Season 2 ends on a high note. They say in the difference between comedy and tragedy is a wedding (comedy) versus death (tragedy), but this episode of Melissa and Joey, entitled the somewhat pun-ning “Mel marries Joe” blurs those lines. While it seems it would be Mel and Joe at the altar, alas, it isn’t to be. Joe is at the altar with his Russian fling, Elena. In an effort to save her from Russian prison, he quickly proposed and she accepted.
Joe seems pretty pleased with himself and Mel seems, well, less than pleased. Being Mel, she can’t openly admit she’s jealous. She hems and haws and says she has problems with the legality of it all. And it’s illegal. Joe, ever the golden retriever he is, won’t let Mel get him down and is stoked to be helping out the hot Elena.
While Joe and Elena are out getting ready for the wedding, the police come to Mel’s house to make sure the wedding isn’t a “green card wedding.” Both Mel and Lennox try defending the couple, but the police are unflappable and bring up Joe’s criminal past. Mel announces that she’ll be officiating the wedding in an effort to help save Joe. It throws the cops off the scent…but what has Mel gotten herself into now?
Joe is happy Mel is involved in the wedding, and Mel starts to bond with Elena. She allows Elena to borrow a dress for the wedding. Over some girl-talk with Elena, Mel reveals that she was engaged once before, but her fiancé just wasn’t the one and they called it off.
When the big day finally arrives, Mel shows up. That’s a big step to begin with, but on top of that, she’s looking beautiful and classy to boot. When Joe shows up, Mel helps him get ready. She fixes his tie for him and for a moment, time seems to stop. Mel manages to hold it together during the ceremony, but starts losing it when she sees just how in love the couple seems. She runs out of the room before the kiss.
Joe and Elena escape to their honeymoon suite. Mel thinks she’s lost Joe forever…but really she only loses him for a few hours when she gets a call from him. This isn’t a good call, however; Joe can’t find Elena, and he thinks there must be something seriously wrong. Mel rushes to the honeymoon suite, and we see Mel and Joe in the set up that should have been the one to actually happen. Elena returns but says she’s leaving quickly for Russia to “help a coworker.” Elena admits maybe she was caught up in the moment, and that the marriage wasn’t meant to be after all. Joe is heartbroken. Mel hides her excitement, but feels genuinely bad for Joe after Elena leaves.
Mel and Joe then share champagne on the plush bed of a honeymoon suite. They clink their glasses and agree the third time’s a charm…but has Joe’s third time been in front of his face all along? Tune in next season to find out.