S01.E13: Aftermath

[secnarf]

Quote

Cop Joe tries to impress Amy's family. Nurse Joe takes an important road trip with Chris. Music Joe hits rock bottom.

Original air date: Jan 24 2022

[KaveDweller]

Rocker Joe, please go back to rehab until you understand that it is not a good idea to declare your love to a married woman while you are also married. Seriously. Especially a married woman who hid your child from you for ten years and then told you about it to relieve her guilt, but refused to help you find him.

I thought Amy and Eric were going to hook up in Rocker universe, and thought it would make them terrible. But maybe Rocker Joe would deserve it?

Nurse Jenny's closing was terrible. I don't think someone should go to jail for lying to get their kid into school, but she didn't really say enough to convince me to ignore the law. 

Super awkward moment for Nurse Jenny's lawyer friend, but at least he and Jenny were dressed when Joe showed up for his "romantic gesture." 

I think Cop Joe should have told Frank in advance he was not supporting his reinstatement. But I guess it worked out? I sort of want Amy to accept his proposal in that universe because I like them, but seeing how terrible they are elsewhere makes me want them to run away from each other.

[nilyank]

Rocker Joe is ridiculous. Jenny is married and they have two young girls at home. They don't need any of his nonsense as he continues to runaway from the problems in his life. I got the same second-hand embarrassment when Rocker Joe announced that Zeke should go on tour with him without thinking how a multi-city, cross-country music tour would be the last place a child should be in or talking to his parents.

I know the show want to keep the time frames in all three Joe's, but they should have jumped time period in Rocker Joe and Nurse Joe. Rocker Joe should have been on tour for longer than 2 weeks and to develop a drinking problem. Nurse Jenny should have at least completed her last year of law school so it doesn't seem as ridiculous that she requests her hard-nosed law professor to give the closing arguments.

[LittleIggy]

Why would any prosecutor waste time and money on a case like that? And prison time? GMAFB! 

[funnygirl]

I knew it. I knew that the overall story setup would have Joe eventually endgame with Jenny in all of the timelines, like it is some sort of fixed destiny no matter the choice he makes. This would be fleshed out if there are more seasons, of course. But I'm good with this being one and done. Contrived at best.

Please don't tell me NBC canceled Zoey's Playlist for this...

[magicdog]

1 hour ago, nilyank said:

Rocker Joe is ridiculous. Jenny is married and they have two young girls at home.

It came as no surprise to me it was Jenny he was talking to not Amy (not that she deserves it either).  The last person Rocker Joe should be going to is a married woman with two daughters of her own.  Surely rock stars like this Joe have no problem finding other women.  He should have more than just two to pick from.

How is it a man becomes an addict and in need of rehab in just 3 episodes.  At least we should have seen him since the pilot drinking and drugging to establish a pattern.  We have not seen anything beyond what an average person might have done in the same situation - drink a little when he finds out his unfaithful wife is carrying her dead lover's baby.  Still no closure on Diaz and the dead girl either.  Like that trope, "What happened to the mouse?".

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I thought Amy and Eric were going to hook up in Rocker universe, and thought it would make them terrible. But maybe Rocker Joe would deserve it?

Eric seems to have embraced his gay side in that universe.  Would have been amusing if it had happened though.

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Why would any prosecutor waste time and money on a case like that? And prison time? GMAFB!

I've seen it happen recently.  Prosecutors are eager to make their names by coming down hard on piddly cases - especially during an election year when they try to prove they can be tough on lawbreakers.  

[brokenwing29]

I can't believe what they did to Rocker Joe's character in such a short time. Sure, Amy should have had an honest discussion with him instead of jumping in bed with Bobby, but how he has acted since he found out is just terrible. Trying to get with Jenny when she is married with kids? Really? 

At first I thought they were showing that Joe and Amy were the ones meant to be together, but after this episode I did at least think it was kind of nice that they were showing that a person can have different loves under different circumstances and one is not necessarily better than the other. But someone here said it looks like it would be Joe and Jenny in all the timelines...ugh, maybe that is where they were headed with that.

