‘Ordinary Joe’ 1×03: “Happy Birthday Jenny”

When you think about the people that you love – the people that you allow in your life – would you still feel the same about them if circumstances changed. Would you be able to still keep them in your life if they changed? If you had?

The thing is with Joe – everything about him is changing no matter the timeline. It doesn’t matter if it is Joe the cop, Joe the nurse, or Joe the musician – every single one of them is growing emotionally, in a different way.

So one wonders is change a good thing? Is change a bad thing?

I think that one of the things that I think about as I watch Ordinary Joe is that I believe fate is going to take its course, no matter what. I do believe that we can make choices, but is the road always the same? Like is the end outcomes going to be what it is, no matter what we decide.

I don’t know. I think that we all end up where we are supposed to be in life. Sometimes it just takes awhile to get there. Decisions are going to constantly change the path. They can make it longer and they can make it shorter.

But what I do believe in each one of Joes timelines, Amy will never be the person that he was meant to be with. But in any path – she’s a catalyst.

What is Joe meant to do? What’s his path? Where is he supposed to end up? I am not sure. But I am loving that every week as I sit down to write this review – I am captivated by this show. I put down my computer and take everything in.

Because the what if’s that Joe faces are things that seem to all be leading back to one truth. He’s a father and that is the most important thing to Joe. And I believe that will be the most important thing to even the Joe that doesn’t know he’s a Dad.

Joe is a man that is filled with so much love, but he’s also a man that in any timeline wants to be loved. Essentially it doesn’t matter the job, what matters is that he’s finding a way to remember the man that he is, regardless of the past.

In this episode, it’s all about Jenny’s birthday, but it’s still all about Joe finding his way.

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Jenny Banks’ birthday gives everyone something to celebrate; Music Joe crashes Jenny’s party while Amy is in full campaign mode; Nurse Joe and Christopher try to plan the perfect cake for Jenny; Cop Joe and Amy take a big step in their relationship.

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COP JOE

Joe and Jenny working together feels a little weird, but only because Jenny is hiding such a big secret from Joe. I don’t know how she does it, because it’s a secret that will change everything for her, her son, and for Joe.

But it makes me really not like Jenny, because she’s denied her son the truth. I know that she’s done everything because she thought it was right, but is it? I wonder if Jenny is working with him because she feels bad, but I also wonder if it’s because she’s never let go of him.

It makes sense to not be able to let go of the past if you ask me. Especially when you’ve had a child with them. But Jenny, well… she’s in denial.

Joe on the other hand, he seems oblivious to everything. He’s comfortable with the way his life is and doesn’t really understand why people want it to change. But also, Joe doesn’t realize that he’s oblivious to the world around him.

When Joe and Jenny can’t interview Wayne, the assassin, they leave. And it kinda makes you sad, because you like this version of them together.

Jenny, in my opinion, is trying to make amends for all of the secrets that she’s kept and heads to Congressman Diaz’s office to ask questions about Wayne’s donation. She ends up outing the fact that Joe and Amy have been dating – which makes Diaz jealous.

Now, I have made no secret that I don’t like Amy. I think that she puts on a good face, but she’s just shady as fuck. Joe deserves better. I don’t even feel bad when Diaz cancels on her for dinner and uses the excuse “but my wife” because I am like BE SMARTER AMY.

But I don’t like the fact that leads to Amy going to family dinner at Joes. I don’t want his family to like her, but more than that, I feel like we’re setting Joe up for heartache.

At some point, all of Amy’s shady shit will come out and when it does, it is going to hurt Joe. And when he ends up hurt, I will hate her more. Amy, oh Amy. I am not saying that she’s a bad person, but she’s definitely made bad choices. And those bad choices have consequences.

What those are? I don’t know.

This version of Joe seems so innocent to the world. And I have to wonder do any of us really want that innocence broken. He’s a good man, but knowing that his world is going to come crashing down on him on many fronts, makes me heartbroken for him.

Amy’s not struggling with her choices. She’s not worried about the way that it will affect everyone.

Jenny’s struggling with hers, feeling like she has to make everything better for Joe, because she’s keeping a secret. She even leaves her own birthday party to go and work on the case that she is with working on with Joe.

I think that this is the most painful version of Joes life to watch, because you know how hard this will be in the end.

NURSE JOE

Jenny’s birthday is happening in all timelines. And like Joe, every version of Jenny is different. We don’t really understand her in any version, because we don’t know her enough yet.

She’s got a big choice in this timeline. Does she go to Atlanta? Does she let Joe back in?

Ever since she can remember, Jenny’s wanted to be a lawyer. She wants to be like RBG, which hey, I can get 100% behind. I think that who Jenny wants to be is admirable. But sometimes I think she’s forgotten who she is and that it’s not a bad thing to be where she is.

She’s this uber strong Mom, paralegal, and woman. Her life isn’t bad. But her boss or whatever he is, keeps pushing and making her feel bad about where she is.

Look, we all have dreams and I can respect that. But sometimes dreams change and we adapt with the dreams that we have.

Christopher wants to make Jenny the perfect birthday cake. He’s a good kid, he loves his parents and doesn’t want to see them get divorced. He’s worried. He’s scared. And that’s a lot of pressure.

And then there is Joe’s pressure. He’s trying to make his marriage work and he’s coming up against Jenny’s walls, as well as his own.

So how do you make it work?

