Disney/Buena Vista | 2009 | 774 mins. | Not Rated
The first time I watched Army Wives, I enjoyed it, but wrote it off as little more than a soap opera set at a military base. However, three year later the show has developed more than just a fan following, it has extended into a vibrant online community via blogs, fan posts, blogs and webisodes, soap opera tendencies aside, fans clearly relate to the issues inherent with being married to a soldier, and the day-to-day stress that having your spouse risking their life in a foreign land creates. Oh, and despite my own initial misgivings, I’ve become a fan of the show.
Emmy winner Kim Delaney stars as Claudia Joy Holden, wife of Major General Michael Holden (Brian McNamara).If there’s a pecking order to things among the wives (and one husband), Claudia Joy would be the Queen Bee; the one who always wants to appear to have everything together, and be a model of moral decency. Then there’s Denise (Catherine Bell), the timid and proper wife who wants to maintain appearances. In the first season, she tried to keep a terrible secret—she was being physically abused by her teenage son. This season, her image as a proper wife was shattered, as she became a pariah because of her own marital infidelity. Pamela (Brigid Brannagh), who at the start of the series was mired in such a financial hole that her husband agreed to let her serve as a surrogate mother, is now able to move her family to a much bigger house on base. Roxy (Sally Pressman), happily married, and plucky as ever, finds herself struggling to keep the Hump Bar open while adjusting to some surprising news about one of her sons. The one male among the wives, Dr. Roland Burton (Sterling K. Brown), struggles to find a satisfying job, while acting as the chief caretaker for his infant daughter.
As season two drew to a close, Roxy was fighting to keep control of her bar, Claudia Joy preparing to move the family to Brussels after Michael’s promotion. In the midst of all this, she mounts a search for their daughter Emmalin (Katelyn Pippy) who has run off to marry a Private. Meanwhile, Denise is learning there is a high price to pay, as word of her affair with a patient spreads; not only does she lose her job at the hospital, but she and Frank must decide if they want to fight to save their marriage. Aside from those issues, the first couple of episodes during the third season spend much of the time trying to tie up some storylines that had little long term potential—the Holden’s moving to Brussels, Betty’s one surviving relative taking the Hump Bar from Roxy, and Denise leaving town after a divorce (That last one takes a bit longer).
Once those issues are resolved, new ones crop up. Joan Burton (Wendy Davis) deals with conflicted feelings when she learns she’s being deployed to Iraq; while Chase (Jeremy Davidson) is back from Iraq and having a hard time adjusting to Pamela, the kids, and being stateside. The Holden’s become enamored with an Iraqi orphan, who makes a lasting impression on Emmalin, and Claudia Joy has a tough time adjusting when she’s diagnosed with a very serious medical condition. One of the strongest storylines of the season has Jeremy Sherwood (Richard Bryant), deployed in Iraq, and shaken after his best friend is killed and he returns home safely. It is that storyline that has created what has to be the biggest cliffhanger in the series’ history.
While Army Wives does seem to romanticize military culture, there’s no denying that the show’s mix of soap opera and realism has combined to create a solid show. Aided by good performances from all the primary actors, Army Wives opened the season with 3.5 million viewers—enough to make it the top rated premiere in its demographic, women from age 18-49. I have to admit the cliffhanger is a solid one, and I hope is a harbinger of things to come in the fourth season.
Army Wives has bright colors and a good amount of detail for a DVD. It’s presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and “enhanced” for 16×9 televisions.
The audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mostly delivering dialogue and music. Solid stuff. Subtitle options are in Spanish and French.
Army Wives: The Complete Third Season offers the following special features:
• Deleted Scenes: 15 deleted scenes with optional commentary available by Executive Producer Jeff Melvoin.
• Stationed in the South (21:49): A look at filming on location in Charleston, South Carolina We follow Catherine Bell and her onscreen husband Terry Serpico as they find ways to enjoy what the area has to offer.
• Army Wives Gives Back: Once again,we follow the main cast members ‘giving back’ by helping out real military families.
• Bloopers (8:33): On set cut ups and flubs.
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