Episode nine was hopping.
Joan comes home early a changed woman, determined to put her marriage before the Army and says to Roland, "I want to be there for you the way you've been there for me." Ouch. Talk about a line designed to produce remorse and guilt, not that it isn't due... And what about the scene where Roland is counseling a soldier who suspects his wife has had an affair? The big question - is Roland going to confess to Joan, or take his own advice to be less concerned with a confession and more concerned with repairing the marriage?
Lenore is back with a vengeance, barking orders, turning her nose up at everyone and looking ridiculous. I loved the scene where Lenore is talking to Denise and Claudia Joy about the big Hail and Farewell she's hosting, and mentions the invitation to the event. Roxy adds that she didn't receive her invitation and asks what a Hail and Farewell is. Lenore responds in typical Lenore fashion, "Sadly the party is for officers and their wives only." Humph!
Lenore enlists (no pun intended) Marilyn to be her assistant. A match made in heaven if I've ever seen one.
In this episode, we meet what surely must be the better half of the Baker marriage, General Baker. We also learn that he likes Lenore about as much as the rest of us do when he says to Lenore, "I can barely stand the sight of you." Is it any wonder?
Ever notice that the writers tend to make monsters out of the male characters and later soften their image? First it was Chase, then Jeremy and now Frank.
Frank acted like a jerk and an insufferable human being with respect to Denise's decision to go back to work. Until, that is, he saw her in action at the hospital and realized that perhaps other people needed her as much as he did, and in some cases, more so. Thankfully, Denise is gaining some confidence in herself and growing a spine.
General Baker is rushed to the hospital with an aneurysm. Claudia Joy puts her rift with Lenore on ice and in the spirit of the moment offers her genuine support to Lenore. Lenore responds by recoiling and snaps, "This is not your opportunity to replace me, Claudia Joy," which says it all. In Lenore's world, it's all about Lenore and her "status." As we witnessed, her status, which incidentally is a result of her husband's rank and little more, seems to be all that Lenore Baker has to cling to. What a sad existence.
Claudia Joy killed someone with her vehicle as a result of getting behind the wheel when she was too sleepy to be driving. This happened when Claudia Joy was in her early-twenties. Thanks to Lenore, and the gossip-mongers who were all-too-happy to help her spread the word, the entire post now knows (or will soon know) something that is irrelevant to the Army, the post, Michael's career or anything else for that matter. Furthermore, all they know, presumably, is that Claudia Joy killed someone. No context offered. Claudia Joy committed a crime, paid her legal debt and will have to live with those demons for the rest of her life. "Outing" Claudia Joy was a malicious act on Lenore's part, but wallowing in the gutter seems to be where Lenore is most comfortable. I'm still waiting for the day when everything catches up to Lenore, and I'm quite sure it will.
Army Wives is a fictional show. It's entertainment. All the same, I love that it portrays the manner-challenged among us as over-the-top. I'm hoping that the Lenore Bakers of the world (I've met exactly two of them in 10+ years), and the Marilyn's of the world (sadly, I've met many more than two in 10+ years) squirm a bit when they watch Army Wives. Behavior such as theirs is never acceptable, but now that we have a war raging, now, more than ever, their behavior has a corrosive effect on family morale and readiness. We need to be a team right now.
Next week, Denise releases her inner goddess, Joan goes back to work, the fallout, if any, from Claudia Joy's secret will be known and it looks like Michael Holden will be replacing General Baker. Will Lenore be more worried about her husband, or the fact that her social duties may fall to Claudia Joy? Two guesses, and the first one doesn't count.
Previous Discussion Threads:
Army Wives: Episode One Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episode Two Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episode Three Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episode Four Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episode Five Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episodes Six and Seven Discussion Thread
Army Wives: Episode Eight Discussion Thread
