With only three episodes left in Joe Pickett Season 2, it's high time we took a magnifying glass to the Western mystery's superb sophomore outing. Wide Open Country sat down with Michael Dorman and Julianna Guill, who play Joe and Marybeth Pickett, to talk all things Joe Pickett Season 2. The stars dished on developing their strained, but undeniable onscreen bond in the wake of last season's loss. Plus, Dorman and Guill offered some behind-the-scenes details about their impromptu Episode 1 duet, as well as one near-catastrophic horseback ride. Never a dull moment in Saddlestring, eh? As for how the season will end, well, Michael Dorman and Julianna Guill are still getting over their shock at the upcoming finale: "We didn't see it coming."
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Why Joe and Marybeth Are on "Separate Journeys"
Michael Dorman and Julianna Guill as Joe and Marybeth Pickett. (Paramount+)
Joe Pickett Season 2 picks up a year after the events of the brutal Season 1 finale, when Marybeth was shot and lost her unborn son as a result. Usually in lock-step, a grieving Joe and Marybeth are on "separate journeys" this season, says Guill.
"There's a loneliness for Marybeth at the beginning of the season. She's feeling at capacity for walking this grief path alone and is searching for that connection with her partner, and desperately wanting Joe to join her and not being able to find a way to pull him back."
Dorman adds: "You know, you don't notice Joe in the home in the first couple of episodes. You just don't see him in there. It was an interesting thing that we discussed — that he's not allowed in the home at this point. He doesn't feel at home in the home because he's not at home in himself."
Filming That Somber Episode 1 Duet
(Paramount+)
Despite their painful disconnect, viewers were treated to a touching duet in Episode 1, when Joe and Marybeth spontaneously sing Cat Clyde and Jeremie Albino's "Been Worryin'." Dorman and Guill filmed the scene off-the-cuff, without rehearsing. Of course, both actors are musically gifted: You can hear Dorman singing a lullaby on the Joe Pickett soundtrack. For her part, Guill and her actress pals Alison Brie (GLOW) and Cyrina Fiallo (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) make up the singing group The Girls.
The pair described the bizarre experience of singing in their characters' voices, as opposed to their own well-trained instruments. "We have voices that are different than Joe and Marybeth. How do Joe and Marybeth sing? How do they come together? Like, is it perfect? Is it a little disjointed?" Dorman recalls of filming the scene.
Besides, the usually upbeat tune was given more morose shades in Joe and Marybeth's a cappella rendition. Filming the song was a deeply emotional experience, reflective of the characters' headspace this season:
"Death came to their door and it came not once, but twice — three times, really," Guill says, recalling last season's losses and close calls. "I really came into this season from her perspective of, the innocence is gone. If it was there, it's not there anymore."
A Horseback Ride Gone Wrong
(David Brown/Paramount+)
Joe Pickett's dark subject matter aside, Dorman and Guill are buoyant personalities in real life. They kid each other constantly, and quite literally finish each other's sentences. As a producer on the series, Dorman's priority is first and foremost creating a pleasant environment on set: "For me, it's about making it a fun space. Then, if you have to put out a fire, put the fire out."
That attitude has plainly gotten the actor through some physically and emotionally challenging shoots. He recounts one "harrowing" scene on horseback with cool, self-deprecating humor.
"The way I describe my horsemanship is, uh, stapling your jeans to the saddle," he jokes, describing the high-speed run through the forest as only an adrenaline junkie would: "The horses were doing the wrong thing. There were a couple of miles that were pretty scary. And when we finished the run, I just remember thinking, 'I want to get one of these.' (Laughs.) I want to get a horse. This is amazing."
Guill has nothing but praise for her glass-half-full co-star, who she says embodies gratitude every day on set. "As we say, he's a great number-one. He walks in, he sets the tone for a day of work that is family-oriented and enjoyable, and honors the material that people have worked so hard on."
What to Expect in the Season 2 Finale
(Paramount+)
Family seems to be a recurring theme on and off set. Both Dorman and Guill have children, and they've incorporated their own approach to parenthood in their characters. Plus, Joe Pickett's most devoted admirer just so happens to be Guill's mother, who's also a fan of best-selling author C.J. Box's expansive Joe Pickett book series on which the show is based.
"My mom is our biggest fan, and that will never change," says Guill. "She has read every book. She just loves this world and she loves watching her daughter get to play a role that is so fulfilling."
She's careful not to spoil the Season 2 finale for mom, but Guill ventures a few hints — like the fact that she and Dorman were both "shocked and elated" after reading the Episode 10 script for the first time: "We didn't see it coming."
Dorman goes a step further, adding that fans can expect a "big bang" in the finale. All key characters will converge, much as they did in the epic and brutal Season 1 conclusion.
"It's the crescendo of the symphony, where all the players come back and everything is exploding," he says. "The writers did a really great job of doing that again, where they create that tension and you're not sure exactly what's gonna happen. It's like this big bang. Expect that, and more."
New episodes of Joe Pickett stream Sundays on Paramount+
