Notes on Pop Culture: Two Seasons of 'Breaking Bad,' 'Rescue Me' Battles Alcoholism & Army Mom Goes AWOL

Breaking Bad’s First Two Seasons

CliqueClack TV, a blog to which I contribute, has this nifty little feature called the “Virgin Diaries” where the site’s writers watch a TV series for the first time and write about it, giving readers who are already fans of the show the chance to re-live the show from the beginning.

In the past few weeks I've been writing about AMC’s Breaking Bad, the drama where Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston plays anti-hero Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who’s diagnosed with lung cancer and starts cooking meth so that when he dies, he’ll leave some significant money behind for his pregnant wife and their 15-year-old son with cerebral palsy, as well as trying to make sure that the cost of his cancer treatments doesn't drive the family into bankruptcy.

The cancer, coupled with the drug making (he's a whiz at making pure crystal meth) awakens something dormant within Walt -- chiefly his confidence -- and he blossoms, going from a timid teacher (who had done Nobel Prize-worthy work in graduate school) to a cut-throat drug manufacturer.

My review of the complete first, seven-episode season is here, followed by my take on the first part of season two as well as the remainder of Breaking Bad’s sophomore season.

I was riveted by the first season while watching Walt transform, but I didn't find the second season as compelling as the first. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, it was just . . . different, more depressing, as Walt’s personal life fell to pieces as he learned the ropes of the meth business and his partner coped with tragedies and struggled with his own appetite for drugs.

Rescue Me Battles Alcoholism

Speaking of depressing . . . the past two weeks of Rescue Me have featured the intense fear that Tommy Gavin’s daughter Colleen – who’s a raging alcoholic like her father – had died after going on a bender with Tommy (I was convinced that she was going to be found dead by the end of last week's episode), to this week's episode, where Tommy claimed he’s off the juice again and tried to drive demonic spirits out of his daughter by forcefully baptizing/exorcising her by plunging her face into a baptismal font which Tommy had filled with a priest’s stash of booze.

I can’t decide whether the show is going to try to sink Tommy to even lower depths – I don’t think he’s reached “rock bottom” yet, whatever one might call “rock bottom” – in his and his troubled family’s battle with alcohol, or whether it'll spend the remainder of the time trying to have Tommy climb his way out of the hole he's in. I also can't figure out where the writers are headed, and that's, I think, a good thing.

Army Wives and AWOL Moms

Recently Army Wives took on the thorny issue of what to do when a single parent is supposed to deploy overseas and his or her childcare arrangements fall through. Based on a true story of an Army cook who was threatened with court martial for failing to report for duty to go overseas after her mother backed out of taking care of her 10-month-old son, Army Wives tugged at the heartstrings, asking the question of whether this fictional AWOL Army mom should’ve been loyal to her job or to her child.

My column on moms in the military -- both on the Lifetime drama and what's gone on in the real Army -- was posted on Mommy Tracked this week.

Image credit: AMC.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Rescue Me's' Dysfunctional Premiere, FNL's Toilet Bowl & the Army Wives Turned into Working Moms

Rescue Me's Dysfunctional Premiere

The headline for my review of the season six opener of Rescue Me over on CliqueClack TV is: “Rescue Me’s premiere elevated family dysfunction to new heights.” That about sums it up.

As I watched the episode unfold, I absolutely could not believe the antics of the Gavin family. From Uncle Teddy showing up at the bar where he’d shot his nephew four weeks prior as though it was no big deal, Eddy exploiting Tommy’s shooting as a great business/PR move (asking Tommy to lie down in between the chalk outline of his body from where he’d been bleeding on the bar room floor), Janet intentionally poking Tommy in the spot of his gunshot wound, the wild ride Mickey gave Tommy from the hospital, to the boozing Colleen Gavin, I came to the conclusion that there’s something wrong with the Gavin gene pool.

FNL’s Toilet Bowl



Loved the threads touched upon in the most recent episode of Friday Night Lights, "Toilet Bowl:" Julie feared disappointing her mother and failing to live up to her expectations when it came to college. (Julie was less than enthused about her visit to Boston with Tami, who acted as though she'd been added to the Boston College public relations payroll.)

Landry and Jess moved forward with their adorable, awkward budding romance, although it seems as though Vince is still carrying around a piece of Jess’ heart in his back pocket. Luke started turning into a Nurse Jackie/Dr. House drug addict, going through pain medication at such a rapid clip that he had to resort to getting the name of a less than honest doctor in order to score another prescription because the pain in his hip from that ranch accident is still intense.

The two biggest stories of the week: Tim Riggins found his own field of dreams and, after realizing he’s in no position, financially to buy it, figured it'd be worth it to join Billy in an ill-advised, illegal after hours chop shop operation at Riggins Rigs in order to raise the cash to become a property owner. Bad. Move.

And finally, the lowly East Dillon Lions netted their first victory. Huzzah for the Lions.

Have I said lately that I’m particularly enjoying this fourth season of FNL? Seriously.

Army Wives Turned into Working Moms

My pop culture and politics column over on Mommy Tracked this week traced the evolution of the wives on Lifetime’s Army Wives from season one, when only Joan and Roxy had jobs outside the home, to the current season, where all of them are employed, with the exception of Claudia Joy who’s going back to school to complete the law degree she abandoned when she married Michael.

I think Claudia Joy’s transformation from being the helpful, party-throwing, consummate volunteer wife to working alongside her law professor on a case against Fort Marshall has been the most dramatic, followed by EMT Denise and “rookie” cop Pamela Moran, who’s freshly divorced and once again pursuing her career.

Notes on Pop Culture: 'Mad Men' Season 4 Premiere (End in '12?), Catching Up on '24,' 'Parenthood' Renewed & More

Random notes on pop culture this week (also known as school vacation week in my house, when the three offspring wreak havoc with the schedule) . . .

Mad Men: I've already programmed Sunday, July 25 at 10 p.m. into my BlackBerry as the premiere date for the fourth season of Mad Men, one of my all-time favorite dramas which, according to a New York Post report, may end after its sixth season in 2012. Quelle horreur. (Currently, I'm in the midst of watching the season three DVD set and remembering how very grand it was. Just finished watching "Souvenir" the other night.)

24: The Spouse and I were dreadfully behind on 24. We watched three hours of it last night and we're still one hour behind. As for the twists and turns during the past couple of hours -- which have definitely improved I must add: I still hate Dana/Jenny and wish she'd been the one who'd been shot instead of Renee; I wonder if Chloe will still snarl as much now that he-who-needs-to-stand-up-straight has left the building and I'd like to know why it seems as though the Russians are almost always evil puppeteers on this show.

Parenthood: I wrote a column, published on Mommy Tracked this week, examining how the freshman drama Parenthood has spent some time developing a working mom character – a workaholic mom is jealous of her at-home husband whose company is preferred by their young daughter -- but not as much time on the at-home mom character. Until a recent episode. The teenaged daughter of the at-home mom looked down her nose at her mother for having left the workforce in order to raise children and ridiculed what her mother did as frivolous. Parenthood should have a whole bunch of time to delve really deeply into modern motherhood as represented by these two archetypes given that it was just got the green light for a second season.

TV Actors Who Make You Forget Their Old Big Roles: Speaking of Parenthood . . . my latest CliqueClack TV post addresses how when I watch Lauren Graham on Parenthood, I’m still thinking about Lorelai Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls and it's been bugging me. Yet when I see Peter Krause in Parenthood, his Nate Fisher character from Six Feet Under doesn’t come to mind. The post asks: Which currently appearing TV actors have been successful in getting viewers to forget their previous, famous roles when they take on a new one on a new TV show?

Two current success stories I mentioned: Matthew Fox, who was once Charlie Salinger on Party of Five and is now Jack Shephard on Lost and Kim Delaney who was once Det. Diane Russell on NYPD Blue and is now Claudia Joy Holden, the general's wife, on Army Wives.

