‘Darby and Joan’ Recap: ‘Episode 5 & Episode 6’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episodes Five and Six of ‘Darby and Joan’. To revisit the previous two episodes, click here.
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There comes a point in our lives, when we are doing our best to avoid the truth or we are running hard from our past… where the universe forces us to make quite the decision. In that, we can either sit down and learn everything we believe we don’t want to know and/or face our sorted past… or we can continue to mire in misery. For not having the answers deeply disturbs us, more so than the truth ever will, and that lack of knowledge will haunt us for the rest of our lives if we don’t learn it, and not facing our past will doom us to repeat our mistakes or help us to hold onto dark elements we need to let go of, to be healthy and happy. If anything, it's a big day when we reach that crossroads, and it is one that we were privy to in the next set of episodes of Darby and Joan on Acorn TV.

For when we catch up with this dynamic duo, they’re back on the road and preparing to speak with Jack’s daughter Liz about what new things the police have uncovered about Ian, a.k.a. Rob and well… this was indeed Joan’s moment of truth. Because she had the chance to just let things be here and move on with her life and hang onto the false memories, he sent her way. Or she could dive into the thick of it and feel the pain that this would bring her, knowing full well that it would eventually bring forth peace and knowledge and a sense of completeness and well… Joan did the latter. Which was tough. Because it turned out that Rob left the country and assumed a new identity because he likely committed murder in the name of a cause and while this hurt Joan bad… it was the truth at last about him, and all that remained now was the truth about what brought about his end. 

As for dealing with one’s past, well that was handled by Jack in the sixth episode. Because a case involving a couple of athletes, brought him face to face with the bride he left behind. A move that of course, put him in an awkward spot through and through, because this was the kind of act that forced Jack to really face his mistake, regardless of the apology he sent her way. Because now he would have to resolve his actions in his mind and make amends and be open as to why he made such a foolish move in the first place. But eventually he did all of those things. By offering up better words to the bride he abandoned and by being honest with her daughters, who were going to be his step-kids and of course… he was finally honest with Joan about his actions. Giving Jack a chance to face his past properly and begin to resolve it and why he committed such an act, giving rise to growth for him at last.

However, while that made for some powerful and moving storytelling, the kind that was inspirational in nature, this is still a crime and mystery series and once again, our heroes were involved in some unique cases. One of which, involved a hotel on New Year’s Day, one that almost burned down for what could have been a bevy of reasons. A drug deal gone bad; an angry brother that felt slighted. But in the end, it came down to a desperate lover. Who was ready to go the extra mile to keep her beau safe and if that meant burning down the place to cover a robbery, so be it. As for the second case in this story, that involved Jack’s once future stepdaughters. For one of them was being accused of using illegal performance enhancing drugs, despite being careful and it took some serious work on Darby and Joan’s behalf to uncover that a jilted lover and her coach did her in, all in the name of revenge. 

But what’s truly amazing is that these particular tales had more surprises in store for us outside of the cases offered us. Because these are a pair of stories that hinted at the very real possibility that the healing that Jack and Joan are providing one another with, is allowing for a deeper connection to take place between the two of them. Meaning that perhaps a romance is on the books for this duo and of course… the arrival of Rebecca at the end of these two stories, is a huge game-changer. Since clearly, she is going to have to hear about her father’s past now and that might do her great harm as well, the kind that will push Joan to her limits since she is grieving and processing as well, and in the end… all of these elements will have us counting down the minutes to next week’s epic season finale. Wherein we will see if the truth awaits Joan at last and what will become of these budding feelings. Until next time.

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