Jenny kept mentioning how her client's daughter was Chris's age (and no, Jenny, that doesn't make you any more qualified to argue her case!), and I can't be the only one who thought they were setting up a third girlfriend for Chris haha. Got to show how inspirational this kid is and how he can get all the girls. 

I was at least more entertained by this episode than the last few, but if this was the series finale, I don't like how so many things were left hanging.

[circumvent]

"Music Joe hits rock bottom" - Rocker Joe hits rock bottom would be snarkier. 

7 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I don't think someone should go to jail for lying to get their kid into school

This plot is straight from the headlines. Poor people go to jail al the time for things that are unique to our "justice" system. Meanwhile, rich celebrities that bribe their kids way into Ivy League schools get a slap in the wrist and go back to being celebrities, with all the pomp of the red carpets.

 

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Why would any prosecutor waste time and money on a case like that? And prison time? GMAFB! 

Because many prosecutors are just assholes. In real life this happens because poor people fill up the coffers of the counties, fill up the pockets of private prisons, and it is about politics. Also racism since this case is based on how minorities get persecuted and punished for things that are taken away from them in this supremacist society of ours. It is a historical fact, actually, how the injustice system is set up

[scruff]

Thankfully  this  show  is  Over .   It  is  extremely   doubtful  that  it will be  renewed.    The  writers   sure   tried   hard    enough,    but   at   Least   Music   Joe    did   not  become a  sad, weak, pathetic  little   cuckold    that  had  no    dignity,  self  respect , integrity  or  decency    by   absolving   little   helpless,  innocent   victim Amy.  

Good   ole  Friend  Eric  continued to  show    what a   fantastic   best  friend  he  was  to   joe    by   practically   trying to  SLEEP with   Amy.     I  tell  ya,   good   ole   eric  is   sure a  special   kind of  friend,  who needs  enemies   right.    Have  no  fear   though  I am sure    he  plans  to  be there  with his  "village"     to   love , support   and  Raise  Amy's   Miracle   "  love  child"   .   

At least   Amy   had  to   suffer  some  actual    consequences,   repercussions and  reciprocity   for   her    Shameful  actions .  Losing  the  election felt  like at  least a small  win  for  justice. 

This  was    just   yet   another   show      that   promotes,   encourages,  excuses,  justifies,  rationalizes,  glorifies  and  Romanticizes   INFIDELITY.

I  just   dont  know    how   people  on this  forum  and     the people   who  watched  this   show   were   ok   with  that.    It   is   DISGRACEFUL actually   in    the  way   the  writers   portrayed  all this. 

 

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, brokenwing29 said:

I can't believe what they did to Rocker Joe's character in such a short time. Sure, Amy should have had an honest discussion with him instead of jumping in bed with Bobby, but how he has acted since he found out is just terrible. Trying to get with Jenny when she is married with kids? Really? 

They really did make Rocker Joe to be worse than Rocker Amy, and Amy's the one who is pregnant with another man's child. Amy definitely messed up and clearly, there was lack of communication and Joe has every right to not want to be with her right now, but what she did was a stupid mistake and it was only once. Joe is actively destroying his own life and now is going after a married woman? 

The Rocker timeline is seriously so bad. Every character sucks. And Joe's apparently been an addict for...what, two weeks? 

Nurse timeline? Yes, Nurse Jenny's closing statements were pretty bad. I wouldn't have changed my mind based on just that if I was a juror. But the show isn't well written to begin with, so this is likely the best they could come up with. And Barrett (THAT'S Jenny's lawyer friend's name!) wants her to become partner while she's still a paralegal? Okie dokie, then. Of course, Nurse Joe and Chris had to show up at the wrong time, but it's clear Jenny/Barrett weren't doing anything so we're probably gonna get Chris overreacting and Joe actively deflecting from his own cheating. 

And, alas, Cop timeline also had to go over the top with its plots. From, of course, giving birth in a place that's totally inconvenient and having Cop Joe deliver the baby, to Cop Amy wanting to move to Miami and Joe proposing. I mean, if the show just has Joe move to Miami with Amy, that would be fine. But now, Amy's probably gonna accept the spontaneous proposal, staying in New York and feeling bitter about her career not taking off. 

