S5 E1 • Miles to Go Before I Sleep

When Andrew arrives at the hospital to escort an elderly Mr. Richards to heaven, he makes Andrew promise to help someone else in the hospital, someone whose soul is dying. Mr. Richards directs Andrew to the bible he is leaving behind which, he insists, will answer Andrew's questions. Andrew meets up with Monica and Tess who are at the hospital to minister to the patients, but no one knows the whereabouts of Mr. Richards bible. Complicating matters, Rita Lasky, a terminally ill woman with no will to live, claims to have seen the Angel of Death and that it told her to ""hurry up and die."" Monica tells Rita God would never someone to give up, and that if an angel says something that is not from God, then it's not an angel. Meanwhile, Andrew is caring for John Monroe, a young man with brain cancer, who has faith that he will be miraculously healed. Arthur Bowers, a kind hearted orderly, tells John about Rita's angel-sighting and insists that there is an angel in the hospital. When Ri

Première diffusion : 20 septembre 1998

S5 E2 • Vengeance Is Mine (1)

As the one year anniversary of Joe's tragic car accident approaches, the Greene family is in Springville. After seeing Joe depart for Turkey where he is intent on working, Russell is eager to get back on the road while Claire has a sense that she has work still to do in Springville. As strange letters begin to arrive for Joe, Claire volunteers to teach reading on death row at the local prison and meets Darlene, a young woman convicted of killing a man while on a drug-crazed binge. As Claire and Dinah try to help Darlene come to terms with her daughter and mother before she is executed, the angels learn that the letters to Joe have been sent by Sondra Mills, who is abusing alcohol and neglecting her son, Matthew, in the aftermath of her husbands death at Joe's hand. Tess works as an efficiency consultant at Sondra's office and tries to convince her to stop drinking and face her grief but Sandra is soon fired drinking on the job. Meanwhile, Monica is Matthew's teacher and tries to h

Première diffusion : 27 septembre 1998

S5 E3 • Vengeance Is Mine (2)

(part 2) As the one year anniversary of Joe's tragic car accident approaches, the Greene family is in Springville. After seeing Joe depart for Turkey where he is intent on working, Russell is eager to get back on the road while Claire has a sense that she has work still to do in Springville. As strange letters begin to arrive for Joe, Claire volunteers to teach reading on death row at the local prison and meets Darlene, a young woman convicted of killing a man while on a drug-crazed binge. As Claire and Dinah try to help Darlene come to terms with her daughter and mother before she is executed, the angels learn that the letters to Joe have been sent by Sondra Mills, who is abusing alcohol and neglecting her son, Matthew, in the aftermath of her husbands death at Joe's hand. Tess works as an efficiency consultant at Sondra's office and tries to convince her to stop drinking and face her grief but Sandra is soon fired drinking on the job. Meanwhile, Monica is Matthew's teacher and tries to h

Première diffusion : 27 septembre 1998

S5 E4 • What Are Friends For?

The angels arrive in the life of mayoral candidate Carrie Carver to help her learn a valuable lesson about friendship. Monica arrives as Carrie's speechwriter when Carrie is called away by a message from an old college friend. Monica tells her ""truth is the best spin."" Carrie arrives at Frodo's, her old college hangout to find Tom, who is waiting to hear the news of most recent cancer test. Andrew is acting as a bartender, not knowing whether or not he will be escorting Tom. Carrie then resumes her campaign, formally announcing her candidacy for the office of mayor. Carrie then goes to her college reunion with Sam and Monica. Carrie then sees her old friend Billy. Sam looks on with controlled concern as Carrie and Billy dance to their old college song. As Carrie, Billy and Tom, ""The Terrible Threesome"" give an reunion performance, Tess tells Andrew and Monica ""Sometimes memories keep people harmonizing long after the music is over."" Carrie tells Billy she'll pull some strings

