Pilot –The episode begins with an armed Joe Washington (Deon Cole) cautiously making his way through his father’s ransacked office. Pipe in hand, he gives a voiceover about life being full of choices, “Heads or tails, A or B, right or wrong, or live or die.” He picks up the phone to discover there is no signal when he is knocked out cold by the pipe he brought in. Joe gambled!
24 Hours Earlier – A uniformed Benjamin “Touch” Tuchawuski (Michael Trucco) enters a home where a viewing is in progress. Leon Montgomery (Malcolm Barrett) joins him. With everyone staring at him, he explains the uniform is necessary because he is due at work soon. Cathy Montgomery (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams) drops off a lackluster bouquet when a more elaborate arrangement catches her eye. She claims the fancy arrangement by sticking her tag on it.
Angela Washington (Tammy Townsend) alerts Joe of the time. Joe delivers a eulogy to his father, Teddy. He describes their last luncheon together before the accident. Teddy was proud of his granddaughter, Jennifer Washington (Ashley Olivia Fisher). He honors his father with a toast to the “world’s greatest Steelers fan anyone will ever see.” In the garage, Touch and Leon question when would be a good time to speak to Joe about Teddy’s Steelers season ticket. Joe receives condolences from his boss, Stan Harris (Darin Toonder), and his wife, Winny Harris (Patti Tippo). They encourage him to take as much time as he needs before returning to work. Cathy and Leon prepare to depart when Joe asks them to stay for a drink. Leon claims Cathy is eager to get home to watch the Investigation Channel before leaving. Angela departs soon after, leaving Joe alone with his thoughts.
Touch helps himself to someone’s “Oxy Condone.” Unable to stop at one, he takes half the bottle. Disgusted with himself, he flips himself the bird in the mirror. Later, he joins Joe in the garage. Joe sarcastically calls him “Officer Tuchawuski.” Commending him for tremendous service, Touch tries to bring up Teddy’s Steelers ticket but leaves without saying a word. Jennifer introduces an intoxicated Joe to her beau, Dimitri Dzhugashvili (Chris Petrovski). He assures him that it isn’t necessary to stay before retiring to his room with Teddy’s urn. During a busy next day, he admits to hating Angela’s job at the diner.
Montgomery Hardware – At the counter, Cathy scans through the latest dating app prospects. It becomes apparent why Angela prefers Home Depot. After a quick thanks for Teddy’s beautiful floral arrangement, she pays for her items. With the machine down, Cathy can’t get her a receipt. When Angela departs, Cathy sticks the $40 in her pocket.
Teddy Washington Towing – Joe approaches the building to discover the door ajar. Retrieving a pipe from his van, he gradually enters through the door. He wakes up to find himself restrained in Teddy’s office. In his native Russian tongue, Georgi (Michael Vitovich) orders him to open the safe. Unable to interpret, he breaks Joe’s finger when Dimitri enters the room. Through the pain, Joe puts out a plea for help. Dimitri demands he turn over the combination to the safe. Georgi breaks another one of his fingers. Dimitri explains he is only there for his father, Nicolai Dzugashvilli (Pasha D. Lychnikoff). Teddy stole $10 million from him. Joe denies any knowledge of the drug money. Dimitri claims Teddy was a long-time drug money transporter. He says Teddy had always delivered until just recently when he got greedy. The mere mention of Jennifer sends Joe hurling threats at his assailants. Georgie breaks another one of his fingers.
Passing by, Leon notices the van door open. While Dimitri and Nicolai are focused on Leon, Joe frees his right hand. Utilizing a broken glass, he cuts away his restraints. He shoots Georgi as Dimitri attacks him. Hearing the gunshot, Leon enters the building through a side door. Joe gets Dimitri in a “scorpion dead drop” before snapping his neck. Leon is shocked by what he sees. Joe informs him of the $10 million drug money that Teddy was supposed to have taken from Nicolai. They remove everything from Dimitri and Georgi’s pockets before opening the safe to find $100K in cash and a key stored inside. Leon warns that Nicolai will send more men looking for the money. He suggests going to the police. Joe says their options are to get Touch involved or get rid of the bodies, keep the cash, and execute a search for the remaining money.