For a season finale, it was alright, I guess. For a potential series finale? I guess I just have to create an ending in my head where Rocker Joe dies, Cop Joe gets left by Amy, and Nurse Joe gets left by Jenny. Because all three suck (Cop Joe was fine until the random proposal).

[circumvent]

3 hours ago, scruff said:

hankfully  this  show  is  Over .   It  is  extremely   doubtful  that  it will be  renewed.    The  writers   sure   tried   hard    enough

I said when I first saw the show that I thought it would be very hard to keep up as a show. It is an interesting idea for a movie but now we know what happens when the creators and writers think too high of their creativity abilities. 

I hope it is cancelled but if it is not I will continue my hate-watch-while-exercising-and-on-mute routine. I think it would be better if they just killed at least two Joe's because that guy cannot lead anything, unless he is leading the show to the sewage. But then again, which one of those third grade actors can - other than the super special, perfect in every way, girl magnet, ultra mature and wise kid, of course? 

Ordinary Joe - Season 2: The Extraordinary Lucas/Zeke/Chris Life of Wisdom

Subtitle: Wiser Than Yoda

[LittleIggy]

I still think a case like the one of the woman (young recent widow with young child) lying about residency would be plead out instead of going to a full-blown jury trial. Sure, prosecutors grandstand, but they also know when a case would make for bad press. My opinion as a former attorney.

Edited January 25, 2022 by LittleIggy

[circumvent]

17 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I still think a case like the one of the woman (young recent widow with young child) lying about residency would be plead out instead of going to a full-blown jury trial. Sure, prosecutors grandstand, but they also know when a case would make for bad press. My opinion as a former attorney.

95% of cases, including murder cases, end in plea deals. When the accused chooses to go to court, usually prosecutors throw a lot more alleged crimes to make sure the punishment is harsh, setting the case as an example to other people. In most cases that do go to jury trial, the people in prison are innocent - this is from data

Jenny is such a narcissist. It is not about the client, it is about her, how awesome she is and what a good job she did, discovering everything!

Don't worry Chris, your class is learning the whatever thing they are learning but you already know everything, so the only thing that is a bummer is that you won't be able to attend your astro-physics AP classes.

Does Virginia have a launch pad? I used to live very close to Cape Canaveral, and I could watch launches from my backyard, except that the big lift off blast wasn't really visible because trees. I could see the rockets when they were high up. With shuttle launches, I could see the light of the lift off, but only if it was during the night.

Points for the show: wheelchairs are battered by airlines and disabled people are left days or weeks without their chairs, which is a serious problem since they are custom made to fit each body, and avoid pressure sores. In many cases the airlines don't even want to pay for the repairs, despite the law.

I wasn't aware that it was the season finale before I read this thread and I had a feeling that they added the little voice over at the end because the show was cancelled after they finished taping the episode. I hope I am right. I will lose some early morning snark watching but I can also imagine my own finale, where most characters don't exist.

Edited January 26, 2022 by circumvent
to add some thoughts

[tennisgurl]

I know this isn't what the show wants to be, but when Rockstar Joe briefly saw the other Joe's, it made me wish that this show would get a lot more trippy and have the different timelines start to merge or slip into each other, that sounds like a lot more fun then the soapy melodrama we have gotten. 

Cop Joe is still my favorite Joe, I hope that he and Amy can make it. I don't want Joe to end up with Jenny in every timeline, not only is that stupid but Jenny tends to suck in any universe. 

How did Joe go from zero to alcoholic downward spiral in about three days? I think this show needed a time skip, then they could really sell us on Rockstar Joe's life falling apart, on Nurse Joe falling for the physical assistant, and Joe and Amy falling in love. 

I like aspects of this show, but with such an interesting premise, I want it to be so much better. 

[LittleIggy]

Yes, there is a launch site in Virginia. It’s a NASA facility on Wallops Island.