Army Wives: While we're talking Army Wives, I'm one episode behind but wrote a column about the season premiere over on Mommy Tracked and how the writers have taken an Army wife mom of two -- who once lectured fellow Army wives that they’d better just get used to coming in second behind their husband’s military career and quit complaining -- getting sick of coming in second and demanding that her husband leave the armed services.

I’ve been reading: I’ve been horrifically behind in my reading for my book club. (The last book I read all the way through BEFORE my book club met was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which was awesome by the way. I highly recommend it.) I just finished reading Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors, even though it was the book which the club discussed two weeks ago. (Once I got about 40 pages into it, I felt as though its momentum took off and made me keep reading it.) Now I’m reading my daughter’s Twilight: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 (greatly admire the illustrations) while I wait for my next book club book, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks to arrive. I’m determined to read it in time for the book club.

Image credit: Carin Baer/AMC.

'Army Wives' Season Finale: Fields of Fire

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the Army Wives season finale*


Y’all knew it’d end this way, with lives hangin’ in the balance. Clearly we knew that Jeremy’s future was precarious, Lifetime has been showing that scene of Jeremy staring at the service revolver for weeks. The health and future of Pamela and Chase’s marriage was likewise obviously precarious as the once truth-telling radio talk show host who lectured others about simply dealing with being an Army wife didn’t like it when her own reality turned messy. But did the finale have to have TWO characters potentially be (though not likely) dead?

This is why I’m not a fan of season finales. They artificially juice up the action and drama just to leave off on some big cliffhanger (or cliffhangers, as the case may be), which, nine times out of 10, get quickly resolved by the beginning of the next season. And if you pull the dead character card one too many times, viewers become jaded.

At the conclusion of Army Wives’ first season, it was the Holden’s oldest daughter Amanda who was shockingly and abruptly killed. At the conclusion of the second season, the Holdens were suddenly packing up and moving to Europe so Michael could serve in NATO, which caused their youngest daughter Emmalin to freak out and run away with a soldier to get married, while, at the same time, the Sherwood’s marriage seemed headed toward divorce.

When the third season concluded, the stakes apparently had to be raised exponentially. Not only is one marriage on the precipice of divorce (the Morans'), but two, count ‘em, TWO lives may have been lost, Jeremy’s by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Joan’s at the hands of a terrorist in Iraq as she was bravely trying to save her injured colleague. While it’s true that Jeremy was grieving the loss of his best friend in Iraq and wasn’t really getting any official psychological help from the Army, writers didn’t have to imply that, due to his post-traumatic stress, he committed suicide. They also didn’t have to suggest that the mother of a baby – who was shown in a pre-taped video reading Guess How Much I Love You to her infant daughter interspersed with footage from Iraq – was killed in action. AND then add to that Chase coming home to an empty house and what appears to be Pamela’s empty closet. Did they have to have all three happen at once?
 
Each issue is an important one to explore: Emotional estrangement from one’s family after sustaining a trauma in battle, survivor guilt when a combat buddy dies and mothers of babies serving in combat. They are all worthy of the inevitable discussions spawned by a dramatization on Army Wives, but seriously, all simultaneously on one episode? That just irks me, particularly when Army Wives has a habit of resolving issues too quickly, with the exception of Amanda’s death. If they’re going to do justice to these three subjects, I sincerely hope that they don’t just dispense with them in episodes one and two of their fourth season next year and move on.
 
As for the rest of the finale: Roxy’s pregnant with baby number three and her assistant Viola with the touch of gold has left The Hump Bar for the world of music. Michael Holden became a two-star general and there was precious little discussion of the specter of Fort Marshall perhaps closing. (Base closings are another important issue facing military families and communities which have sprung up around them, particularly in this economy, one in which I’d hope the writers, in season four, will sink their teeth into.) And Roland was left cleaning up the mess after the mysterious disappearance of his business partner, who’s wanted by authorities and goes by an alias. Work messes are going to be the last thing on Roland’s mind when the show returns next year.


What’d you think of the finale? Too much or just right?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Fire in the Hole

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives.*


They kept it light in the second to last episode of the Army Wives’ third season by giving a lot of time to the central quartet of Army wives playing in a charitable golf tournament and letting them play off of one another with aplomb. Who knew that Denise was such a serious duffer, who was distinctly Type-A when it comes to the links? I would’ve pegged Claudia Joy as the super-serious golfer, not Denise. To pair Denise with the golfing rookie Roxy, wearing her “I Have Crabs” T-shirt from her sponsor, was good TV, especially when Roxy sped passed another woman with a golf cart as if there were a fast lane.

The lightness of the golfing adventure took the edge off of Jeremy’s desperate, despondent behavior, the drinking, the bar fight busting up The Hump Bar and having to lose his dog Lucky (who he believes saved his life in combat) a second time so closely on the heels of losing his best friend in Iraq a week before they were supposed to arrive home. Previews keep showing Jeremy with a gun.

Meanwhile, Pamela’s anger toward Chase is darkly simmering (“The man I married, he could be a real jerk sometimes but he’d never look at me in the eye and lie. He’s changed.”) and I expect that, in combination with Jeremy’s increasingly agitated state, that next week’s season finale will feature fireworks in the Moran and Sherwood households.

On top of those family crises, another grenade tossed into the mix was the prospect of Fort Marshall being closed down in a Pentagon move to save some cash. Everybody who thinks Fort Marshall’s really going to be closed, raise your hands. Okay, seeing none, I’m movin’ on . . .


Roland was handed the entire therapeutical practice when his partner skedaddled out of town, fearing that their wrongful arrest when they were helping a patient strung out on drugs, would lead to his arrest. For something, some outstanding charges which went unnamed. When Roland pressed for more info, his partner threatened to physically run through him. Like Roland needs more pressure what with a baby at home and his wife serving in Iraq.

Next week’s the season finale, any predictions?

Image credit: Lifetime.

‘Army Wives’ Monday: Shrapnel and Alibis

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives.*
Pamela and Chase fought. Roland didn’t tell the now-deployed Joan that Sarah Elizabeth was in the hospital with pneumonia. Roxy and Trevor clashed over his work.

Pamela and Chase Fought

So about this “helicopter mishap,” as Chase likes to call it, Chase isn’t going to tell Pamela what happened when he was captured and tortured after the chopper crashed. He just wants to slap some whitewash on everything – the scars down his back, the bruises, the broken bones, the crutches he needs to use – and tell his wife that everything’s fine and he doesn’t need her help.

In the meantime, he’s lying to her about where he’s going at night with his buddies and skipping out on family time, leaving his wife with all the responsibility. And Pamela, the former cop who once lectured Army wives on her old radio show about having to come to terms with the fact that the Army comes first in their spouses’ lives, blew her top:

“You come home, something terrible happens to you and you lie to me about it and then you act like it’s nothing. I don’t know what to do with that. Then you’re goin’ on about Delta being the best of the best . . . It’s freaking me out because I think you like it like that. You can’t tell the little woman anything because she’s not in the big boys’ club. I’m your wife, Chase, and you actually think that I wouldn’t understand.”

When Pamela caught him in a lie, Chase never apologized for it, just pushed the blame back onto Pamela (a la Don Draper) because she had the nerve to ask questions. Apparently a wife asking a husband what’s wrong with him is considered obtrusive and controlling.


Roland Kept Mum About Sick Baby

Was it wrong for Roland to not tell the newly-deployed Joan that their baby daughter came down with a 105 temperature and had to be rushed to the hospital? Should he have told Joan that Sarah Elizabeth was kept overnight in the hospital after she was diagnosed with pneumonia?

Michael thought Roland should’ve kept Joan in the loop and was shocked when Claudia Joy told him that he hadn’t. “We have the right to protect our soldiers from distractions,” Claudia Joy said, telling him that that’s what the left-behind spouses do, withhold information which’ll just worry the soldier.