After some thought, Leon agrees to a 20%-cut and Teddy’s Steelers season ticket. Joe is good with the 20% but he has plans to take Jennifer to the games. Dimitri receives a casual call from Jennifer while Jennifer rings Joe’s phone. When he doesn’t answer, she sends Touch over to the towing company. They are in the process of disposing of the bodies when Nicolai rings Dimitri’s phone.
Dzhugashvili Residence – Nicolai leaves a voicemail, urging Dimitri to call Ekaterina (Amber Crawford) who last spoke to her son five days ago. He orders two of his men to find Dimitri.
Teddy Washington Towing – Touch arrives as Leon emerges from Joe’s van. Thinking he is sucking up to Joe for the Steeler season ticket, he injects him into a double murder. He instantly suggests calling the police. Joe asks if it is wise to tell anyone about the $100k. Counting the money, Touch figures Joe gave Leon $20k. He demands a cut before giving a spiel about being passed over for promotions. Not thinking, Joe mentions Leon got the Steeler tickets. Touch boasts of bringing more to the table. Leon agrees to give up the tickets. Joe stresses the importance of not telling anyone. They plan to dump the bodies under the cover of the night. In the meantime, Leon will uncover everything he possibly can about the key.
Washington Residence – Touch makes sure Joe gets home safely before heading to Donna’s place. He places half of his loot in an envelope and places it in the mailbox. Disappointed in himself, he gathers what appears to be a portable kit for shooting up.
Outside Pittsburgh – Nicolai’s two henchmen (Douglas Dean Mitchell) and Molotov (Nikita Kirillov) discuss “The Bachelor.” An alert reveals Georgi’s phone is moving while Dimitri’s is still stationary. They speed their pursuit.
Joe becomes Frantic when Touch doesn’t answer his phone. Leon is trying to match the key found in the safe with images in a locksmith catalog. Joe alerts him of Touch not answering his phone. He warns it will only be the two of them disposing of the bodies. Nicolai track Georgi’s phone to Leon’s house. Molotov orders his partner to leave no witnesses before leaving to track Dimitri’s phone.
Washington Residence – Upon leaving, Jennifer tries Dimitri’s phone to hear a familiar ringtone emitting from Joe’s work van. After retrieving the key, she unlocks the van.
Montgomery Residence – Leon surfs through the content on Georgi’s phone. Nicolai’s armed henchman busts into the bathroom to retrieve Georgi’s phone. He demands to know the whereabouts of Georgi and Dimitri. When Leon denies any knowledge of their whereabouts, the henchman pops him on the head. It doesn’t take long before Leon says Georgi is dead. Not believing the claim, he begins counting down from three. Cathy shoots him in the head from behind.
Washington Residence – Jennifer screams at the sight inside the van. Angela and Joe rush outside to investigate further. She is also stunned by the carnage inside the van. He pulls the van into the driveway when Molotov pulls up in the street. Back inside, Angela comforts Jennifer. During his pacing, a voiceover in Touch’s voice repeats his earlier warnings about not letting anyone else find out about their plan.
Average Joe Cast
- Angela Washington (Tammy Townsend)
- Joe Washington (Deon Cole)
- Nicolai Dzhugashvill (Pasha D. Lynchnikoff)
- Winny Harri (Pati Tippo)
- Molotov (Nikita Kirillov)
- Benjamin “Touch” Tuchawuski (Michael Trucco)
- Ekaterina Dzhugashvill (Amber Crawford)
- Stan Harris (Darin Toonder)
- Leon Montgomery (Malcolm Barrett)
- Cathy Montgomery (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams)
Average Joe Review
I must say this was a refreshing take on an inept “true crime” tale. Despite all the comedy, it has a much darker feel than what might be expected. That said, the show certainly has its fair share of humor, and for the most part, I didn’t find the majority of it raunchy. Not that there aren’t some cringe-worthy moments, but the first episode did an excellent job of delivering comic relief when it was needed.
The story isn’t original at all, so for me, the series had a lot going against it from the start. Despite that, I felt the episode did what it could. Some may end up filling that the episode was filled with a lot of useless information, but I feel it was staged rather nicely in the first episode and should be an entertaining ride if it stays on the path it’s on. For that, I would have to give the show a 5.8.
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Where To Watch Average Joe
The pilot episode premiered on Monday, June 26, 2023, on BET+
