Everyones life is a mess, lets be honest. There is no version of Joes life that isn’t a mess in someway. If we’re being honest, it’s just different levels of chaos. Some caused by him. Some caused by others. But regardless, it’s a hot mess.
But in someway you can’t help but feel for Joe. You feel for him because a lot of his life is a mess because of other people, but also because he had the best of intentions. However, you make bad choices when you refuse to change a pattern of behavior and Joe is definitely refusing to change a pattern.
Decisions have been made. Lines have been drawn. And everything could have been easier had all these people just communicated.
But the thing is, with Ordinary Joe, part of what I love is the lies and the avoidance of issues crumbling down. It goes to show that life is complicated no matter what timeline that you’re living in. Good choices can lead to different places, but so can bad choices.
And there isn’t a version of Joe that isn’t making questionable choices. Then again, there isn’t a version of Jenny and Amy that isn’t making questionable choices either.
NURSE JOE
Joe and Jenny being apart is the worst idea, because they were already on shaky ground and then they decide to live apart? Well… not a smart choice. Because they have not dealt with the issues at hand.
And they both have way too many things to deal with.
It also doesn’t help that they have too many temptations around. Joe loves Jenny, but Kinsley is definitely turning his head. She’s working with Christopher, who loves her. She is trying to make the world – Joe and Christophers world – a better place.
They have the presentation with the retailer for the adaptive pants and Joes presentation is boring AF. Though we only see seconds, I am like falling asleep. Whereas I do believe that Jenny would be like great job, Kinsley is like no dude, this has no personality.
Truth hurts.
With the storm going on outside (a blizzard), the power is iffy, but Joes laptop dies and he didn’t back up the presentation. Oh Joe…
While Christopher and Joe are talking to Jenny, Kinsley is in the kitchen working on the presentation. Joe didn’t realize that she was still there. She’s giving ideas, things that are pushing Joe outside his comfort zone. She suggests a jingle and Joe is against that.
Yet, we all know that he’s going to do it.
The presentation goes well the next day – the people actually saying that they were happy that it was fun and not just filled with graphs. Christopher even had Katie (the buyers daughter) in the presentation deck.
You can’t help but root for all of these characters. Jenny is off living her life in Atlanta and Joe is holding it down. But what makes it even better is that you’re seeing two characters that grew up so fast and that they are realizing what life is like without each other. And why that is important is that it actually happens and it comes down to reevaluating your life and making choices.
No one should ever stay together because of a child – I don’t think it’s fair to the child. You should be together because you want to be. Children can feel if it’s not real. Joe and Jenny do love each other, but I am not sure that they like each other.
Chris tells Katie about the presentation the next day. You can’t watch and not smile when you see how happy this kid is. He likes her, but he also likes this girl at school. So he asks Joe if you can like two people at the same time.
Joe gives a Dad answer, about Christopher being special and anyone would be lucky to be with him. But, I do believe that he gives this answer because he’s feeling the same thing with Jenny and Kinsley and doesn’t know how to react.
And he definitely doesn’t want to open the door to that talk. We all know that Christopher picks up on everything.
Kinsley gets stuck at the apartment, trying to wait out the storm. She doesn’t seem disappointed and neither does Joe. The two sit and talk about what will happen, as the store wants to acquire their company. So dreaming about being rich isn’t something that feels too far out of place.
But what Joe says next is what mad me realize that he’s seeing that things are different? He tells Kinsley that she forces him out of his comfort zone. She makes him want to be a better man. She makes him better.
Oh Lord, we’re in trouble here.
Nice job though Ordinary Joe, making us wonder what happens, as they fade out from them as the two are about to kiss.
Jenny isn’t one to talk though, if she would. She’s doing good in Atlanta and she’s even managed to impress her professor so much that she’s going to give the closing argument in her case.
No one is blaming her for celebrating with everyone. But it’s how she is with Barrett or whatever his name is. He’s had the biggest crush on her and he’s been so obvious about it. You’ll never be able to convince me that she doesn’t like the attention and the way he makes her forget about her life.