[CattyK]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I know this isn't what the show wants to be, but when Rockstar Joe briefly saw the other Joe's, it made me wish that this show would get a lot more trippy and have the different timelines start to merge or slip into each other, that sounds like a lot more fun then the soapy melodrama we have gotten. 

I was surprised when that happened, I didn’t think they’d ever go there.  It would be interesting if it continued  to happen in other episodes.

I am disappointed at how melodramatic the show has gotten.  If it’s not cancelled, I hope they will slow down the action a bit and do more character development.

with the breakdown that music joe seems to be having maybe he’s going to lose his status and have to live an actual more “ordinary” life than the charmed life he seemed to have up til this episode.  I’d like to see that, I think.  

[circumvent]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yes, there is a launch site in Virginia. It’s a NASA facility on Wallops Island.

Thanks, I didn't know that. 

[bros402]

Okay, so first off, as a comment on the show as a whole, this show had some great parts, but was insanely uneven.

First off, they should've had Rocker Joe just start seeing the other Joes, that could've made things trippy in a good way with the right writer's room.

Second, Rocker Joe sucks massively - so they should've killed him off.

Third, CopJoe should've told Frank what he was doing, at least hinted at it. Or maybe showed CopJoe being talked to by a union rep ffs

Fourth: Jenny sucks in all realities. She is the most... tolerable in NurseJoe by process of elimination.

If this gets renewed somehow, they need a new showrunner or at LEAST a new writers room, because this show could be much better given the concept.
 

On 1/25/2022 at 12:54 AM, LittleIggy said:

Why would any prosecutor waste time and money on a case like that? And prison time? GMAFB! 

I'm guessing Georgia elects prosecutors - so maybe they wanted a feather in the cap

[eel21788]

On 1/24/2022 at 11:51 PM, funnygirl said:

 I knew that the overall story setup would have Joe eventually endgame with Jenny in all of the timelines, like it is some sort of fixed destiny no matter the choice he makes.

However, I do think that Rich Joe is going to become Poor Joe, and Poor Joe is going to become Rich Joe. One will be the outcome of fate, and the other will be due to the choices he makes.

[bros402]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

However, I do think that Rich Joe is going to become Poor Joe, and Poor Joe is going to become Rich Joe. One will be the outcome of fate, and the other will be due to the choices he makes.

bare minimum, rocker joe would have to spend a good deal of money

[KDeFlane]

good time for me to jump in, just as the show ends, right?

While the emphasis has been on how different choices sent Joe down different paths, the underlying message I got was about how the choices made by OTHER people in our lives will affect the paths we ourselves might go down.  Only towards the end did i get any sense of the Jennys and Amys feeling like Joe's choices pushed them in another direction. Yes, the ladies made their own choices, too, but the show made it feel like their destiny (destinies? spelling looks weird) was shaped more by Almighty Joe. (This goes for Mom and Uncle and Eric, too.)

I also wanted to see more crossovers where one Joe sees someone in the position that another Joe was in.  I never interpreted that as Joe actually seeing himself or his doubles, but a clunky metaphor for seeing "there but for the grace of God go I" moments; they just never followed-up with any Joe reflecting on his own choices.

Now, what might season two look like? I like the Poor Joe / Rich Joe swap, but what if...

* All three Joes are frozen at this finale state, and we pick up with each love interest weighing an either/or option, thus splitting the show into six paths to follow.

* A new character at a new unique moment of decision, branching out into three new storylines with all new characters.

Yeah, i seriously don't expect it to be renewed.

Edited February 7, 2022 by KDeFlane

[KittyQ]

In the nurse timeline, is Jenny a lawyer yet? If not, is it allowed for her to give the closing argument? I don’t know when the hard ass professor suddenly became so easily swayed by Jenny. It seemed very unlikely to me.

[KittyQ]

Cop Joe - Amy’s dad was awful. If he has such a negative feeling about all cops, he apparently chose to keep it quiet enough that Amy was ok dating Joe anyway. Great time to share his real feelings, to get the most disruption out of it. Don’t accept the proposal, Amy, because you will never have a peaceful family holiday again, with your dad’s attitude.

