9.1/10102 votesLoading...#1 - The Uncertainty Principle
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/12/2003
God instructs Joan to ask a troublemaker to the winter formal. Will uncovers secrets that could prove unfavorable to the former Chief of Police and other members of the city's government.
Director: Helen Shaver
Writer: Joy Gregory
9.1/10109 votesLoading...#2 - Dive
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/2004
As Joan tries to work her way up to the high dive despite her acrophobia, Luke attempts to overcome his paralyzing fear of undertaking an activity at which he might fail. Meanwhile, Will continues his quest to find Judith's killer, and Kevin goes on a date with Beth. Additionally, while reflecting on Judith's death and Kevin's accident, Helen becomes overwhelmed with concern about her family being in harm's way.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: N/A
9.0/10100 votesLoading...#3 - Jump
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 1/9/2004
Joan is saddened when she learns Rocky (Death Be Not Whatever) has passed away, causing her to further question God about life and death. Will loses his job when his discovery, and whistle blowing, of a political conspiracy causes the town government, and police department, to be desolved. While Luke continues to work on his science project and his growing attraction to Grace and Kevin is injured in a game of basketball.
Director: Timothy Busfield
Writer: Hart Hanson
- 8.9/1084 votesLoading...
#4 - Friday Night
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 11/12/2004
After being prodded by Judith to go on a real date, Joan and Adam nervously prepare for a romantic night at a fancy French restaurant. Little do they know that Judith has subsequently made some misguided plans for herself for that evening, which later causes the guilt-ridden Joan to wonder if she could have prevented her friend's misfortune.
Director: Elodie Keene
Writer: Stephen Nathan
- 8.8/1064 votesLoading...
#5 - Trial and Error
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 4/1/2005
Joan prepares to prosecute a case for a mock trial at school, per God's request, while enthusiastically planning a way to celebrate her one-year anniversary with Adam, who has secretly betrayed her. Joan surprises everyone with her passion in prosecuting a mock case against the equally motivated defense attorney, Grace. Meanwhile, while trying to hide his guilt from Joan as she plans a special anniversary night out with him, Adam decides to confess his wrongdoing to an appalled Grace. Meanwhile, Will investigates the murder of an eight-year-old girl and Helen continues her study of catholicism.
Director: Neal Israel
Writer: N/A
8.7/1086 votesLoading...#6 - Silence
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 5/21/2004
When the hospitalized Joan is diagnosed with Lyme disease, she begins to question if she's been seeing God or merely experiencing the hallucinations that can be symptomatic of her condition... Upon hearing that Joan may have been suffering from the symptoms of Lyme Disease for months, a somewhat relieved Will and Helen believe this news may explain Joan's mood swings and atypical behavior, while a concerned Adam wonders if Joan will be different upon her recovery. Meanwhile, the hospitalized Joan experiences a crisis of faith -- and considers revealing to someone close to her that she's been talking to God. In separate circumstances, Helen and Will begin to rethink their belief systems after, respectively, experiencing spiritual dreams and miraculous events.
Director: James Hayman
Writer: Barbara Hall
- 8.7/10104 votesLoading...
#7 - The Rise & Fall of Joan Girardi
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 1/28/2005
After saving a girl's life Joan suddenly becomes famous but she soon learns fame is fleeting and can even turn against you; Adam has a job interview that doesn't quite go the way he wants; tension builds between Lucy and Will; as Luke prepares to get his drivers license Grace tries to educate him on the harmful impact vehicles have on the enviroment.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: N/A
- 8.7/1056 votesLoading...
#8 - Shadows and Light
Season 2 Episode 17 - Aired 2/25/2005
Joan is convinced that she's meant to help Stevie keep her part-time job with Adam, despite Stevie's mother's order that she quit. In an effort to supply Stevie with the Social Security number that Stevie's mother is withholding, Joan gets Kevin to use his investigative reporting skills. Kevin's findings end up leading Will to make a discovery that quickly turns Stevie's world upside-down. Meanwhile, Adam is upset with Joan for telling Helen that he tried to have sex with her, and Kevin is conflicted when the local television station asks him to do a report that pertains to paralysis.
Director: Kevin Dowling
Writer: Tom Garrigus
8.6/10101 votesLoading...#9 - Bringeth It On
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/2003
Joan gets a lesson in popularity when God tells her to try out for the cheerleading squad, and her efforts to impress two pom-pom girls pay off with an invite to hang out together outside of school. Meanwhile, Will's first case working with Det. Toni Williams involves an abandoned newborn left in a trash bin, presumably by a student from Arcadia High. Another story line has a classmate sensing a gay vibe in Luke.
Director: David Petrarca
Writer: Joy Gregory
- 8.6/1095 votesLoading...
#10 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 4/22/2005
God tells Joan that the last two years were a spiritual boot camp for her greatest challenge yet, pitting her against a man with a sinister agenda.
Director: James Hayman
Writer: Barbara Hall
8.5/10102 votesLoading...#11 - Death Be Not Whatever
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/2003
Joan baby-sits for a 6-year-old boy who is obsessed with death; officers assault a black man at a gas station.
Director: N/A
Writer: Barbara Hall
8.5/1095 votesLoading...#12 - St. Joan
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/21/2003
God wants Joan to score an ""A"" on a test about French saint Joan of Arc. As the teen hits the books, she draws comparisons to the life of the young heroine who claimed to hear divine voices and was burnt at the stake. Helen finds her daughter's newest obsession troublesome and urges Will to have the entire family visit a therapist. Meanwhile, Will is unjustly raked over the coals for shutting down a crack house.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1069 votesLoading...
