Character Check-Up: Joe
Continuing on in a series of posts on the characters of Brothers & Sisters — where they’ve been, where they’re at, and where we’d like them to go — let’s stay with Sarah’s family and revisit old Joe.
Origins: When we first met Joe, he was Sarah’s scruffy house-husband and a bemused observer of Walker family foibles. That laid-back musician’s persona, though, masked a pretty ugly passive-aggressive streak. Also, an irrational fear of hair care.
Progress: As time went on and Sarah’s work life didn’t get any easier by the transfer to the family business, Joe’s resentment started to come to the forefront. He somehow found a way to blame Sarah for their lifestyle, their marriage problems, his stay-at-home dad career path, and his kiss with Rebecca. He quietly snuck around and made a case for full custody of the kids even as he let Sarah think they still had a chance.
Current Status: The guy seems to have a limited dating pool, ’cause he went right back to his first wife, the mother of his seldom-seen son Gabe. He’s now officially divorced from Sarah, but thought twice about the full custody thing and is now sharing the kids.
Concerns: Sarah and Joe were, perhaps, equally culpable for their marriage breakdown, but things ended on Joe’s terms, and I don’t think he deserved it. He made the break permanent when Sarah still had hope, and she only has shared custody of their kids because he allowed it. She’s not had much control in the situation, her trust has been pretty consistently betrayed, and that may be an issue for her moving forward and trusting someone else.
Prognosis: Given that Joe left Sarah for his first wife, it’s not unlikely that when he has problems with her again, he’ll bounce back Sarah’s way. This might give her an opportunity to end things on her terms, with an acknowledgment that she has moved on and is better off, and that, buddy, you blew it. From there, I’d like to see an amicable divorce in which they’re both the good parents that they’ve always been, and Joe pops up on the show whenever there’s a child issue that calls for it. Maybe he could get a haircut somewhere along the way, too.
Second Opinions: Scott thinks Joe’s time on the show is done, and good riddance. Do you want to see Joe come back, or go to hell? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: ABC.com
Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Joe, John Pyper-Ferguson
March 4th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Joe and Sarah are divorced and for the time being it doesn’t seem to be amicable (she resents his taking his ex to Paris, for instance. Where are the Gabe, Paige and Cooper?) I’d like to see him try to win Sarah back and Sarah slamming the door in his face. It is not so much that I don’t like Joe, but that I want Sarah to explore her own possibilities.
I really disliked the way he tried to make Sarah the guilty party in this. She didn’t cheat, she had feelings for Noah, but didn’t act on it. And he… With her half-sister!
I think they had marital problems that could not be solved unless BOTH made considerable changes in their lives.
I agree though that Joe should occassionally pop up as the father to Paige/Cooper.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
IMO Joe’s off the show, and I don’t foresee him ever coming back.
Nor do I want him to. Yes, it would be highly gratifying watching Sarah slam the door in his face after all his weasely behavior, but I’d rather Sarah be spared from Joe’s orbit altogether.
We’ll hear about Joe having the kids when the storyline demands it, but otherwise his tenure is done.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Did anyone else get an Eyeful of “Pyper” this past Sunday on “Cold Case”? Good performance (big role: I think it added up to more lines than in his entire arc on BAS) marred by tragically distracting lank hair. Doesn’t anyone wear ponytails anymore? He looks so much better with short hair; that’s the only way I’d consider seeing him back.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Ha! Yes, my husband was flipping through channels and watched a few minutes of the episode, and from across the room I was like … whoa, is that Joe? Had to scurry over to IMDb and make sure it was him. Does he have a contract clause specifying that he must always have bad hair?