[bros402]

8 hours ago, KittyQ said:

In the nurse timeline, is Jenny a lawyer yet? If not, is it allowed for her to give the closing argument? I don’t know when the hard ass professor suddenly became so easily swayed by Jenny. It seemed very unlikely to me.

It looks like she can, as she was under the supervision of the lawyer:
A law student participating in a clinical program at a Georgia law school may be authorized to make oral argument if the supervising attorney of the program files a motion to authorize the law student to argue and includes in the motion the name of the student seeking to argue, the extent of the attorney supervision to prepare the student for argument, and a statement that the supervising attorney will be personally present and prepared to supplement any oral statement made by the student.

[SunnyBeBe]

That closing argument by Jenny was horrible.  Only tv writing made it seem awesome.  As an attorney, I was embarrassed for her.  But, she won so that’s what’s important.  
 

This show frustrated me from the start. I still don’t understand the point of the show.  

Edited February 20, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[bros402]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

That closing argument by Jenny was horrible.  Only tv writing made it seem awesome.  As an attorney, I was embarrassed for her.  But, she won’t so that’s what’s important.  
 

This show frustrated me from the start. I still don’t understand the point of the show.  

ok I am not a lawyer and that closing argument sounded horrible to me - since if you are going for jury nullification, shouldn't you have a more coherent argument?

Honestly, I think the show would've been much better if they had stuck to two realities - nurse and cop joe - so there could've been more character development.

I get what they were going for - how the choices you make change things drastically, with nurse Joe going to the cabin with Jenny and learning that she was prengnat and cop joe going out with his family to celebrate graduating college and Jenny not telling him what happened, but tbh that is also just a case of "what the hell, Jenny"

[SunnyBeBe]

So much was implausible.  I really wanted to like it.  Also, jury nullification is not legal in my state. There would have likely been an objection and it would have been shut down.   But, that was the least of their problems. 

[bros402]

14 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So much was implausible.  I really wanted to like it.  Also, jury nullification is not legal in my state. There would have likely been an objection and it would have been shut down.   But, that was the least of their problems. 

Isn't it that jury nullification is legal, but a lawyer cannot tell them about it? 

[scruff]

Well   this   show  has  been CANCELLED.    Perhaps    there is a  small  amount of  justice  in this  world   after all.  

Thankfully     that  means   there  will be  One  Less  show   out   there   that    promotes,   encourages,  excuses,  justifies,  rationalizes,  glorifies  and  Romanticizes  ADULTERY/ INFIDELITY.

 

[dbklmt]

29 minutes ago, scruff said:

Well   this   show  has  been CANCELLED.    Perhaps    there is a  small  amount of  justice  in this  world   after all.  

Thankfully     that  means   there  will be  One  Less  show   out   there   that    promotes,   encourages,  excuses,  justifies,  rationalizes,  glorifies  and  Romanticizes  ADULTERY/ INFIDELITY.

 

Is this why you say it's CANCELLED?  

https://www.tvfanatic.com/2022/02/the-blacklist-renewed-for-season-10/

Hasn't happened officially yet, but hopefully this is true!

[Moose135]

5 hours ago, dbklmt said:

Is this why you say it's CANCELLED?  

https://www.tvfanatic.com/2022/02/the-blacklist-renewed-for-season-10/

Hasn't happened officially yet, but hopefully this is true!

If that is what they are basing their post on, NBC will have a lot of holes to fill...

We just finished watching the full set of episodes - it had been sitting on the DVR, and we finally had a time to watch. We enjoyed it - a different concept, interesting stories, and some twists and turns along the way. If it does come back next season, we'll be back.

[magicdog]

 

On 2/20/2022 at 9:42 PM, bros402 said:

Isn't it that jury nullification is legal, but a lawyer cannot tell them about it? 

Cornell Law's definition

Essentially, it's about a jury sending a message.  

[bros402]

16 hours ago, magicdog said:

 

Cornell Law's definition

Essentially, it's about a jury sending a message.  

Ahhh, okay - thanks!

