The holidays always bring family drama.
Gwen tried her usual gratitude tradition on Ordinary Joe Season 1 Episode 9, but drama ensued instead.
The Kimbreau family had a habit of holding onto old wounds and letting them explode or giving the cold shoulder. Neither was effective.
There were so many parallels between the Cop Joe and the Rockstar Joe timelines.
To start, Cop Joe is contemplating getting more serious with Amy, while Rockstar Joe’s considering ending it in the other timeline.
Amy was so excited to help Gwen prepare Thanksgiving and spend more time with her. They had such an important scene when Gwen told her about worrying Christopher Sr. on holiday, and now she worries about Joe.
Amy had never thought of that, but she encouraged Joe to be a beat cop again.
Joe and Celeste’s sibling relationship was entertaining, and hopefully, we will see more of it. In both timelines, she rushed in and attacked him with hugs. Celeste has a vibrant personality.
She was eager to talk to Joe about Amy and Bobby. She assumed that that popular rockstar would cheat, not Amy. Since she’s the nosy big sister, she asked how long it had been since he and Amy had sex.
Celeste said that Joe and Amy needed to talk about whether they could heal from this or if they were headed towards a divorce.
This is what I’ve learned in the sum total of therapy that you paid for…you have to talk about it.
Celeste
Celeste hinted they grew up around emotional baggage, so Joe has a difficult time processing his emotions.
Both Gwen and Amy were amused with how Celeste attacked Joe with hugs in the Cop Joe timeline. Like a nosy older sister, this time she asked Joe when he was going to propose to Amy.
The two siblings went back on the roof and talked again. Joe hated that Gwen popped into and out of his life so infrequently.
Gwen really seemed to love Joe but had issues with the family. She inquired how serious he was about Amy.
Joe: How do know when things are getting really serious?
Celeste: When you have to ask someone if they’re getting really serious.
It was ironic that Celeste was giving Joe advice at the start and the end of his relationship with Amy.
Will Joe’s marriage to Amy survive? Amy was willing to give up everything, including her campaign to save her marriage. She loves Joe and regretted her one-night stand.
I know I hurt you, Joe. I am so sorry. It was a one-time mistake. Joe, I love you so much.
Amy
Amy felt lonely after the miscarriage and thought Joe was having an affair with Jenny. These two have had so many miscommunication issues. If they can pull through this, their marriage could be stronger than ever.
However, Joe remained so cold and distant. He finally agreed to still play at Amy’s campaign fundraiser, but that was a disaster too.
Amy had just learned that Regina was running against her, so she talked about being grateful that people still supported her.
The crowd wanted to hear Joe and requested one of his earliest hits. Amy remarked that it was his first song, and he wrote it about the two of them.
She confessed she fell in love with him the first time she heard it, and she couldn’t wait to hear it live again. As Joe sang it, tears streamed both of their faces.
He became so emotional that he couldn’t even finish it and had to leave the stage. These two still love each other, but are they done?
Amy: Are we broken?
Joe: I don’t know Amy, maybe we are.
The drama at Cop Joe’s Thanksgiving was even worse. Uncle Frank started it, and Celeste finished it.
Uncle Frank blamed Joe and Amy for his suspension and then got mad that Joe decided to be a beat cop again. The fireworks got worse since Joe wanted to be like his dad, and Celeste blurted out that their dad wasn’t a saint.
She remembered him breaking the gratitude turkey and losing his temper when she decided to forgo college. Were there secrets in the Kimbreau family? Was this why Uncle Frank drank, and Joe buried his feelings?
Joe escaped the family dinner, but he may have followed his dad’s footsteps when he entered a burning building to save a young boy.
It’s disappointing now that Jenny left for law school that her storyline is almost non-existent. She followed her dream but never got to see her family.
She was afraid to come for the holidays since she got offered a pro-bono case and had a rough start with her professor.
Joe was struggling at home, so he and Chris needed to find an aide that meshed with both of them.
Kinsley fit right in, even at Thanksgiving dinner, but will they become more than friends as Jenny is gone longer?
Eric also found many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
Sal admitted to him that he was HIV positive but healthy. It was important to Sal that Eric knew the truth, and Eric values honesty, so he was so grateful.
He and Amy were grateful they had spent so much time with Chris lately since it inspired them to adopt a child. Is it odd that Amy seems more willing to have kids in other timelines or with other people?
Eric and Mallory asked Joe to be the godfather to their twins. I love their Eric will be a dad in all three timelines.
The fall finale of Ordinary Joe ended with so many questions. We need to know if Cop Joe survived the fire and found happiness with Amy in one timeline.
That cliffhanger that Amy’s probably pregnant with a late Bobby Diaz’s baby will complicate things in the Rockstar Joe universe.
Nurse Joe and Jenny just reconciled, but now they’re spending the holidays apart and connecting with new friends. Will their marriage survive?
Over to you, Ordinary Joe Fanatics. What do you want to see when the show returns? Do you think Cop Joe survived the fire?
How will Amy”s pregnancy impact her marriage and her campaign? Chime in the comments below.
Remember, if you missed an episode, you can watch Ordinary Joe online right here via TV Fanatic.
Ordinary Joe returns on Monday, January 3rd at 10/9 c on NBC.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.