Première diffusion : 4 octobre 1998

S5 E5 • Only Connect

When a widower named Donnie Mancuso is having problems with his son, Cameron, the angels arrive to help them learn from the least likely of souls, an autistic man by the name of Ferdie. Misunderstood all of his life, Ferdie lives in a shack on the edge of a baseball field in Cicero, Illinois. Although harmless, the townspeople are unaware of his autism and think of Ferdie as merely as ""weird."" Cameron befriends Ferdie, who shares his love of trains. Donnie, a former professional baseball player, pushes Cameron to work harder at baseball as a way of making friends. Cameron falls prey to peer pressure and participates in a prank that inadvertently results in the burning of Ferdie's shack. Monica appeals to Cameron's conscience, and he convinces his father to let Ferdie live with them until his shack is rebuilt. While having living with Donnie and Cameron, Ferdie behaves strangely but Donnie pays little attention because he seems harmless. Donnie finds Ferdie in the basement using

Première diffusion : 11 octobre 1998

S5 E6 • The Lady of the Lake

Andrew and Tess show Monica how to skip stones on Lake Paradise, and notice that this lake is ""dead"" in that it has no birds, no fish, no people. It is Monica's assignment to help revitalize this lake, and at the same time, revitalize the life of Blake Chapman, who has returned to Lake Paradise after twelve years, as a representative of the Mayforth Corporation, the company that wants to buy the property around Lake Paradise. Blake is stunned when ""Monica's Bait and Tackle"" springs up on the lakeshore, especially when he realizes that Mayforth doesn't own the small patch of land the shop rests on. Monica, enjoying her new job as storekeeper and friend of the worms, refuses to sell the shop, thereby impeding the company's progress and infuriating Blake and the townspeople, including, Earl Gray, an old-timer, his hearing impaired daughter Laurel, her son Jeremy, and Eb and Flo, one time Vegas performers. They all stand to profit in different ways if the property is sold to Mayforth,

Première diffusion : 18 octobre 1998

S5 E7 • Beautiful Dreamer

Tess substitutes at a Washington D.C. and asks the students what they want to be when they grow up. One of the children, Calvin, tells the class he wants to be an assassin. Tells tells Calvin that being an assassin is nothing to be proud of and to prove it Tess tells the class the story of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln. On April 14, 1865 Sam and Andrew arrive in post-Civil War Washington. Sam tells Andrew, then a caseworker, of his next assignment, Mr. Booth. Andrew meets Booth backstage at Ford's Theater, where stagehands are busily preparing for the evening's play. At the White House, Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary make plans to attend the play. Monica, currently working in Annunciations, arrives as Mrs. Lincoln's seamstress. While Monica fits her dress, Mrs. Lincoln confides in Monica her worry for her husband's health, especially in light of a recent dream the President has had. That afternoon Andrew approaches Booth in a saloon outside the theatre,

Première diffusion : 25 octobre 1998

S5 E8 • I Do

Monica tries to determine God's greatest gift to humans and hypothesizes that it might be marriage, the wedding of two people. Tess reminds her that a marriage is much more than a wedding ceremony. Stephanie and Michael are planning to elope with Michael's younger brother, Eddie, in tow, when Nancy, Michael's mother, finds out and demands that they have a traditional wedding. Stephanie and Michael relents and Monica and Tess note that this family runs like a dictatorship. While Stephanie is trying on dresses at Tess' dress shop, Eddie gives Michael a special gift, their deceased father's favorite tie, reworked as a bowtie so Michael can wear it at the wedding. At the bachelor party, Monica pops out of a cake, and befriends Eddie, who asks her to be his date for the wedding. On the day of the wedding, Stephanie and Nancy receive news that Michael and Eddie have been in a car accident. They rush to the hospital, Stephanie still in her wedding dress, to find Eddie fine, but Michael

Première diffusion : 1 novembre 1998

S5 E9 • The Wind Beneath Our Wings

When Andrew arrives in the court of Judge Dorrie Chapin to notify her that she is the governor's first choice to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat, Dorrie and her ever-dependable mother, Emma, are overjoyed. Having met Tess while sitting in the gallery of her daughter's courtroom, Emma invites Tess and Monica over for dinner to celebrate. Later that afternoon, Emma is the subject of show and tell in the classroom of Dorrie's daughter, Jenny, and tells of her days as one of the only female pilots, the Lady Tigerettes, during World War II. When Emma and Jenny get lost on the way home after leaving Jenny's school. it is apparent that Emma is beginning to show the first signs of aging. The angels attempt to tell Dorrie that her mother is simply getting older but Dorrie is unwilling to accept that her steadfest mother is faltering. Dorrie tries to rationalize the situation suggesting that her mother will be fine with the lifestyle changes and vitamins until Emma falls asleep in the cour