How could Roland tell Joan, knowing how hard it was for Joan to leave her “little angel?” I think that Roland made the right choice. He’s going to have to get used to doing a whole heck of a lot more of this independent parenting decision-making, without checking in with Joan.

Roxy and Trevor Clashed Over Work

Yes, Roxy knows she should feel lucky that Trevor’s working stateside trying to find new Army recruits and that he’s not over in Iraq, getting shot at. But his new job isn’t always as family friendly as she thought it would be.


Trevor had to repeatedly miss out on family events and -- unlike with Chase who did so because he wanted to go hang with his Delta buddies – Trevor did so to help a new, promising recruit overcome a large number of obstacles, like having to take care of her niece and nephew when her sister, their mother, ODed. After he got her through the enlistment process, Trevor got his first taste of recruiting success. But if he keeps getting so personally involved in all his recruits, Roxy will start to grow tired of the recruiting business.

What’d you think of “Shrapnel and Alibis?”

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday, er, Tuesday: As Time Goes By

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

I’m all for taking a show and putting a new, unexpected twist on it. But if you’re going to be moving viewers out of their normal comfort zones or employing a technique not usually used on the show, you’ve got to make sure it’s executed well. If you’re thinking about having your show’s characters, say, go back in time, maybe have them play people from another era, there should be a reason for it, shouldn’t there, maybe to progress the overall series plot a little?

An example of this done well was the season two premiere of thirtysomething, “We’ll Meet Again.” Hope and Michael were debating whether and when to try to have another baby while Hope was mulling whether/when she should return to work and how a second baby would factor into that. While working on a piece about household Radon levels for an environmental magazine, Hope discovered a trunk filled with photos, letters and a journal, kept by her home’s previous owner. She became obsessed with the love story between a young woman, who had lived in the house with her family, and a soldier with whom she met, fell in love with and married, in short order, before he went to serve in World War II. Hope read in the journal that the woman had a miscarriage not too long after finding out that her husband had been declared MIA. Once the husband returned, they planted roses in the backyard, which were still thriving.The poignant flashbacks to the World War II era featured other actors -- not actors from thirtysomething -- and were linked to Hope and Michael’s current situation, as the stories intertwined beautifully at the end of the episode.


This is my long-winded way of saying that while I laud the effort and notion of having a show about Army spouses pay tribute to the Greatest Generation, Army Wives could’ve done a much better job at folding the tales of the Fort Marshall World War II Army spouses into the episode. Despite the great costumes and music, "As Time Goes By" felt, to put it bluntly, ham-fisted. Having current characters in flashbacks playing OTHER characters whose life situations don't have any relation to the current characters made for somewhat muddled TV.

Pamela and Roxy met two World War II Army wives, Elsie and Virginia, and struck up a conversation about the older ladies’ experiences, which led to tales about the women's friends and spouses circa the 1940s. All of which was fine until the flashbacks to the women’s younger days, dramatized by the current cast of the Army Wives. (I'm betting it was better on paper than in reality.) While the tales of the World War II Army wives were compelling, because there were so many cast members to whom they had to assign stories, the portrayals wound up feeling shallow, like little CliffsNotes nuggets about the World War II era. And there was little that these flashbacks did to illuminate the current characters' stories.

It was as if they tried to do too much, with too many characters in a single episode: Tackle racial discrimination in the military, wounded soldiers coping with their post-war injuries, pregnant war brides losing their husbands, the rise of Rosie the Riveter and women in the military. They had Claudia Joy, complete with head scarf, working in a production plant while her husband became wheelchair-bound due to war injuries. Pamela played the pregnant war widow who'd been a newspaper photographer. Roxy, incongruously, was a New York socialite married to a soldier and was initially viewed as a lace-wearing snob. Denise was serving in the women’s branch of the Air Force, while her husband, former Air Force, ran a bar, what would later become the Hump Bar, the scene where her husband was knifed to death. Joan was a waitress/dish washer at the bar and was married to a perpetually angry Roland who was serving in the Army.

All valid stories, yes, but the way in which they were executed on Army Wives made them feel extremely uneven to me, which was too bad, because that era has so much potential which Army Wives could’ve mined more in depth. In fact, I could see an Army Wives-World War II spinoff (think of the wardrobe) really getting into these meaty issues, similar to the way in which Mad Men is a dramatic time capsule for the 60s. Considering that the networks have spun off NCIS, CSI and a bazillion Law & Orders, why not a 1940s Army spouses drama?

Next week, according to the previews, Army Wives will be back to the 21st century and the contemporary gals’ woes.

So what was your take on the Army Wives' time traveling back to the 1940s?

Image credit: Lifetime.

Suburban Mom's Pop Culture Week: Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm & the Emmys

TV

Aside from watching New England sports (Red Sox, Patriots), I’ve finally caught up on the HBO show Hung and watched the season finale, which, I must say, didn’t thrill me, season finales rarely do. The show, overall, has proven interesting enough that I’ve bothered to keep up with it.

I’ve been thoroughly bored by the Jay Leno Show which premiered this week – otherwise known as “Hey-Let’s-Put-the-Writers-Out-of-Work-and-Hog-Up-Five-Hours-of-Primetime-a-Week-with-Lame-Crap-That’s-Really-Cheap-to-Make.” The set looks like NBC invested exactly $247 in it. The two blue chairs where the interviews are conducted appear to be placed on what looks like a dance floor. The whole show seems awkward and weird to me because when I see Leno, I think that I should be getting to bed because I’ve been trained to think that it must be past 11:30 when I see his face. Maybe he was funnier later at night. Maybe that’s it. Or not.

Despite the Leno mess, I am planning on tuning in tonight to NBC’s slate of Thursday night humor, particularly to see if one of my favorite comedians, Amy Poehler, can make Parks and Recreation work this season.

By the time Sunday rolls around I think my TV is going to explode. Notwithstanding the fact that The Spouse and I will be hosting a belated Rosh Hashanah dinner here for family in which we’ll engage in the age old ritual of putting the Patriots game on TV lest my eldest son’s head explode because he cannot watch it, my poor DVR is going to be conflicted that evening.

Of course, Mad Men is on at 10, as is Army Wives, both of which I write about here in this space on Mondays. Plus there’s Entourage – which I usually watch On Demand but on which I’m a bit behind. But Curb Your Enthusiasm is back with new episodes after a very, very long absence.



However the Emmys are also on at the same time. My pop culture column at Mommy Track’d for next week is on the awards show, so I’ve got to watch live. (If there are still relatives here when the Emmys start, maybe I’ll try to goad them into wagering.) Such the dilemma . . .

DVDs

Still watching The West Wing, season one. Just saw the episode where Toby pulled strings to arrange a military funeral for a homeless vet who got Toby’s coat from the Good Will. Also saw the episode where the president revealed to Leo that he had MS. I thought that happened later, not within the first eight episodes.

Books

Am still in the early part of On the Road, although my progress through it may be detoured because I have to read two other books for some articles I’ve got coming up.

I also just joined a local women’s book club – it’s been eons since I’ve been in a book club – and have got to read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa by next month.

So, what’s on YOUR Pop Culture slate this week?

‘Army Wives’ Monday: Need to Know Basis

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives*

Pamela tried to help her injured, secretive husband. Trevor and Roxy talked about a new baby. Claudia Joy struggled with diabetes. Joan was getting ready to deploy. And Denise was in paramedic training.

Pamela & Her Secretive Husband

After the last episode where Pamela had to be an unrelenting pest in order for the Army brass to let her know that her husband was alive, albeit hospitalized, she tried to apply that same determination to her husband Chase to get him to tell her what really happened to him. When Pamela noticed burns on his back and started inquiring about his internal lacerations, she said it seemed like he’d been tortured.

“I’m your wife, I need to know the truth,” Pamela said.

