The third episode of Average Joe Season 2 serves as a deliberate cool-down after the breakneck intensity of the first two hours, giving the series room to examine the fractures forming among its central characters. The episode, titled «Choose the Lion,» finds the so-called core four — Joe, Leon, Touch, and Cathy — at their lowest point yet, with trust shattered and alliances fraying in ways that feel both earned and deeply uncomfortable.
Joe's anger dominates the hour, and it is aimed squarely at Leon, a man he once considered a brother. The discovery that Leon and Cathy knew Eddie Philsky was actually Teddy — and that Angela and Jennifer were never in real danger — lands as a profound betrayal. Joe had been kept in the dark about nearly everything, and the episode makes clear that his reaction is justified. The standoff between the three friends and Cathy showcases the group's dynamics with brutal honesty, as none of them emerge as blameless. Cathy, in particular, remains a complicated figure, often seeming indifferent to the men beyond their connection to Leon, and at times even dismissive of Leon's own feelings.
Touch, meanwhile, continues to carry a death wish that has become impossible to ignore. His time with Phyllis offers a glimpse into his unprocessed grief over the loss of his family, and the retreat up the mountain provides a visually striking moment of near-catharsis that Touch cannot fully embrace. He remains numb, convinced of his own invincibility, even as Phyllis and Joe see through his defenses. The episode suggests that Touch will not confront his pain without a significant push, and his arrest at the end of the hour — coming as Akinyemi closes in on the group — may be the catalyst he never wanted.
Elsewhere, Joe and Imani follow another of Teddy's elaborate scavenger hunts, a device that grows increasingly tiresome given that a simple letter would have sufficed. The episode hints that Imani may be hiding something, though her situation remains sympathetic: her mother is dead, and dangerous people are actively hunting her. The mystery of Sipho's interest in her also deepens, as he was searching for her before the heroin connection was even established, leaving viewers to wonder what the true link is.
The episode's decision to split the group feels risky, as the series has always thrived when its characters are together, playing off one another's energy. Yet the fragmentation also allows for necessary character work, particularly for Touch, whose backstory is clearly being explored this season. The core four have literally put their lives on the line for each other, but this hour makes plain that shared trauma is not the same as shared trust. As the season moves forward, the question is whether these bonds can be repaired — or whether the group is already too far gone.