by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Army Wives was a breakout hit for Lifetime Television, and the network has already green-lighted a second season of this hit that debuted in June. It stars Kim Delany and Catherine Bell (Jag) as stalwart Army wives holding down the homefront while their husbands serve in Iraq and Afghanistan. The series was adapted by Katherine Fugate from Tanya Biank’s book, which was a runaway best-seller. The premise is based on the adage that “they also serve who stand and wait.”
The series’ drama comes from author Biank’s real-life experiences as an Army wife. She created a cast of waiting spouses, including one man, who struggles with the fear and dread that their loved ones may not come back alive from their tours of duty. The stress of this day-to-day tension can drive these well-meaning spouses over the edge into alcoholism, infidelity, and depression. Others, like the lead character Claudia Joy Holden (Kim Delany), channel their emotions into helping the other wives cope and participating in public service on and off the base.
Catherine Bell portrays Denise Sherwood, a fun-loving person who is forced into the role of dutiful Army wife. Of course, there is the sleazy Roxy (Sally Pressman) and Pamela (Brigid Baannagh) who are barely able to hold it together. Representing the male point of view is Roland (Sterling K.Brown) whose wife Joan Burton (Wendy Davis) is fighting post-traumatic stress attacks by drinking heavily. Joan was in command of a patrol that responded to an act of brutality against a child, but the rules of engagement prevented her from allowing her troops to intervene. She feels terrible guilt over this incident.
Pamela’s pregnancy has united the women and fed the gossip mill since she hired herself out as a surrogate mom because she and her husband (Jeremy Davidson) need the money. Meanwhile, Roxy has made it clear she is no nun and is not the faithful kind. The dramatic possibilities are endless as the Army base becomes a microcosm of America’s support of the troops but longing desperately to end America’s involvement in Iraq with its daily increasing death toll.
In the pilot episode, Roxy marries PFC Trevor LeBlanc after a one-day courtship and moves with her two kids to base housing. She takes a job bartending at a local joint where civilian men go to pick up enlisted men’s wives who cheat while their husbands are deployed. Roxy meets Joy (Delany) who believes that her husband Col. Michael Holden’s expected promotion didn’t come through because of base politics. The pilot goes on to introduce the characters, and in future episodes, imprint them into the viewers’ consciousness.
Lifetime President of Entertainment, Susanne Daniels, is moving the network into prime time with programming and new series’ that can appeal to both women and men. She has presented Army Wives as the hit show that will carry momentum to two other series on Sunday night, Side Order and State of Mind. So far, Wives is getting big numbers and paving the way for the other series’.
Overcoming the sudsy aspects of this dramatic series are the acting skills of Delany and Bell. They not only establish their characters, but they provide a strong anchor for the other actors to create memorable characterizations. The series portrays Army wives realistically without glossing over the real issues, such as infidelity, alcoholism, and divorce.
Going into the 8th episode, the scripts have been engrossing with surprise twists. In one episode, a returning soldier suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder takes a group of wives and others hostage in the base hospital. It turned out he was one of the soldiers who witnessed the civilian girl being raped and tortured while under Joan Burton’s command. She had to have him restrained to prevent him from intervening, which exacerbated his PTSD, turning him psychotic.
With Lifetime and other cable networks offering new programming, it has uplifted viewers’ summer doldrums. There is plenty of new product out there to check out. Soon, FX is launching Damage starring Glenn Close as a ruthless head of a law firm. She was so impressive on The Shield, the network offered Close her own series.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