[Camera One]

That was not a satisfying series finale.  I know it wasn't written to be such, but I can't say it was a great season finale, either.   

None of the cliffhangers look like they would result in an interesting or enjoyable future storyline. 

Nurse storyline would be more lies and accusations and hurt feelings.  She's eating dinner with her co-worker to celebrate their victory, which isn't exactly a crime (though I'm not sure why they aren't all out celebrating together).  And then there's caregiving kiss hanging in the background.  No thanks.  I also agree those closing arguments were laughable and totally unconvincing.

Meanwhile, Cop Joe proposing to Amy.  Is that so she would stay and give up a great job?  Or does he intend to move to Miami with her?  I guess he doesn't have our foresight that Joe is bad with long-distance relationships.  

The Rocker cliffhanger was the absolute worse.  That variation of Joe and Jenny was the least appealing together.   This just continues from his obsessive behavior with Zeke earlier in the season, to go after something that is unattainable.  So much for learning anything from his accident.

I liked the scene with Joe and the Uncle in both the Cop and Rocker timelines, though springing that "conditional" reference on the Uncle was not nice.

It's too bad we didn't get to see Joe's mom one last time for the final episode.

I knew the show was cancelled before watching it, and while I can't say it was well written, I still thought elements of it was interesting.  If only they took more chances with the unique concept, instead of copying and pasting tried and tired storylines from every soap opera in the book.  I'm not too sad that there aren't any more to watch, considering I don't think there was enough material for another season and the round-about melodrama was already getting tiresome.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Camera One

[Camera One]

On 1/20/2022 at 1:18 PM, JKL845 said:

Now for a very special Ordinary Joe finale, all three Joe's meet. NurseJoe saves RockerJoe and then CopJoe arrests him for extreme DUI and/or killing his passenger. But it's all a dream and Joe wakes up and realizes any way he goes, his life sucks. Luckily, he just graduated high school and decides to go to college out of state. Away from family and friends (Eric, Jenny, Amy) and starts a whole new life with interesting people in it. If only we had a do over for this show. 

I'm imagining your idea expanded into a series finale in lieu of this episode.  As Rocker Joe is lying in the car, the episode diverges into two separate timelines.  One where he goes to the hospital where he is tended to by Nurse Joe, and either he interacts with Nurse Joe (who sees him as some random patient), or he "dies" and his spirit follows Nurse Joe to see what his life was like (with his Ghost Father to talk to).  Nurse Joe doesn't kiss the caregiver, so we don't get that mess.  The other timeline in the episode could be Cop Joe finding him dying in the wreck and either saving him and interacting with him (seeing him as a random person arrested for a DUI), or he dies and his spirit follows Cop Joe and that timeline (again, with his Ghost Father as a guide).  Then, near the end of the episode, all variations of Joes trip and fall and when they come to, it's graduation day and he tripped on a rock where the three paths diverged, and then the show can fade to black.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Camera One

[SunnyBeBe]

6 hours ago, Camera One said:

I'm imagining your idea expanded into a series finale in lieu of this episode.  As Rocker Joe is lying in the car, the episode diverges into two separate timelines.  One where he goes to the hospital where he is tended to by Nurse Joe, and either he interacts with Nurse Joe (who sees him as some random patient), or he "dies" and his spirit follows Nurse Joe to see what his life was like (with his Ghost Father to talk to).  Nurse Joe doesn't kiss the caregiver, so we don't get that mess.  The other timeline in the episode could be Cop Joe finding him dying in the wreck and either saving him and interacting with him (seeing him as a random person arrested for a DUI), or he dies and his spirit follows Cop Joe and that timeline (again, with his Ghost Father as a guide).  Then, near the end of the episode, all variations of Joes trip and fall and when they come to, it's graduation day and he tripped on a rock where the three paths diverged, and then the show can fade to black.

Great idea!  I love your vision.  Clever and original.    As I say a lot lately, viewers could write better scripts than the professionals on many of these shows.  

Edited April 9, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Camera One]

Before I erase this show from my memory, I was just reading some news articles about it.