“I did tell you Pam,” Chase said unconvincingly after telling her she was overreacting. “It was a helicopter crash.” He doesn’t strike me as a forthcoming kind of character, so my guess is that Pamela will have to apply massive pressure in order to learn the truth. If Chase doesn’t capitulate, seeing that Pamela’s as hard-headed as he is, there’s likely to be a standoff.

Trevor & Roxy & a Baby

Trevor found birth control pills in the medicine cabinet and was none too pleased about it. He’d thought, since he wasn’t going to be deployed overseas – he’s now a local recruiter – that they’d try to have a baby. And while Roxy said that maybe she did make that agreement, she wasn’t sure about it now. “I don’t want things to change,” she told Pamela, saying she didn’t know what would happen in their family of four if a baby were thrown into the mix. But upon seeing Trevor reading aloud to the boys while cuddling then and being an overall standout dad, Roxy tossed the pills in the trash. You just knew she'd do that, didn't you?

Claudia Joy & Diabetes

It took a young female hockey player who was relatively nonchalant about her diabetes, at ease and so down-to-earth about it, to make Claudia Joy feel more at ease with her own condition. Up until then, Claudia Joy had been hiding it, acting as though it was something about which to be ashamed.

Earlier in the episode she’d rebuffed Michael and Emmalin’s attempts to make her transition easier by picking out a “nice” Medical Alert Bracelet for her. Over dinner one night, Emmalin asked her about whether she’d done her testing that day and Claudia Joy got testy, retreated to her room, later telling Michael, “You have to let me just be sad.”

Running into the teenaged girl who didn’t let diabetes stop her from playing ice hockey was just the confidence boost Claudia Joy needed.

Joan & Deployment

Joan helped a teenaged girl put her life on an Army track – impressing her with the authority she wielded and by the number of people in her command – just when she learned she’d only have one week before being deployed abroad and leaving her baby girl behind. She learned the news while she was holding Sarah Elizabeth in the rocking chair and singing her a lullaby. Do you think the writers are really going to send Joan packing?

Denise & Paramedic Training

It was fabulous to see Denise getting back to her medical career after the affair-induced hiatus. Being a paramedic seemed perfect for her, especially when she was practicing on Frank and they got all sugary sweet and kissy. You just knew that something bad was going to happen . . . like Jeremy losing his best buddy to sniper fire in Iraq. Jeremy already had some emotional problems dating back a ways. Who knows what impact this death will have on him.

What’d you think of “Need to Know Basis?”

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Duty to Inform

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

Dear Lifetime:

Please don't put episodes on your network that end with a cliffhanger, only to have the resolution of said cliffhanger be spoiled by the network's preview for the next episode.

Case in point: In the very first scene, the show's writer(s) mentioned that Pamela's husband Chase was two weeks late in coming home from one of his super-secret missions. Then a car -- the one that brings bad tidings and makes Army wives Army widows -- drove down Pamela's street. The car drove on by, in slow-motion . . . without stopping at Pamela's house.

The whole episode was overshadowed by Pamela's desperate need to find out what happened to her husband, especially after Pamela saw one of Chase's colleagues on base and he acted very cagey. In the last scene, after Pamela was finally allowed into the super-secret facility to get a look at her husband Chase who was in some sort of medical center, she opened the door, gazed upon her husband and looked horrified. We viewers didn't see what she saw, of course, thus the cliffhanger. We didn't know what happened to Chase and how/whether he'll survive.

Then, there he is in the previews. Standing up. On his own. And, aside from a bruise on his eye, Chase looked okay to me, other than the fact that his wife was yelling at him.

So next time, maybe you network folks should be a bit more careful about wrecking the next episode with your spoiler-filled previews.

Sincerely,

An Army Wives watcher

In other Army Wives developments from the recent episode:

-- Why is Claudia Joy acting so insanely idiotic about keeping her new diabetic diagnosis from her friends? Why is she so insistent about maintaining a shroud of secrecy? As Denise said, it's not a good idea to keep that kind of information under wraps in the event of a medical emergency.

What was with the control freakish behavior in yelling at Emmalin who was just trying to help out by tossing out foods that were bad for her mother? Misplace anger much?

-- Poor Trevor. Chasing people down the street. Running with members of a high school track team trying in vain to get them to just accept just one of his business cards. That was so, what's the word, sad? Pathetic? Hopefully he'll get a better handle on the new gig in the next episode or so, and not have to engage in a mini foot race with teenagers in order to disseminate his business cards.

What are your thoughts on Army Wives' episode "Duty to Inform?"

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: First Response

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

Claudia Joy survived a car wreck -- thanks to lifesaving help from Denise -- and then learned she has a serious disease. Finn's fancy private school and new affluent playmates made some big waves in the LeBlanc house. And I've got a bad feeling about Denise.

Claudia Joy & the Diagnosis

I, for one, am glad that I didn't jump on the "hey, maybe Claudia Joy's pregnant" bandwagon last week when people started to speculate about why her vision suddenly got blurry and she got into a car crash. (Although I'd be lying if I didn't mention that I kept waiting for a doctor to tell her that her blood panel indicated a positive pregnancy test.)

Claudia Joy's diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is a serious one, no doubt. I know it'd be enormously difficult for any family to face. But the way Claudia Joy's "big" diagnoses was being promoted by Lifetime made it seem as though Claudia Joy had something fatal or degenerative. Given that Claudia Joy's such a nut about food, health and exercise, there's no question that she'd diligently follow doctor's orders so she'll fare well in the long run and manage wisely. Her character may, indeed, wind up being a role model for good behavior for fellow diabetic patients, who knows.

Finn's Fancy Private School

At first I thought Roxy's older boy TJ was acting fairly obnoxiously, calling Finn a "know-it-all" and a "dork" because the little one was so excited to start attending a new private school. Then Finn wouldn't shut up about it, talked over everything TJ was trying to say and monopolized the conversations with his yapping. I didn't blame TJ a bit when he finally had had enough and shoved Finn when TJ -- who felt like he had to compete with Finn in order to tell Trevor something about HIS school -- couldn't get a word in edgewise.

I was surprised that Roxy didn't recognize that all the attention that had been lavished upon Finn was having a negative impact on TJ. Not that she should've rewarded his acting out, only been more sensitive to his feelings. On the flip side, it was sweet to see how loving Trevor was with TJ by sharing with him a "special," secret fishing hole as Trevor wove tall fish tales about Fred.

The culture clash between Roxy and some of Finn's schoolmates' parents -- like the family that had an au pair and a gated home with security cameras -- can make for some good plot points in the future.

Bad Feeling About Denise

There was a dark cloud hovering over Denise during this whole episode. While it's true that Michael finally made nice with her after being a twit following the Denise-Frank reunion -- saving Michael's wife apparently wipes the slate clean as far as Michael is concerned -- there was no mistaking that the writers were attempting to foreshadow . . . something. What, I'm not sure.

First we saw Denise telling Roland how lucky she is and how life is so great for her now. Then we saw Jeremy over in Iraq talking about how family is everything and how he can't stop smiling because his parents are back together. Jeremy finally decided to call Denise to check in with her after his colleague spooked him with talk about how they'd need to call one another's family if something happened to one of them in the field. Either these are all red herrings or something's looming on the horizon. And it's not good.

What'd you think of "First Response?"

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Operation Tango

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

Roxy got Finn into private school, even though she doesn't play tennis or speak French. Emily Gilmore went on a bender at Fort Marshall. Pamela's 10-year-old daughter wanted to dress like Britney Spears. And Roland continued being awesome.

Roxy's Son is Goin' Private

In my other line of work, where I write about parenting, I've read a great deal about how hard some parents have to work to get their kids into private schools. One book on the admissions process in New York City painted a portrait of a treacherous process where everything about not only the potential student, but the student's parents comes under intense scrutiny. It's ruthless.

Which is why I loved the story about Roxy, the low-cut dress-wearing bar owner who was trying to get her brilliant son Finn into what seemed to be a snooty private school. The admissions officer, Mrs. Decker, told Roxy that she needed to determine whether "Finn and Fordham Academy are the right fit." Then she added, "We don't just accept the child, we accept the family."

