Army Wives: Psycho at the Beach House

ARMY WIVES: 6. 14 “Fatal Reaction”

I know, I know. I’ve been awful at keeping up with Army Wives.  But after Claudia Joy flatlined, I had to see what happened next.

It’s probably no surprise that Claudia Joy lived (did anyone think that she wouldn’t?). I was a bit disappointed, though. Not that she lived — I’m not that heartless. It just felt a bit like a copout. People waited quite a while to find out what happened to Claudia Joy, only to have it resolved in a mere couple minutes, and then we jumped ahead two weeks as though nothing happened.

Of course, had they not had that transplant, our leading ladies wouldn’t have gotten the lovely beach trip. Ohhhh, the beach trip. Man, what do I say about that?

Ok, I’m not quite sure whether Army Wives last night headed more in the direction of an original Lifetime movie or One Tree Hill, but it was clear how ridiculous it was. I’m not entirely sure what purpose the event served, other than perhaps some repercussions for Denise now that she killed a man. But really, let’s look at this for a moment. A crazy man took over the beach house, after he discovered the two women were alone. From all we could tell, he was planning on raping them, but really, he just was going to talk their ears off and yell at them when they tried to talk him out of it. It was just…odd. And out of place.

The girls did take him out, though, with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. I don’t think Denise will come out of this unscathed. From everything we’ve ever seen on TV, taking a life changes you. And I’m sure that’s what we’ll be seeing in episodes that follow.

Beyond that, I don’t see good things happening with Roland’s son. I could tell immediately that his birth father didn’t have the best of intentions when he was talking to him, and I’m seeing the beginning of a kidnapping plot unfolding already. Again, is this a Lifetime movie or One Tree Hill? I’m going with the former.

As for everything else, well, I have little to add on that. But I will say, it was an odd way to return to Army Wives. I thought if anything was going to thrill me, it was going to be whatever happened in the hospital, not a random beach house with a psycho. I still don’t know what to do with that.

Army Wives: A Looming Sense of Discomfort

ARMY WIVES: 6.04 “Learning Curve”

Well, now that Pamela’s gone, we’re back to focusing on the remaining four: Claudia Joy, Roxy, Denise, and Roland. After the last few episodes, this one was rather slow — no one was being thrown from windows, running from an exploding car, or considering leaving a TV show. But that’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of tension in the air (or in some stomachs).

Roxy’s plot was by far the most entertaining, as she accidentally gave food poisoning to Trevor’s entire platoon. Like Roxy, I was appalled to see that Trevor expected her to throw a party on such short notice, and until the macaroni salad took every man down, it looked like it was a resounding success. And while she did look rather cowardly while she was bringing a welcome basket to Giselle (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’m spelling that one right), she still had the balls to show up there, so in the end, everything ended up ok.

On the other hand, it looks like things aren’t quite ok with Claudia Joy and newcomer Jackie, who is clearly putting a stake down at the base. It looks like Claudia Joy will have to fight fire with fire (at least, that’s what Susan Lucci told her). It’s interesting to see that there’s a wifely competition, even though the promotions are really for their husbands, but I’m curious to see where this goes. Honestly, I’ve been rather bored with Claudia Joy in the last season or so (ever since they hit empty nest syndrome, really), so anything that makes her more relevant to the series, I’m a fan of.

The worst part in this will be how the fallout will be between Denise and Claudia Joy, since clearly Denise has a pleasant history with Jackie. I guess we’ll see.

Finally, Roland is now handing out psychological help to the kids at the center. I love seeing Roland at work, but the center’s leading lady is currently grinding my nerves. I somehow don’t see this going anywhere positive, especially since Joan already does’t like her. And while Joan still irritates me and seems to never give Roland the time of day, I don’t want some eventual sexual tension between him and another lady. I just really hope the show doesn’t try to go down that cliche path.

Anyway, this episode felt more like we were moving the plot forward than offering real entertainment, so I guess that’s all I can really expect from it. Next week, it looks like things heat up, so I guess we’ll have to see where it goes!

