Tuesday, July 28, 2009

'Army Wives:' Post and Prejudice

*Warning: Spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives*

Haneen was used by Claudia Joy as a pawn in a Fort Marshall power struggle. A cash strapped spouse had a 'surprise' appliance party. Joan kicked the butt of a lying cheater.

Haneen Used as Pawn

So I was wrong about the bonds being forged between Claudia Joy and Haneen. (I suggested in my previous Army Wives post that maybe the writers were laying the groundwork for an adoption.) Last week, it felt very much like the writers were leaning toward having Haneen become a member of the Holden clan, someone whose physical wounds Claudia Joy could dress, seeing that she feels like she can't help Emmalin's emotional wounds. Haneen was someone with whom Emmalin could bond (they seem to have become kinda tight). Plus, it had been made to look as though Haneen had no family left following the bomb blast.

Alas, the writers went in another direction. Suddenly, there was mention of Haneen having family in Iraq after all but that they couldn't afford to pay for her continued, post-surgical physical therapy. Haneen, at least in this latest episode, seemed like a mere device to move the plot forward so she could serve as a pawn which Claudia Joy used to assert her control and influence over the spouses at Fort Marshall. It was a shame to see the issue -- the potentially fatal consequences for families of Iraqi interpreters who help US soldiers -- simply serve as a sideshow for an internal post power play.

'Surprise' Appliance Party

The sex toy party could've been better executed. On paper, having a short-on-cash Army spouse -- particularly a shy one who eschews make-up and flashy Roxy-like clothing -- become a sales rep for a "marital aide" company could've been much, much funnier. Did the nature of the products being sold really have to be a surprise to the attendees who thought they were there to buy kitchen appliances? That seemed completely unnecessary. Years ago I attended a suburban party like this, filled with moms who had young kids -- where everyone knew in advance what the hostess would be selling -- and there was ample humor and loads of amusing awkward moments. The writers blew this potentially funny twist.

(One random question that bugged me: Why didn't Roxy toss out the edible underwear that the dog had partially eaten? Why was it left lying around? That puzzled me.)



Joan Kicked Butt

The best part of this otherwise dull Army Wives installment was Joan figuring out that the snake-like Evan had planted a mole on her team. She created a delicious plan to humiliate him during the War Games exercises, which beautifully concluded with Evan's "death" and having to be told by Frank to play along and pretend to be dead. Best moment of the hour.

I was pretty lukewarm about this episode, felt like the writers were asleep this week. What were your reactions to "Post and Prejudice?"

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haneen used as a pawn? Haneen's relatives were mentioned when that psych. asked Roland to help him get the operation for her (when the door was opened to show she had already arrived he told Roland that the aunt could not get a visa in time to come to the U.S. with Haneen -- that was why his relative had to bring her over).

So CJ was thinking about Jennifer and not Haneen? I don't think so. Jennifer unexpectedly wanted a vote (she was using the Haneen issue as a power struggle). After Major Pearl(?) spoke there was no way she could ask for a vote. (Also, if you watch the Haneen episode(s) again, Haneen felt unsafe telling the real story to CJ, so there was no way she told the whole story -- of the way her family was murdered -- to the FRG. When she spoke to the group, they (including Jennifer) did not get the details. They did get a sense of what Haneen's father sacrificed through Maj. Pearl's account of his friend Reeza's(?) sacrifice.

Who knows in the future, I hope Haneen will return. If you like the show, keep watching to see if she will return. I love the show. I like the character Haneen, too. She would be a nice addition to the Holden family.

Also, why would Roxy throw out the fruity drawers? She has complained endlessly about Lucky and now was another chance to show how much extra work (and what an inconvenience) Lucky is for her. Trevor got to see what he missed because of Lucky.

Finally, would Roland have attended if he had been told what was being sold at the party? Heck no. Half the fun was seeing his reaction. Also, he would never have won the door prize and given Joan that surprise at the end of the episode.

Meredith said...

Thanks for weighing in. I like having folks post a variety of opinions on the show(s). Keeps things interesting and me on my toes.

On Roxy leaving the "fruity drawers" (great nickname) for Trevor to see what he missed out on because of Lucky was something I hadn't thought of.

On Haneen, I must've missed the "can't get a Visa" line early on during Roland's original consult. I was kind of hoping that she'd stick around.

Anonymous said...

I was hoping Haneen was going to stick around, too. She really made the Holden house upbeat again (even if she was going through something terrible). Emmalin seemed to be like her old self in the role of big sister (she was so sweet to Haneen). Maybe they will bring Haneen back in the future. (Perhaps next season they could do it without any harm coming to her relatives by just saying that she needs more surgery and her aunt wants her to remain in a safe place). Thanks for reading and responding to my comment. I look forward to your next post.

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