When he makes sure that she gets home, he puts her to bed. She’s too drunk to do anything by herself. And we finally get Jenny being real. She likes Atlanta. She tells him that everything happened because of him, that she’s lucky because of him.
Jenny is flirting hard core. Luckily, we can respect Barrett, because he leaves. He knows she’s drunk and married.
It’s what she says when he leaves though, that she grew up too soon.
Jenny and Joe really need to face their problems. The only thing that they are really good at is avoiding them.
COP JOE
How Cop Joe doesn’t go off on Jenny, I will never understand. She deserves it for keeping Lucas a secret.
Cop Joe – I really do like this version of Joe, but I also don’t. It’s because he’s just too passive. He feels like he’s going to explode eventually. It’s just a matter of time.
He’s at the hospital, giving blood for Lucas’ surgery. Jenny comes and joins him, which I wonder why. Partially for her son, I believe, but mostly because she feels bad for the whole baseball cap incident?
There is an awkward silence between the two, and she asks what’s on his mind. He says nothing, which is infuriating, because HE NEEDS TO SPEAK UP. She says she knows him better, and he says for her to tell him. She says he’s upset that Jenny kept him a secret, that she took Rays side when he was trying to be nice and he’d love nothing more than to walk away, but he’s too good and decent.
Hit that nail on the head.
Joe wants to know him – he’s his son – and Joe also wants to know why she waited so long. She says he vanished. He’s like I came back.
I don’t care that he vanished – she owed her son more than a secret that would change his life. It’s not even all about Joe, it’s about Lucas. What she did is selfish.
She remembers when Joe did come back. He messaged her, even went. toBoston to find her. But she didn’t see him. She remembered him not showing up after graduation. She even had a whole speech prepared for that day. She still remembers it and starts it, telling him the words she never got to say.
Her nickname for him was TS – too soon. She knew timing was off. He always knew she had bigger plans than him. She said, no they included him. She wanted him to wait for her. It’s probably the most honest she’s ever been.
And then he was nowhere when she needed him. Ultimately he ended up being too late.
While the story is sweet, I still don’t believe that it excuses anything.
I will commend Jenny for inviting Joe to the surgery. He deserves to be there for his son. He tells Amy he is going to go.
Lucas is more prepared for his surgery than anyone. The things that YouTube can teach you. When the doctors are rolling him off to surgery, Jenny goes to kiss him one more time. Asks to please take care of him. She cries into Rays chest. It’s then that they realize Joe is there.
We all know that waiting is the worst part of anything. Ray talks Jenny into going to grab something to eat. He wants to talk to Joe.
Jenny had told Ray about the conversation that she had with Joe. He’s not mad, but he does want to explain.
When Joe had come to apartment back in Boston, Ray told her as Joe was pounding at door, asks her to let him be this babies father. Joe vanished. Jen says through door she can’t see him. Joe asks to be heard out. She tells him to go away. Joe looks destroyed. She looks destroyed.
Ray was like you let her go. You shattered her and I picked up the pieces. Ray was like we were already a family. Joe was like it wasn’t your choice. She kept Lucas a secret for Ray. Ray wanted to give Lucas the world. And after he was born and diagnosed he became Rays whole world. He’s terrified that Joe will take his world away from him.
We get it Ray. But this doesn’t make anything better – if anything it makes it worse. Because it was two people that made the choice for Joe. And no one allowed Joe to make choices for himself.
Joe goes for a walk and runs into Jenny. He tells her Ray explained, but he wants her to know he would have been there.
And that’s when the lights go out.
Joe worried about electricity out. How can he know what is happening. He’s freaking out about Lucas surgery. Jenny and Ray are calm, but they’ve been through this for a decade.
Joe has only been a Dad for a hot minute. The doctor walks out and tells them the surgery went good. They can see Lucas. Ray even invites Joe in.
