Disney/Buena Vista | 2008 | 804 mins. | Rated PG
For those not familiar with the series, Army Wives follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an “army husband” whose wife is in the army. The pilot episode served as an introduction to their world; the story in that episode was told through the eyes of Roxy LeBlanc (Sally Pressman), a single mother of two boys who impulsively married Trevor LeBlanc (Drew Fuller), an Army Private she’d only known a few months. While settling in on the base, she soon found friendships with several other wives on the base. Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delaney) is married to Brigadier General Michael Holden (Brian McNamara), who became a General and head of the base midway through the first season. Denise Sherwood (Catherine Bell) is a nurse, married to the strict Major Frank Sherwood (Terry Serpico) and they have a son Jeremy’s (Richard Bryant). Pamela Moran (Brigid Brannagh) is married to Chase (Jeremy Davidson), who is regularly away on secret missions. Roland Burton is (Sterling K. Brown), a psychiatrist whose wife, Lieutenant Joan Burton (Wendy Davis) had returned from Afghanistan to take up a post on the base.
The first season ended with all of the army wives, Roland and Claudia Joy’s daughter Amanda in the local hangout called Jody’s, when a distraught man set off a bomb inside the establishment. Season two begins with the aftermath of that event. The first episode shows a happy Claudia Joy helping a bruised but breathing Amanda, set up her college dorm room. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a dream, as Amanda was killed in the explosion. Her death naturally weighs on Claudia Joy and Michael as they deal with their remaining daughter, Emmalin (Katelyn Pippy). Roland and Joan work on their marriage as her pregnancy advances and she tries her best to deal with her command and motherhood. Betty (Patricia French), reveals she has cancer and hands over the process of rebuilding and running Jody’s (now rechristened Betty’s), over to Roxy.
While all of this is going on, Roxy has to deal with the fact that Trevor has returned from Iraq, injured but hailed as a hero. Trevor is uncomfortable in his new role and feels pretty useless since a shoulder injury has sidelined him from combat. He works out all the time in order to be declared fit to region his unit but in that process; he becomes addicted to the painkillers prescribed for his shoulder injury.
Not to be left out of the drama, Pamela continues her work at the base radio station but has to deal with an obsessed fan stalking her. Pamela is relieved when Chase returns from his latest mission but concerned when he is arrested an accused of being involved in a scheme to sell weapons for cash. Meanwhile, Denise is given a motorcycle by a patient who lost his legs and starts a tentative relationship with a colleague, Dr. Getti (Seamus Dever). Though the two only share a kiss before he is tragically killed in a motorcycle accident, the indiscretion puts a tremendous strain on Denise and Frank’s fragile marriage.
Army Wives has a very solid cast. Emmy-winner Kim Delaney is solid, the loss of her daughter weighing on her constantly but trying her best to work through it. She’s the head of the bunch and acts the mother to them all, supportive and trying to help them out as much as they can. Pippy is well-cast as her remaining daughter dealing with the loss and the wish to stay home no matter what. The interesting part of the first season was seeing Bell acting the complete opposite of her JAG character, subdued and unsure of herself. This season sees her blossoming and becoming her own person. At the same time, you sense her conflict regarding her place away from Frank. Their tension is believable; this man is so used to being in command of others, he is obviously unable to handle his wife finding her own path.
Army Wives may not be everyone’s idea of good television. However, the series has developed more than just a fan following; it has extended successfully online via fan posts and blogs; fans who relate to the relationship dramas or relate to being married to a soldier, who appreciate a show that is set in their world and expresses the fears, friendships and fights that army wives (and husbands) experience. And I for one believe there’s a lot to be said for that.
Army Wives has bright colors and a fair amount of detail for a DVD. It’s presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and “enhanced” (i.e., stretched) for 16×9 televisions. No complaints here. The picture looks good enough to showcase the solid production values.
An English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround delivers dialogue and music. Subtitle options are in Spanish and French.
Army Wives: The Complete Second Season does include some special features:
• Active Duty: The Cast of Army Wives at Fort Bragg – (19:56) – The cast and crew of Army Wives visited Fort Bragg in North Carolina to research what life is like on a military post. We follow their time on base during this day in March 2008.
• Operational Intelligence: Getting the Army’s Support – (9:29) – Cast and crew discusses how the military has provided open access to equipment, procedure and more to create a more authentic feel for the show. The military actually approached the show to offer support, indicating an approval of how this show highlights the soldiers, their families and the military life.
• The Tribe – (12:15) – The group of friends that make up the core cast of characters on the show are referred to as the tribe – cast and crew discuss the family dynamics of these people.
• Army Wives Gives Back – Broken into 5 segments running a couple of minutes each, we follow the main cast members ‘giving back’ by helping out real families, giving rooms makeovers and surprising real ‘army wives’ and giving away cool stuff.
• Deleted Scenes – 13 deleted scenes with optional commentary available from Executive Producers Deborah Spera and Marshal Persinger.
• Bloopers – (3:11) – On set cuts ups and line flubs.
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