Joy Darville

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joy Darville
First appearance	Pilot
Information
Gender	Female
Age	30s
Family	Connie Darville (mother) Buzz Darville (father) Liberty (half-sister) (unnamed half-brothers)
Relationships	Earl Hickey (divorced) Darnell Turner (husband)
Children	Dodge, Earl Jr.
Portrayed by	Jaime Pressly
Created by	Greg Garcia

Joy Darville is a fictional character from the TV series My Name Is Earl. She is the ex-wife of the show's protagonist Earl Hickey. She is played by Jaime Pressly, who was nominated for an Emmy for the role in 2006. Joy as a little girl was played by Gigi Goff in two episodes.

[edit] Biography

In 1999, Joy was pregnant and single. She didn't remember much about the father except that he drove a Ford (and therefore named her baby Dodge). In the episode, "Guess Who's Coming Out of Joy" it turns out she met Dodge's father at a Dio concert. She met Earl Hickey at the Crabshack, and seeing him as a good potential husband, she and her friends got him drunk, and drove him to Las Vegas where they married before Earl sobered up. Earl had a girlfriend named Jesse at the time and after she discovered them, a confrontation ended with Joy knocking out Jesse's front teeth.

At some point, Joy began having an affair with Darnell Turner, who worked at the Crabshack, and eventually became pregnant with his child. Although Earl was obviously not the father, the baby was named Earl Jr. Earl even lied to Joy's parents insisting the child was his ( You know how sometimes two black people make an albino baby? is Earl's simple line of explanation. )

In 2005, when Earl was recovering in the hospital from being hit by a car, Joy divorced him and had Darnell move in with her.

Several early episodes showed Joy as a menace to Earl and his quest to gain good karma by completing his list (which she calls "Earl's stupid idiot list") since she believed she was entitled to half his lottery money and was always trying to get it. She even went so far as to attempt to kill Earl with a crossbow, then a handgun after finding a video will Earl made when they were still married in which he left everything he had to her. She only stopped this when he told her he'd changed the will.

She still would find ways to torment Earl at first, however, such as painting "U R an ASS" (sic) on his car, and planning her wedding to Darnell on Earl's birthday and inviting everyone but Earl. Earl (after several beers) decided he didn't want to keep bickering with his ex-wife, saying he wanted to be "the Bruce to her Demi". Unfortunately during his drunken attempt to extend an olive branch at her wedding, he accidentally kicked a soccer ball at her face.

At first, she wasn't interested in Earl's attempts to plan a new wedding, but soon became involved. Unfortunately, working closely led to Earl and Joy sleeping together days before the wedding, which was nearly derailed when Darnell found out, though Earl managed to set things right.

Joy has been portrayed as quite tough, is the first woman in her family to reach her 30's with all her original teeth, and Earl described her as 'a bad example' when talking to a young boy about women. She also was able to beat a fully trained bounty hunter (Earl's ex-girlfriend Jesse) into submission and knock her two front teeth out (big shiny gold ones) again. she learned to fight very well after "watching a lot of Springer". She frequently uses the expression "Oh, snap!"

Recently, her image on the show has softened considerably. She still steals shamelessly as Earl used to, makes fun of Earl's list, and often bickers with Earl's friend Catalina Aruca but she's been shown to genuinely love Darnell and her kids. One particular incident is when an obnoxious couple moves next door in their trailer park, and tosses their trash into the open windows of their home. Joy does nothing since she's taking medication to prevent her rage from acting up. But when an empty beer can hits one of her sons on the head Joy immediately snaps out of it and frightens off her neighbors by politely warning them that when her medication wears off she'll be back to visit them. This, of course, is after she explains why she is on the court-ordered drug and her past history of inflicting pain on others. This inspires the neighbors to immediately move, sensing that Joy may not be the person to anger. She fully appreciates the people around her, even Earl, (though she often hides it behind a front of self-centeredness and calling people "dummy"). She also confessed to Earl that their drunken marriage was arranged by Joy and her friends, rather than an accident.

More recently, Joy's stealing finally caught up with her after she stole a truck full of merchandise (and, as she later found out, a store employee) after they refused to give her a refund on a TV entertainment center she returned. After she was caught, Joy faced a serious prison sentence because this was her third strike. She managed to find a lawyer to take her case (though the lawyer nearly didn't after Joy made fun of her speech due to being deaf).

