I don't agree with the assertion that Joe's bisexuality is a plot device, or a cheap ploy. A common statement seems to be "Every time it comes up, it's a contrivance, or suspiciously convenient!" The message I get from that is that Joe must Do Something Bisexual in every episode in order to Be Bisexual in every…

Joe might be trying to coerce Gordon into being his friend again, but not out of true malice, I think. He really just doesn't know any other way to make amends. He absolutely sees Ryan as his shiny new human connection though. It will definitely crash and burn.

This is more or less what I came here to post. Joe's actions don't bug me as much as season 1 because there's no attempt to humanize him in the slightest. Joe, himself, is not interested in being humanized. His speech at the Castro about being safe was a…statement of purpose for his new (renewed?) approach to life as…

Yep. For a few moments there I was sure that Gordon was about to take Joe up on his offer. Equally, while it was obvious what Joe's intent was, something in Lee Pace's performance made it clear that if Gordon had said yes, Joe would have been quite pleased. Thrown for a loop, yeah, but pleased.