For Joe, he wants to take Jenny away. It’s nothing that they’ve ever been able to imagine, because they need to be there for Christopher. He’s gone as far as to train his Mom on how to take care of Christopher overnight.

But per the usual, Christopher tells his Mom things he shouldn’t and the surprise is spoiled. Jenny tells Joe that she can’t go away, that she wouldn’t enjoy it, because she isn’t ready to leave Christopher.

Part of me is mad that he told her and the other part of me is glad that he did because then it isn’t a blowup in front of Christopher. I also think that the Joe and Jenny aren’t ready for a weekend away. They need help.

Help on learning how to communicate with each other. They exist in the same orbit, but they don’t really talk. They speak. And yes, there is a difference.

Joe agrees to cancel the weekend and you can tell he’s disappointed. He wants to make these grand gestures, but what he needs to understand that grand gestures aren’t always extravagant. Sometimes it’s the littlest things that are the biggest things.

Time is so important. The time that we give people is what is important. Now, I am a gift giver – that’s my love language. But for me, if you want to show me you love me, it’s time.

Jenny is that way. She wants time. She wants to know that she comes first. That what happens matters. That the time she invests in you is time you would invest in her. Jenny seeing Joe make sure that her birthday mattered, that their family came first is a big thing.

His coupon for couples counseling is a big thing.

So big that it makes her decide against Atlanta.

But do I believe that is helpful to her and Joe? No, I don’t. I think that if anything Jenny is causing bigger issue by not communicating.

But they are both causing issues that will affect them both. Joe at work, forging his father in laws name. Jenny at work by keeping this huge secret.

What both of them need to realize is that they keep doing the same things that have caused them to be in this situation in the first place.

You want Joe and Jenny to succeed, but you also know that they can’t unless they start being honest and communicating.

MUSIC JOE

Joe wants to find his son and I find that to be a good and a bad thing. Do I understand why he does? Yes. But do I think about his son and the life that he has and the way that this could disrupt it? Yes.

But I admire the love that Joe has here. And I dislike Jenny because she’s being selfish. She unburdened herself at the expense of Joe. And is that right? Is it fair to hurt others for the sake of our own souls?

Joe can’t get the adoption agency to reach out because his name isn’t on the birth certificate. He’s broken, but he knows that he’s going to do whatever it takes to get to his son. But one has to wonder, is he the right thing? Is he being just as bad as Jenny, but in a different way?

He hasn’t told his wife, which some may find weird, but since I consider her to be out of her mind, I wouldn’t tell her either. Amy is so wrapped up in her life and there is a part of me that wants to think that it is about her recovering from her miscarriage, but that theory goes out the window eventually in this episode.

Joe is trying to be there for Amy, but Amy is so wrapped up in her own life that she isn’t even noticing her husband has something going on. She asks Joe to be there for her, to read her speech, and she’s so wrapped up in herself she doesn’t see him.

However, despite her bring herself, Joe tries to help her. He can help her with her stage fright. He says that he can help her with that. Pick one person and connect with them. Thats what he does. He tries to find her and sing to her. 

While Joe thinks that her speech is good, Diaz doesn’t think it is. He thinks that it is. a politicians speech and Amy isn’t a politician. You can tell he’s in love with her – Diaz hasn’t been coy about his attraction to her.

And Amy loves someone being about her. I think that Amy feels like she has lived in Joes shadow and she doesn’t want to be in the shadow of anyone.

Joe is focused though, he wants to find his son. He tries to contact Jenny, and when he calls he gets her husband who invites him to her birthday. For Joe, it’s a way to talk to her. And right now he needs any answers he can get.

Jenny won’t help him.

She doesn’t want to give Joe any answers, because she doesn’t want her life to blow up. Never mind she blew up Joes.

He’s like my name isn’t on the birth certificate and so im screwed without you. She’s like I guess you are screwed. I literally blurted out at the screen that she was a bitch after that comment.

He’s like you chose to make one of the biggest decisions of our lives without me. SHe’s like you wanna talk tough decisions, graduation weekend and you blew me off. He’s like I didn’t know. She is like I called you for 24 hours straight. 

She’s like you moved on, I moved on to.

She is right. They both moved on. But I also believe that she is in the wrong. She didn’t give him the chance to be a Dad and now she doesn’t want to deal with the consequences.

She’s like you show up here, thinking you have rights. He’s like I do have rights. I have paternal rights. I could take you to court and then everyone would know. He husband finds them – its cake time. 

Meanwhile, Amy is at her speech and she is waiting for Joe. But he’s late. And he’s rushing to make it. Only he doesn’t make it in time and Diaz introduces Amy.

Amy went up there with a speech planned. But Diaz had told her to speak from the heart. And she’s taken Joe’s advice, of finding one person to focus on. Only that person was never supposed to be Diaz.

Amy tells the crowd about her miscarriage. Something she won’t talk to her husband about, but is willing to use to get elected? It just felt like a politicial movie. And I don’t like that. I feel like she needs to talk to her family.

I know we all grieve in our own ways and I can respect that. I don’t even know why I am so mad at these two except that they are like every other version of Joe. There are all these secrets that Joe keeps, and all these things to fix.

But no one is ready to deal with their lives.

It goes to show you that in any version of life, nothing is perfect. But what it is, is real. You can always look at the what if’s, but you need to deal with the now.

Ordinary Joe airs Mondays on NBC.