Joy, after learning pregnant women are more sympathetic to a jury, attempted to come on to both Darnell and Earl, though both refused. During this time she learned she and her former childhood rival Liberty were half-sisters (Liberty was the product of one of Joy's father's many affairs with several African-American women over the years). She later agreed to be a surrogate mother so Liberty and her husband could have a child without interrupting Liberty's promising wrestling career (the story was written to accommodate Jaime Pressley's real-life pregnancy).

Joy operates a nail parlor in her home as a legitimate source of income but she still steals often.

Joy drives a Subaru Brat. In the pilot episode, it was black in color. When it was seen again in Randy's Touchdown, it was seen with an American flag paint job. In the "Bad Karma" Episode included with the Season 1 DVD, it is seen with the American flag paint job.

[edit] Quotes

The character of Joy is often noted for her memorable quotes. For example:

Oh for God's sake, you picked today to stop going in your pants? --To her son's request to go potty, 'Joy's Wedding'

I watch a lot of Springer. --Explaining how she learned to fight so well, 'Bounty Hunter'

Look at that bird up there. How the hell do they stay up there like that? --Admiring nature, 'BB'

Look, not everybody is trying to change the world, Earl. Some of us are just trying to get our fair taste of a waterbed business after our parents kick the bucket. --Expressing some parental love, 'White Lie Christmas'

Oh, yeah, give it to me, Earl. Give it to me like you gave it to those terrorists. --Trying to fool her parents into thinking she and Earl are still married, 'White Lie Christmas'

Hey! What are you doing with my french fries? Spit 'em out! Spit 'em out! --Thwarting a french fry thief, 'Stole a Badge'

Oh, snap!

You know they say mosquitoes in Africa kill people. Can you imagine the size those things gotta be? --Just making conversation, 'Very Bad Things'

Dammit! Who left Jesus and his buddies down here? --Tripped over 'The Last Supper,' 'BB'

Yeah but I like this one because it's lined, so I don't have to wear panties, it's perfect. --Picking out her wedding dress, 'Joy's Wedding'

There better be some of that beer left for Christmas mornin'. --Spreading a little cheer on Christmas Eve, 'White Lie Christmas'

OK, do it again and I'm gonna bump those boobie implants of yours, make you fly around this bar like a loose balloon. --Playing pool with a cheater, 'Very Bad Things'

I mean, just because the car is stuck in reverse don't mean the kids don't have to go to school. --Explaining why she got a traffic ticket, 'Bounty Hunter'

Yeah, unfortunately that was my fault, 'cuz when he heard us having sex, I told him I was fighting off the wolf man...unfortunately he got brave one time and walked in trying to save me and saw there was no wolf man. Just Darnell plowing me. --Explaining why her son was afraid of the dark, 'Boogeyman'

Whew. This thing's making me sweat like a whore in church. No offense, Patty. --To a bridesmaid, 'Joy's Wedding'

I like you. If I could ever get used to staring at that thing on your face, we could hang out. --To a work buddy, 'Very Bad Things'

I hope you get nut cancer, you son of a bitch. --To Earl, 'Joy's Wedding'

Every time I walk out of my front door I win a beauty contest. --To Earl, 'Broke Joy's Fancy Figurine'

Hey! What the hell are you doin' towing a car with the American flag on it? What are you, part Taliban? --Outraged at the tow truck operator, 'Stole a Badge'

Now I got everybody smalls, but remember there's free refills, so small is really a large with a little extra walkin. --To the guests of her wedding rehearsal lunch, 'Joy's Wedding'

It was a date. But not all dates are good ones, Honey. Sometimes it ends up with your sweetie doing a black man in the bathroom. --Letting him down gently, 'Something to Live For'

Shh. I'm tryin' to make a mix tape for the weddin'. I'm waitin' for them to play my request. --Listening to the radio, 'Joy's Wedding'

Guess who doesn't have to move into the shelter with you anymore. My baby's got a daddy! --Just married Earl, 'Bounty Hunter'

Ooh, y'all, they got real cheese! --Stealing from a rich man's refrigerator, 'Boogeyman'

If you're looking for a reasonably priced manicure that's gentle enough for a woman but man enough for a half-fruit, call Joy's Nails. We're in the book. --Advertising her business, 'Boogeyman'

My Name Is Earl

Karma • The List • Episodes

Characters

Earl Hickey • Randy Hickey • Joy Darville • Catalina Aruca • Darnell Turner • Minor characters