#13 - Queen of the Zombies
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 1/14/2005
Joan gets a chorus role in the school musical per God's request and is elated when Adam agrees to design and build the play's elaborate sets.
Director: Graeme Clifford
Writer: Joy Gregory
8.4/1080 votesLoading...#14 - Drive, He Said
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2003
Each of the Girardis deal with crises of varying seriousness, the worst of which puts Will at the mercy of a crazed gunman. The day also finds Helen reacting with mixed emotions after getting a positive result on a home-pregnancy test. Meanwhile, Joan dreads having to take her driver's exam, and Luke is presented with a major distraction just before he's supposed to compete in a high-stakes competition.
Director: Ron Lagomarsino
Writer: Tom Garrigus
8.4/1082 votesLoading...#15 - State of Grace
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/6/2004
God tells Joan to join the debate team, where her partner has a stuttering problem. A new security system is implemented at Arcadia High School. After the art teacher quits, Helen wonders if she would be right for the job. Both Kevin and Luke seperately deal with the aftermath of a kiss. And Will and Toni deal with a case involving a reverend accussed of child molestation.
Director: Steve Gomer
Writer: Joshua Ravetch
8.3/1068 votesLoading...#16 - Do the Math
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 4/2/2004
God tells Joan to take piano lessons; Joan helps her piano teacher deal with her past; Joan learns a painful secret Will and Helen have been keeping from the family; Iris becomes suspicious of Adam and Joan closeness.
Director: Rob Morrow
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1085 votesLoading...
#17 - The Cat
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/15/2004
God has Joan adopt a wild cat; Helen's Aunt Olive has a stroke while visiting; Will calls Internal Affairs to investigate for corrupt cops.
Director: Steve Gomer
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1079 votesLoading...
#18 - The Election
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2004
Things get dirty in a student council election as God instructs Joan to support a candidate; Helen must deal with a student who protests another students work of art.
Director: Rob Morrow
Writer: Ellie Herman
- 8.3/1066 votesLoading...
#19 - Romancing the Joan
Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 2/11/2005
God tells Joan to do an extra credit English assignment on romance poets, which causes her to question her own love life.
Director: Joanna Kerns
Writer: Barbara Hall
8.2/10111 votesLoading...#20 - The Fire and the Wood
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/2003
Joan enrolls in advanced-placement chemistry, after God asks her to stop being an underachiever; Will ruffles feathers during an arson investigation.
Director: James Hayman
Writer: Hart Hanson
8.2/1096 votesLoading...#21 - The Boat
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/17/2003
Helen fears Joan is becoming eccentric when she enthusiastically tackles her boat-building project; Will encourages Kevin to join a wheelchair basketball team.
Director: Kevin Dowling
Writer: N/A
8.2/1091 votesLoading...#22 - Just Say No
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/24/2003
Joan learns from God that she's holding a garage sale on Saturday, which doesn't leave her much time to sort through her family's unwanted belongings. Among the items she unearths are paintings created by Helen during a dark period in her life. Elsewhere, Will goes to bat for a rape victim even though the district attorney feels the case isn't strong enough. Also, Joan catches the interest of a class charmer and a newspaper job falls right into Kevin's lap.
Director: Steve Gomer
Writer: Tom Garrigus
8.2/1073 votesLoading...#23 - Anonymous
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/30/2004
Joan joins the yearbook staff, per God's request, and decides to use this assignment as a means of impressing Adam... Feeling threatened that Iris and Adam continue to share a bond over their passion for art, Joan vows to discover a hidden talent that Adam will admire. However, her disastrous attempt to be the yearbook's star photographer soon adds to her insecurities about losing him. Meanwhile, Will and Toni attempt to set up a sting for a man who is planning to hire a hitman to murder his wife.
Director: Steve Gomer
Writer: N/A
8.2/1077 votesLoading...#24 - Vanity, Thy Name Is Human
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/7/2004
Joan takes a cosmetics class, per God's request, and Kevin doesn't react well to crossing paths with the last girlfriend he dated before his disabling accident... Glynis' flattering makeover attracts a great deal of positive attention at school, which only adds to Joan's disappointment when Adam fails to notice her own new look. Meanwhile, Kevin, who remains bitter with the belief that he had been dumped by Beth because he had become a paraplegic, harshly rebuffs her efforts to make peace with him.
Director: Jerry Levine
Writer: N/A
8.2/1073 votesLoading...#25 - The Gift
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 5/14/2004
After God tells Joan to give Adam a gift, she finds something that leads her to wonder if God's suggesting she have sex with him... While secretly searching through Adam's backpack for gift ideas, Joan is stunned to find a condom there. She soon wonders if sex is the ""gift"" God had in mind, and she nervously ponders whether or not she'd be ready for such a big step. Meanwhile, Kevin begins covering court proceedings for the paper and ends up causing a stir in one of Will's cases.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Stephen Nathan
The Best Episodes of Joan of Arcadia
Every episode of Joan of Arcadia ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Joan of Arcadia!
Joan Girardi has begun acting a little strange since her family moved to the city of Arcadia. No one knows that various people keep introducing...
Genres:Sci-Fi & FantasyMysteryDrama
Network:CBS
Best Episodes Summary
"The Uncertainty Principle" is the best rated episode of "Joan of Arcadia". It scored 9.1/10 based on 102 votes. Directed by Helen Shaver and written by Joy Gregory, it aired on 12/12/2003. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Dive".