At least, that’s where I’ve gotten after all of my sleepless nights. But I really do think I’ve hit the nail on the head — Army Wives has started to really focus on the drama of family, ever since Amanda died lo those many episodes ago.
Am I right? We’re currently dealing with Roxy and her kids, Joan and her daughter, Claudia Joy and her health, Denise and her marriage, Pamela and her … um, yeah. Interspersed with this all is some Army to do, but only insofar as it affects the family (Michael being promoted, Trevor taking a job as a recruiter, Joan being deployed, Frank taking a desk job, Chase … um, yeah.)
So, now hold on to your seats: that makes it all okay! Not better, or good, if we’re talking about the quality of the show compared to the first season or two, but it makes me feel better to realize that this isn’t a falloff in quality so much as a change in direction. Phew! I think that actually made me enjoy last night’s episode more.
Now for the bad news. Cliches! A whole mess of them. Roxy’s feeling the upper/lower class struggle of watching Finn in private school; TJ (Toby Jack!) is jealous of his “special” younger brother … way to teach him that he’s athletic while Finn’s smart, Trevor! Totally off our topic for a minute — on The West Wing, Toby names his son Huck…. TJ is Toby, and his brother is Finn. As in, “Huck Finn?” Get it?
Anywho, Abigail’s theory about Claudia Joy bore fruit, as we all learned that she has Type 2 diabetes. I suppose it needed to be something serious, but not fatal, but what does that say about their lack of an interesting plot for Claudia Joy?
Denise made it out okay, but I’m getting the feeling that Jeremy (they call him Shirley in Iraq!) will not be so lucky. What other reason would there be for her being in the car with Claudia Joy and coming out unscathed? And, do all of Denise’s men get injured in theater? Then again, does Shirley really deserve a recurring role on this show after hitting his mother? It’s a point I can’t seem to get off of, because of how unfathomable a thing it is.
Anyone else start racking their brain when Michael referred to “Colonel” Sherwood? I was like, “wait, I know that last name, but who the hell is that?” Go Frank! I was a bit disappointed, though, because I thought that Frank emasculating himself (too extreme?) would at least result in a lot more of him on the show. Is he now going to be like Trevor, always away at this school or that?
Speaking of, when did the recruiter position get decided for Trevor? I don’t recall casting my vote. I mean, I’ve always been impressed by his ability to take this new family completely under his wing, and protect them as his own, but its not good for anyone if he completely loses his own identity in the process. A little goes a long way.
So, to sum up — not better on its face, but I definitely enjoyed the episode more, now that I’ve unearthed the secret … it’s the same, but different. Capiche?
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Aug 24, 2009 @ 17:00 EST5EDT