Army Wives: See You Again…

ARMY WIVES: 6.03 “The Best of Friends”

Well, we don’t say good-bye in the army, Pamela. We say see you again.

So long, Pamela. She’s off to California with kids in tow. I have to say, I’m surprised. Not about Pamela specifically but about how they decided to kick someone off the show (and I assume if the montage is any indication, Pamela’s not coming back).

Since before the season started, we knew a wife wouldn’t be on the show anymore. With phrases like, “One wife won’t weather the storm,” and “One wife will be gone,” it was implied that one wife will meet an untimely death. The rather grim horizon behind our leading ladies in the promo images (take a look at my last post for an example) certainly made us feel like this season wouldn’t be the happiest of seasons.

But instead, we got Catherine’s accident, which she’s now fully healed from, and now Pamela’s leaving. Is that what they meant when they said she’d be gone? Or is this just a distraction from an eventual hardship later this season that will attempt to blindside us, now that we’re lulled into a false state of security?

As for Pamela, well, she was one of the first people I thought would leave the show. That was partly because of the rumors over a year ago about her getting a spinoff (which was later rejected) and because they’ve just run out of things to do with her. Now that Chase isn’t in Delta and she’s living off the base, well, what’s left? The only other person I could consider seeing kicked off the series is Joan, but that’s because she’s just been so grumpy and unlikable lately. But then what would Roland do? And I love Roland.

Anyway, Pamela’s gone, and Army Wives did it in good style. I’m not the only one who got a little misty watching the montage, and let’s be honest, I think Roxy’s reaction could bring tears to the eyes to the coldest woman alive. Really, well done.

As for everything else, well, I was excited to see Kelli Williams on the show, and I wonder if she’ll be a new regular face. She’s certainly a threat to Claudie Joy, and I look forward to seeing that dynamic. Once Roxy gets over her loss of Pamela, she’ll be thrilled with her new house, and I’m glad that Roland’s son is now finding friends (even if I do see some major tension with the youth center’s leader and Joan). Looks like the show is back to some brighter times. But then again, we’ll have to see.

So long, Pamela. Or I should say, see you again.

Army Wives: That Was a Close One

ARMY WIVES: 6.01 “Winds of War”
ARMY WIVES: 6.02 “Perchance to Dream”

This was an interesting episode. For the last month or more, Lifetime has been advertising that this seasons, one wife won’t survive. I thought it’d take us a while to get there (and as it turns out, it will), but I was surprised to see that the first episode really made us wonder whether one of our favorite wives would kick it immediately.

It was smart marketing. No one expects a wife to die. Most of us would look at that car accident and go, “Oh, but it’s Roxy. They won’t kill her.” Or when Pamela comes and saves her, you’d think, “Pam’s a wife. She’s safe.” Even with Denise, you say, “Ouch, but she’ll pull through. I mean, she Denise for god’s sake.”

But in telling us that one wife, this season, won’t weather the storm (it’s not a spoiler, it’s all over commercials right now), we’re suddenly questioning everything we’re seeing. Suddenly, I’m imagining Roxy being electrocuted by a loose wire. Roxy and Finn running to the cop car with Pamela behind, only to get trapped herself (or blown up for that matter). Or finally, seeing Denise choose the imaginary life she’s seeing in her coma over the life that has her son dead and gone.

We got a happy ending this time, but I can’t promise we’ll be so lucky later this season. Who will it be? Who?

What’s interesting in this episode was Denise’s journey. Now, this isn’t unfamiliar to Army Wives fans. For those of us who suffered the loss of Amanda in the season two premiere (uggh, it still hurts), we saw Claudia Joy’s own coma-led dream world, where Amanda was alive, scarred, but heading to college. Then in the end, she realizes this is wrong. That Amanda would never go to college. That Amanda would never be scarred. That Amanda would never do anything because she was lost in the explosion.

For Denise, we were prepared a bit better. We knew that Jeremy wasn’t alive, so we knew we were in her dream world. Even so, while it was cheesy, even I felt that loss again when the older Jeremy switched back to the young man in his army fatigues, knowing that Denise was saying good-bye to someone she’ll never see again.

