‘Darby and Joan’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Key Art for Season 2 of ‘Darby and Joan’ Courtesy of Acorn TV.

​Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Darby and Joan’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here.
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One particular cliché that exists in crime stories at every level, is that of the hidden witness. That person who knows something about an older case and their knowledge could exonerate someone of wrongdoing and truly, we do see this often in crime stories. To the point where it rarely has any shock value or any depth to it anymore. For it simply allows for someone in the story to have their ‘get out of jail free’ card, pun intended and helps to wrap up the story in a simple manner, and it is so overused… we often wonder if there is any way that it can be updated or altered in a way to make it exciting again and believe or not… there is. 

In fact, for proof… look no further than the next episode of Darby and Joan on Acorn TV. For it flipped that old cliché upside down… but not before giving us another juicy case for this duo to solve. For shortly after arriving at Rocky Point to find Kayla and in turn, her mother… to fulfill the cliché… Jack and Joan found themselves embroiled in quite the surprise. In that, they saved the life of a local nurse named Gillian. Since she was involved in a wreck and in bad shape and thanks to them, she made it to the hospital okay and well, that was when this duo got involved in her life. Because she claimed someone tried to run her off of the road, and she had a horrible reputation surrounding her as well.  

For the townfolk called her ‘The Angel of Death’, since two individuals passed away on her watch, and thus, no one trusted her and it stood to reason that someone might want to get back at her. So, Jack and Joan decided to figure out who tried to harm her and to clear her name and well… through some fine digging they came to discover that one of her supposed victims, who was suffering through a terminal cancer diagnosis… made some big decisions in her final days. Such as rekindling an old flame with the town’s mechanic before finally deciding upon her own fate health wise, and well, the quick nature of that latter decision… helped the mechanic, name Laurie… to indulge in darkness. By spreading that rumor and indulging in revenge. But thankfully, he was brought to justice with the facts in hand.

Which allowed for the show to shake up that old cliché. Because with nothing else on the agenda, Jack and Joan could turn their attention to Kayla and getting on her good side to meet with her mother and that went… in quite the unique direction. Because Carlton was hovering about, despite Jack working to have him called off through his connections, and he nearly bungled the whole thing to further his agenda. But some clever thinking on Joan’s part and some fine misdirection brought Jack and Kayla face to face at last. Wherein she offered Jack some stunning news. In that, her mother passed away ages ago, and she took the secrets surrounding Jack’s case to the grave. A revelation that left Jack stunned, and rightfully so.

Which was a stroke of genius. Since it removed that cliché from the story altogether and now forces Jack and the story to think of new ways to bring Jack’s name back into the light. That made for a wonderful tale, one that really did freshen up that cliché, all while building up these lovely characters further. In fact, this episode, hinted at romance down the line. Since Joan indeed felt a spark for Jack in this tale and he even helped to stoke the flames through those surf lessons. But what matters most in the moment, is that this episode let us know that season two of this show will break from convention and offer up original storytelling, as Jack undoubtedly continues his quest to clear his name at last. Until next time.

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