Last year, AMC introduced the character of Randi Morgan, as Frankie's new love interest. I admit I was skeptical and wondered if they would be this generation's Chuck and Donna (a well-known couple from AMC's past, he was a doctor and she was a whore). I didn't understand why I should care about this woman or her problems. Why should Frankie either, as she didn't want his help to escape her abusive situation? Slowly my opinion changed, and I started to feel sympathy towards Randi, which morphed into liking her with Frankie.
As the story went on, Randi became more sympathetic. She was no longer making excuses for her problems and tried to change her life. Leaving prostitution was hard, but with Frankie's help she did it. Her pimp, Fletcher, wouldn't let her free and blackmailed Frankie. While threatening her, he was killed by Taylor. Starting working at Fusion gave her independence and a legitimate job. Erica saw a lot of potential in her.
Frankie's parents (Angie and Jesse) were skeptical of Randi. They worried for their son as Randi would have to choose to change as Frankie couldn't make her do it. Having Randi's pimp come to their apartment would not thrill most parents.
Months ago Frankie got a reprieve from going back to Iraq, but getting a DUI. Being on probation kept him out of war. When this happened, Angie blamed Randi for the drinking, but she left well before Frankie became drunk.
Jesse understood why Frankie felt the need to fulfill his duty and return to Iraq. Angie and Randi wished he would be able to stay in Pine Valley. Eventually Randi made peace with Angie and Jesse, but more trouble was ahead.
Randi's past ended up hurting her career at Fusion. She was chosen by Erica to be the face of a Valentine's Day campaign. Video of her at work in her prior profession became available for download on-line causing problems for her at home as well. Frankie thought with Fletcher dead that Randi's past could no longer hurt them--WRONG. At the hospital, Frankie had to deal with snickering interns, who were watching Randi at work. During this short "break up", Randi propositioned a guy in frustration thinking that he was interested, but he was a cop. Jesse got her out of that situation, before she was arrested. Frankie and Randi became closer and all was well.
Finding out that he has to return to Iraq again, made Frankie push Randi away. Instead of letting him run, she turned the tables on him and proposed. With a bit of urging, he agreed and they got hitched. Like his parents, they had an intimate elopement while still coping with his imminent departure. Originally they would have had a big wedding, but Frankie felt the sooner they got married the better as he would be shipping out in about a month. By marrying Frankie, Randi got something she never had, which was a family as she grew up in foster care. Their friends (Brot and Taylor) along with Angie, Jesse and Natalia (Frankie's half-sister) were in attendance.
Perhaps, the reason I came to enjoy Frankie and Randi so much was the wartime theme of their relationship. During the World War II era, getting married quickly before the man left the United States was a common occurrence. (I even know a couple like that who wed and were together until he passed decades later. They filled a surrogate grandparent role for me, and perhaps that real place touched an emotional chord.) A stripped down marriage that lasted a lifetime. Two people in love facing a future that may never come is a very romantic notion.
The pacing has been good and outside Randi having been a prostitute they seem pretty normal (for a soap). When Frankie wanted to end their relationship over going to Iraq, I exclaimed "oh no" and realized I was rooting for them to have some happiness. While Frankie is away, if something happens to ruin their relationship, at least I enjoyed Frankie and Randi's trip to the altar.
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