This immediately put Roxy on the defensive as she attempted to employ euphemisms to avoid admitting that she owned a bar. Not just a bar, but one named, "The Hump Bar." When she could no longer skirt the issue and decided to come clean, Mrs. Decker looked taken aback and said, "I don't think we've ever had a mother who ran a bar before."

This led to one of the better monologues Roxy's been given lately, where she said she may not speak French or play tennis "like other moms" whose kids attended the school. She said, "I may not be anything special, but I know that my son is, and I just want a fair shake for him."

When Finn was eventually accepted on a "full" scholarship, I appreciated the fact that the writers mentioned that Finn's scholarship didn't cover a whole host of fees which can be cumbersome and sometimes unworkable for working families on tight budgets. Though Trevor brushed off the potential financial difficulties of paying the private school fees, Roxy wasn't too sure.

The culture clashes between Roxy and Fordham Academy could provide good material in the future, potentially better than Lorelai Gilmore meets Chilton Academy.

Emily Gilmore on a Fort Marshall Rampage

Speaking of Lorelai Gilmore . . . her mother Emily (actress Kelly Bishop) made Claudia Joy and Denise nuts by cavorting around Fort Marshall -- hitching rides in Humvees and sitting on a soldier's lap, sneaking out to the Hump Bar to drink and dance -- instead of attending to her wifely duties as the widow of a U.S. senator, to whom a soldier support center on base was going to be dedicated. I loved that Bishop's character, Jean Calhoun, didn't want to smile stiffly at stuffy, boring events and instead wanted to jump out of an airplane and blow things up for fun. Calhoun was a kick.

Pamela's Daughter Coveted Britney Spears' Style

As the mother of a 10-year-old girl, this storyline hit me between the eyes. Pamela's 10-year-old daughter Katie not only thought she was fat, but said she wanted to be sexy, wear bras, high heels and make-up so she could be popular at school. In one scene, Pamela walked by Katie's room and found the girl dressed like a mini-Britney Spears during her "Hit Me Baby One More Time" phase. Pamela tried to give Katie a heart-felt, sincere lecture about how superficial qualities are unimportant to who you are as a person, but I don't think Katie bought it.

Roland Continued Being Awesome

I think that the writers should just put a shiny halo over Roland's head and be done with it. They always have him doing these great things for Joan even when Joan's lashing out at him like a lion. His gift to her of a tiny videocamera, which Joan could easily take to Iraq and upload videos of herself to show to her baby, as well as a matching one for Roland to record Sarah Elizabeth's exploits and upload each night, was practical and kind . . . as was Joan's videotaped response which ended with Joan ordering Roland upstairs. Too sweet.

Now I, obviously, did not even mention the big haps at the conclusion of the episode. I'm not a big fans of cliffhanger twists like this, however I'll have to reserve my judgment until I see where it's going. There's been a whole mess o'speculation online, dissecting the tidbits of conversation in the previews, but I'm not entering this speculative fray, particularly after that bad call I made regarding Haneen.

What'd you think of this episode?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: M.I.A.

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

Frank got promoted, while Michael gave Denise the stink-eye. Joan punished Roland because she's angry that she's deploying. Roxy helped out an idol.

Frank Got Promoted

Frank and Denise's story this week was told through two lens. One was happy and giddy, where Frank was promoted to lieutenant colonel, which meant he got to stay on post -- instead of returning to Iraq -- where he could continue enjoying a second honeymoon with his wife Denise, whom he'd welcomed back into the Sherwood house in the previous episode. (Their lovey-doveyness isn't getting old. At all.)

The other was a negative one, a continuing, smoldering stink-eye given to Denise whom the pigheaded Michael Holden still can't forgive for having had a fling with a former patient while she and Frank were separated. What business is this of Michael's? Frank has forgiven his wife and they've come back from the brink of divorce, so why can't Michael forgive her too? Either there's some backstory there to which we're not yet privy, or he's just being a jerk. It was bad enough that Claudia Joy had been an ice queen to Denise for several episodes, freezing out her so-called friend when she needed her. It took Roland to talk some sense into the Army wives for them to finally realize that they were being intolerant and abandoning their friend.

Michael, however, was never party to Roland's lecture. So when Claudia Joy invited Frank and Denise over for dinner to celebrate Frank's promotion, Michael gave Denise bad attitude, which he could barely contain when he was alone with her at the dinner table and couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. It was a pleasure to watch Claudia Joy later call BS on Michael's behavior. "What she did violated everything I believe in," he argued. After acknowledging that Michael's got a very specific, by-the-books manner by which he lives his own life, Claudia Joy asked, "What about compassion? Where does that fit into your equation?"

Joan Punished Roland

I really like Roland. His season one fling aside, since then, he's been a stellar husband. In this episode he continued trying to be kind and patient when Joan was becoming bereft over the fact that she was going to miss so much of her baby's "firsts" while she's on deployment. To help ease her sadness, Roland went out and bought Sarah Elizabeth a bumble bee costume and declared that it was Halloween (it wasn't) and said Joan could celebrate the baby's first Halloween together. He told her he planned to also have a baby's first Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas holiday before Joan left. Instead of appreciation, his gesture was met with fury and Joan stormed away.

Later, when Joan gave him a hard time after he decided to feed Sarah Elizabeth solid baby food without talking to her first, Roland lashed out at Joan with some straight talk: "Reality check, Joan. It was your choice to deploy. And you made that choice without consulting me. So where do you get off acting like it's a big surprise that you're gonna miss some milestones? You act as if you're the only one who's going to be affected by this. But you know somethin' sweetheart? Sarah Elizabeth is going to miss her mother and I'm going to miss my wife. So if you want to play the martyr go do it someplace else, we're really not interested."

And while I was supremely annoyed with Michael's behavior toward Denise, he did provide excellent counsel and insight to Joan, as he sympathized and recalled his own difficulties when he deployed during Claudia Joy's first pregnancy and missed his daughter's birth and milestones. Watching Roland and Joan prepare, logistically, mentally and emotionally for her deployment has been a storyline which has held my interest, much more than anything the writers have given, say, the Moran or LeBlanc families this season.

Roxy Helped Out an Idol

Despite the fact that the Stella Raye story was a mechanism to provide extra face time for special guest star Shelby Lynne, it also provided viewers with another glimpse into Roxy's backstory as a formerly abused wife. When Roxy took in Stella (fed her, housed her) I figured that this was just something that this Roxy did -- like the way she gave Viola a job -- helping people who needed it. (That only applies to people though. If you're a dog named Lucky, forget it.) But it wasn't until the conclusion of the Stella storyline when we learned that Roxy had a special attachment to the down-on-her-luck singer because, years ago, she'd released a song about having the strength to stand up against abuse which gave Roxy the courage to do so herself.

Speaking of guest stars . . . when we got to the previews for next week's episode, I was thrilled to see that Kelly Bishop (i.e. -- Emily Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls) will appear in the next Army Wives. Can't wait.

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Coming Home

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

Denise and Frank moved to the next level. Roxy's son Finn got tested for a learning disability. Emmalin and her father patched up their differences, for now.
Denise and Frank Moved to Next Level

This was, in my opinion, the best part of the whole episode -- which, by the way, I liked a heck of a lot better than last week's which felt very much like a filler episode, a placeholder in between plot points. I really liked what the writers have done with the Denise and Frank story this season, having their reunion unfold tentatively, gradually, in a realistic fashion. When they decided to remain married but that they'd live separately and commence dating again, that's what they did, date. They didn't hop back into bed. Denise didn't immediately move in. They had plenty of moments of shy awkwardness and chaste goodnight kisses curbside and sometimes you weren't sure if they were going to really make it.

