jojo OVAs really do look bad though, and some episodes are just there to recap previous events

The OVAs were never even fully faithful, though, rearranging and replacing stuff as they pleased. (an oil tanker instead of a road roller? wtf) They're also from over a decade before DavidPro's take on the series.
As for the recaps, yes, there were 3, I believe, during Part 5's airing. But those weren't even actual episodes included in the 39 episode count so it was made pretty clear that they weren't necessary to be watched and existed mostly to give the animators a break so they could complete such a long anime on time and on budget. While I would have loved if they had at the very least included some sort of framing device to make them a little more interesting, like random members of Passione discussing the latest rumors, it's still all pretty minimal mess for such a good finished product. And it's sort of a foregone conclusion that the show itself will finish strong because, well, basically every Part of JoJo's is still really good and finales are one of Araki's biggest strengths.