I, for one, didn’t get the most recent episode of Army Wives. While the show has gotten somewhat off of its depressing soap opera track, now we’re left with a whole lot of confusing. What’s the deal?
First of all, I have to go back to my old complaint: Emmalin (Katelyn Pippy). I just don’t know what Claudia Joy’s (Kim Delaney) problem seems to be with disciplining her daughter. While I fully disagree with her decision to stay behind to do what’s best for Emmalin, Claudia Joy still needs to be a parent. Her daughter’s moping, and complaining, about their messed up living situation is just too much.
Yell at her! Fight with her! Make it damn clear that it’s all Emmalin’s fault. Don’t just smile sadly and ask her if she’s got a problem with Chicken Parmesan for dinner. As a result of Claudia Joy’s ineptitude, one of my favorite characters is spending this season on the sidelines. I mean, I’m ecstatic that Michael (Brian McNamara) showed up at the end of the episode, but Claudia Joy can’t hold her breathe until her husband comes home; she needs to be the adult while he’s gone, too.
It’s also completely asinine to pretend that Claudia Joy has completely lost any pull that she once had on base. I understand why the writers have done it, that it throws Claudia Joy for a loop after a long life of privilege and privileges, but it’s also completely disconnected from what reality would be. As the wife of the former commander of the base, and that’s former by a few weeks, she would still have the power to get Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) decent housing, no matter who’s now in charge of that department. I really don’t like when shows do something off-kilter for such a stupid reason.
Roxy (Sally Pressman) and Trevor (Drew Fuller) are fighting hard to become completely useless as far as interest is concerned. Somehow, Roxy still has no concept of what it means to be a soldier in the Army (“Can’t you be a little late?”), and her inability to understand that her husband’s work is a little more significant than a “job” is really starting to grate.
Trevor, for his part, is just a very weak person. Beyond the drug problem, which came and went completely out of nowhere, his near breakdown at the mistake that he made during the live drill shows a man completely lacking in any qualities that would make for a good leader. He deserved to lose his stripes, although not because he was negligent. Rather, he should lose them because he doesn’t deserve to wear them. The Army made a poor judgment call in promoting that weenie.
The only storyline that I continue to hold my breathe for is Denise (Catherine Bell) and Frank’s (Terry Serpico). While I believe that Denise’s actions (the separation as well as the affair) should only result in Frank’s leaving her for good, a large part of me wants them back together, because of how great they are. Because of how authentic they are. Frank may be a hard man to get behind, but once he had me, I was 100% hooked.
And Denise is, well, was, his rock, and a fantastic character for the show, even when she was little more than an extension of her husband. Her new trajectory in life has done nothing but caused her, and Frank, pain, and its clear that, even for drama’s sake, they should have never been tinkered with. The shame of it now is that I’m going to end up judging Frank if he takes her back, as well as if he doesn’t. But, at least, I’m interested in the outcome, either way.
Meanwhile, Roland (Sterling K. Brown) is struggling with a completely fabricated situation that cropped up with no warning. Where was the natural progression to his frustration? And, since when was he still working at the hospital? I don’t recall anything in the past however many episodes that indicated as much. Please, writers, don’t throw him back into something for the sake of a story, without doing the prep work in advance!
For whatever reason, Army Wives has become a show where everything gets thrown against the wall until something sticks; there’s no longer any thought given to whether or not things make sense, whether they’re of interest, or whether they fit in with everything else that we know. All of a sudden Pamela’s desperate for new housing? What?
I’ve begged in the past, and I just can’t do it any more. All I’ll say this time is this: please give us back our show. We miss it.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jun 23, 2009 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
In the season 2 finale Roland was offered a night-shift job at the hospital. Though, you’re right the writers rush stories and then drop them abruptly.
*POST AUTHOR*
Thanks! My wife and I were both totally lost on that one. I have the season two DVD, so will pay attention to catch that. Thanks again!
I hate to say it, but as someone that works on an Air Force base Claudia really would lose a lot of her pull.
The base commander is the boss and can really do whatever he wants. If his wife comes in, it’s just as if he came in. If she needs something, you get it. The old base commander and his wife would still get respect because he still has his rank, but it wouldn’t be like it was. Base commander = boss…old base commander = another guy on base.
*POST AUTHOR*
I certainly am in no position to disagree with you about how things are, in reality, but you kind of made my point, while disagreeing with me.
Sure, Claudia Joy would no longer be seen as an extension of the base commander, but his former position, and current rank (not insignificant, I would think), would afford her a lot more open doors than most. He’s just another BRIGADIER GENERAL on base … not really Pfc level, or treatment.
She shouldn’t get inside scoop on things happening on post, but to not get a favor done for her out of respect? I’ve never been on an Army base, and have no frame of reference for military life, but I know what it’s like to walk into a place where you formally had status, and still get a fair amount of the preferential treatment that you once did. The new girl may not have known who she was, but her new boss would have certainly done all that she could for Brigadier General Holden’s wife.
I grew up on a base and married into the military and is currently in the military myself. Claudia Joy would still have pull if this were reality. That totally blew meon that one.