What some people focus on regarding Joe Miller [Series 1 and 2 spoilers]

This is kind of going to be a rambling post that is based on my reading of Joe Miller killing Danny.

A lot of the focus was on him meeting Danny in secret and hugging him. The suggestion was that he was a paedophile, and even Ellie focused on that when talking with Alec at the end of S1.

But I think the main focus should actually be on Joe's temper. Clearly what he did with Danny was weird and was a form of grooming. Quite frankly he should have been punished for that on its own. But he never did anything sexual to Danny, and they could easily have ended up stopping with the meetings, moving on and forgetting.

Except for Joe's temper. That is the real concern. Not that he met up with Danny (which for the record I think was not a sexual thing from Joe's perspective), but that he snapped at him and strangled him. The story about his road rage incident while he was a paramedic in S2 backs that up. He had serious anger issues, even if they weren't always apparent.

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but I think Chris Chibnall showed the shades of grey. There were three other examples that show just how close to the line Joe's initial behaviour actually was, and how Alec was right when he said anyone was capable of this:

- Jack Marshall's 'hugs for the boys'

- Beth Latimer hugging Tom because he missed Danny's hugs

- Mark meeting up with Tom in series 2

Again this does not show that what Joe did was in any way normal or acceptable, but it shows there are shades of grey there. He missed Tom's affection, so he hugged Danny, as Jack Marshall and Bath Latimer did on occasion. He met up with him in secret, as Mark did with Tom.

I think what was initially not that weird just sort of spiralled, and then went too far when Joe started showing clear grooming behaviour (guilt tripping Danny into keeping quiet) out of fear perhaps as much as anything, and then his anger issues came to the fore and Danny died.

Anyway like I say, I don't know if it was intentional, but it does show supposedly ordinary characters doing things that in a different light could look a bit weird. The difference is Joe took it wayyyyyyy too far and never looked back.