Joan of Arcadia (TV Series)

The Devil Made Me Do It (2003)

Mary Steenburgen: Helen Girardi

Quotes 

• Helen Girardi : I can't believe you're not allowed to shoot an armed robber breaking into your home.

  Will Girardi : Well, honey, you're from the South.

• Will Girardi : I'm afraid I'm not turning out to be a very good chief of police.

  Helen Girardi : Hmm.

  Will Girardi : I don't know if I almost... did the right thing for the wrong reason today or the wrong thing for the right reason, or both, or... something in between. When I shot that bank robber... when I killed him...

  Helen Girardi : The kids were bound to find that out someday.

  Will Girardi : It was a righteous shooting, Helen. I mean... I'm sorry I killed a man - I really am - but I don't doubt that it was necessary, that I had no other options. I miss that clarity. Everything in this job is so... murky with politics.

  Helen Girardi : Hey. I love you, and if there's a problem with your job, then the fault does not lie with you. I'm as certain about that as you are about... shooting bad men.

• Joan Girardi : You think I'm happy? Adam hates me. He's never gonna talk to me again. Did you see the way people were looking at me in the hall? They think I'm insane!

  Will Girardi : What did you think would happen? What possible justification could you have for going berserk?

  Helen Girardi : She wanted to keep her boyfriend in school.

  Joan Girardi : What? Mom, no, Adam is not my boyfriend. I didn't want to wreck his sculpture. I... I left it too late, and I couldn't think of another way to-to keep him from quitting school. I... Adam can't quit school! In case you haven't noticed, he's kind of weird, and if he just sits at home and works on his weirdo art, he's just... Mr. Price said "What are you going to do?", s-so I...

  Will Girardi : Smashed his artwork with a chair?

  Joan Girardi : What else could I do?

  Helen Girardi : Oh... say... talk to the buyer, talk to Adam, uh, talk to Adam's father. Believe it or not, I have some influence with him, too. Honey, there are lots of other things that you could do before... destroying his best work.

  Will Girardi : Destruction is not a good option.

  Joan Girardi : [realizing what God meant]  I had a failure of imagination.

  Will Girardi : Well, that's putting it kindly.

• Joan Girardi : Is it ever okay to break the law?

  Will Girardi : Somebody kills somebody, it's serious, no matter what the circumstances.

  Joan Girardi : Who said anything about killing?

  Will Girardi : Wh-what are we talking about?

  Helen Girardi : Not allowed to ask.

• Kevin Girardi : I'm home! What's to eat?

  Will Girardi : Hey, how was work?

  Kevin Girardi : Let's just say I know a lot more about Ashton Kutch-er than I really want to.

  Joan Girardi , Helen Girardi : [correcting him]  Kutcher!

• Will Girardi : Helen, you aren't going to defend what she did, are you?

  Helen Girardi : We raised Joan to do what she thought was right. She did what she did to help another human being, despite the consequences.

  Will Girardi : You want me to be proud of her?

  Helen Girardi : No, it was stupid, but... she is only sixteen, and her intentions were good. And, um... she had a failure of imagination.