Boisie's Risks Finally Catch Up to Joan in "Time for a Change"

To hear Joan (Sophie Turner) tell it, you'd think that Boisie (Frank Dillane) was Mr. Perfect, but the rose-colored glasses finally came off even for her in the fourth episode of her titular series. The news that the Ashburys were hoping to adopt Kelly lit a fire under Joan's butt to get on the straight and narrow as soon as possible. When the cops visited Boisie's antique shop and asked about the missing Stubbs painting they stole in Sussex, Joan told him it was time for them to go legit. 

The idea of going legit didn't sit well with Boisie, and he thought Joan wanted the same kind of life. That's what sparked their romance in the first place. But he was in love, so what else can you do besides what the Mrs. says? Well, sort of. Joan told Boisie to chuck the painting in the river so the cops would never find it, and what he heard was to find a buyer as soon as possible. It turned out that the only people who wanted to buy a painting that the cops were urgently looking for were the IRA because paintings were more accessible for a terrorist group to trade for weapons and supplies than moving cash. The more you know! 

Joan was committed to going straight, though. She signed up for classes that would allow her and Boisie to open up a jewelry shop, and wouldn't you know, she was very good at assessing diamonds and rare jewels. Unfortunately, her prowess attracted the attention of an undercover cop who was also taking the class. He offered her a deal to get her out of suspicion for the Stubbs robbery if she agreed to inform him about other criminals. Our girl was no rat, though, and told the cop to shove it. 

Instead, Joan and Boisie officially got hitched, and Kelly got to come! She was an adorable bridesmaid, but after several hours of music and dancing, the tiny tot was ready to go home and go to bed. However, Boisie wanted to dance with his wife, and the fact that she needed to be a mother was really inconvenient. This, dear Joan, is what we like to call a red flag, and he was waving it right in your face, girl. Eventually, Boisie hands Joan's sister a wad of cash to take Kelly back to the Ashburys, and Joan lets him do it! 

Despite his behavior at the wedding, Joan was shocked when she found out the painting was still at the warehouse and not in the woods. She accused Boisie of not caring whether she got custody of Kelly, which he admitted to in Episode 3. Joan just wasn't listening. She tried to take matters into her own hands and get rid of the painting herself, but Boisie followed her to the warehouse and revealed the second half of his big secret: they couldn't ditch the painting, or the IRA would be after them. 

So, Joan has no choice but to pretend to be an art appraiser to convince the IRA that they are buying a legit painting. She spent all day studying and accompanied a very scary Irishman to a hotel room alone so she could examine the painting. She used her studies and what she learned in her jewel theft class to convince the guy that the painting was legitimate (because it was). However, before he finished ripping Joan and Boisie off and tried to force himself on her, the cops busted in and arrested both him and Joan. Joan's classmate hadn't buggered off like she told him to and instead followed her right to the scene of the crime. 

Boisie was the one who picked and planned the Stubbs heist. He was the one who brought a gun on the mission and waved it at the manor owner. He set up the deal with the IRA instead of just getting rid of it as Joan asked, but Joan was the one hauled away and put in jail. The Ashburys wouldn't even let Joan talk to Kelly on the phone. Social services undoubtedly won't let Joan anywhere near her daughter now. And because the cops apprehended the painting, no one was paid for the job either. 

This is one gigantic mess. Joan wasn't allowed bail either because of her prior criminal record and because she was considered a flight risk. We don't know Boisie's reaction to her arrest, but we can't imagine any of this could lead to a happy marriage. The big question now is whether Joan's dreams of going straight have been flushed along with her idea of winning Kelly back. 

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.