Touched by an Angel

Episode 725 “Shallow Water, Part Two”

Episode 725 “Shallow Water, Part Two”
Original Air Date: May 27, 2001
Written by: Martha Williamson & Burt Pearl
Directed by: Peter H. Hunt
Produced by:

Martha Williamson
Jon Andersen
R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:

Diana Winslow                Delta Burke
Jed Winslow                    Randy Travis
Rebecca Markham         Faye Dunaway
Joshua Winslow              John Schneider
Carter Winslow               David Canary
Lila Winslow                    Rue McClanahan
Danny Winslow               Cameron Bowen
J.D. Winslow                    Keb’ Mo’
Cynthia Winslow            Nell Carter
June Winslow                 Gloria Gaither
The Winslow Vocal Group:
Bill Gaither
Mark Lowry
Guy Penrod
David Phelps

Special Appearance by The Gaither Homecoming Singers and Band

Cynthia and J.D. meet with Diana Winslow, who is still in denial that her son, Danny, is dead.  Monica goes to the long-term acute care center where Carter and Lila wait with their son, Joshua, who lies unconscious on life support.  Monica hopes that they might be able to help her locate their other son, Jed, in order to help Diana remember what happened the night of the accident.  Carter doesn’t know where Jed is and wants nothing to do with him.  But Lila feels differently and admits that perhaps Diana is right — that this family needs a reunion.  Acting on a tip from Lila, Monica drives J.D. and Cynthia to Memphis in search of Jed.  They follow the sound of a man singing until they finally find Jed on a street corner, dirty and disheveled, some spare change in his guitar case from passersby.

Monica asks J.D. to convince Jed to return home to Nashville and begin the healing process.  J.D. tells Monica he’s no good at preaching, but Monica tells him to reach out to Jed through music.  As Dr. Markham predicated, when Diana sees Jed for the first time since the accident, the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.  Dr. Markham facilitates as Diana remembers the accident.  In flashback, we see Diana awaken to find the bus has crossed the yellow center line into oncoming traffic.  She shouts to awaken the driver who has fallen asleep at the wheel, but he doesn’t respond.  The others awaken, horrified, as the bus plunges over the embankment and sinks into the lake.  Dr. Markham helps Diana stay with the moment as she cradles her son Danny’s lifeless body in her arms.  Diana returns to her son’s gravesite with her family where she is finally able to acknowledge his death and say goodbye.  Jed speaks with his mother and admits that while he never stopped believing in God, he feels further away than ever.  Privately, Dr. Markham tells Monica that she feels that Diana needs to overcome her “God obsession” in order to fully recover.  Dr. Markham helps Diana begin dealing with her grief, but warns her against trying to do too much too soon.  But Diana is determined to bring her family together and assures Dr. Markham that she may have lost her mind, but she never lost her faith.  Diana tries to get Carter to agree to a family reunion, but he refuses to leave Joshua’s bedside.  But Diana won’t give up, urging him to forgive Jed and to let go of Joshua.

Monica reveals herself as an angel and explains that while Josh is brain-dead, his spirit is alive.  One by one, Josh (in spirit) tells his family what they need to know to let go and move on with their lives.  Monica tells Carter that after singing about revival for the past thirty-five years, the time has come to live it.  The Winslow’s return to the lake where it all began and Jed and Carter make their peace.  Carter admits that deep down, he blames himself for the accident, because he lost his temper and made them drive all night.  J.D. then takes his cue from Jed to re-baptize the family in the lake.  The family then gathers to take Joshua off life support as Andrew escorts him to Heaven.  As Monica and Dr. Markham part ways, Dr. Markham acknowledges the possibility that she, too, has grown from this experience.

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