I also really liked BMH as Joey. His initial re-introduction as a handsome mystery man in the first days of February '03 was brilliantly done and made Joey a presence again. Hall was very green but had real soul and pathos and even a bit of authority in his role as a curate and with his family, I felt. He clicked with Melissa, Bree, Erika and Dan Gauthier. It was sticking him in a truly horrible love triangle with Jessica Morris and Joey's cousin (Flash) that screwed him.
I think Malone and Griffith had intended to use bringing Joey (and later Kevin, the cynical, calculating mini-tycoon, his counterpoint) and the girls all back to Viki at once as bringing the show's heart back. But so many of their stories were a disaster.