Première diffusion : 8 novembre 1998

S5 E10 • Psalm 151

Monica, Tess, and Andrew celebrate Monica's 100th assignment with a cake in a park. In the same park Audrey, a single mother who writes commercial jingles, celebrates her son Petey's birthday. Petey tries to blow out the candles but is racked with coughing, an effect of his disease, Cystic Fibrosis. Monica arrives at Petey and Audrey's home as a prospective border she meets Celine, Petey's best friend who is Celine Dion's number one fan. Celine introduces Monica to Audrey and Monica moves into their home. Petey plays a song for Monica on tape that Audrey began to write when Petey was born but has since been unable to finish. When he collapses on his way home from school, Petey is rushed to the hospital where, upon his release, he and Celine overhear some nurses saying he doesn't have much time left to live. Petey tells his mother, who is having trouble accepting the fate of her little boy, that when he dies, he wants to die at home. Petey, with Monica's help, begins to compile

Première diffusion : 15 novembre 1998

S5 E11 • The Peacemaker

As a part of his application to New York University, 17 year-old Mark Tanner videotapes the morning coffee ritual that his parents, Scott and Michelle, began during his recovery from a recent drug addiction. Although all appears well, Andrew warns Tess and Monica not to waste any time with this case. Scott arrives at the police precinct where he is a hostage negotiator to meet his new partner, Monica and invites her to dinner. When Scott is paged by the precinct dinner, Michelle lashes out, blaming Scott for always choosing his work over his family. Later, as Michelle rifles through her ""Memory Box,"" Mark enters. She shows him the wrist watch Scott gave her for their first anniversary but adds that he meant to have it engraved. When Mark asks if they are going to be okay after he goes off to college, she reassures him but her face registers doubt. As she exits, Mark finds divorce papers in the memory box and becomes angry with his mother. Later, while painting a portrait of her

Première diffusion : 22 novembre 1998

S5 E12 • An Angel on the Roof

Charley, an aging south Texas motel owner, gets a Christmas Eve visit from Monica, who tells him not to fear, because she brings him tidings of great joy. Charley in a drunken daze, thinks the beautiful glowing angel is merely a hallucination, and begins a dialogue with his ""vision"" as he decorates his Desert Star Inn for the holiday. Monica tells Charley that he will receive a miracle the Christmas Eve, and he, somewhat skeptical, hypothesizes about what this will be. He hopes it will be a new star, something he has been waiting quite a long time to see through his high-powered telescope from the roof of the inn. Meanwhile, Tess serves coffee two three lonely truckers who celebrate the holiday at a truck stop. As they leave, Tess points them to the inn, but the truckers muse at the thought of spending an evening at the dilapidated motel. Elsewhere, Jorge and Marisol, a young Mexican couple, illegally across the border, panic when pregnant Marisol begins to show signs of an early

Première diffusion : 13 décembre 1998

S5 E13 • Fool For Love

Sara Parker, a successful big city District Attorney, is forced to some to terms with her past when an ex-boyfriend, Jesse, is arrested and she must interrogate him. Rather than face Jesse, who still has some strange kind of hold over her, Sara retreats to a pub for some sanctuary. Monica who is waiting tables at the bar while Tess serves drinks, offers to listen to Sara's story. Sara is reluctant at first, but then proceeds to tell Monica her story of ten years ago. As 17 year-old high schooler, Sara meets Jesse, a handsome troublemaker. Much to her mother's disdain, Sara and Jesse fall in love and, when he suggests they move to California to start a new life, Sara agrees. Sara is worried when she finds a gun in Jesse's glove compartment, but when Jesse says it's for protection she's too blinded by love to disagree. Soon, however, their money runs out, their relationship sours, and to take matters worse Sara learns she is four months pregnant. In order to get some money Jesse

