ARMY WIVES: 2.01 “Would You Know My Name”
It seems appropriate to me to begin my pursuit to post again with a new show. This show: Army Wives.
I had only seen about 10-15 minutes of this show before last weekend. Last weekend, I got suckered into a marathon on Lifetime, so I ended up watching 3-4 episodes and bits of more. (Btw, networks, the best way to get someone stuck on a show is to show a marathon on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It worked with ANTM.)
Anyway, this got me very amped for the season premiere–which I missed. BUT thanks to online streaming, I just watched the season finale of last year AND the premiere of this year this morning. Note: SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t watched the episode yet, but since I’m about 6 days behind, I think we’re ok.
Kudos, kudos, kudos to this episode. Honestly, had I watched last season’s finale in real time, I would have thought they were jumping the shark and that this was ridiculous. But the writer’s did marvelously. The first episode was unpredictable, and they pieced things together so well that when you thought you knew who was going to die (thank you, promos), you found out that you didn’t.
As far as the Amanda storyline goes, they had me completely fooled. Which is funny, since when you first look at the season finale, you go, “Of course Amanda dies. She’s standing right there!” Enter chaos. Everyone running, everyone fleeing…you honestly believe that the mother-daughter pair end up at least far enough only to get scarred. The entire episode, I was sure that Betty was on her way out.
But what’s especially interesting is that in most television scenarios, when I see a fake out dream scene and someone going into the light, it’s hokey and stupid. This seemed so shocking and stunning that I was really intrigued. I was so caught up in the shock of of it all that I didn’t notice the strangeness of the device.
What’s more, when you start thinking about it, it’s really beautiful. Amanda’s mother got to say her peace with her daughter, alleviate her guilt for the few moments as a parent that she wished she’d stayed at Harvard. It was her comatose dream, so everything being done there was for her–not Amanda. When she told Amanda the Harvard confession, it was guilt she’d held onto for 18 years. When they discussed Justin, it was her apology that she so needed to say. They’re final speech about kindergarten was her way to say she was proud, even if it was hard to let her go. Even that one instance where we see Amanda unscathed from the side–the first shot of her before we see her scarred other half–we see the Amanda her mother will always remember and dream of seeing again.
Moreover, the audience saw the site that they prayed for a summer that would be seen as well–an unbroken, unblemished character that would live on in their favorite show. Honestly, it was that glimpse that the writers used their smartest thoughts on. Right there, they realized, let’s show an absolutely unrealistic picture. Show her perfect so all the viewers go, “Oh right. Like that would happen. She’s fine! That can’t be.” It was your chance to see the flaw that something wasn’t right here. They covered it up in scar-colored makeup, but that was the moment to realize that this isn’t real.
Beautiful, writers. You did a great job. I believed you. I believed that they really did get through it, and the reality of the situation sent me reeling. I was heartbroken.
So really if you think about it, the most obvious answer is probably the one to go with. Thank you, writers, for seeing that, even if we went around some corners to find it.
Horrible, Horrible
In General Commentary, My Boys on June 4, 2008 at 10:08 amThat’s what I am. Sorry I haven’t updated in FOREVER. I plan to. My Boys will be starting soon, and I still want to share some delayed opinions on some season finales and possibly even a series finale.
I’ll be better. I won’t promise, but I’ll try.