He's letting Smurf manipulate him. I like that in S2 it's the brothers vs. Smurf. J mostly, I think, is being polite to his uncles and his grandma and says yes to everything they say. He's also obviously still pining over Nicky. She's my least favorite character and I feel like the show is okay without her.
I'm down to the last 4 episodes now.
Wow, I didn't know she directed that ep. I like that ep.