Première diffusion : 3 janvier 1999

S5 E14 • The Medium and the Message

Tess and Monica arrive at the office of NNT Television to pay a visit to T.K. McKenna, a network executive who once dreamed of ""being the best"" and now only wants ""to be first."" As T.K. is bragging about the ratings on a show featuring a hijacked bus which explodes, Monica arrives in T.K.'s office. But T.K. is not surprised, telling Monica that people drop in to tell him things all the time and that he has no idea who they are. Monica then tries to sell him on an idea of a show about angels in which the angels are sent by God who loves us all. McKenna wants to know more and Monica tells him like some of his visitors, angels are often undercover. We then see a series of clips from previous episodes where the angels play a variety of roles. T.K. then dismisses Monica and the idea. As Monica leaves, T.K. is told by another executive that 76% of people believe in angels. Outside, Tess tells Monica to change the heart of the man in order to change the network. T.K. finds Monica out

Première diffusion : 10 janvier 1999

S5 E15 • My Brother's Keeper

Tess and Monica arrive in Park City, Utah as the World Cup Qualifier Ski race is about to begin. As Tess and Monica watch over two contestants, Jett Rudin and Will Heller, Tess explains that the two boys have been friends for their entire life but that their friendship is about to change. Although both boys are competitive, Will has never Beaten Jett. Jett is the center of attention, even to Will's father who taught both of them to ski. Monica approaches Jett for an interview, the angle of which would be the friendship of Jett and Will. Meanwhile, Will's father, Howard is more interested in securing an endorsement deal for Jett than his own son. When Monica interviews Will, his jealousy rises and he tells her there will be a new ""top dog"" on the mountain the following day. At the qualifying round the next day, Jett sets a new record and warns Will about a dangerous curve and loses his place on the World Cup first team. At the lodge later that night, Monica questions Will off

Première diffusion : 7 février 1999

S5 E16 • On Edge

Tess and Monica are introduced to their next assignment when the Cadillac by Bart and Hayley Ewing, a father and daughter con team. The angels follow Bart and Hayley to Salt Lake City where Bart has promised Hayley she will be able to indulge her favorite hobby, ice skating. Monica works as an employee of the skating rink and is short-changed by Bart as he pays for Hayley's entry. When Hayley falls down, Andrew, the acting D.J., introduces her to an Olympic hopeful skater, Alex Thorpe and she agrees to help Hayley learn to skate. Meanwhile, Bart pretends to find some lost money in order to win the trust of Alex's father, Carl, who is the owner of the rink. Carl tells Bart of an upcoming fundraiser to benefit the Silver Blades Skate Team. Bart notices the cash drop bag that Carl is carrying and begins to hatch an idea for a scam. Later that night, Hayley tells her father she wants to do something other than con people, something she can be recognized for. At the rink the next da

Première diffusion : 14 février 1999

S5 E17 • The Man Upstairs

Gus Zimmerman, an insurance salesman, arrives in Las Vegas to call on his largest account, the Paradise Grand Casino. Tess tells Monica that behind Gus' smile is a desperate man. Monica meets Gus at a bar where he explains that he is there to call on the casino manager, Mac, and earn the commission that will pay for his wife, Esther's care in a nursing home. As he guzzles ginger ale, Gus explains that neither he nor Esther drink or gamble. When Gus learns that Mac is no longer the general manager and the new management is not willing to see him, he orders another drink, this time with vodka. Gus goes to the cashier, withdraws a five-thousand dollar credit limit and loses it all on one roll of roulette. When Gus pleads with the croupier, ""I'll sign anything,"" the phone mysteriously rings and the new manager is ready to see him. Gus enters the office to find the new manager's name is Monique and she looks exactly like Monica. It becomes apparent that Monique is evil as she toys w

Première diffusion : 21 février 1999

S5 E18 • Family Business

On their 35th wedding anniversary, Ben and Sylvia Mangione, owners of a car dealership, host a huge sale. Monica and Tess are on hand to help the Mangione family, and Phil the angel of reconciliation, will assist them, if the perennially late angel ever arrives. Mangione Auto World is a family business, with daughters Ellen and Dee Dee and Ellen's husband Frankie all working there. But one of the children, Buddy, moved to California several years ago, refusing to take over the family business, much to Ben's chagrin. During the sale, Buddy calls to say he is returning for the anniversary with a big announcement to make. Frank is upset that Buddy is turning because he thinks it may spoil his chances for taking over the dealership. Indeed, Ben hopes Buddy is returning to tale over the dealership. At the anniversary party Tess plays with the band, filling in for the still tardy Phil, while Monica caters the event. Soon, however, the police show up to let the family know that Buddy

