Joan of Arcadia (TV Series)

Shadows and Light (2005)

Jack Kehler: Electrician God

Quotes 

• Electrician God : It's painful what happened to your friend. It's very difficult to see something like that.

  Joan : Yeah, what did Stevie do anyway to deserve that big lightning bolt from on high?

  Electrician God : Ahh, I don't punish people, and I'd never ask you to harm anyone. You know that. What you witnessed was the power of the truth.

  Joan : Uh, but isn't that supposed to set you free, not kick you in the head?

  Electrician God : The light of the truth can be harsh to those who have been in the dark. In "The Republic", Plato writes about prisoners who lived their whole lives in a cave, chained in place. A fire throws shadows against the wall in front of them. That's all they ever see, so they have no reason to believe there's more to the world. Stepping out into the light after that can hurt your eyes. But once you adjust... can you flip that switch?

  Joan : Isn't it your job to let there be light?

  Electrician God : It's everyone's.

• Joan : You're not actually gonna let her go to jail, right?

  Electrician God : It's all working out the way it has to.

  Joan : So Stevie has to lose her mom for three years because of me? They would've been fine if I'd just stayed out of it.

  Electrician God : Their relationship was built on a lie, and a lie, even if it's motivated by the best of intentions, blinds people from the light. Love can't survive in the dark, Joan.

  Joan : But look at them. How are they gonna get through this?

  Electrician God : Eh, you made them see what they have, what they were going to lose. You let them see the truth. That's the light they need to find their way.