When Joe comes home, he gets home to a drunk Frank. Frank needs a favor. He has a chance to be reinstated and it would be helpful if Joe would speak on his behalf. If Joe does it, I feel like that would be against his character. But who knows.
MUSIC JOE
When you’re spiraling out of control, it’s th hardest point for people to be there for you. And Music Joe is spiraling and doesn’t want to deal with life. He’s not himself and he’s reacting because of Amy, but well, I also think he’s dealing with years of shit that he’s never dealt with.
He’s drinking out of control, being irresponsible, treating people that he loves like they are nothing. He’s combative. He’s mean. He calls Frank out for being an alcoholic. He tells him that he doesn’t need advice from a party guy in recovery, and marriage advice from a man who is divorced.
Someone needs to slap Joe. And this Dionne chick – she gotta go. Joe needs to deal with his marriage. He needs to deal with his life. Avoidance is going to get him nowhere.
Joe’s manager is telling Frank to fix it, but Frank knows that there is nothing that he can do. The moment he went on the payroll, everything changed.
Joe ends up calling Amy that night and telling her that he’s done thinking and says it is better this way. Maybe it is the universe speaking loud and clear and he brings up baby, how they tried and couldn’t. He doesn’t know if they loved each other. He’s like they’ve gone so far down a wrong path, he wants a divorce. They’ve come to the end.
I’m so mad at Joe, because he doesn’t think. He doesn’t think about how what he is saying and doing is affecting everyone.
There is no secret here that I don’t like Amy’s character, but I don’t believe that even she deserves a voice message, instead of a conversation. I won’t ever think what she did is okay.
But I also won’t believe that what Joe is doing is okay.
Joe ends up getting into an accident on stage, hurting his ribs. He was drunk. He doesn’t think that anything is wrong, but he’s spiraling out of control.
His manager says she’s cancelling next weeks dates cause of blizzard. He says don’t do it. He says he’s not tired. He says he’s fine. He is definitely in denial. Joe has become so wrapped up in his immediate life, that he’s not thinking of the people that love him and that he loves.
Hurt and pain do weird things. When Joe tells her that he’s the person that matters, she quits and says to call her if he decides to live instead of running away from life. He seems unbothered, but he should be bothered.
He needs to fix his shit.
Frank comes in and asks for Dionne to give them a minute. He’s kinder than I would have been. When Joe says she can stay, Frank gets snappy and tells her to get out. Joe is pissed but whatever. He’s pissed at everything.
Frank is like we need to have a conversation, which I can and do respect. Frank is like you don’t want to hear this from me – but running away like this – you are heading down a dangerous road. Joe tells Frank to relax and offers him a drink.
Lets not forget that Frank is in recovery and offering him a drink is the most fucked up thing.
I can’t even imagine how Frank feels at that moment. He loves his nephew and promised his brother that he would be there for his family. But this Joe, this cruel Joe, is a lot to take. And if I was Frank, I would have punched him in the face.
Luckily Frank isn’t like me. Instead, Frank tells Joe he loves him, but he can’t work for him anymore. Thank you for everything – he saved Franks like but if he’s gonna keep living like this – good luck. Joe screams he doesn’t need him. He doesn’t need anyone.
Joe doesn’t realize just how much he needs everyone. He’s making stupid choices and is about to make the worst. He goes out driving with Dionne, drunk out of his mind. He’s not paying attention and we end up seeing headlights, along with Joes life flashing in front of his eyes.
Ordinary Joe isn’t afraid to push boundaries. Sometimes it definitely doesn’t do what it could, playing it a little safe. However, what I think about this episode is that there was some shock value, but also think that we’re being set up for change in all timelines.
While the season is about to com to an end, I think that the series has done wonders, being innovative and making us question the ways that life can go.
And we’re looking forward to seeing how this show can go. We just hope that it really challenges emotions more, like the first episodes did. Though while Ordinary Joe continues to find its footing, we’ll be here.
Why? Because we believe it has stories that need to be told.
Ordinary Joe airs on NBC.
