait right here.

( Door shuts )

KATIE ( echoes ): Daddy!

Daddy.

( Wings flapping )

They're like little angels.

( Wood cracks ) Ahh!

Daddy!

( Wings flapping )

Katie!

( Sobbing ): Make it stop.

Adam...

the sounds you've heard
this year,

the beating of wings,

you can let them torment you
or...

( wings flapping )

Or you can let them
bring you peace.

But you've been looking
for reasons instead of peace,

and there will never be
enough reasons

to accept the death
of your child.

But God will always give you
enough peace to live with it.

I could have stopped her.
I should have been there.

No, it wasn't your fault.

There's nothing
you could have done.

But there is something
you can do now.

You see, Adam, children
are very precious to God,

and no child ever
leaves this earth

without an angel alongside.

God loves you, Adam.

And he wants you to know
that Katie is safe and happy.

But there wasn't an angel
with Katie when she died.

There was an archangel.

You see, angels like me,
I work on individual cases,

sort of one on one.

But sometimes something happens,
like Katie's death,

where all sorts of people's
lives are changed because of it,

and it needs an archangel
to... coordinate, you might say.

This one, her name was Clara.

Clara?

Melissa's dream.

Melissa's friend and the friend
to all those children

you couldn't give your best to
since Katie died.

And the truth is, most of them
really need your help.

And you have the skill
to help them.

You just lost the heart.

And then there is Melissa
who only needed to be believed,

and yet belief was the very
thing you couldn't give her.

( Sighs )

Can you give it to her now,
Adam?

So this is where you met her.

Mm-hm.

And she was standing
right over there...

like that.

Hi, Clara.

Hello, Melissa.

Monica.

Nice work.

Thank you.

Katie felt no pain, Adam.

At that moment,

she saw only beauty,

and she has seen
only beauty ever since.

I bet Katie hears the angels
all the time, huh?

All the time.

I stopped taking
medicine, Clara.

I'm glad to hear that.

But I can't hear the angels
like I used to.

Well, Melissa, you're not always
going to hear the angels.

But never stop listening
for them.

Sometimes you'll hear them
in the trees,

sometimes in the crickets
at dusk,

and sometimes
you will hear an angel

in the sound of "hello."

So never stop listening.

Never forget that
you once heard them.

That someday...
you will hear them again.

Who knows? Maybe I will too.

( laughing )

( crowd murmuring )

( applause )

I'm sorry I'm late,

but I had something
really important to do.

I know, baby,
and it's all right.

Go on. Get up there now.

Did anyone ever tell you,
you sing like an angel?

( laughs )

All the time. All the time.

( Pitch pipe sounds )

♫ 'Tis a gift to be simple
'Tis a gift to be free ♫

♫ 'Tis a gift to come down
Where we ought to be ♫

♫ And when we find ourselves
In the place just right ♫

♫ We'll be in the valley
Of love and delight ♫

♫ When true simplicity is king ♫

♫ To bow and to bend
We shan't be ashamed... ♫

Go ahead.

I can't.

That's not what he wants.

Clara, you know, way back when
I was in the angels' choir,

my voice was...

Heavenly. Yes!

But down here, it's...

Why isn't it as good here?

Because nothing is as good
here as it is there.

You know that.

And when I'm in human form,

I don't sing worth a darn,
either.

We have gifts, Monica.

Your gift is not music
like Tess,

and you do not have
the gift of eternity

that Andrew can bring.

Your gift is truth.

You speak it, people hear it.

And it is the cause
of a great joy.

God has seen your work,
and he is pleased.

Now go on
and do what you want to do.

But I just sound so terrible.

So?

He never said, "Make a
beautiful noise unto the Lord."

He said, "Make a joyful noise."

All he asks is for your joy
so that he may live within it.

Come on.

Celebrate this day with him.

Okay.

( Clears throat )

♫ Joyful, joyful We adore thee ♫

♫ God of glory Lord of love ♫

♫ Hearts unfold like
Flowers before thee ♫

♫ Opening to the sun above ♫

( angelic choir singing
Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" )

( heartfelt theme playing )