TVSquad

(S02E13) There was a lot of action is this penultimate episode of Army Wives. After the ripples created by all these stones in the water, I expect that next week's season finale will be a humdinger, although I don't think the finale can equal the punch of last year's suicide bomber at the Hump Bar.

It's clear that the writers like to keep us on our toes, surprising us, and I don't mind the unexpected. But the twist in tonight's show really came out of left field. I'll be frank; it was bad. I won't talk about it further until after the jump, but suffice to say I felt very manipulated, and not in a good way.

The Trevor/Roxy drug story has been building and it's definitely coming to a realistic boil. I feel for Roxy. She's doing her best to keep it together and Trevor has been like another person since returning from Iraq, guilt ridden and injured.

(Part 7 of 7) "Dude, check it out. I wrote U.S.A. with my piss." - Person

All that for nothing. Not much was gained and so much was lost. Over the span of Generation Kill we've all marveled at the ineptitude and idiocy of the people running the show over in First Recon, but not until this episode did it become clear that it wouldn't have made a difference who was in charge - dumb or stupid. This was a losing battle before it even began. Operation Iraqi Freedom? US military PR at it's finest.

(Part 6 of 7) "You know, Iraqis don't really seem good at fighting, but they never really completely surrender either." - Person

And therein lies the difference between the Iraqi Republican Guard forces and the Fist Recon Marines: heart. Guess which side is lacking it?

The point is furthered even more when most of First Recon finds solace and happiness as they realize that their mission is over. M.R.E. milkshakes, Colbert's stash of Chef Boyardee, and an unopened issue of Juggs are the things that make people smile now.

So while everyone is celebrating the end, leave it to Brad to run around with his shirt off, giddy that Godfather is giving First Recon one more mission - one more chance to maybe, just maybe, do something remotely close to what they were trained for.

(Part 5 of 7) "You think givin' them some rice and a chocolate bar is gonna fix things?" - Espera

This was by far the best installment Of Generation Kill we've seen yet. Burns and Simon stayed 100% true to Wright's account. I remember reading about the battle on the bridge at Muwafaqiyah and wondering what all that insanity must have looked like. To be so scared that, as Trombley put it, the adrenaline rush is so intense that it messes up your blood flow and some Marines achieve happenstance erections.

It wasn't just the bridge battle that made this one such a memorable episode though. Along with the continuing escalation of stupidity by all those with higher rank, there were some great scenes where we saw Colbert, Fick, Hasser, and even Encino Man evolve. Clichéd as it may sound, war changes people and we're bearing witness to some pretty screwed up transformations.

(Part 4 of 7) "Well sir, it's just that you're incompetent, sir." - Doc Bryan

I've asked before, and I'll ask again: why aren't more of the good guys dying? When CIA-trained Iraqi friendlies get waxed by Saddam's Republican Guard because they don't have a clue? When leadership like Encino Man are floored to hear that they're stupid? When men like Captain America don't understand how using enemy weapons could cause harm? Why aren't more of the good guys dying?

It's because of the bottom on the totem pole players. The Colberts. The Persons. The Ficks. The Esperas. It's because of them that we're getting to see their story as a humorous account on HBO and not as some sappy, tears in your eyes Ken Burns PBS documentary.

(S02E09) Ah, if only we all had someone in our lives who would say that whenever we turn up with a problem. I'd like to say there were some surprises in this episode, but really there was just one I didn't see coming.

Trevor realizes that he's been a handful so when she says, "I wish I could deploy -- to a five-star spa," he takes her words to heart. In typical TV fashion, because in reality this kind of stuff doesn't happen, Trevor decides to create a spa dinner for Roxie.

The tribe chip in to help him, but the surprise is ruined because Roxie can't resist socializing with the girls from her G.E.D. class. Now, that did come as a bit of a surprise. Not Roxie socializing, but that she's a high school dropout. She comes off as a smart cookie, but apparently that's all life experience.

(Part 3 of 7) "Yeah... these guys waving at us are probably the same ones who tried to kill us yesterday." - Cpl. Josh Ray Person

On the road again. More banter. More offensive jokes. And lots more stupidity. Honestly, the fact that no one has uttered the word "mutiny" is mind-boggling. To the contrary, everyone has fallen in line. I'm not sure if you caught it, but Sixta's constant harping about the grooming standard finally worked. All moustaches were gone.

I'm serious about the mutiny thing though... honestly, this is like having Michael Scott (from The Office) as your commanding officer, only with extra idiocy and far less humor.