But you could just see that things were going to shift during this episode when Denise saw Frank warily eyeing her motorcycle. She sold it the next day because, although she said she adored her bike, she said, "I love Frank more." When Frank learned she'd sold it, the two had one of the more honest discussions they'd had since their break-up about the different outlooks they'd developed on the world over the past two decades, ending when Denise called Frank "old fashioned." To have Frank pick Denise up on a new motorcycle he'd spontaneously purchased and say, "Hey baby, you wanna go for a ride," was quite an unexpected turn. That moment led to a beautiful scene where the two walked alongside the glistening water, then to a sweet love scene the type of which you don't normally see for a couple that's been married for 20 years. (I was a big fan of the Ray la Montagne song, "Let it be Me" that provided the accompanying romantic soundtrack for the amorous moments.)

The golden glow given off by their reunion was broken shortly after Frank carried Denise over the threshold in honor of her return to their home and the telephone rang. Going off of the serious look on Frank's face, the first thought that crossed my mind was that Frank was being told that something bad had happened to their son Jeremy. Instead, it was a call bearing the news that Frank was, sadly, being shipped back to Iraq.

Finn Got Tested

From the way the previews for this episode went, I had figured we'd be learning that Finn had some type of insurmountable learning disability. Learning that the little guy is brilliant and wasn't completely finishing his assignments in school because he was "bored out of his mind," was a huge surprise, particularly given the story Roxy told about her learning disability. Now Roxy and Trevor will have to search for a way -- scholarship one would hope -- to get Finn into a private school which'll provide him the intellectual stimulation he requires. All good and happy news for the LeBlanc family for a change.

One gripe though: I thought Finn's teacher was a nincompoop. What kind of grade school teacher would tell a parent that her child needs to be tested because he either has ADD or is 'just a bit slow?"

Emmalin and Her Dad Patched Things Up

So Haneen went to live in safety with her aunt and uncle in Turkey. She bid her goodbyes to each member of the Holden family during the episode and eventually departed into the waiting arms of her relatives at the airport. With her went an interesting storyline which, I think, had more life in it and was cut too short.

With Claudia Joy busy escorting Haneen overseas, Michael was left at home with a recalcitrant Emmalin who, after an argument with him about baking, finally let him know why she'd been angry with him so much as of late. She said she thought Michael was disappointed that the smarter, more responsible, better behaved and favorite daughter had died and that she was a poor substitute for Amanda. Michael's poignant response to her -- his story about the day she was born and held her for the first time, followed by how he's recognized how deeply unhappy she'd been recently and that he'd felt like a failure for not being able to ease her emotional pain -- was the best scene the writers have given to Michael in quite some time. It was lovely to see the ice begin to thaw in that house for a change.

What were your thoughts -- pro or con -- about the latest Army Wives installment? Did the Frank/Denise reunion satisfy you? Finn's status as a boy genius surprise you? Michael and Emmalin's reconciliation bring a tear to your eyes?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'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?"

'Army Wives' Monday: Onward Christian Soldiers

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives.*

Emmalin and Haneen bonded. Denise and Frank started to date. Roxy didn't feel Lucky. Pamela coached football and prayed. Joan threatened to kick some weasel behind.

Emmalin and Haneen Bonded

We saw this one coming a mile away: The two teenaged girls, who each lost at least one family member in a bomb blast and are plagued by survivor's guilt, found solace in one another. Haneen -- the Iraqi girl who lost her family and was severely injured -- was overwhelmed by the Holden's house, the size of her room (she, ironically, is staying in Amanda's old room), by the amount of food they serve at meals and by Emmalin's thoughtfulness (she bought Haneen a prayer mat and taped a piece of paper to the floor pointing East).

Emmalin appeared to be slowly processing her grief by helping a lost girl like her . . . until Haneen had second thoughts about getting the surgery she needed to repair her wounds. "I do not want [to get] better," a tearful Haneen said the night before her operation. ". . . Why am I alive when my family is dead? Why am I here when they are not?"

This prompted Emmalin's own flood of tears as she fled to the privacy of her own room. "It should have been me, Mom, not Amanda," Emmalin said of her sister who died in a bomb blast at the end of season one, as Claudia Joy tried to comfort her daughter. "I wish it had been me."

But the two girls must've talked later that evening, proved to be a source of strength for one another, because by the next morning they were a team and together were ready to head off to the hospital. I'm just waiting for Claudia Joy to file the adoption papers. You so know that it's gonna happen.

Denise and Frank Started to Date

"I just don't know how to get this thing back up and runnin' again," Frank told Denise in a coffee shop, the day after they decided to call off the divorce and try to work through their problems. It was very heartening to hear Frank tell Denise that she didn't have to play the role of the martyr in their relationship. When she apologized again for her fling, he said, "D, I know that. I don't want you to think you have to keep apologizing to me . . . The most important thing is that we never let this happen again."

They returned to a marriage counselor who suggested that they try dating again, something at which Frank initially scoffed, thinking it silly, but once he spotted Denise in a sensuous dress ready to join him for dinner out, he seemed to begin to re-evaluate this whole dating business.

Roxy Didn't Feel Lucky

Maybe it's just me, but I think the writing for Roxy and Trevor this season has stunk. It's either been incomplete (like what happened to all the radical changes with Betty's/The Hump Bar and Roxy's brand new best friend who was suddenly given keys and access to the bar's cash?) or it's been boring. The thing with the dog Lucky, who Trevor didn't have the heart to hand over to a shelter, was a total yawner.

Have the writers had some sort of tiff with Sally Pressman, who plays Roxy? Why else would they have written her character as being unlikably harsh and abusive toward the dog? Complaining about a $20 microchip charge at the vet's office? Although Roxy eventually (and predictably) warmed up to Lucky by the end of the episode, her pouting and whining got old very quickly.

Pamela Coached Football and Prayed

I've also been finding Pamela's character -- once a strong, interesting personality -- irritating as of late. In this episode, she was acting childishly about the pee wee football head coach's pre- and post-game prayers, while the head coach was a grade-A jerk to publicly chastise Pamela for celebrating her grade school-aged son's touchdown reception in the end zone. The two of them together: One giant irritation. Hated this storyline. Just hated it. It did not go where I'd hoped it'd go, which was demonstrating that women can understand, coach and love football as much as men and can prove to be role models for their sons on the field.

Joan Threatened to Kick Some Weasel Behind

In a stark contrast to Pamela getting verbally dressed down in front of a bunch of 8-year-old boys, Joan was getting taunted by a colleague who'd been favored by the previous base commander, but now that Michael's back, is worred he'll find himself on the back burner. With both Joan and Evan heading up opposing sides during an upcoming Fort Marshall war game exercise (in which Evan's already cheating by having a mole on Joan's staff leaking strategy), the smack-talk has been increasing.

After calling her weak for seeing a counselor after her last Iraq deployment ("I guess we're really going to find out who the better man is," he sneered.), Joan dished it right back to the guy who's never been in a war zone. "I know what it takes to lead in combat and believe me, you don't have it," she said. "And I'm gonna kick your ass."

What was your impression of the latest Army Wives installment?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Family Readiness

* Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives *

While the title of this episode was "Family Readiness," I think a better title would've been "Power Struggles . . . and Hey, Denise and Frank Got Back Together." Other title suggestions could be, "Let's All Act Passive-Aggressively Toward Our Spouses and Didja Hear About Denise and Frank?" Speaking of which . . .

Denise and Frank

The reunion of Denise and Frank overshadowed everything else that happened in the episode. The way their story was built up, with the soft music and the longing, heartfelt glances, if those two had not reunited, I would've been mighty steamed.

There was Frank looking forlorn in his bedroom after Denise moved out, peering in her empty closet, handling the family heirloom locket he'd given her -- their wedding photo inside, and breaking into tears. Then there was the sadness that seemed to be oozing out of Denise's pores when she was packing up her things and moving out of the house. She told Claudia Joy, "I had this overwhelming desire to put on one of Frank's T-shirts and crawl into our bed and smell him on our pillows and to fall asleep feeling safe again."

