Joan of Arcadia (TV Series)

The Uncertainty Principle (2003)

Amber Tamblyn: Joan Girardi

Quotes 

• Joan : [Joan is in the hallway of her school. God appears as an older woman selling cupcakes for the soccer team]  You're getting really good at showing up when nobody needs you.

  Old Lady God : Well, now, that's your opinion.

  Joan : So what do you want me to fail at this time?

  Old Lady God : Now what makes you think you failed? You did exactly what I asked you to do: you observed.

  Joan : Hmm! And what good did that do anybody? Ramsey's going to jail, Adam hates me even more...

  Old Lady God : Observation is a more powerful force than you could possibly reckon. The invisible, the overlooked, and the unobserved are those that are most in danger of reaching the end of the spectrum. They lose the last of their light. From there, anything can happen.

  Joan : Okay. Fine, I observed Ramsey, his life is still ruined.

  Old Lady God : His life wasn't the only one at stake.

  Joan : What do you mean?

  Old Lady God : [Starts pointing out different students in the hallway]  There's Laura Eason, ninth grader. She plays the flute. She would have been one of the first to go...

  [gunshot sound] 

  Old Lady God : coming out of Orchestra at the wrong time. And Andrew Bayer: he would have tried to save his friend Lawrence DiStasi and lost his life.

  [two gunshots] 

  Old Lady God : And Gavin Price.

  [gunshot] 

  Old Lady God : And three other students in the cafeteria. And Mr. Harvey. And Ms. Schmidt in the library. And finally, Steve Ramsey himself. And for each of these faces Joan, there are twelve more whose lives would have come to an end today - lives altered forever by you. By the simple effect of being present, by entering the light, by joining the dance.

  [Joan wipes away a tear] 

• Joan : [to Grace]  You didn't tell him, did you?

  Grace : I don't need to. You asked Steve Ramesy to the semi-formal. That's like a CNN headline.

• Luke Girardi : So, I asked Grace to do this thing with me, and at the time, she said "yes", sort of, but...

  Joan : Wait, Grace Polk said "yes" to you?

  Luke Girardi : It was somewhat contingent, but...

  Joan : Aw...

  Luke Girardi : ...essentially, yeah.

  Joan : She's so gonna get it.

  Luke Girardi : But, see, I don't know if she actually remembers me asking, so do I... do I have to do the full re-approach, or...

  Joan : Now what is she gonna wear? Because they don't make gowns out of fatigues.

  Luke Girardi : What are we talking about?

  Joan : You asked Grace Polk to the semi-formal.

  Luke Girardi : I asked her to be my partner in the science fair.

  Joan : Wow. Science really is like sex to you, isn't it?

• Helen Girardi : You're going with Ramsey?

  Luke Girardi : You asked Ramsey?

  Will Girardi : Who's Ramsey?

  Helen Girardi : Why on earth would you ask that boy to the dance?

  Joan : Because he's the only person who would go with me.

  Helen Girardi : Adam Rove would've been thrilled to go with you.

  Joan : Hello! Do I have to brief you people every morning? Adam. Hates. Me. Okay? I have to go.

  Will Girardi : [she leaves]  Who's Ramsey?

• Joan : Will you look at this? I'm making electricity out of sugar.

• Helen Girardi : Okay, start talking.

  Joan : Why? You're not going to listen to anything I have to say.

  Helen Girardi : Oh, this is not you mouthing off, Joan. This is you explaining why you defied what your father and I specifically said!

  Joan : What about Price? It's 'cause of him this whole thing started!

  Will Girardi : We said no cars under any circumstances. There were no exceptions to that.

  Helen Girardi : It wasn't Price who pulled a gun on your father.

  Will Girardi : Do you have any idea how seriously you could've been hurt tonight?

  Joan : I'm really sorry. This whole... this whole thing... has gotten way out of hand.

  Helen Girardi : So what do we do now? Is it back to therapy or what?

  Kevin Girardi , Luke Girardi : No, no, no.

  Kevin Girardi : Dad, there's no need for that.

  Helen Girardi : Okay, we will do this the old-fashioned way. You are grounded, young lady. And as for everybody else, if we could just keep it down to one tragedy a month, that would be really great.

• Joan : You're not gonna put him in jail, are you?

  Will Girardi : He threated to shoot the chief of police. It doesn't look good.

  Joan : I'm really sorry, daddy.

  Will Girardi : It's been a long night. Let's all just go to bed.

• Goth Kid God : I wouldn't worry about self-defense.

  Joan : Then why the psycho mission? Because I didn't sign up for martyrdom.

  Goth Kid God : Joan, have I ever endangered you?

  Joan : Well, you never told me to ask evil out on a date before.

  Goth Kid God : "Evil" is not a word to use lightly. It's only the darkest end of a broad spectrum.

  Joan : You mean like... light?

  Goth Kid God : Exactly like light. Nobody is born in total darkness. Most of you live on the gray end of the spectrum; a lie here and there, jealousy, wrath. But you only get to absolute evil by doing one thing after another, 'till eventually, you're transformed.

  Joan : Like, into a monster?

  Goth Kid God : A monster is a creature with no consciousness. They're extremely rare, but they do exist.

  Joan : Have you watched the news? I'm not sure they're so rare.

  Goth Kid God : Almost everybody has some light somewhere. And light is always worth fighting for.

  Joan : Okay. So I'm supposed to find Ramsey's... light.

  Goth Kid God : I just want you to listen and observe. Be present.

  Joan : That's it?