ARMY WIVES is an anomaly among Lifetime shows. It is a very grounded drama that depicts the realities of how family life is at an Army post (Fort Marshall) and what the wives (and one husband) do to support their significant others serving in the Army. One of the characters is a female Lt. Colonel serving in the Army who must deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and face an uncertain marriage she has been away from for two years (while serving in Afghanistan). Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney) supports her high ranking husband (Brian McNamara) who should have got the promotion and command of the post. Her nemesis is Lenore, wife of the new General. Also you have Roxy who married her husband after knowing him for four days while Pamela must learn to deal with the truth of being a surrogate mother. Then you have Denise (Catherine Bell in a role different from JAG) who hides the truth of abuse from her husband who is a too proud military man.

ARMY WIVES is addictive while telling the side of military life you usually don't see. It takes great strength and courage for the families who support their loved ones in the military who often go overseas for months to even a year at a time. The season finale cliffhanger annoyed me (and wish the first episode of season 2 was included on the set for those of us who don't have or won't watch Lifetime). I have discovered many shows on DVD while catching up on others I have fell behind on. I don't think the writers and producers need such a dramatic cliffhanger for the end of season 2 when the best drama is based on the stuff that happens to the Army Wives in the real world.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
5 audio commentaries were recorded for this set with various members of cast and crew (2 for A TRIBE IS BORN and the other tracks are for INDEPENDENCE DAY, DIRTY LAUNDRY, and GOODBYE STRANGER). The tracks reveal a few behind-the-scenes tidbits including the difficulties for a season finale season that rain would always interrupt filming.

ARMY WIVES GONE A.W.O.L is a set of bloopers and outtakes where the cast play jokes on each other, flub lines on purpose, and even Kim Delaney kisses Catherine Bell.

Deleted scenes are from various episodes (almost half from the season finale). Also the deleted storyline is yet another scene cut from the pilot where the wives sing and dance at the Hump bar (it is a fun scene that shouldn't have been cut- they could re-edit the scene and lose the episode recaps which are overrated these days).

WIVES ON THE HOMEFRONT features interviews with real army wives as the cast of ARMY WIVES and Operation Homefront team up for a day to give the wives and their kids a fun day.
"HAVE AT IT" WITH THE ARMY WIVES has two of the executive producers asking viewer questions to half of the cast (Catherine Bell and two others are absent).
"HAVE AT IT" WITH THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS has the other two producers reveal how the show came about and how they put the show together.

FINAL ANALYSIS: ARMY WIVES is a great drama with a fantastic cast and show an aspect of military life rarely ever seen. I do wish they had a few featurettes that went behind-the-scenes on how they create an episode from start-to-finish.

this DVD review is (c)6-10-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

look for additional content at http://enterline2.tripod.com  and http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com