I suppose it takes a serious threat to a marriage to make you realize the things that made you fall in love with the person in the first place, make you remember the good times. Will this saved-from-the-brink 20-year-marriage have a happy ending? Can it erase the difficulties that they've had, like for example, the disagreement over the changes in Denise's life and her desire to be more independent while Frank wanted her to remain the same gal he'd married?

At least we know that Denise'll be back in the Fort Marshall fold, but she'll need a job, as I don't think the hospital will be taking her back any time soon.

Chase and Pamela

Talk about lack of communication, the Morans were suffering from this in spades, as well as a major case of passive aggression.

Consider this exchange after Chase unilaterally announced that he was going to Texas for six weeks for a voluntary training session soon after he got home. When Pamela asked him why he decided to leave again so quickly when he didn't have to, he said, "It's pretty obvious I'm not really needed around here . . . Ever since I came home, everything I do is wrong. I throw bottles in the wrong trash can. I put clothes in the wrong part of the closet. . . I can't even find things in my drawer."

This set Pamela off: "Chase, I moved this whole house all by myself. Do I get so much as a 'thank you?' No! You just complain about the furniture."

"It's furniture that I paid for okay?"

"Oh," she said, "you do NOT want to go here."

"I can't even take my own son to football practice. I can't even control my own schedule," he said, referring to the fact that Pamela's now coaching football and he had to take his daughter to ballet class.

"You can't just come back in and take over," Pamela said.

In a move I completely did not buy, Chase apologized to Pamela in the middle of Roland and Joan's baby's christening. "It's gotta be hard to be both mom and dad when I'm gone," he said. "I called off my trip to Fort Hood." Something tells me that it just can't be that easy to paper over the Moran family power struggle with a single kiss on the hand.

Claudia Joy and Michael

Claudia Joy made a decision, get this, without Michael's advance okay. She agreed to have an injured Iraqi girl who needs surgery -- whose family risked and subsequently lost their lives via a bomb blast for serving as interpreters for the Army -- stay at the Holdens' house. Claudia Joy felt a special kinship to the lost girl and agreed to take her in, no doubt thinking about how she lost her own daughter in a bomb blast. When Claudia Joy first raised the subject to Michael, he vigorously objected, until she informed him that it was already a done deal. "Michael, it's the right thing to do," she said.

What did you think of the recent Army Wives' episode, particularly the Denise and Frank reunion?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Disengagement

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

The gals made up. Joan felt spiritual. Roxy resurrected The Hump Bar. Pamela moved furniture.

The Gals Made Up

You knew this Cold War wouldn't go on forever. The show IS called Army Wives. And if a bunch of the wives are acting like knuckleheads and ostracizing one of their own -- a star of the show -- you know that, eventually, they're going to have to make up. Just like you know that Denise isn't really going to go to Denver to work as a traveling nurse. Like the Holden family didn't really move to Brussels. The mere suggestion that one of the main characters will go anywhere other than to the front lines -- the show has two locales: Iraq, where the spouses are serving and Fort Marshall -- is, to me, simply an attempt to provide dramatic tension. Let's face it, Denise isn't going anywhere and it was only a matter of time before those unfaithful, intolerant friends of hers came to their senses. (If Denise does move away, I'll be shocked.)

Anyyyway . . . The apology Claudia Joy, Pamela and Roxy gave Denise for their collective cold shoulders (prompted only AFTER Roland called BS on their behavior and abandonment, which they continued to defend) was lukewarm at best. "The last few weeks have, um, they've been hard on all of us," said Claudia Joy, who irritated me with her disingenuousness, particularly when Denise is living in a hotel, lost her job and her life is in tatters. "Maybe we could've done things differently. I know I could have. I'm sorry."

Pamela came the closest to truth telling when she said, "We're pretty much idiots."

This "apology," along with the group hug that concluded the fifth episode, was the only bright spot for Denise who had to watch her husband Frank sign their divorce papers (effective in 30-60 days) without blinking. She'd been hoping he'd change his mind, rip up the papers and declare his love for her. But he and his pride simply signed on the dotted line. Previews for next week hint at a possible warming of relations between the two, but it's hard to tell if they'll reconcile. If they don't, as far as the storyline is concerned, Denise will have to move off the base and find work nearby in order to remain in the loop with the other Wives. My bet is that she and Frank will eventually reconcile in order to keep the core group of wives together. But I could be wrong, it's been known to happen. We'll see.

Joan Felt Spiritual

I really like the way the writers have been quietly and gracefully depicting Joan getting herself emotionally and mentally prepared to redeploy to Iraq. Now that she has a baby, everything about her deployment is different than her previous tour of duty, and Joan realizes that, hence her determination to get her baby baptized and find her a spiritual community before leaving for Iraq. And by portraying Joan as someone who's not a church-goer -- though her husband is -- but who feels strongly spiritual, I think nicely dovetails with all the emotions she's feeling right now as a loving mother and wife who willingly chose to go to a war zone out of duty.

Roxy Resurrected The Hump Bar

Betty's -- which looked like a suburban chain restaurant with tasteful, multi-colored walls and a slightly upscale menu -- has been transformed into a skankier version of The Hump Bar, particularly with the creepy new "chef," named Chief. Peanut shells are on the floor. Tin buckets serve as centerpieces. Beers are in plastic cups (which reminds me of college keg parties). A Ladies' Night with a free drink to women has been instituted and a hot waitress in a tight shirt has been selected to work the tables. That's all quite a bit of change in a small period of time, not all of it desired or approved by the bar's actual owner, Roxy.

What puzzles me is how and why Roxy is willing to continually allow people she barely knows to assume such big roles in her life. Roxy, a mom of two, married Trevor after knowing him for all of four days. After the original bar owner Betty died and left Roxy her bar, Roxy let someone who claimed to be Betty's "nephew" assume half of the business -- almost let him buy "her half" from her for a song -- only to later learn that he was a con artist. Now has Roxy befriended Viola, who seems nice and pleasant and has an economic hardship story (her son invested her life's savings in hedge funds, the money's gone and she's about to lose her home) and who has begged to work with Roxy. Roxy handed her the keys, then, in a matter of hours when Roxy was attending her kids' school play, Viola made unauthorized drastic changes and got ticked and huffy when Roxy balked at Viola's ballsy power play. This is no way to run a business, especially with someone you barely even know but in whom you've already pledged your faith. Maybe I'm just being cynical.

Pamela Moved Furniture

Just how many times did Pamela move the living room furniture back into a family-friendly arrangement to make it easier for she and the kids to watch TV together while sitting on the sofa? How many times did her husband Chase -- who just returned from duty to the new home Pamela had gotten for the family -- selfishly rearrange the furniture to assert himself as the head of the household by relocating his recliner right in front of the TV and the sofa off to the side of the room?

"So Chase is gone for weeks at a time," Pamela fumed to Roxy, saying Chase complained about the sofa, the new dishes and how she throws the football. "I look after the kids. I look after the house. I move the damn house. And he comes in and he thinks he can change everything. He even hates where I keep the toilet paper."

Between the battle over the furniture and over who's teaching their son how to throw a football the right way, clearly there's a huge blow-out argument in the works as Pamela and Chase are not dealing with one another directly and are simply behaving passive aggressively. Plus, Pamela's not big on tact.

Are you satisfied with the "apology" given to Denise? Do you think Joan will actually go overseas? What do you make of Roxy's new bar? What'd you think of the episode?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Incoming

*Warning -- Spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Army Wives.*

Denise got the boot. The Holdens officially moved back to Fort Marshall. Joan decided to go to Iraq while Roland got a full-time job.

