Joel Claybrook

Joel Brian Claybrook is a caveman and one of the three main characters in Cavemen, appearing in every episode. He lives in San Diego, California with his younger brother Andy and best friend Nick.

History
Very little is known about Joel's early history. He is presumed to have been born and grown up in the same caveman enclave as Andy and Nick (who mentions in "Her Embarrassed of Caveman" that San Diego "isn't like home, where everybody's like us"). However, the location of this hometown is never stated. Joel owns a shirt from the Children's School of Science, a Woods Hole, Massachusetts summer school catering to children ages 8–16.

Joel and Andy's parents are only occasionally mentioned; however, they do keep in touch with their mother Rose by phone ("Caveman Holiday"); their father apparently has his own business ("Nick Jerk, Andy Work"). Joel and Andy also have relatives at the enclave in Kelseyville, California ("Andy the Stand-Up").

Joel met Nick during the 7th grade near a tire swing at a swimming hole, likely back in their hometown. During the 8th grade, Joel dated a girl named Tammy Grassly; from her description as having eyebrows which "connected with her sideburns", it is likely she was a cavewoman, though ugly by caveman standards, according to Andy and Nick ("Her Embarrassed of Caveman").

Joel also has a brother named Jamie, who only appeared in the pilot.

Joel has long desired to be a singer, recalling his time in high school practicing for the school production of The Pirates of Penzance, in which he wasn't cast as he was too afraid to audition. In "Andy the Stand-Up," Joel finally finds the courage to sing, performing Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" on open mic night to a rousing reception.

Character arc
Though Joel first appeared in the unaired pilot, this episode is not canonical and so, the first episode proper "Her Embarrassed of Caveman" should be considered his true introduction. In this episode, Joel is shown to have just entered into a relationship with the Homo sapiens Kate McKinney. Throughout the series, Joel and Kate have a sometimes-troubled relationship. In the first episode, their relationship faces opposition from Nick, who doesn't believe in interspecial dating. In "The Cavewoman," an attractive cavewoman yogurt bar worker named Heather comes between them; first when Joel fails to adequately defend Kate from her specist insults and later, after Kate and Heather become friends, when Joel unknowingly calls her new friend a freak.

Their budding relationship is strained again when Nick's behavior alienates Kate, leading her to stop visiting Joel's apartment and forcing him to essentially move in with her and her roommate Thorne ("Nick Jerk, Andy Work"). Joel is rendered uncomfortable by Kate's girly, form-over-function apartment and is glad when Nick apologizes to Kate and he is able to return home. However, in the following episode "Nick Sick," Kate begins to avoid Joel, wanting time to "think about stuff". Finally, Kate decides she needs to talk to Joel after he visits her apartment and she hides from him and feels guilty when she learns that Joel is in hospital undergoing major surgery (in fact, Nick was the one in hospital and was using Joel's insurance as he had none). Hurt that it apparently took his hospitalization to get her to stop avoiding him, Joel breaks up with Kate.

In "Cave Kid," he takes an attraction to his co-worker Tracy (a Homo sapiens), who is impressed when he takes on the task of mentoring his sapien neighbors' adopted caveman son, Rockwell. Seeing her approval, Joel plays up his attachment to the young caveman, but Rocky's increasing distance from Joel as he grows closer to Nick makes it difficult for him to get close to her. Eventually, Joel takes the exteme measure of taking Rocky to a Hooters-style restaurant to regain his affection, where the boy's adoptive father finds them and bans his son from spending time with Joel, seeing him as a bad influence.

In his professional life, Joel begins the series as "vice skiftadirektör" at Nörskbild, a supervisory role which gives him the responsibility of training new workers, as well as authority to tell others what to do ("Cave Kid") and fire Nörskbild employees ("Nick Get Job"). Though Joel is responsible and hard-working, in "The Shaver," he is deeply disappointed when passed over for a promotion to "senior vice skiftadirektör" and becomes enamoured of the teachings of a networking buff, which allows him to become a better salesman by "selling himself" at the expense of his pleasant and friendly demeanor. He soon disregards these practices when he realizes their most successful lecturer is unpleasant and specist and is finally promoted to "skiftadirektör" in "Hunters & Gatherers." While Joel usually displays a diligent attitude toward his work, he has been known to neglect his duties to spend time with Kate.

Pilot
In the non-canon pilot, Joel, living in Atlanta, Georgia, is already engaged to Kate and is trying to gain her father's approval to marry his daughter.

ABC biography
The following is Joel's bio from ABC's (now defunct) official Cavemen website.

COLLEGE Carnegie Mellon University

MAJORED IN Marketing

CURRENT ACTIVITIES Beating Nick's ass in squash, working out, cleaning, playing Jenga, building houses made of cards, recycling

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT When I'm with Nick

CURRENTLY READING Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.

ON MY IPOD'S MOST PLAYED LIST Theme from Rocky, "Agnus Dei" (Luciano Pavarotti and Friends), "Rosanna" by Toto

NEW FAVORITE MOVIE The Bourne Ultimatum

PERSON I MOST ADMIRE Bill Gates

FAVORITE QUOTE "You're only limited by your inspiration, perspiration and desire" Anonymous

TURN ONS Art, The Wall Street Journal, work, blondes, soap

TURN OFFS Slobs, laziness, lack of ambition, excuses, unannounced visitors, double sided tape, Tofu

CURRENT FAVORITE WEBSITE Norksbild intranet