#203 Joe's Return: Part 2 (Original
air date: 09/25/97)
| Written by: | William Schwartz & Claire Whitaker |
| Directed by: | Burt Brinckerhoff |
| Produced by: | Martha Williamson, Jon Andersen, E.F. Wallengren & R.J. Visciglia, Jr. |
Guest Cast:
| Joe Greene | Richard Thomas |
| Sandra Mills | Connie Ray |
| Tess | Della Reese |
| Erasmus | Ossie Davis |
| Faith Hill | Karen Lamar |
The continuation of a two part episode (part one aired as Touched By An Angel). In part one, Joe Greene returns to the home of Erasmus Jones where the Greene family is visiting. Joe is concealing the burden of a horrible secret -- that he ran a motorist off the road resulting in the death of a father and his son. Mistaken for a Good Samaritan for rescuing one of the young boys before the fatal explosion, Joe is on edge. When Russell starts to read between the lines, Joe comes clean. Part two resumes as Joe takes off, unaware that Nathaniel is a stowaway in the back seat. Hattie and Russell break the news to the grieving mother, Sandra Mills, that Joe was responsible for the accident that took her son and husband's lives. Russell has already informed the police. Meanwhile, Joe hooks up with his estranged wife (Karen Lamar), a country western singer, performing at a nightclub. Reluctantly, Karen puts Joe and Nathaniel up for the night. Joe wants to reconcile, but Karen knows him too well and sends him on his way the following day. While on the road, Joe gets a flat tire. Without any money to replace it, Joe wrangles Nathaniel into one of their old scams to distract the tire salesman while Joe steals one from a display. Uncomfortable acting as his father's accomplice, Nathaniel tries explaining his situation to the tire salesman hoping he might be able to work something out. The tire salesman catches Joe red-handed and turns him over to the police. By this point, Russell has notified the police of his brother's responsibility for the accident and Joe is arrested for vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving. The family visits Joe in jail -- Russell is not about to put up bail. Erasmus surprises everyone by putting his house up as collateral to bail Joe out of jail. Hattie is grateful while Russell is torn with conflicting emotions. Joe's lawyer meets with Joe and his family. By some twist of fate, the car was taken to a body shop instead of a secure impound lot and mistakenly repainted, removing any evidence of the accident. Joe is off the hook. The family's reaction is mixed. Hattie can't help being relieved that her beloved son won't be going to jail. But Russell can't help feeling that Joe needs to be held accountable for what he's done. Tess meets with Russell one last time before the hearing. She reminds Russell of a high school basketball game in which Russell failed to trust Joe. She urges him to trust Joe to do the right thing. Joe is tried in court for two counts of felony vehicular manslaughter and one count of reckless driving. Joe takes everyone by surprise by pleading guilty -- assuming responsibility for the accident. Joe's lawyer tries to interrupt, citing Joe's extensive history of emotional problems. But Joe assumes full responsibility. The judge recommends four years at a minimum security correctional facility with the possibility of a reduced sentence of 18 months pending a six month evaluation. As difficult as this was for Joe, he earns the respect of his family -- especially Nathaniel.