Quote

After wrapping Felicity in 2002, Reeves was at a "crossroads" in his career when he learned of a U.K. drama format that inspired him to sit down and pen a tale about the road not taken.

"This idea hit me personally, wondering about the choices that you could have made," Reeves tells EW. "I was looking to do a story that was in the world of the kind of drama that Felicity was in. I love those kinds of serialized stories about the intimate moments in characters' lives. Everybody has that moment where they look back and they think about certain crossroads. They think, 'God, I could have done this. I could've done that. And what would my life be like?' I really wanted to do a show that sort of embraced the idea of how we're not in control of our lives. You're in control of your choices, but you're not in control of the timing of things." (Source)

That's interesting because "Felicity" did something like this when they got a few extra episodes that they didn't expect.  The Felicity "what if" arc was an intriguing concept but was majorly flawed, as was this series.  His idea that people are not in control of their lives, only the choices is interesting, and worth exploring, though it would be tricky to execute properly.

Then, I read the exit interview after the finale aired.

Quote

RUSSEL FRIEND | Obviously, he’s in this kind of fugue state, where he’s in and out of consciousness, and what we’re trying to convey goes to the central question of the show, which is, “Well, what if?” [Music Joe is] having this existential crisis, in a way. So we’re hoping it conveys this idea that like now he’s just seeing these other paths he could’ve taken. That’s what’s rattling around in his brain, and then he falls into full unconsciousness.

TVLINE | How literally, though, should viewers be taking him seeing the other Joes? Is that more of a symbolic thing? Or is he literally seeing through the veil, so to speak, to the other timelines?
GARRETT LERNER | I like leaving it open for interpretation. I like the rationale that he’s near death, and he does flatline, we do hear that. The common thing in our culture is that your life flashes before your eyes, but I like the notion that your lives flash before your eyes, instead of just your life flashing before your eyes. It’s cool to think about on that level, but I wouldn’t want to impose on an audience that they have to take it literally.

Well, that really was a blink and you'd miss it moment.  And Rocker Joe never acknowledged or mention seeing the other variations of him so it amounted to nothing.

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FRIEND | Like Garrett said, we’re hoping, obviously, that every audience member could bring their own feeling to that or idea to that.... our feeling and interpretation is [Rocker Joe]’s not in a very good place. He believes, in that moment, that it’s the right thing, that maybe Jenny could be the solution to all his problems and this panacea, [like], “If I chose her, everything would’ve been better.” Then as an audience, we have the advantage of knowing, well, if you chose her, you would’ve been a nurse, and you would’ve had challenges as well. There’s no necessarily right choice. But in our minds, this is probably not a great choice in this moment, because he’s really hit rock bottom. He’s not thinking straight, he’s having this existential crisis. Like you said, his marriage has basically imploded. Our take on it is he’s authentic and passionate and genuine about this choice, and he does believe he loves Jenny, and he should’ve done this. But is he really in the right frame of mind to make those big life decisions is the bigger question. We love that cliffhanger aspect of that, and where could that go?

Well, if they "loved" the cliffhanger aspect of this, it really says something about their storyline planning.  Where could this go?  Probably nowhere?  If Rocker Joe had proclaimed his love for Jenny while he was drunk, maybe, but after he was sober and in rehab?  It made him seem borderline unhinged.

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TVLINE | Does she still have romantic feelings for him, though?
FRIEND | I think so. I do think, on a very basic level in every world, they do have a love for each other, whether that’s a friendship kind of love or a romantic kind of love, obviously, in their marriage. So I think she does. Is she in love with him? I don’t think so. But who knows? We could explore that in Season 2.

I have a really hard to time buying that Jenny has any "love" for him in any form.  Thank goodness there's no Season 2 then.

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But that’s what’s beautiful and messy about the whole thing is, like Russ was saying, she also has this love for Joe, and Joe’s a person who’s obviously in need at this moment at the end. That’s what makes it so fun is, like, what is her next move? What is her next sentence? Where we wanted to leave each of the stories was right where we started, at a crossroads.

Isn't this a bit obvious?  "No, I'm married and I have a family to think about.  Get away from me or I'll get a restraining order."  Not exactly a scintillating "crossroad".

