I am not even a JoIan; I just think this should’ve had a better conclusion.
That was the point. He was seeking what he had with Jo while yearning for TJ and he couldnt have it bc of TJ. In the end TJ decided to change his ways so Ian got what he wanted. TJ and the danger free domestic relationship he wanted. He had feelings for Jo but they werent as deep as what he had for TJ even at the height for their relationship. He wanted Jo bc Jo is a nice guy. Stable, sweet, doesnt really know all the shitty things he did. The dirty side of him that TJ was with him every step of the way.
You make a fair point, but I still feel it was unearned. I agree that for Ian, it was only ever going to be Tj. Which is why he said that he won’t go back to the past (of running away, at least that’s how I interpreted what he meant). That said, Tj went from “without the gang, I am nothing” to accepting a mundane life like it’s nothing. You say Tj decided to change his ways, but cmiiw, we don’t see that type of development in Tj over the course of the story. Maybe his decision at the wedding? It’s just rushed…
And when I say that it was only ever going to be TJ for Ian, I mean it in the sense that Ian is incapable of letting TJ go. Whatever fucked up dynamic they built over the years has as much of a hold on him as it does TJ.
They are in no way built a healthy relationship lmao i totally agree. I think TJ was obsessed with not letting that life go because he thought that was all he know. He never suffered the consequences of choosing this life. But after Ian left him and he went to prison he understood that other way is possible and that way of life aint it. We didnt see his prison days so i agree that there is a shortcut there, they could have added one more episode just to show the life after everybody went their ways(maybe they will add it if they have side stories) but other than that i think it was executed good. Not well but okay.
If there are truly no side stories, then this ending is quite flat. Not only that, Ian is replicating what he and Jo did, but with Tj. And while TjIan fans might be happy that they are endgame, all these “sweet” moments here, we’ve already seen them with Ian and Jo. Literally bar for bar. I wouldn’t consider that a win if *I* shipped them. I guess what I’m trying to get at is that this ending feels unearned. Are we supposed to believe that the destination Ian found is trying to reheat the relationship he had with Jo, but with Tj? BORING.