Première diffusion : 28 février 1999

S5 E19 • Anatomy Lesson

When Dewey Burton dies of a heart attack while running for help after finding a young girl trapped in a deep drain pipe, Tess tells Monica that his body is the key to saving the young girl and she only has four hours to do so. When Dewey's body arrives at the coroner's office, Monica arrives at the assistant to the skeptical pathologist, Ivar. Ivar believes that everything about a man's life can be determined from an autopsy. While Tess remains with the little girl, Jamie, Monica begins trying to change the heart of Ivar by telling him the story of Dewey's life from the details of his body. Monica begins by looking at the man's hands, deducing that he worked in construction, building homes which he could never afford himself. Tess continues to comfort Jamie as Dewey's wife, Faye, begins to search for her missing husband. As the autopsy continues, Monica learns more about Ivar, that he believes, ""In the end, we are helpless and what doesn't change anything,"" and that he used to pr

Première diffusion : 7 mars 1999

S5 E20 • Jagged Edges

Andrew helps an older man, clean out his garage, searching for a box he wants to give his daughter, Natalie. Doug has a heart attack, and as he is dying, Andrew assures him that God's angels will be on hand to deliver the box to Natalie. When Natalie, a stand-up comic, hears of Doug's death, she returns home with her infant daughter Lily to organize her father's things. Natalie begins to have flashbacks about her deceased mother, and how when Natalie was young, she would play the piano incessantly. Andrew tries to persuade Natalie to help him clean the garage and find the box, but she is unwilling to go into the garage. To get a break from her intense memories, Natalie goes to a comedy club to perform. Meanwhile, at a local hospital, Monica and Tess talk about how Natalie will react to learning her father's secret, that Amanda, her mother, is not dead, but has been institutionalized for many years. Natalie, indeed is shocked to learn this and that Amanda, after a slow recovery

Première diffusion : 28 mars 1999

S5 E21 • Into the Fire

Monica meets her next assignment, Melina Richardson at her latest temp job, a telemarketing agency. When the usually meek Melina is fired for yelling at a potential customer, she decides to attend a seminar of the Golden Path Institute hoping to find meaning in her life. After an impassioned speech by the Golden Path's leader, the charismatic Brother David, who persuades the attendees who ""feel called"" to board a bus bound for the institute. Melina, captivated by Brother David, gets on the bus. Tess tells Monica to stay close to her assignment. At the institute Monica and Melina are stripped of their possessions because Brother David feels it is important to leave the past behind. Melina, however, secretly keeps a picture of her ex-fiance under her bed. When David finds the picture, he summons a meeting of the whole group and exposes Melina's transgression forcing her to destroy the picture. Meanwhile, a mail truck arrives at the institute with letters for everyone, but Brothe

Première diffusion : 4 avril 1999

S5 E22 • Made in the U.S.A.

Nick Stratton, owner of Stratton Apparel, hires Vietnamese women to work in his sweatshop because they are willing to work for little pay. Monica's assignment is to help Nick, a ""good man with a bad attitude."" Nick hires Monica as his accountant the same day that Am-Nhac Nguyen starts at the factory, pressing pants on a faulty steam press. Am-Nhac and the other women are willing to work for Nick because he will pay for citizenship classes if they meet their rigorous daily quotas. Tess, who teaches the class, tells Am-Nhac that her father, Cadao, can attend as well. The next day Nick, under pressure from his clients, raises the quotas, and Am-Nhac, in a hurry to meet hers, severely burns her arm. Nick fires Am-Nhac because her injury will slow her down. Monica asks Nick why he is so hard on his workers, and Nick tells her his story. As a soldier, Nick helped a captured Vietnamese boy escape. Nick knew the boy was not Viet Cong because he had a peace symbol, an American fad, tat

Première diffusion : 11 avril 1999

S5 E23 • Full Circle

Monica re-enters the life of a former assignment, Kate Prescott, who has spent the last few years of her life waiting for her son, Thomas, to return home. When Monica was last with the Prescott's, Thomas had been falsely accused of murdering a young woman, and Kate doubted her son's innocence. Later, Thomas was cleared, and Kate has since felt guilty for not trusting her son. Now, Kate's neighborhood is being leveled to make way for a highway, but she won't sell her house to the government, wanting to remain there in case Thomas should return home. Monica appears to Kate to tell her that her prayers have been answered, that Thomas is returning home. Thomas arrives at the house with a surprise, his seven year-old son Dylan. At first Thomas seems to have changed his shady ways and accepted responsibility as a father, but Monica learns he is doing drugs and tries to warn Kate. Kate is unwilling to believe the truth about her son, and she finally agrees to sell the house. While tak

