Emerging Threats, Capability & Uniforms

Everything was leading up to this---and Martha checked in to make sure the Postables were doing their part.

---

When I introduced the original house rules series, I posited that Theresa Capodiamonte was actually Martha Williamson inserting herself into the story to give her Postables the directives that would allow them to grow into the individuals they were always meant to be.

We've spent the week discussing Oliver's incremental deconstruction, Shane's relational growth and changing values, Norman's new approach to his relationship with Rita, and Rita's achievement of the life of which she always dreamed---and then some. Since the early days in which the house rules were issued, the Postables have grown both individually and as a team.

Let's discuss how their individual growth combined to make them an unbreakable unit of extraordinary capacity, and how Martha returned to evaluate them.

Checking In

One of the things I found most interesting about Impossible Dream is the way Martha chose to tell this story---a sort of pseudo-flashback-to-present style that had the Postables recalling just how they came to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capability.

In a lot of ways, the Senate subcommittee's name is the crux of what was truly being evaluated here---emerging threats to the POstables cohesiveness and their capability to move through and past them as a unit, while also evaluating how they worked as a team to decode a letter that brought a soldier home, perhaps their most intense task to date. 

And the whole thing was presided over by none other than Martha herself!

Waiting for actionable intelligence.

Remember how I made a big deal about how Martha and Theresa, among other things, shared red sweaters and red hair, and how I thought Oliver received a "red-headed reminder" in Norman's grandmother regarding his house rule? Well did anyone else notice that the subcommittee Chairwoman (Karin Konoval) also had red/auburn hair and was rocking a red shirt?

The Chairwoman clearly held all the cards, accepting nothing less than all the facts---and it was up to the Postables to deliver every last one. It took a flashback to do just that, revealing how each POstable contributed to the final outcome.

But before we hit the unity button or discuss why Martha might have chosen to reinsert herself into the narrative at this junction, let's address the relational threats the Postables encountered in D.C.

Emerging Threats?

Perhaps not the most complicated to analyze, the relational challenges faced by the Postables in D.C. had the potential to be considered threatening, but in fact proved anything but. Between Norman's mistake and Shane's reunion with an old flame, neither rose to the level of compromising the teamwork demonstrated by these four individuals, rendering them a non-issue, as discussed throughout the week.

This was a testament to the relational growth prompted by each Postables' initial house rules directives, which, carried out, caused them to simultaneously grow into each other, strengthening their bonds and building them into a family.

But it's one thing to grow into a family, and quite another to grow into a family that also works well together to achieve goals.

Capability

No doubt, bringing Randilynn home was an intense and complicated task. While their initial goal was simply to get Phoebe and Harper more information, the glimmer of hope that Randilynn might be brought home alive raised the stakes significantly and quickly, and each Postable stepped up to contribute to the effort to bring her home, testifying about it in front of the committee.

Without their individual contributions, both those intended and those unexpected, the outcome for Randilynn may have been much different. No doubt Steve's assist at the end made all the difference, but without Oliver's thorough knowledge of our country's most patriotic songs, that final piece may never have come to light. Not to mention his powerful final plea, which certainly embodied an undeniable gravity, a closing statement made on behalf of his team.

The Postables developed a certain synergy that makes them capable of working together to achieve just about anything they put their mind to, and their contributions to solving the mystery of Randilynn's letter is only half the story.

A Uniform Approach

The Postables exhibited a few more subtle signs pointing to their unity. Two in particular.

The first I happened to catch by accident, but it speaks to just how in sync this quartet is---even in pairs! NoRita leads with their left feet, while ShOliver leads with their right. It's a small detail with a big impact when it comes to seeing them as a team.

Together, step for step.

In true wardrobe week fashion, perhaps building off their Truth Be Told momentum, the Postables synchronous wardrobe followed them to Washington, and proved a visual representation of what their approach to solving the mystery of Randilynn's letter ultimately proved---they are a cohesive and unbreakable unit.

A synchronous squad.

A Verdict Rendered

So now it's time to tackle the epic question: Why would Martha choose to have the POstables tested in this particular manner, at this particular point in time?

The Postables achieved something pretty incredible in Impossible Dream, and it was unlike any other letter they had ever encountered. Sure, they have a license to deliver, but to bring home a soldier and reunite a family, the Postables needed more than what was in their power to control to be successful, and that's truly what set this letter apart. To be honest, I haven't quite nailed down what the true significance of this observation might be.

What is clear is that the Postables' individual development has brought them together both personally and professionally in a way that makes them darn near invincible when carrying out the divinely inspired task they've been assigned.

Besides making for a great story, I think Martha is ready to release this quartet into a future for which we simply have no vocabulary yet---it only makes sense she would reinsert herself to see them off into their next phase, much like she did to set them on this path in the first place. The only questions is what will the Postables do next? What does Martha have up her sleeve?


Forecasting Future Capability,
~C


In case you missed where I got the name of the committee [do that pinch thing to make it bigger if you're on a mobile device]:

House Rules 2 Series: Trailer | Norman | Rita | Shane | Oliver | Group Assessment