Army Wives 7×09, Blood and Treasure

Army Wives this season has really been all about change. We, and the characters, have been adjusting to new faces and new friendships all season. Last night’s episode, Blood and Treasure, delved deeper into this theme and began to explore how we, and our relationships, are affected by the evolution that naturally takes place over time.

If someone would have asked Michael what his life was going to look like at 80, he never in a million years would have pictured it without Claudia Joy. But, sometimes, life throws a curve ball, and CJ’s death has changed everything Michael knows. Suddenly, he finds himself unattached for the first time in decades, and hitting it off with Kat, a widow herself. It is going to be very difficult to take this to the next level. Being with a woman who isn’t Claudia Joy is not going to be easy, but ultimately Michael deserves to be happy. This seems to be happening rather quickly, though, and my hope is that once it becomes clear to both of them that this is heading in a romantic direction, they decide to take things sloooooowly. Michael definitely seemed uncomfortable talking to Kat at the garden dedication. It was almost like he felt like he was cheating on CJ by being attracted to someone else at her memorial. Also, Kat’s daughter, Jordan, was incredibly supportive of her mother starting a relationship with Michael, but she’s had twelve years to adjust to the loss of her father. Emmalin will certainly not be as cool with the idea, which is something Michael might want to consider. From a fan perspective, it’s fun to see Brian McNamara getting to exercise some different acting skills (flirting!), even if it’s weird to see Michael with another woman after all these years.

One of my favorite storylines of the episode, and the one that deals with change the most, is Roland and Joan. Marriage is a tricky thing to get right. You commit to someone when you are each at a certain point in your lives, and hope that as you evolve over time, you manage to do so together, not separately. Roland committed to Joan’s life in the Army, and has been a patient and supportive partner for years. It obviously did not occur to him at the start what kinds of sacrifices he’d have to make to his own career in order to be an Joan’s husband for the rest of his life. What seemed doable years ago no longer feels that way. Roland has had enough and is ready for it to be his turn. I am not sure things would have come to an ultimatum had Joan not first conceded that she was ready to move on and let Roland be the focus for a while. But, once Roland had that taste of what life could be like, he couldn’t give it back. It’s incredibly complicated and neither one of them is right or wrong. They love each other very much, but they have grown since the day they got married, and their wants and needs have changed. The question is can they find a way to compromise and get through this impasse? Will Joan turn down this opportunity? Will Roland really file for divorce if she doesn’t? What do you guys think will happen next? Also, how great was it to see Sterling K. Brown!?

Meanwhile, Hector’s life changed drastically in the course of one episode and I’m wondering if Gloria’s has too. Penny, the woman Hector got pregnant when he cheated on Gloria, is about ready to deliver. Gloria has stepped in as her caretaker since she has no one and Gloria is a lovely human being. On her way to meet Gloria for a doctor’s appointment, Penny gets into a car accident and is rushed to Mercer Hospital. Denise and the doctors do everything they can and are, thankfully, able to save the baby, but unfortunately, Penny dies on the table. Her death raises many questions. The biggest one is: will this be what it takes for Hector to stop being an ass and start being the decent man we all hope he can be? Will he step up and be a real father to this baby? If Gloria and Hector were still married, she would have a real say in how this worked out, but since they are divorced, it will be interesting to see what role Gloria takes on. As a single man who is deployed for huge chunks of time, it’s hard to see how Hector could take on custody of a child. I am sure Gloria will feel some responsibility to this baby, but can you raise a baby with your ex-husband? Keep in mind that Patrick just cooled things off in a letter explaining that Hector is in his platoon. He asked Gloria to wait for him, but she didn’t seem to want to, despite Holly’s protestation. Is Gloria finished with Patrick completely? Does this baby open the door for a Gloria/Hector reunion? What do you guys think will happen?

 

Other thoughts:

-Maggie’s finally onto Caroline. I feel terrible for Maggie, being lied to is the worst. Is there any hope for this relationship?

-We finally got some Frank, and it was really really good Frank. As I suggested might be the case last week, he was not happy about Patrick and Eddie taking matters into their own hands with the patrol last week. Thankfully, since the mission was successful, there was no punishment. But, man was Frank pissed. I could watch angry Terry Serpico all day.

-That garden memorial is beautiful and the service and tribute to CJ was really lovely.

-Can we please get a little more Quincy? All the other new guys are getting developed storylines. I hope to see some for all of the Monclairs soon.

-Denise missing CJ’s memorial was one of the most upsetting things I’ve ever seen. Nurses work shifts. There would have been someone else there to cover her, and I wish this choice hadn’t been made. Denise has lost so much in the course of this show, it would have been nice to see her enjoy some of the hard work she put in over the last few episodes. I appreciate the connectedness of all of the wives, and the fact that Denise was working on saving Penny while Gloria waited to hear news, but the trade-off was too painful for me.

-Sounds like our troops are coming home. What will happen to the Hector/Patrick truce once they are back on US soil? How will this love triangle explode when everyone is in the same place? How will Eddie navigate the rough waters that are waiting for him at his house? Will Hector and Tim actually be friends? Where will Gloria live once Tim comes home?

As always, leave your thoughts and comments below! See you back here next week.