After finally settling into a really good place story-wise, I’m getting frustrated with the fact that Army Wives seems hell-bent on dragging us, kicking and screaming, to some predetermined point-in-time. After the big six month jump, last night’s episode took place yet another two weeks later, leading us ever closer to the big Afghanistan deployment date, even as the season is only halfway through.
And it’s not just actual time that’s moving quickly, but also the stories themselves. Suddenly Pamela is back on the street as a cop … where was her physical? Where was her weapons recertification? Her background check? Two weeks from interview to squad car? And we citizens are supposed to feel good about how well our police force is being prepared?
We were completely robbed of Jeremy’s reaction to the news that Denise and Frank are expecting a second child. Denise is at least seven months pregnant, and nowhere in that time could the show find a scene for us to watch as Jeremy learns of the news. It’s nice to see him doing for his little baby brother or sister, but did we really not deserve that one scene? Cute idea about the book, but I hope Jeremy didn’t forget the most important page: “All you need to know is … don’t hit Mom.”
Two weeks also brought Claudia Joy from slightly struggling in school to being chosen for an Elle Woods-like assignment at her professor’s law firm. It is impossible that a character as intelligent and worldly as Claudia Joy would accept her professor’s assurance that there was no conflict of interest in her working on a case against Fort Marshall. For her to think for herself would have tanked this little plot (did anyone expect that Michael wouldn’t be supportive to the end?), but it could have propelled her in an entirely new direction that might have had legs. Now we’ll never know.
On the flip side, I can’t believe that Joan and Roland allowed two more weeks to go by without looking into what could be wrong with Joan. And yet over the course of this one episode Joan went from denier to accepting that she needed help? I think this could have been a great story, if it weren’t Joan’s third medical issue since the series began. Now it’s just a whole lot of, “Is this all the writers can think of for her?” Why didn’t we get to see as she built schools across Iraq? What was wrong with that idea?
As frustrating as some of those holes are, the worst thing about where we’ve been dumped is Roxy. I feel for her situation, trying to get pregnant again after the miscarriage. But this is Roxy season one all over again, questioning why Trevor has to be deployed, saying it’s not fair, and generally disregarding why he chose to enlist in the first place. And what in the world was up with Roxy expecting special treatment from Pamela after she was pulled over for speeding?
I have a friend who remembers Sally Pressman (Roxy) from their mutual time at Yale. While I know that Roxy is just a character that Pressman plays, sometimes I can’t help but think of this friend whenever I see Roxy doing something annoying or stupid. The disparity between them at those moments only serves to highlight how frustratingly annoying that old (and apparently new) Roxy was, and how great it was, for a little while anyway, to see how she’d grown up.
If the show must time jump, at least keep everyone moving forward. Because rearview Roxy does not make for a pretty picture.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jun 21, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
