'Joan' Levels Up in Thieving & Loses Ground as a Mum in "The Glamorous Life"

Joan Hannington only just started jewelry thieving on Joan, but she's already leveling up at the game. Boisie put her through a few tests before taking her to Spain for a big job. He sent her down the high street with a stolen checkbook to secure fancy clothes for the getaway and instructed her to return immediately to his apartment afterward. Joan decided to go for extra credit and bought a wig on her first trip so that she could return to steal a bundle of things that Boisie was able to turn into an $800 profit with his fence. Joan's natural thieving skills had Boisie swooning immediately, but she swore she was in this for only one job.

Of course, Spain changed a lot of things. Joan was enthralled with the luxurious accommodations in Spain. She was riding high on the thrill of making it through airport customs with a ton of stolen jewelry on her person and a fake passport. Joan got to go to a sandy beach and play in the surf with Boisie. She met his former prison inmate and criminal partner, Albie (Gershwyn Eustache Jr.), and everything seemed to be going exceptionally well.

And that's why picking up on the little things is critical. There were several moments where Albie dispensed advice that felt like foreshadowing, like when he told Joan always to count the money when she was paid for a job. They also made it through customs with only a tiny hiccup – Joan forgot the fake passport on the counter. The smoothness of setting up the job was to prove that Joan and Albie were competent, but that competence might turn into arrogance down the line. Albie also told Joan that he had looked into her and previously worked with her ex-husband. Just mentioning Gary put Joan on edge, and we have to wonder whether her ex-husband would become relevant soon. 

While the trip went off without a hitch, there were consequences for the getaway. After boarding the plane for the return trip home, the pilot announced that the flight would be delayed, making Joan late for her daughter Kelly's birthday celebration. Her sister stepped in for her, and Joan eventually made it to see Kelly, but it set up a disastrous meeting with social services the next day. It turns out that when she was late for the birthday, they called her sister and discovered she'd moved out. They then called her job and found out she'd quit.

Despite having a large wad of cash in her purse, Joan was denied getting her daughter back. Instead, they took out a court order officially putting Kelly in their custody and said she would remain with her foster family for the time being. They could begin the reunification process once Joan has a place and a steady, reliable job. Still, she'd have no chance of getting Kelly back until social services determined that she was fit for custody.

That left Joan distraught, and back at the bar looking for a new job could expedite the process of reuniting with her daughter. That's where Boisie found her and told her to move in with him. While living with Boisie is absolutely a better option than sleeping in parked double-decker buses every night, thieving isn't exactly how you prove yourself to be a reliable mother. 

Joan has a plan, though. She wants to be so rich she can buy a six-bedroom house filled with books and get Kelly a horse that roams the yard. Joan wants to be so affluent that social services will have no choice but to give her daughter back. The look on Boisie's face said he'd hang the moon if it meant he could give Joan everything she wanted.

So now the real fun begins as the two start building their criminal empire, but we should all be wary. Albie will still be in the picture, and Joan still has a hair trigger when it comes to her mood and temper. The jobs will get more intense, and there's a question now of whether she'll ever become the type of person to whom social services would give custody of a child.

Joan continues on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CW and airs/streams weekly through mid-November. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on the CW app. The series will also be available to stream on BritBox beginning December 5, with two episodes premiering weekly through December 19, 2024.