The lord works in mysterious ways—on CBS, especially so. “God Friended Me” is one of this season’s new feel good dramas, airing Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
In the first episode we are introduced to our protagonist as “The Millennial Prophet,” a radio personality who debates the existence of God. “I am your host Miles Finer reminding you that there is no God and that is O.K.,” he says. In conversation with a young female rabbi we learn that Finer grew up in the church—his father is a pastor—but he left when he got older.
What would happen if God were to reach out to one of us today?
One day, Miles unexpectedly receives a friend request on his phone, from none other than God. The show asks: What would happen if God were to reach out to one of us today?
The series premiere takes us on that journey. Miles is immediately skeptical. Who could be pulling off this elaborate prank? But then, divine intervention takes place. He receives a friend request from a man named John Dove—and within seconds he bumps into John on the street. Yearning to get to the bottom of what this unexpected friend request might mean, Miles follows John down into the subway station. Right as John is about to jump in front of a train, Miles pulls him back onto the platform. It was as if the friend request was calling Miles to intervene.
His next lead is the mysterious Cara Bloom, who pops up as a suggested friend from the God Facebook account. We learn that Cara is a writer for an online platform, something resembling The Huffington Post. It has been six weeks since her last article and her boss is not happy about it. When Miles confronts her at the office, she suddenly sees an opportunity for a pitch. She tells her editor that her new think piece is about “the intersection of faith and science through the prism of social media.”
Asking people to think critically about this intersection of faith, science and social media is a noble cause. At its root, I think that is what “God Friended Me” is trying to do. It prompts a question about the role God plays in a contemporary world but, in practice, it does not bring us any closer to an answer.
While watching the pilot episode I found myself distracted by histrionic plot twists and production choices, none of which had much to do with faith. Most trivially: If Cara is a young, struggling writer in New York City, how in the world does she have an oversized private office? More importantly, why are there so many ottomans in it?
The show is overly dependent on melodrama. Take Miles’s backstory. In a flashback, a young Miles is seen with his family as his mother receives treatment for breast cancer. Surely this is why Miles lost the faith of his youth? But, no; God answered his prayers and made his mother healthy again. As she left the hospital—wait for it—she was immediately struck by a car and killed.
Asking people to think critically about this intersection of faith, science and social media is a noble cause.
Later on in the episode, Cara confronts her mother in a park. Running away in tears she too is struck by a car. Out of a random cab hops John Dove, who just so happens to be a doctor ready to save the day. My eyes hurt from rolling.
Instead of empathy I was turned toward curiosity. When Cara appears in the hospital, why is her hair so well done? Not a single bruise on her face? We just saw her get nailed by a car.
From her hospital bed she looks up at Miles and says philosophically—as if the plot’s message were not obvious enough—“If you think about it, you saved John Dove and John Dove saved me. It’s kind of like a grand design.” But the grand design of the kingdom of God is not that simple. Faith is difficult and challenging; “happily ever after” moments are rare.
The grand design of the Kingdom of God is not that simple. Faith is difficult and challenging.
In response, Miles—the freshly enlightened “Millennial Prophet”—announces: “In these crazy times we live in, we owe it to ourselves to ask the tough questions and to open our minds to a new way of seeing the world.”
And I agree with him. In these crazy times we do owe it to ourselves to ask the tough questions. Will “God Friended Me” help us to do so? As of yet, I am not convinced.
Im inclined to say avoid this show like the plague, it reeks of pick me up, coffee shop hugs and feels TV - but perhaps there is more to come, deeper things to approach (such as failing to save someone, being overwhelmed with the grand design and going astray)
But overall the approach seems as hamfisted as a Hallmark telemovie
I rolled my eyes more at this review than you seemed to at the show. It's cute. It's schmaltzy. It's about God. You don't like that. Got it. But for a moment, you need to get over yourself.
Having grown up in an age where one could leave one's doors unlocked, I suppose I tend to believe in the good of others...so, this so-called Hallmark tele-series does tend to renew that old belief. It may join the ranks of such stories as "It's A Wonderful Life!"