As unrealistic it is, Denise woke up right before being shipped off to Maryland, and she was happy to be alive. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s safe. Sure, they’re all staying on the base — no more moving — but things won’t be all silver linings, smiles, and laughs.

Something ominous is coming. And we just have to wait and see what it is.

Army Wives: Typical Obstacles

ARMY WIVES: 5.07 “Strategic Alliances”

Does anyone else feel like Army Wives doesn’t really know where to go? The show used to give us a great drama that incorporated in important but subtle ways how being in the army and related to the army really gives you a new perspective on life. They really showed us the difficulties and benefits of being the family of someone in the military while still giving us the features of being a drama about best friends.

But I think the show has lost its way. Sure, we still know they’re army wives. After all, three husbands are fighting overseas and one son was just killed in combat. But beyond that, this show could take place anywhere. Actually, it kinda does. Claudia Joy is always off-site at the law firm. Roxy’s at the Hump Bar. Pamela’s either in her apartment or at the police station. Only Denise stays on base, but she stays at home, and frankly, her home could be anywhere. This has become a rather dull Desperate Housewives.

What’s more, we’re running into the standard soap opera storylines: wife jealous (and possibly tempted) by her ex, another gets cancer, another divorces and remarries. Honestly, I’ve seen this all before.

Why wouldn’t Pamela’s family assume that she’d have a big wedding? What show has ever shown someone just remarrying at the courthouse? Plus, with the line last week, “What are you doing next Sunday?” you knew you’d get a wedding this past Sunday night. I knew one of two things would happen mid-ceremony. Either the lights would go out or Chase would get called off to Delta since his paperwork hasn’t officially gone through (that I recall, anyway). The writers chose the lamer of the two.

And then there’s Roxy. I’m really tired of hearing her and Trevor bicker all the time. I think we all knew it was a bad idea for Roxy to start up this truck stop when he was so against it — not that she shouldn’t do it, but she should have either been upfront and said that she’s protecting for their future if Trevor is killed or at least tried to have a real discussion about it, not a bickering match. As for her ex, well, I think I implied my feelings when I said it was a soap opera storyline. I have no interest.

Denise did basically nothing this episode, except for one quick reference to Jeremy and Tonya. Honestly, I find it annoying that we spent so much time dithering over whether Denise and her future daughter-in-law would get along, only to have her fade into the background when Jeremy died. It’d be interesting to see if that relationship had continued, especially much further down the line, say, when Tonya met someone else.

Finally, Claudia Joy. I really don’t know what I think about this newest revelation, except that clearly, they really have no idea what to do with her without her husband around. She’s in a law firm, she’s helping clients, she’s getting cancer, she’s still doing her commander’s wife duties. Honestly, she’s all over the place, and there’s a little bit of a feeling like she’s popping up in scenes where you just asked, Wait, wasn’t she just across town? I think there might be five of her, and I don’t know which one I should care about, if any.

Anyway, the episode was sweet enough, with the twinkle lights and dancing, but I do feel like the show’s at a point where I don’t want to be distracted by twinkle lights anymore. I want to see the real show — what the show was — not the soap opera standing in its place.

Army Wives: The Closure Episode

ARMY WIVES: 5.06 “Walking Wounded”

I gave Joan a hard time last episode. And to be fair, she’s still not my favorite person after this week’s episode. That being said, she had a point. She identified — and was right about — what was causing Roland not to let his patients go back into combat. So I’ll give her credit for that. But showing up in his office, in her army fatigues, to tell him what he was doing was wrong crossed a line a bit. It’s not that she didn’t have a right as a wife. But coming in, demanding answers, standing in the same way I’d imagine she would if she were speaking to her subordinates, and throwing around various officer names sure sounded like she was standing there on behalf of the army, not a concerned wife. But hey, that’s how her priorities lie.

All that being said, she was right.