Denise Got the Boot

I don't know why this particular storyline bugs me so much. Maybe it's because I feel badly for a character who mustered up the courage to try to follow her own path after dedicating most of her adult life -- since she was 19 -- to her family. The last two decades were about them. And with her husband serving overseas and her grown son also in the Army, Denise decided to make the rest of her life about figuring out things for herself. Sure, she made plenty of mistakes along the way, mistakes she now regrets, particularly the brief fling with a former patient (which got her fired from her nursing job) when she and her husband were separated. Denise was changing and her husband Frank didn't like that she was no longer the same woman he married when she was a teenager.

Frank -- who you might recall kissed a female colleague during his Iraq deployment -- has been humiliated by the fact that everyone found out about Denise's fling. And that seems to be all that matters to him: His pride. When he walked through the front door of his Fort Marshall home after being sent stateside to repair the wreckage that is his marriage, Frank said, "All I need to know, is it true?"

"It was a mistake," Denise said evenly, slowly. "And it's over and I regret it more than you can know. But, yes."

"In that case, I don't see any reason for you to stay here," he said brusquely, businesslike, as he told her he'd be calling his lawyers in the morning, presumably to start divorce proceedings. The woman who dedicated her adult life to her husband and son was kicked out of the house.

On top of that, Claudia Joy was insufferably sanctimonious when she ran into Denise in the PX parking lot. When Denise admitted that her feelings were hurt when Claudia Joy shut the door in her face the day Denise was fired, Claudia Joy shot back, "Denise, you are not the victim here . . . You brought this on yourself. You can't blame everyone around you for not knowing how to react. I've been trying to make some sense of what you did, but for the life of me, I can't."

"Well, I guess that makes two of us," Denise replied.

Make that three of us. The way all of Denise's so-called Army wives "friends," with the exception of Roland, have abandoned her in a moment of personal crisis still befuddles me. I can understand Frank feeling humiliated and taking it out on Denise (though I hope he comes to his senses), but for Claudia Joy to be so holier than thou? That, I don't get, particularly when Denise has admitted she made a mistake and wants to, for lack of a better word, atone.

The Holdens Officially Moved Back

The return of Brigadier Gen. Michael Holden back to Fort Marshall seemed awfully contrived. It didn't seem to make any sense that, after less than a month, Michael was booted from NATO and reassigned to SAME Army base and could keep the SAME house, even though another family had been preparing to move in. Clearly the whole "the-Holdens-are-moving-to-Brussels" was simply a season finale stunt that didn't quite work out in the long run.

Meanwhile, as Emmalin walked around like a ticking time bomb -- which her father is conveniently ignoring, wishfully thinking that her bad attitude and acts of rebellion (like attempting to elope at age 16, coloring her hair pink) will go away if he simply takes a firm paternal mien -- Claudia Joy is back in her crisp attire and spending all of her time unpacking. I, frankly, liked Claudia Joy a whole lot better when she was home without Michael, coping and advocating for Emmalin. I'm waiting for Claudia Joy to step up and deal with Emmalin, in other ways than simply serving tofurkey for dinner.

Joan to Go to Iraq

This was the most potentially dramatic story, I thought, of this fourth episode of the season. Roland had been feeling underused professionally while working part-time at night at the Army hospital in order to take care of his daughter during the day when Joan went to work on the base. He was talked into taking a full-time job, which has daycare, in order to partner up with a psychologist who's working with folks who've been traumatized after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and who aren't necessarily getting the care they need through the Army. Roland is clearly setting himself up for a clash with Army officials when he eventually advocates for a patient to get treatment which the Army denies. I think it could provide a great jumping off point for a larger discussion on soldiers' post-deployment health and mental/emotional care.

Then there was his wife Joan, who passed up the chance to remain on base with her family and work with Michael, in order to assume a battlefield commander post in Iraq. While turning down Michael's offer, Joan said: "As a wife and mother, I really appreciate the chance to stay with my family, but as a leader of a brigade, I feel obligated to lead my soldiers in Iraq and to get them home safely to their families. Sir, I am requesting the privilege to deploy."

I wonder how many parents -- dads or moms -- would make the same choice? Will Roland be as understanding as the Army wives are about their husbands' call to duty, like Trevor Leblanc's openly stated desire to return to Iraq? Or will this story play out differently because she's a mother instead of a father?

What say you, Army Wives fans? What'd you think of this episode?

Image credit: Lifetime.

'Army Wives' Monday: Moving Out

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

Roland actually DOES still work as a psychiatrist. Denise pined. Claudia Joy seemed to have lost her on-post cache. And Pamela ran into a former listener whose life she'd changed for the better.
See Roland Work

Last week Roland was distinctly unhappy and disillusioned, feeling as though he was wasting his professional life and expertise ("I wrote books, damn it! I had a career!") by being an at-home dad married to someone in the Army who could be deployed at any moment.

This week Roland was a hero during one of his shifts at the hospital. Roland stuck his neck out for a patient who needed someone at the hospital to take that extra step and advocate on his behalf. After helping a patient who'd experienced brain trauma following time in combat, Roland was so pleased by his professional achievement that he was actually humming as he was making dinner for his wife. It was refreshing to see him striking his own kind of work-life balance. Of course it didn't hurt to have Denise around to babysit for free.

See Denise Pine

Speaking of Denise -- who's still socially ostracized and has no friends other than Roland who are reaching out to her in the wake of the incident where Frank went missing while on a dangerous mission -- she had a dream that she called Frank, apologized to him for the fling and said, "It's over. I don't know what I was thinking," as she professed her love to him and how much she wanted them to make their marriage work. He agreed. Then Denise woke up. And reality wasn't quite what she expected it to be.

Frank was informed that he was being sent back to Fort Marshall to run war game exercises on the base and to expressly repair his fractured family life. Humiliated that his commanding officer knew about Denise getting fired from the Army hospital for having an affair with a former patient, Frank called Denise only to inform her he was coming home but specifically said he didn't want her to pick him up. I think Frank would've been willing to patch things up before everyone knew about Denise's love affair, but now that everyone DOES know, I think the likelihood or their reunion has greatly diminished. I think Denise had best start looking for another place to live. Maybe there's an available unit in Claudia Joy's new building.

See Claudia Joy Try to Exert (Non)Influence

The big surprise of the episode was seeing Michael back home with Claudia Joy -- previews indicated he was back to stay, but what job he'll take is an open question as the post commander spot is already taken. However the more interesting storyline to watch unfold is Claudia Joy's. Here's a woman who devoted her adult life to following her husband's career, helping bolster it through volunteer work, and taking care of her children. When her husband was in Brussels and she was in the States on the post, she discovered she lost some of the cache of her husband's title.

While weathering a stream of sarcastic jabs from her angry teenaged daughter, Claudia Joy realized that she was no longer the post commander's wife anymore when she attempted to help Pamela move up a few notches on the wait list for a three-bedroom house at Fort Marshall. She was met with blank stares when she invoked her and her husband's name, and her husband's rank, and told that the contact she had in the office had just retired. Claudia Joy's influence on the base: Greatly diminished to non-existent.

See Pamela Inspire

Pamela hasn't been given a whole lot to do during the first two episodes of Army Wives other than be a judgmental meanie who blew off her "friend" Denise. But in this recent installment Pamela learned that, although she'd been on Fort Marshall's wait list to get a three-bedroom house, she'd actually fallen down the list in the past year because higher ranking officers' families had moved onto the post. She was getting nothing but lip from the gal behind the counter and Claudia Joy proved useless. It was a housing office employee, who was a former listener of Pamela's on-base radio show, who wound up saving Pamela's day. The listener -- who was having immense difficulties in her marriage when she learned she was pregnant -- told Pamela that Pamela's encouraging on-air words for Army spouses to tough it out and find their inner strength eased her and made her feel supported through a challenging time.

How this affects Pamela -- whether she feels the calling to return to radio to help other spouses cope, seeing that she was unceremoniously axed from her radio show at the end of last season -- is unclear. I'd like to see more of the butt-kicking version of Pamela. The one we're seeing right now seems muted, only letting her passion seep out in the form of judging her former friend.

What did you think about episode three?

Image credit: Lifetime.