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The past, both in terms of his actions and people, continue to haunt Joe’s future as he tries to be who he wants Love to see him as.
| Directed By | DeMane Davis | |
| Written By | Justin W. Lo | |
| Aired (Netflix) | 12/26/2019 | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Joe’s Dad | Billy Lush | |
| The Cop | Danny Vasquez | |
| Ellie’s Friend | Reid Miller | |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Episode Recap
A Trust Exercise: Joe’s Dad, Joe’s Mom, The Cop, Delilah, Joe, Will, Henderson
From what it appears, Joe’s dad was a very abusive man who would often burn cigarettes into Joe, hoping that would lead him to reveal what his mom was doing – which is having an affair. However, Joe never told, and it seems that is his basis for toxic relationships. A mix between the assumption that women cheat, lie and aren’t to be trusted when away from their partner, and that violence is often the only way to get the truth. Which, considering all Joe has been through, it is odd that he believes that since, again, despite how his dad would torture him, he never got the truth. However, in this episode, it seems Joe has always made a clear distinction that he isn’t like other people so torture is always the answer.
But, that person, Joe wants to leave them behind. So when it comes to Will, he lets him go. He gives him a bag to make a passport, so Will can go to Gigi and get married in the Philippines, and just lets him go. And with Delilah’s situation with Henderson, Joe hoped to let that go too by breaking into Henderson’s home, with Will’s help, giving Delilah the evidence she needs, and that being it.
Unfortunately, despite getting pictures of Delilah and others in a state of undress, Delilah’s cop friend makes it clear the pictures aren’t enough for they don’t have an association to Henderson and thus, he can’t be pinned for them. Hearing that, as you can imagine, leads Joe to take justice into his own hands.
Another One Bites The Dust: Henderson, Ellie, Joe, Ellie’s Friend
Well, Henderson dies. Why and how? Well, while Ellie found out about Joe’s tracking device, which Ellie blames on Delilah, though Ellie’s friend thinks could stem from elsewhere, Joe still had Henderson’s laptop. Having the laptop in his possession, and Henderson not locking out the account and changing passwords, allowed him to know what Ellie was really doing.
Which, for Ellie, was just trying to get the ear and eyes of a popular comic. Especially since he has said he was going to watch her short for ages but has been putting it off. But with them having some alone time, where she can have him focus on her work, she takes advantage of that. In turns, he attempts to take advantage of her but thanks to Joe, after Henderson hits Ellie’s drink with GHB, he makes a way to hit Henderson’s drink with enough GHB to knock him out before he can do anything to Ellie.
Thus leading to Joe trying to push a confession and getting one, but not on tape. So he tries to get Henderson to confess again, but in the process of Henderson revealing his stepdad touched him, and his mom knew, he triggers Joe who takes off his mask and reveals himself. Leading to him realizing what he did, Henderson getting free, and Joe knocking Henderson down a bunch of stairs and him hitting his head, Henderson, and dying at the foot of the stairs.
This, initially, was going to be left to look like a suicide but then Joe’s nose bled, a robot vacuum mixed the blood, and Joe was nearly caught by Ellie. Yet, despite the multiple times he almost got caught, including by Delilah’s cop friend, it appears he got away with murder once more.
You Can’t Run From Your Mistakes: Candice, Love, Forty, Joe
But his luck is running out. Candice, as a person named Amy, meets Forty after Joe pushes him to head out to South West to pitch a terrible film. And with Candice also meeting Love, there is the chance that Joe’s big lie, that his name isn’t Will, can no longer be revealed. That and, with Forty falling head over heels for Amy, that his worst nightmare is coming to LA.
Plot Synopsis
- Since giving Ellie a cellphone, Joe has been tracking her, but she has long since found out she is being tracked.
- While Henderson doesn’t rape girls, he does use GHB to knock them out, take pictures of them partly undressed, and keeps a collection.
- Love’s friends are deeply into alternative medicine, which is revealed when they coordinate a meeting so they can get Joe’s vibe.
- Sunrise loves him.
- Joe’s mom constantly cheated on his dad, and he paid the price by being tortured in order for his dad to be sure Joe wasn’t lying when it came to his mother’s whereabouts.
- Candice somehow runs into Forty at Southwest, and she is going by Amy when she meets him
- Forty is very territorial when it comes to Love, which she enables, and despite Joe trying to figure a way to share Love, it doesn’t seem to be enough.
Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs
It’s been said that dreams are illustrations from the book your soul are writing about you.
— Joe
Comment Down Below
- Do you think the private investigator looking into Peach’s death may ever find Joe? Much less, Dr. Nicky find a way to connect the dots?
- Is Joe affording his rent by doing additional counterfeits off-screen? Surely, unless he is getting wired money or is still being paid by Moody’s bookstore, he can’t be able to bankroll his life strictly from a job we rarely see him work at?
Review
Highlights
Candice’s Return
Things were going a bit too well for Joe. Love is in love with him, he is figuring a way to handle Forty, Ellie’s situation got handled, and Joe likely could get away with it. Surely you can agree it was time for the s*** to hit the fan, right?
But the question is, considering how lucky Joe has been in murdering people and getting away with it, can the same be said for Candice? Can she be killed, as we formerly thought Joe did, and him have but another murder under his belt? One he doesn’t pay for and, based on not seeing Beck for two episodes now, won’t weigh on his conscious?
Being Reminded Joe Is An Idiot
While Joe has his airs and graces, it is consistently shown that all his planning and thinking he is the smartest person in the room is for naught. He doesn’t plan for what could go wrong, barely is getting away with murder, and often his relationships can’t be manipulated as he thinks they can. He is just someone who, as noted above, is fairly lucky. If not someone who knows just enough to get away with what he does, but when his intelligence is tested in realms he hasn’t at least become adept in, we’re reminded the man lacks certain skills. Social being one of the main ones, at least in terms of practicum rather than social theory.
On The Fence
This Cop
Considering the cop took from Joe what could be considered a bribe, just to get out of a jaywalking ticket, so comes the question if he has been bought off before. Also, whether he has interfered in other investigations and whether him sleeping with Delilah is less about sex and more about having some sort of ear to a major reporter on celebrity news. After all, between the Hollywood industry and people who make it run, you’d assume it would be in LAPD’s best interest to protect them to a certain extent. They are the people paying the taxes, and tickets, to fund the city.
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