(Part 2 of 7) "You gotta respect the pajama." - Sgt. Brad Colbert

At the end of this episode, I find myself less enthralled with the battle scenes we finally witnessed and more anxious to just hear what these "devil dogs" will say next. Seeing Colbert and the rest of Bravo Company get "lit up" as they rolled through Al Gharraf was impressive, yet it was still nothing new. War is in the movies and it's on TV and this was standard fare.

Thus far, Simon and Burns have stayed very true to Wright's account, and for those that have read the book, the battle descriptions hold nothing to Colbert and Person's banter. Sadly, we know war. What we don't know is the people who are fighting it. Now we do. And apparently, they think that patriotic, "I love America" songs are "straight homosexual, country music, Special Olympic gay."

(S02E07) Transition. This whole episode felt like a transition from one place to another. Not really very exciting or interesting, just kind of there.

The big news was Roxie getting The Hump Bar reopened as Betty's Bar and Grill. For Roxie, it was all about the process, which included getting the place fixed up while Trevor is starting to pull away because he's managed to get the General to send him back to his unit in Iraq.

I don't know; Trevor is getting what he wants because he acted inappropriately on the TV show. In real life, he would have been reprimanded. Trevor was really happy about being able to complete his duty, but it's going to be really hard on Roxie. You can see it coming.

Anyway, it was refreshing to see Trevor and Roxie having some fights. They are married, you know.

MTV continues its commitment to inspire young people to get out there and vote. As part of the Choose or Lose campaign, on July 4th MTV2 will honor the millions of young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The day-long programming event will include exclusive messages from both Senator McCain and Senator Obama. The programming block will not only pay tribute to the sacrifice of these young soldiers, but also elevate their issues in light of the 2008 Presidential campaigns.

(S02E01) The Walker family is back, with bells on. Wedding bells, that is. The episode is nicely framed between two video letters to Justin Walker, who is in Iraq. Nora, the fabulous and Emmy-award winning Sally Field, sits before her computer and tells Justin what everyone is up to, which is a nice way of getting the viewer up to speed about what has happened since we last saw the family. As an avid viewer of the show, I didn't need Rebecca's letter at the end of the episode so much, in which she provides her insights into the Walker clan, as the most outsider insider or insider outsider of the bunch, however you want to think of Rebecca. But if you are new to the show, it's a nice, two-bit tour of the family.

What would you do if you were Katie Couric and the first anniversary of your stint as anchor of the CBS Evening News was fast approaching? Would you have a big party to celebrate, get drunk, and dance wildly in your underwear in the middle of Fifth Avenue in New York City? Or, would you suit up in some body armor and report from Iraq?

Personally, I'd frolic in my underwear. Katie is forgoing that frivolity and going to Iraq.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday Couric will be anchoring the news from Baghdad, which will be her first time in the war zone.

"Mess O' Potamia: Operation Macho Kick-Ass": Part three of Senior Baghdad Correspondent Rob Riggle's live-from-Iraq report! While I was lukewarm about the previous evening's report, I was really jazzed about tonight's. It was funny and soul-crushing at the same time. What a lovely combination!

"America To The Rescue": Israel is going to get a couple billions of dollars to fight their fight. "Ohh, billions of dollars, is there any dispute you can't settle?" This was pretty depressing, actually. Even the fun decade-appropriate graphics weren't enough to bring me back.

Yigal Naor will play Saddam Hussein in a new four-hour miniseries about the Iraq president's reign that lasted from 1979 to 2003.

The miniseries, Between Two Rivers, is being produced by both HBO and the BBC. It will begin shooting this summer in North Africa. It will focus on Saddam's family and his personal relationships. The cast also includes Shoreh Aghdashloo, Christine Stephen-Daly, Said Taghmaoui, Phillip Arditti, Mounir Margoum, Uri Gavriel, Amr Waked and Sasson Gabay.

Rosie O'Donnell has added a new element to her website (regarding her exit from The View): video. She and her producers stylist (who left The View with her) are talking about Rosie's last day and the big blow up between Rosie and Elisabeth Hasselbeck that essentially ended Rosie's time on The View about three weeks early.

Rosie and her producer speak in very general terms, but I interpreted their conversation as blaming the three hosts and the directors of The View for ganging up on Rosie. They talk about "smelling a rat on Monday" before the split-screen debate between Rosie and Elisabeth. It's the split-screen, by the way, that made Rosie quit early. She doesn't really explain why, but her producer compares it to Jerry Springer and I, personally, was reminded of all the chatter on the 24-hour news networks. I think she was tired of being a spectacle.