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TVLINE | Cop Joe, like Music Joe, is kind of acting under duress and proposed to Amy maybe not under the most romantic, ideal circumstances. So what can you say about where Amy’s head is at with regards to that proposal?
FRIEND | I do think they love each other, but also, it’s a bit impulsive, to say the least. She’s stepping on the horns of a dilemma. It’s a big decision for her, and how could she balance both? Obviously, it would be a dream for her to go back home and run her mom’s campaign, and that’s what her whole life has led to, in a sense. But she does love Joe. So what do you do? Maybe they move to Miami? Maybe they have a long-distance thing? Again, going back to the crossroads of it all, we’re not sure, so we’re hoping that galvanizes the audience to want to see more.

Or it "galvanizes" the audience to roll their eyes.

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TVLINE | The fact that things are falling apart for Music Joe and Amy, is that a hint of trouble for Cop Joe and Amy, as well? That they might have similar issues?
FRIEND | It could be. We love that notion that all the worlds speak to each other, in a sense. But another thing we find interesting is, well, maybe another important thing in life is timing. So maybe Joe and Amy getting together 10 years ago, ultimately, maybe we discover it’s not going to work out. But maybe with Amy and Cop Joe starting their relationship in the present, maybe they could somehow avoid the obstacles that Music Joe and Amy hit. She’s told him she can’t have kids, and they’ve already had that conversation. So hopefully that’s not going to be such a big thing in their relationship, and they can figure out something else, if they decide they both want to have a family. Whereas in the music world, that’s what defines their marriage, in a way, is the fact that they discovered she couldn’t have kids, and they went through IVF, and then the all the emotions of that, and losing pregnancies. So maybe that’s something they can avoid in the cop world, and maybe that’ll help their relationship

Yeah, I think this is one of the most interesting aspects of this concept, of timing.  But I don't think they put enough thought into this.  What was the core dynamic between Joe and Amy, versus Joe and Jenny?  13 episodes later, I'm not sure.  The various iterations are not similar enough to determine this.  

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TVLINE | Then you have Nurse Joe asking Jenny to renew their vows, only to find Barrett in her room. Was it all PG in there before he showed up?
LERNER | [Laughs] Yes, I think so. I would say it was PG. Barrett and Jenny care for each other, but as we saw in Episode 12, Barrett wasn’t going to cross those boundaries. I don’t think Jenny would’ve crossed those boundaries either, despite how drunk she was in Episode 12. ....... But it’s surprising that [Barrett] was in there at all, and it’s going to be surprising when [Joe] learns why he was in there, because he’s asking her to stay in Atlanta. Joe made this selfless gesture to say, “Go to Atlanta and achieve your dreams,” and then to find out now she’s entertaining staying in Atlanta — not without him, but [they] hadn’t even talked about that together. That’s what we wanted to build towards at the end, and what the last, final voiceover is about: how the premise of the show was about how your decisions write your life story, and the realization at the end of Season 1 is it’s not just your decisions. It’s other people’s decisions also.

I'm not sure how this is a "realization" at the end of the season.  I don't really remember what he said in the voiceover but I didn't think it was that profound.  All along, it seemed like Joe was very much influenced by other people's decisions.

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TVLINE | There’s also the Kinsley factor, and him keeping that secret from Jenny, and also putting Eric and Amy in an awkward position by telling them about the kiss.
FRIEND | Exactly. That’s a really good point. We love that, too, because, Amy and Jenny are friends, Eric and Jenny [are friends], they’re all friends. What do you do now? That’s a great dilemma or real thing that we love dealing with from a character point of view. Where does that put them? Do they tell her? It was just a little kiss, but yet, it could be, technically, he cheated on her, if you want to look at it that way. But then he realized right away he was wrong. We love that moral gray area.

Oh, they "love" this.  Yet another sign that maybe one season was enough.  "Just a little kiss"?  "Technically" cheating?   If they wanted to go morally gray, maybe don't pick such predictable and unconvincing plot points.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Camera One