But really, this episode was about closure. Roland realized what he was doing and released at least one of his patients back into the field. Denise and Frank got their various problems with each other out so they could face what was really bothering them. And having Jeremy’s letter certainly helped them to let go a little. I must say, as huge as Jeremy’s death was, I’m glad we got closure in this episode. It’s pretty hard to watch Denise week to week. It’s not that I don’t think we’ll see her suffer at all anymore; of course not. But I do think we’ll have a break from focusing on her over it.

Meanwhile, Claudia Joy had her own suffering to go through. I’m glad she was able to lean on her experiences to help out Denise, but I’m not sure how I felt about her imagining Amanda everywhere. I wonder where that will take us. If the previews tell us anything — and other dramas recently — hallucinations certainly don’t lead to good things.

As for Roxy, well, I see nothing but bad things happening there. She stepped back from the truck stop only to jump right back in once Trevor told her that it was better that way. He was actually not too bad this week, even if he still was lacking in support. He was less mean, I guess is what I’m trying to say. But the fact that after telling him she wasn’t going to do it, she stayed up all night so that she could — and she’s getting Finn’s dad involved — is just going to be ugly. Whether this means marital problems with Trevor (please don’t tell me that Finn’s dad is going to kiss her at some point and then there will be the drama afterward) including jealousy or an affair, or whether this means that the truck stop is just going to fall through and Roxy will lose the Hump Bar, well, we’ll just have to see.

Pamela was kinda boring this episode, but don’t think I didn’t catch the “What are you doing next Sunday?” at the end of the episode. Really, every episode should end with that. You know, an obvious point for the show to remind people to watch the following week.

For example, I think I might write another blog on Army Wives sometime soon. What’re you doing next Monday?

Army Wives: If it’s not one thing, it’s another (oh, and Joan sucks)

ARMY WIVES: 5.05 “Soldier On”

I didn’t know what to expect with this week’s Army Wives, considering last week’s tearjerker. Certainly, the entire episode wouldn’t revolve around the aftermath of Jeremy’s death, but I didn’t know how they’d balance it out. Well, I feel that they did a successful job — with the exception of Joan, who sucks.

Roland was actually one of my favorite people to watch on Army Wives this week. He was clearly still feeling Jeremy’s death; after all, he was the one who gave Jeremy the ok to go back into combat. He was hesitant to release another soldier to go back, as we saw in his office, too. I understand he was trying to look strong and appear that nothing was bothering him, but even for Roland, that was impossible. It was written across his entire face.

Which is why I spent a good portion of the episode audibly yelling at stupidface Joan, who sucks. You’d think that as his wife, she might realize that something was bothering him (and take the giant leap — ok, the baby step — realize what it might be). She just seemed to not care that anything was bothering Roland. Probably because she’s incredibly self-absorbed, as we’ve seen all season.

Ok, ok. I’m sure we’ll soon find out that she just has a different attitude toward a soldier’s death than others because she’s a soldier herself. She looks at it in a different way. And as someone who is higher up on the totem pole, she might be looking at it more as another man down than someone who meant something to the people she claimed were her friends.

Yes, I’m still bitter.

Joan aside, I loved Roland’s last scene. This scene really stole the show this week, despite Denise’s own reactions to the death. Seeing his own toddler daughter put on her mother’s military hat was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He could see his own daughter enlisting, becoming a solder like her mother — and like Jeremy — and dying in combat. He’d lose her. It was really a heartbreaking but beautiful moment.

Meanwhile, we had Denise struggling with her own grief. Personally, I’m surprised that Frank was ready to go back so soon. There’s that military mentality that you don’t realize, coming back to the surface. But he had a good point. There are thousands of men and women — sons and daughters — out there that he could be helping to keep alive. Still, a week seems soon. As for Denise, well, this is going to be one ugly road. Not much progressed this week, other than the fact that she really can’t function on base anymore, but I’m not all that surprised by that. That’d be incredibly hard for anyone.

As for Pamela and Chase, well, that was the happy news balancing out the episode. They’re happily together again, and they’re getting married. Yay.

