The feel-good CBS drama God Friended Me ended its two season run last night with a finale that, like many TV finales this season, had to be cobbled together after production needed to be shut down. Fortunately, though, creators / executive producers Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt were able to put together a finale that wrapped up several storylines for the fans who've been along on the journey with Miles, Cara and their friends from the beginning. But, one story that didn't get a real conclusion was Miles finally finding out who "God" was. Now we know why the creators made that decision, though.
Outspoken atheist Miles had been following the bread crumbs dropped by "God" for two years by the time the series finale came down, and it had led him and his friends to inadvertently help out a lot of people via the God account's friend suggestions. Obviously, Miles' curiosity about figuring out who (or what) was behind that account is what led him to all of those people and his good deeds, so why was it decided to keep that information from audiences in the finale? Here's what Bryan Wynbrandt told Deadline about the choice:
In the spirit of the show, searching for one’s own place in the world, for Miles, his journey was less about him getting the answer and more about him being ready to receive it. Whether it’s God or not God, it was about getting him to a place where he’s open minded and unencumbered by the tragedies of the past and he was fully open to the answer. That was ultimately the journey and that’s what the mountaintop represents. Who it was [is] less important.
While it's kind of a bummer to not get a definitive answer to who's behind the God account during the two-hour finale, Bryan Wynbrandt makes a very good point. God Friended Me wasn't really about whether or not the entity behind the account was really the God (or even a God), but it was about opening Miles up enough that he would be willing to consider other view points and think more deeply about his own faith, or lack thereof. Following the friend suggestions of the account not only led him to Cara, but others who were able to help him develop as a person, and even help him investigate new friend cases.
Of course, looking into all those friend suggestions also led Miles to a closer connection with his father, an Episcopal pastor who has had a lot of conflict with Miles. The family lost Miles' mother in a car accident when he was a child, and are still dealing with the ramifications of that tragedy, which is one of the things that led Miles to give up his faith.
As anyone who watched the finale knows, though, while he was OK with the idea of never finding out who was behind the account, we did get the sense that Miles got his answer. And, now that he's a better, more open, person we can all imagine that Miles will continue to help people in any way he can, even if he doesn't get his inspiration from whoever was behind the God account.
If you missed the series finale of God Friended Me, or just want to revisit the series for some warm and fuzzy feels, it's streaming on CBS All Access. For more on what to watch right now, check out our 2020 Netflix guide, see what other finales will be coming along soon, and take a look at what will be new on TV this summer!