Première diffusion : 25 avril 1999

S5 E24 • Black Like Monica

Monica encounters Tess on the side of a dirt road on the outskirts of Aynesville, a small Southern Illinois town. Tess, holding a bloodied rope and crying directs Monica to the body of a dead black man. Tess in anguish, tells Monica that she has given up on earth, and is returning to heaven. In downtown Aynesville, preparations are being made for the upcoming Civil Rights Day and a visit from Rosa Parks. Lavonda, the director of the celebration, wonders why Mooney, the set builder, is no where to be found. Monica arrives and takes Tom, Lavonda, Deputy James, the Mayor and a few others to the murder site, and they identify the body as Mooney's. The group suspects that the murder was committed to ruin the celebration, and with the exception of Tom and James, decides to keep the murder quiet. To ensure the cover up, Tom reluctantly locks Monica in a jail cell. As a black man, James protests the cover up and the abuse of Monica's civil rights. That night Monica prays for a way to

Première diffusion : 2 mai 1999

S5 E25 • Fighting the Good Fight

In a run-down apartment complex, 11 year-old Tim endures being teased by his older brother Steven as they try to sleep on a fold-out couch. Uncle Frank, the boys' reluctant guardian, threatens to beat them if they leave the house while he is gone for the night. As he does every night, Frank takes the vicious pit bull he keeps chained outside the door with him and leaves. Monica, Tess, Andrew, and Rafael are on hand for this assignment, but Rafael notes they made need someone else's help, someone who, unlike themselves, actually knows what it is like to be a child and have to fight to survive. The next morning, Frank returns with the dog and prepares to sleep on the same couch as the boys go to school, demanding them to come home late so he can sleep longer. After school, Steven taunts and punches Tim and won't let him hang out with his gang of friends. Instead, Tim wonders into Tess' gym, where Rafael and Tess train boxers. Tim, wanting to be able to beat up Steven, begins to tr

Première diffusion : 9 mai 1999

S5 E26 • Hearts

Monica is an aid to Dr. Sandra Pena, a Portland heart surgeon. Sandra's favorite patient, Ilena, is in need of a heart transplant and time is running out to find a compatible donor. Meanwhile, at a hospital in Boise, Angela, the victim of a horse riding accident, lays dying. Sandra is excited to learn that Angela may be the compatible donor Ilena desperately needs. Tess, an organ donor specialist, tries to convince Angela's husband Dan to donate Angela's heart. Unwilling to believe that his wife is dying, he refuses to agree to the transplant. In an attempt to life Ilena's spirits Monica introduces her to Sandra's daughter, Casey. The two teenagers quickly become attached. When Sandra learns that the heart is unavailable, she warns Casey of Ilena's fate, and insists she not see Ilena anymore. Rather than give up hope, Casey takes a bus to Boise, without Sandra's permission, in hopes of convincing Dan to donate Angela's heart. In Boise Casey meets Andrew, who has been sitting

Première diffusion : 16 mai 1999

S5 E27 • Godspeed

Major Josie Saunders grew up reading all about Charles Lindbergh. It was Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic, along with Josie's own desire to make her mother proud, that fueled her drive to join the Air Force and later NASA. When, just a few days before her first mission to space, Josie learns from a NASA P.R. man, Andrew, that her mother has died, the frightening reality of what she's about the do hits home. When she returns home for the funeral and joins her fellow astronauts, we learn that one of the mission's Capcoms, Greg, is Josie's husband. In a private moment, he expresses some concern about her emotional readiness for the mission. He rightly asses that she might be angry and a little scared, but she denies it. Then she meets Diana, a brave little girl with brain cancer, who asks her to deliver a letter to God while she is in space. Josie becomes suddenly awkward and ends her time with Diana, throwing the letter away. Later, she tells Greg the truth. ""I don't know w

Première diffusion : 23 mai 1999