Joan of Arcadia
In a way, Joan of Arcadia is similar to The Mentalist when it comes to mind, body, and spirit. In The Mentalist,
you have a mind character, a spirit character, and then a team that
collectively makes up the body character. When you examine the team
members individually, though, you see another layer of mind, body, and
spirit.
In Joan of Arcadia, Will Girardi (Joe Mantegna) is a mind character, Helen Girardi (Mary Steenburgen) is a spirit character, and their three kids collectively make up a body character. When the three kids are examined individually, you can see another layer of mind, body and spirit.
Joan sees and interacts with God. She will do whatever God asks her to do, but often reluctantly. She often asks "why," but continues forward despite never getting an answer to her questions. God explains that she can see him because she is open to more possibilities than most people. This is underscored when another character comments that Joan has a "special connection" with the universe.
Joan's character is defined by her relationship with her family, her friends, and God.
Luke is the academic mind of the family. He takes AP Chemistry and AP Physics and is a top student in both classes, as well as being somewhat of a teacher's pet. He spends his free time pondering Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and other advanced scientific theories. When he sees a kite, he doesn't see it as a toy; he sees it as an instrument to demonstrate aerodynamic principles to his friends and family, many of whom are nowhere near as excited about it as he is.
Luke's character is defined by his intellectual abilities.
Kevin was a high school jock with a college scholarship to play baseball in his back pocket. Coming home from a homecoming party, he was injured in an automobile accident and paralyzed from the waist down. He let his best friend drive, even though he was drunk, because he didn't want to appear "uncool." Kevin was known as a ladies' man in high school, and being in a wheelchair has not dulled that aspect of his character.
Kevin's character is defined by his athleticism and his physical disability.
In Joan of Arcadia, Will Girardi (Joe Mantegna) is a mind character, Helen Girardi (Mary Steenburgen) is a spirit character, and their three kids collectively make up a body character. When the three kids are examined individually, you can see another layer of mind, body and spirit.
The Spirit Character: Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn)
Joan sees and interacts with God. She will do whatever God asks her to do, but often reluctantly. She often asks "why," but continues forward despite never getting an answer to her questions. God explains that she can see him because she is open to more possibilities than most people. This is underscored when another character comments that Joan has a "special connection" with the universe.
Joan's character is defined by her relationship with her family, her friends, and God.
The Mind Character: Luke Girardi (Michael Welch)
Luke is the academic mind of the family. He takes AP Chemistry and AP Physics and is a top student in both classes, as well as being somewhat of a teacher's pet. He spends his free time pondering Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and other advanced scientific theories. When he sees a kite, he doesn't see it as a toy; he sees it as an instrument to demonstrate aerodynamic principles to his friends and family, many of whom are nowhere near as excited about it as he is.
Luke's character is defined by his intellectual abilities.
The Body Character: Kevin Girardi (Jason Ritter)
Kevin was a high school jock with a college scholarship to play baseball in his back pocket. Coming home from a homecoming party, he was injured in an automobile accident and paralyzed from the waist down. He let his best friend drive, even though he was drunk, because he didn't want to appear "uncool." Kevin was known as a ladies' man in high school, and being in a wheelchair has not dulled that aspect of his character.
Kevin's character is defined by his athleticism and his physical disability.
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