SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Average Joe Season 2, Episode 3.
Episode 3 of Average Joe Season 2 might cause whiplash. By pitting all four of its protagonists against each other, “Choose the Lion” has to tell three separate stories, and the first half of the Paramount+ show feels more like an emotional exploration than a crime drama. But just when viewers have become vulnerable, then that ending happens.
It’s no surprise that the episode picks up exactly where Episode 2 left off, or that no one actually gets shot. The series isn’t going to have a shootout and end two episodes into its second season. However, Average Joe makes up for that by using the armed standoff for character development and not just shock value. Joe unloads on Leon exactly as he should, and Deon Cole‘s dramatic chops are on full display as that moment is pouring out not only anger but hurt.
And it doesn’t stop there. Touch—in another great scene for Michael Trucco—dares Cathy to shoot him, going so far as to put her gun to his head. It’s so startling to see the look in his eyes and have that visual confirmation that he is prepared to die. That one close-up is more powerful than any dialogue. It is equally poignant when Joe turns on Touch, calling him out for his issues. Another show would focus on the Joe vs. Cathy and Leon conflict because that’s the one that moves the plot, but Average Joe takes the time to tackle everything that’s built up in this one scene.
Once the show does that, it has no choice but to spin off in multiple directions. Joe and Imani continue the hunt for Teddy’s various clues. Cathy and Leon set out to recover their passports, in an over-the-top way that only Cathy can conceive. And Touch continues to develop a rapport with Imani’s aunt Phyllis. For the first half-hour, “Choose the Lion” is a fairly quiet episode, exploring where each character is at individually. It’s Joe feeling totally alone. It’s Cathy and Leon drifting apart from one another. It’s Touch being forced to confront his tragic past; the flashback in this episode, while brief, is heartbreaking.
The episode particularly shines a light on Leon and Cathy’s relationship, starting with the pre-credits flashback, in which Joe and Touch ruin Leon’s bachelor party by telling him that Cathy isn’t good for him. They change their tune when he replies that she’s his “forever,” and that word becomes bittersweet, because viewers see throughout the episode how Cathy can sway Leon into whatever she wants. She does truly love him—her reaction when she thought he could’ve died in Episode 2 was genuine—but she also puts a lot of pressure on him. And what’s nice is that Leon still has a voice and still tries to push back, even if he eventually relents. Average Joe doesn’t let Cathy just steamroll over him. Leon isn’t forgotten about.
“Choose the Lion” does get back to Average Joe‘s main plot in its back half, and more than makes up for the delay. Viewers see Sipho having to deal with an upset business partner. Imani and Joe find her mother’s dead body in her house. Touch gets arrested when the police are called to Billy G’s bar just moments after he stumbles across Billy’s corpse. The cops put everyone on the news. As if that’s not enough, Leon gets shot—and unlike the earlier scene, there’s no false jeopardy here. Average Joe can kill off one character. Or it can simply wound Leon, and maybe that’s what brings him and Cathy back together with Touch and Joe, because they’re not going to kiss and make up. (Though if he survives, he and Cathy can compare notes on what it’s like to be shot.)
Average Joe Season 2, Episode 3 takes a little bit of guts to slow the series’ momentum down and take some time to explore the characters. In a show that’s all about chaos, it’s a drastic change, especially relatively early in the season. But the emotional scenes are executed so well that they’re rewarding in a different way. And then there’s more than enough shock value in the final act of the episode to make up for any perceived loss of excitement. So far, this season is even better than Season 1—although Leon might disagree.
Average Joe streams Wednesdays on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
