Known in television lore as Undeclared‘s unaired episode, “God Visits” is an episode that feels more aligned with the religious underpinnings of Judd Apatow’s previous series, Freaks and Geeks, an existential bent that doesn’t quite fit as neatly into the format of Undeclared as it may be intended. Written by staff writer Rodney Rothman, “God Visits” is not a bad episode of Undeclared – but it’s not necessarily a bad thing this episode never made it to air, either.
“God Visits” (which has aired on IFC’s reruns of the show and is available on Netflix) never made it to air because FOX was reportedly uncomfortable with the religious content within it. And that’s no surprise; with Lloyd’s quote about religion being a way for the upper class to keep peasants from putting their heads on spikes, “God Visits” was destined to be shelved. Again, that’s probably a good thing: “God Visits” feels like a lot of half-baked ideas topped off with this overarching layer of misogyny that becomes really off-putting, especially when the episode marries the two at the end.
I’m not a Godly person myself, but a pastor (played by a younger, much less manic Kevin Hart) who immediately abandons his entire worldview for a hot girl isn’t the most appealing of stories. Had it been framed around Steven, it might have worked better: but that conclusion would only work with a better premise, which “God Visits” sorely lacks. Sure, Lloyd’s plot is set up well enough (and gives us a scene of Charlie Hunnam crying, which Sons of Anarchy would employ once a season in later years, to equal comic effect), but Steven’s sudden interest in the Bible isn’t as well established, a situation that arises mostly because Steven won’t step up and figure out what’s going on between him and Lizzie.
To create its conflicts, “God Visits” pushes through a number of character changes that don’t fit in this episode; Ron being a girly-girl with Lizzie? Lizzie pursuing Steven so openly, with no regard for Eric? Steven being a super nerd, into reading a book? None of this really fits with what we know about these people, right down to Marshall trying to hide an open room from Tina (who finally gets to have a name and presence beyond “Loser Girl”). With religion undercutting each story, “God Visits” gets too cruel and overt, poking fun at religion and the Bible (which I am all for, by the way) in ways that are so broad and generalized, they lack any kind of impact.
The one moment “God Visits” comes together is completely ancillary to anything else: where Lloyd finds beauty in the violin playing Tina’s old roommate constantly does, she continues to think she sucks. It captures the mental anguish of a musician-in-training and the feeling of inadequacy that comes with a nihilistic world view; and for a brief moment, “God Visits” rises above its cheap, juvenile shots at organized religion and provides a look into existentialism and the college experience, and the contradiction that comes from the big-eyed possibilities of one’s future, and the sense of reality slowing creeping in as a college student matures from naive freshman to adult, and slowly begins to realize the same things Lloyd has to deal with.
However, that moment between Lloyd and Tina’s old roommate is where “God Visits” ends, leaving the episode no room to expound on that idea, and build something more meaningful out of the only useful observation it provides. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and “God Visits” ends as it began, a mean-spirited attempt to take on a noble cause – however, if one is going to tell a story about the dangers of following a religion – or more importantly, those who puport to teach it to us… the religious professors of the world, if you will – it needs to be a lot sharper than what “God Visits” brings to the table, which basically says you can’t get laid if you’re religious, hardly a poignant resolution to the central conflicts the episode tries to establish.
[Photo via FOX]
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