Then, Roxy. Sadly, I don’t see anything but negative consequences to her new business venture, and it worries me that she seems to be acting more out of spite than anything else. It might be a good idea, but I do think some time to think about it, and a legitimate discussion with her husband, would have helped. But Trevor…

Trevor’s been on my bad side for a while now, and this episode didn’t help him. He’s being very unfair to Roxy. First, he gets on her a couple episodes ago for not being proactive enough in his absence and allowing TJ to shoplift. Then, she’s supposed to just sit there and wait for him to come home before doing anything that could help the family monetarily. Overall, he’s just being controlling and mean. I’m not liking it. I’m afraid, though, that we’re going to find out that she shouldn’t invest in this truck stop and that he was in the right anyway. I hate it when jerky people are in the right.

I do wonder what’s going to happen to those two, though. They’re building up to something…I just can’t tell what.

Army Wives: The Loss Revealed

ARMY WIVES: 5.04 “On Behalf of a Grateful Nation”

If you haven’t yet seen last night’s Army Wives, you might want to hold off reading this.

The writers behind Army Wives owe me a roll of toilet paper. After I cried my way through a box of tissues, I then moved on to the toilet paper. Our home is now in dire straights.

Last night’s episode was so emotional that it’s a little hard for me to say that I called it. But I did. Note: I called it.

Not to say that the loss of Jeremy Sherwood was any easier to handle from someone who thought it might happen. That was one rough ride we viewers were on last night. And I must commend the show for how they made the big reveal. Not only did we see them in action, but there was a lot of suspense in this episode, really leading up to the big moment. In fact, for a while there, it was just a big guessing game.

TJ’s presence at the funeral did make you wonder whether Trevor made it through. Right after you saw the soldier thrown, the obvious focus on Roxy’s face during the folding of the flag was a great way of making us wonder if she would, in fact, be the recipient. Then, as it slowly moved over, we saw the crying Emmalin, the stop in front of what we thought would be Claudia Joy. After all, her husband was also out there on a mission.

Kudos to the cameramen and director who played with optical illusions. When the soldier appeared the be standing in from to Claudia Joy, he was in fact, in front of poor Denise. And a slight move to the left showed that Frank was with her. Jeremy was gone.

Jeremy had a pretty rough time during his presence on Army Wives. And don’t think the references to Amanda weren’t supposed to remind us that it was his breakup with Amanda that made him sign up to serve in the first place. He wasn’t supposed to be a soldier. Denise didn’t want that for him.

But he did, and he served, only to have his best friend killed, followed by Jeremy’s own suffering from PSD. Then came the suicide attempt, but finally, finally he became the well-rounded kid we knew this season. Happy. About to be married. It’s the perfect time for the writers to play with our heads — and our hearts.

And while Denise and Frank’s reactions were difficult to watch, I must take off my hat to the young Tonya, who lost her fiance. We barely knew Tonya, but she was captivating in this episode. This is based less on her reaction, which we’d predict would be rather upset, but how she handled the situation. To see her chase after the soldiers, asking what happened, only to have her ignore her since she wasn’t “family” was tough to watch. Her reaction to the army, now that her fiance was killed was great. It was natural, and it’s how anyone in this position would think. That’s something that I’ve always loved about Army Wives: they’re not afraid to show someone’s negative response.

I’m not sure where the show will go from here. Not all that much will change (after all, Jeremy wasn’t in every episode), but the characters sure might. This was a mighty blow for Denise, and while Claudia Joy was a strong column to lean on, methinks this is hitting just a little too close to home, and she might not be that way for all that much longer. As for everyone else, well, there’s not much more to say than kudos to TJ. This was the first episode all season where we actually respected the kid.

If you haven’t yet seen the episode, or you want to watch it again, check it out on mylifetime.com. It’s rare that I’ll ever end a post with a recommendation to watch it online, so you know this one had impact.

*image from Lifetime Television

Once again, ‘Army Wives’ leaves us hanging

ARMY WIVES: 5.03 “Movement to Contact”

If you were anything like me, you thought that we just might find out last night which one of our leading men didn’t make it through their most recent mission. I’ve been wondering this since I saw the promos this winter. Silly me thought that if they were going to put it in the trailer last week, we’d find out this week.

