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Joe begins to get a bit more involved in Ellie’s life, despite being warned not to, and Forty, Love’s twin brother, he latches onto Joe so that he can become his new crutch.
| Directed By | John Scott |
| Written By | Neil Reynolds |
| Aired (Netflix) | 12/26/2019 |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Episode Recap
Quit Playing Games With My Heart: Love, Joe
Being that Joe doesn’t know how to be a friend, all this is doing is giving Love mixed signals and her redirecting her frustrations towards her friends or brother. For with Joe accepting gifts and when he reciprocates, he does something romantic, it confuses Love. Perhaps due to her having no intention of being Joe’s friend and instead thinking he just needed time and she could convince him to make the time required short. Leading you to wonder, what is going on in Love’s mind that she isn’t telling us?
Protecting A Child From A Very Bad Man (Allegedly): Ellie, Joe, Forty, Will, Delilah
As is established by Will, and Delilah co-signs, Joe’s need to protect people is to help him maintain this sense he can be redeemed. Yet, considering how Will brings up Joe’s mother, and us seeing how that relationship is, it could also be he doesn’t want what happened to him happening to some other kid. Be it being abused or who knows what else.
So, after being coerced to hang out with Forty, in hopes of making it so he could accept him when it comes to Love, he encounters Ellie. Someone out late, hanging with Henderson, and this setting off a lot of red flags. All of which Ellie doesn’t appreciate Joe raising to the point she accuses him, and yells out, that he wants to sleep with her.
However, this overreaction is dialed back a bit when he, Joe, decides to keep Ellie’s secret of interning for Henderson, despite the tongue lashing Delilah gives him. One that includes Delilah revealing she is working on a major hit piece. Problem is, when Joe uses Will’s expertise, and his own, to steal Henderson’s laptop, he comes up clean.
But with Forty revealing he has this hidden room which might be used for some twisted stuff, it seems Joe’s work has just begun.
My Brother’s Keeper: Love, Joe, Forty
When it comes to Joe’s relationship with Love, it is very hot and cold since Joe is a romantic and doesn’t understand how to be friends with a girl who is into you. But, thanks to Forty, things come to a point where Love feels exposed, and vulnerable, and tries to convey to Joe that just because she puts an effort into seeming like a good person, it doesn’t mean she is perfect. She has skeletons and issues too. It’s just, unlike her brother, she isn’t necessarily open about her demons.
But, she tries to make it clear, while a little broken, she and Joe still fit together and could work. And after wearing him down over the course of days or weeks, Joe gives in and they kiss, and have sex. Mind you, in secret, while Forty rests in another room, after a drunken party, but Forty is aware something might be going on. So he’ll just wait to hit Love with some twinsperancy for the details.
Plot Synopsis
- Forty was once an up and coming talent but, thanks to a weak work ethic, and a multitude of addictions, he is considered a has been, toxic, and not someone to work with – unless he is fronting money.
- Ellie doesn’t fully know what happened to Delilah and with her interning for Henderson, after stealing his information from her sister, she doesn’t think he is a bad guy.
- Delilah is working on a hit piece to full on Woody Allen or Harvey Weinstein Henderson.
- Forty mentions a weird dungeon-like place where Henderson holds a whole lot of creepy things that are child-related.
- It should be also noted Ellie was in a weird situation where she might have blacked out. Now, it isn’t mentioned if her situation mirrors that of her sister but she makes it seem it was just a bad edible and nothing happened.
- Joe has come to the idea that maybe he and Love can heal each other in a relationship, rather than him become a ticking time bomb that could kill her.
Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs
We’re all a little broken, yet some pieces still manage to fit together.
— Love
Review
Highlights
Joe & Love’s Relationship
While aware of the truth about Love (check the comment section from episode 2 for that), it is hard to not enjoy the way Love and Joe’s dynamic is. He is being pursued, someone is trying to convince him, and he feels hesitant about it all. In a way, as “You” is supposed to poke at what creepy things guys think and do to attract a woman, it pushes you to wonder what is it like on the flip side? What is or may Love be doing to get Joe? Heck, what is she willing to do for someone she barely met but has chemistry with?
Will Is Growing On Me
There is something to be said about a character who has one sole interaction and more so develop themselves when speaking with the lead than are used to peel back the layers of their scene partner. For as much as Will inspires the idea Joe’s relationships with women are toxic due to his issues with his mother, we need to see more to consider that fact. Making it so, when interacting with Joe, Will talking about his relationship, hacking, and attempts to play mind games is boosting him in ways completely unexpected based on his introduction.
Ellie, You In Danger Girl
Potentially, Ellie could steal this show for what we are seeing with Joe is a repeat with a different girl. Ellie, on the other hand, has this interesting little #MeToo potential storyline. Then, to add onto the WTF of the situation, Henderson knows Ellie is Delilah’s younger sister! Thus making you especially fearful since Forty paints him as someone with two distinct personalities.
Thus pushing the idea that, like Joe and Love, what Henderson is doing is presenting the approachable representative to draw people in – until something in them snaps and it is too late.
On The Fence
Forty
I get what Love says in regards to how people shouldn’t write off those who are rich as if money can solve or distract them from their issues. It’s just, while you know it is wrong, it still makes it hard to get into a character that is screwed up despite their privileges and opportunities. Add in the show, twice, brings up white male privilege, and it makes it hard to not see Forty as someone you aren’t supposed to roll your eyes at. Even if he is “Damaged” due to what an au pair exposed him to.
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