Army Wives: The Complete First Season / 2008 ABC Studios / 552 Minutes / http://www.lifetimetv.com/shows/armywives/index.php /
The Iraq War is going on its fifth year, so the premise of Army Wives is one that is not too far outside of reality. The numbers that Army Wives pulled in is further proof of that; when the show originally premiered, it garnered Lifetime’s biggest ratings ever. This boxed set features the first thirteen episodes of the show, along with a number of additional tidbits that makes its value all the higher. The show centers around a woman – Roxy LeBlanc (Sally Pressman, of Shark and Criminal Minds fame) – that marries a soldier and moves onto an Army base.
From there, viewers see Roxy gradually adapt to Army life and further issues, such as their husbands being deployed, infidelity, a vicious rumor mill, and the like, gradually take the fore. Beyond these issues, a storyline progresses that is compelling at the worst and engrossing at the best; the last episode will stick with viewers long after the DVD ceases to spin. This is due to the fact that Amanda ends up breaking up with Jeremy, leading to a series of events that leads to Marilyn’s husband walking into a bar with a homemade bomb tied onto eirself. Moreso than being a solid show, the songs that are featured on the show are at the forefront of music. This means that artists such as The Martyrs, Ampop, Nightmare of You, Alissa Moreno, and the like are all present during the show’s first season run. The bonus features that are on this box set are legion, and will provide individuals with a number of featurettes and added material that had previously not seen the light of day.
This means that that there is an entire unaired storyline that is finally given the light of day, along with the standard features – such as deleted scenes and interviews with the cast members. However, what may be the best bonus feature on this boxed set is the “Wives on the Homefront†featurette, which actually provides individuals with some sense of what it is like to be an Army wife. This is due through a mini-documentary about that subset of individuals, and how their significant other being in the service changes their relationships. Individuals can catch up with the series just as the second series starts up – 18 episodes are set to air after the introductory episode was aired on the 8th.
Rating: 8.0/10