Few things on television could be considered more of a sleeper hit than Army Wives. That's true both in terms of its sleeperness, being a fairly targeted theory without tons of hype on Lifetime, and its hitness, managing pretty solid ratings through several seasons. The drama that unfolds while watching the lives of those dealing with Army Base life has had critics taking notice and fans making sure they get heard for quite some time, and now the third season is available on DVD.
Starring Kim Delaney (“NYPD Blue”), Catherine Bell (“JAG”), Sally Pressman (My Best Friend’s Girl), Brigid Brannagh (“Over There”) and Sterling K. Brown (Righteous Kill), the highly-praised drama follows the struggles, dreams and relationships of four very different women and one man, as they build their lives and families in the ever-changing environment of the US Army.
The third season turned things up in many senses, and it's a great testament to making sure shows stick around. This is a perfect example of a show that needed to get its feet under it for a while, establish its characters, and get past the initial establishment for a while. This is obviously a somewhat shticky premise, and for such a show to real deliver on any theoretical possibilities, it needs some time. I find it somewhat similar to things like Friday Night Lights, which also need to move beyond itself for a while before it really started getting good.
Not everything in the realm of solid television can come by way of theories that are going to shoot out of the gates, and the existence of shows like this makes you fall in love with a lot of cable networks that are willing to let shows develop. Of course, in this case, the show did pretty well from the beginning, but you know a major network probably wouldn't have been able to let it build into itself.
Season Three brings in a lot of twists, and the actors had to step up their game as well. Always on the dramatic side of course, this season often had a much more intense flavor about it, and some surprises were bold enough that they could have gone wrong. Having now been allowed to fully develop its stage, the elements have coalesced into one of the most watchable things on television.
Season Three brings a new year of dramatic changes for the Army Wives. Watch their lives unfold in touching detail as they tackle the challenges faced daily by families on Army Reserve posts around the country. Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) digs in and fights to save her marriage after uncovering a hurtful secret, while the ever-resilient Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney) hides a painful truth of her own. Joan’s (Wendy Davis) struggle with a major decision leads her husband Roland (Sterling K. Brown) to imagine what his life would be like had he taken a different path, and Denise (Catherine Bell) and Frank (Terry Serpico) question the foundation of their relationship in the show’s most important season ever.
The DVD Features
The special features on this release are really a step above the vast majority of cable television offerings you're going to find. You get some of the standard bonuses with deleted scenes and bloopers, which are going to tickle fans, and a bit of extra by way of some webisodes, but then you get a couple of real treats.
Army Wives Gives Back is a featurette that documents the show's (and network's) effort to help out some military families. While the terminally grumpy will find this a kind of self-serving promotional gimmick, it's hard to think so after watching it. It's a nice touch, in more ways than one, and fans of the show are going to like partaking of the experience.
The real sell on the release is Stationed In The South, a featurette that has the cast and crew exploring Charleston, South Carolina, the show's home. The extent to which this is an above-and-beyond DVD bonus is hard to describe, but you can rest assured that any fan of the show is going to love it. Several corners of Charleston's finer points are given to us by the stars of the show, and more than simply a tour, we get some great insight into what it really means to live the life of a television show for three years. This is not only a great special feature, but one that really has the fans in mind. Anyone who has invested in this show to the tune of three seasons is going to enjoy the insight into the actor's lives and the city.
A highly recommended release on its own, the DVD package easily makes this a must own.
Own it on DVD today!
Leave a comment below and include the word, "Win," and you are automatically entered to get your very own copy of the DVD release. U.S. only. Winner will be selected March 15th.
Enjoy a few clips below.
Trailer
Brian & Brigid (Bonus)
Kim & Katelyn (Bonus)
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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