I fell into the usual trap. Why would they tell us if they could string us along another week?

That’s exactly what they did. The moment we saw in the promos — the ominous SUV driving up to Claudia Joy’s house — was, of course, the final moments of this episode, so we still have a guessing game as to who didn’t make it. It could be anyone, what with the fact that every wife was already there. But they did drive up to Claudia Joy’s house… Do they tend to land at the official address, or track down the wife? That’s really the question.

You have to admit, there was a good juxtaposition here. Just as everyone was celebrating a new, upcoming marriage, someone else might be losing a husband. Man, TV sure does know how to play up the drama.

I could talk about the rest of the episode, but does anyone really care? Even my mom called me moments after the episode ended, just to tell me how, yet again, we have to wait. That’s what’s really on our minds.

But I should at least mention the rest of the episode. Here are some bullets:

• Pamela really took Lucas’ broken wrist lightly. I wouldn’t be upset with Roxy, by any means. I mean, it wasn’t her fault. But I would be rather alarmed when he walked out with a cast.
• Joan is really bothering me. She’s flip-flopping on every decision. I understand that sometimes she can’t make her commitments, and that’s exceptionally difficult for Roland, but this whole thing where she makes a decision and then changes her mind is really ticking me off. Maybe if a higher-up isn’t supporting the school on base, that means that school needs to be better, and that’s the slap in the face it needs. Too harsh? I think my aggression toward Joan is making me think that way, but I do agree that her education should come first, not Joan’s reputation.
• Once again, Roxy’s son is being a jerk. I feel bad for her, though I’m not liking the turn of this storyline. It’s really trying on me, as a viewer, since Trevor has been rubbing me the wrong way for a season now.
• Claudia Joy’s story didn’t really appeal to me. I’m wondering how much I’ll like the way this is going. I hope we don’t have to lean on that in case her hubby dies.

Speaking of… Well, if you want to know my newest prediction, follow the jump after the anxiety-ridden photo below.

image courtesy of Lifetime Television

[Read more after the break!]

Army Wives: Decisions and Consequences

ARMY WIVES: 5.02 “Command Presence”

The premiere of Army Wives last week was just alright, but it tantalized us with drama that Molly, the newborn daughter of Denise, just might not make it. While that drama pulled us along all week, it only lasted about five minutes. Actually, if my watch was right, Molly was out of surgery at 9:06, which meant that if you spent more than six minutes dwelling on it during the week, you’ve spent more time than the episode did. Fortunately, Molly pulled through–and Denise and her future daughter-in-law reunited, so we’re all good to continue.

Meanwhile, Roxy has her hands full with her own child. Replacing TJ with this new actor was a horrid, horrid idea. Not only is he just annoying in his rebellious ways, but he’s a terrible actor. I think I’d be willing to put up with the old TJ acting out, since I’ve grown up with him in the past few years, but with a new face and bad attitude, I just find him annoying.

And while I didn’t want Roxy to be fined $500 for TJ’s thievery, I don’t know how she was so surprised. Of course, Joan couldn’t give her special treatment, and just living on the base should make Roxy realize that getting off scott-free would probably not happen. There are plenty of places where someone could bend the rules; the military is not one of them.

That being said, Joan did get a little up in arms when Roland mentioned that he defended her. The fact that she got so mad (“I don’t need to be defended!”) bothered me a little. If he hadn’t been on her side, I could understand her reaction, but since he was trying to be supportive, I just thought she took it too seriously. Of course, I’m a little biased. I still feel for Roland based on her promise to have another kid and focus on her relationship with him, only to back down as soon as her job got in the way. I just feel like he gets beat up a little sometimes. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the spouse of someone high up on the chain.

Meanwhile, there’s Pamela. Pamela finally decided to stay put in Charleston, and it was a little up in the air as to who the real reason was–Chase or her partner. I have my own speculations about what’s to come…

Speaking of, please follow the jump to read said thoughts, if you don’t want to see them. If I’m right, it’s a spoiler. If I’m wrong, you can easily make fun of me next week once the next episode airs.

Read my hypothesis after the jump!