God Friended Me Season 2 Episode 5 Review: The Greater Good
Lizzy Buczak
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Everything returned to normal on God Friended Me Season 2 Episode 5.
Miles was back to being the sole receiver of the God Account's friend suggestions, Cara got her job at Catapult, and Rakesh and Jaya reunited to deal with some more personal issues.
The God Account's friend suggestion, Claire Thompson, had a personal connection since she was the daughter of Bishop Thompson, the man who won the coveted title over Arthur.
Claire was also a recovering addict, and when they saw her acting shady and keeping secrets, Miles assumed she relapsed.
The God Account often deals with heavy situations, but it doesn't ask the impossible of Miles and Cara.
Claire didn't relapse. Instead, she was running a clinic to help the underprivileged without access to healthcare.
While it was a very admirable thing to do, stealing medicine from a hospital to dispense to others in an unregulated setting was also illegal.
Miles: Want to talk about complicated? I'm an atheist.
Claire Thompson: Okay, wow, I admit, that's missing the bar pretty spectacularly.
Yet, the God Account doesn't want Miles, Cara, and Rakesh to help Claire find a way to run it or to help her find the funds to secure the drugs and antibiotics legally -- that's way above their pay grade.
Instead, it wants them to mend the visibly broken relationship between Claire and the Bishop.
Miles knows a thing or two about being a reverend's father and not living up to those expectations -- he's an atheist, remember?
He understands how Claire is feeling and why she's so keen on keeping her side project a secret from her father.
But he also understands how to make it better.
When the Bishop gets Claire fired from her job, she tells him he'll never understand her.
Miles immediately picks up on the fact that the Bishop understands her more than anyone because he too had an addiction problem and was able to turn his life around.
Once Miles and the team can convince the Bishop to speak his truth and be honest with his daughter, their relationship begins the process of mending itself.
She doesn't blame her father for his past but rather sees him as her equal.
And with their relationship in a better place, the Bishop also finds a way to help Claire with the clinic. Win-win.
Arthur played a key role in helping Miles with his friend suggestion, and it was nice to see how far this father-son duo has come.
Arthur used to think the God Account was a bunch of hoopla, but he's grown to accept that it makes a difference in people's lives in a similar way he used to.
They don't have to share the same beliefs to make a difference in the community.
It was especially fitting that the situation hinged of mending a broken familial bond.
But Arthur's involvement wasn't a coincidence as it tied very closely with his next steps within the church.
Retirement is definitely out of the question.
Since the Bishop went to great and questionable lengths to protect his daughter and keep her from getting arrested (a parent's love is so strong), he stepped down as Bishop of New York.
And when they asked him for a recommendation, he said the only person for the job was Arthur.
I believe that everything happens when it is supposed to. That's why they always say to "trust the timing of your life."
Arthur lost out on an opportunity he wanted so badly before but now it's presenting itself to him in a new light.
Will he take it?
Does he still want it?
Arguably, Arthur isn't the same man he was when he lost to Thompson.
He has made his peace with leaving the church; he closed that chapter, moved out of his old home, and is engaged to marry a great woman.
It would be understandable if he didn't want to take on this role anymore.
I didn't relapse. I've been stealing medication so I can save lives.
Claire Thompson
And while Arthur is still drawn to the church in some capacity, he might not have it in him to take on such a massive time commitment.
There's also the problem of Trish who wasn't keen on the idea of him becoming a Chief of Staff for Bishop let alone becoming a Bishop himself.
Arthur has a big decision to make concerning his future.
Whatever he decides, it'll be his choice and on his terms.
And hopefully, it won't ruin this relationship he built up with a wonderful woman.
Rakesh and Jaya's reunion brought forth pressures about taking the next step.
And while it's all fine and dandy that parents want them to get married and have children, it isn't necessarily what Rakesh and Jaya want.
One of the greatest things about God Friended Me is how they portray situations accurately especially when it comes to different cultures and cultural expectations.
Rakesh and Jaya come from a family that places a lot of importance on success and starting families.
They're more old school, while Rakesh and Jaya are millennials who aren't necessarily ready to take the next step.
It isn't that they aren't "serious" about each other as their parents implied; their views are simply different.
Marriage shouldn't be rushed when people aren't ready.
And marriage and children don't automatically make a relationship more serious or stable.
Jaya needs to stand up to her parents.
There's a way to tell them the truth while remaining respectful.
Jaya needs to make it clear that what worked for her parents doesn't work for young adults now. That she and Rakesh are both focusing on careers and trying to build a good foundation before making commitments.
Sure, they won't be happy about it, but it's better for her relationship.
If she wants a chance at her own life, she needs to put her foot down.
Instead, she lied and told them that she and Rakesh have broken up.
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Lying is never the answer and having a "secret" relationship will only lead them down a troubling path.
What happens when her parents want to set her up with someone else?
Rakesh seemed fine with Jaya's plan on the outside, but the look on his face was concerning.
He evidently doesn't think this is a good idea.
During an interview with TV Fanatic, Suraj Sharma said that the couple would end up in "troublesome waters" and see a little bit of an "up and down" in their relationship, so expect this situation to take a bit of a toll on their relationship.
And in the words of the Sanderson sisters on Hocus Pocus.... I smell children a love triangle.
It's almost Halloween, I had to.
Dad, I came to you for help, but the only person you were interested in helping was your new boss. You manipulated me.
Miles
Cara's new job at Catapult threw her right back into the old journalistic grind, however, things were different now.
Her God Account stories weren't scoring at the top of the leader board, she didn't have her massive office back, and there was a new guy who was the company's pride and joy.
This could have been a simple "competition" storyline, but that wouldn't be good-natured.
Instead, Adam Grey (Mr. Grey will see you now. Again, I had to) asked her to chase an exciting story with him.
There were vibes between the two of them, so I'm slightly worried about Cara and Miles' relationship.
She loves him, even though she hasn't been able to express that out loud, and they're in a good place right now, so maybe I'm wrong, but considering TV shows thrive on love triangles, I think there's a chance this could go down that route.
And I don't exactly trust Adam at this point.
Maybe he'll become a friend suggestion, too?
And while it was nice to see Rachel Blake, a former friend suggestion, her involvement with helping Claire wasn't needed.
There needs to be a more organic way to write in familiar faces and connect storylines.
Be sure to watch God Friended Me online and catch up with all the episodes.
Do you think Arthur will take the job?
Will Jaya and Rakesh break up?
Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..
