Episode Report Card Daniel: F | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Soldier Boy
By Daniel | Season 8 | Episode 14 | Aired on 01.25.2004
Back downstairs in Woman's Rightful Place, according to Beverly Hampton, Paris wanders in, wondering if Vic and Peter made it over. Annie tells her that her that Peter's upstairs, and Lucy chimes in that Vic's out back with the rest of the guys, and adds, "and Roxanne and Betsy!" in an extra-squeaky voice, which lets us know that whatever's going on out there that has Lucy and Anne so uptight, Lucy blames Roxanne and Betsy, instead of the men, who are let off the hook for their irritating behaviour, because they can't help it. Paris -- who somehow knows exactly what's going on by the way Lucy says this -- decides she'll stay in the kitchen, and Lucy says that's a good idea (no comment) because Chandler's also out there. Oh, Paris is "definitely" staying in the kitchen. This scene goes on too long, because Cecilia and Ruthie and Lucy all have to exchange knowing looks.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Roxanne and Betsy are naked and making out, but what's really going on is they're arguing about the war in Iraq; Roxanne's against, and Betsy's for. And since we've been led to believe that all the men find this really hot for whatever reason, it might behoove the actors to seem like they're enjoying this, but they look really confused. Vic tosses in that he doesn't understand Iraq, and that he's not sure he wants to, which Roxanne seizes on as a reason why Bush is getting away with everything he's getting away with; people are ignorant and don't know what's going on. I agree with her, if you replace "Bush" with "Bush's puppeteers," that is. Betsy says that if people knew more and read newspapers, they'd understand what happened on September 11, and that "our president is making sure it never happens again," and Betsy's connection of Iraq to September 11 happens to be one of the myths that might be dispelled if more people did read newspapers, or better yet, Paul O'Neill's new book, in which he recounts how Bush, ten days after his inauguration and long before September 11, was looking for an excuse to go into Iraq (but there's no mention of O'Neill's more than 1,200 career RBIs, which I found odd). Not that this little spat is going to get very specific; it's all "How many more will die before we stop?" vs. "How many more will die if we stop?" and while this argument has all the substance of chocolate mousse, I'll give Roxanne and Betsy points because they at least seem to be thinking about it, unlike the men, who are supposed to be the level-headed Sensible Ones, and who aren't expressing any thoughts at all. Chandler, unsurprisingly, says he's hungry, and the rest of the men agree, and Kevin declares an end to the argument and suggests that everyone go inside to eat, but Roxanne and Betsy refuse to eat with each other.