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Army Wives: The Complete Third Season
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (29th May 2010). |
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The Show
 Why oh why do soaps end up in primetime? I seriously just don’t get it. Shows like “Army Wives” are at the forefront of what I fear will be a disturbing trend. Twenty or so years ago the primetime soap (“Dallas” (1978-1991), et al) was an accepted, neigh expected thing. But, perhaps again proving how out of touch I am with modern TV viewers, I thought we had moved past all that – the melodrama, and the bad acting, and plotlines seemingly directly taken from daytime television, and with production values that are only slightly better than, were all a thing of the past. I guess not. Something like “Desperate Housewives” (2004-Present) I can almost respect. I say almost because I hate that show too, but, there is a certain acceptability to its ridiculously contrived, overacted, too-dramatic ways. It’s camp and intentionally overwrought, and because of that I sort of forgive the ladies of Wisteria Lane. The show may be shit, but it's sort of supposed to be (shit in the sense that all daytime soaps are). My feelings for “Army Wives” are somewhat different. I look at Lifetime’s longest running, and apparently most successful original series with contempt and misunderstanding. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a middle-aged woman, an Army wife or even female, but the show’s tiring contrivances, unrealistic storylines and terribly overreaching dialogue do nothing for me. And then again, perhaps not – yes the show is, for some reason, an unbridled success among women of a certain age, that pulls in ratings for the network unlike anything before or since – but, as I searched for some grasp of understanding as to why this show was popular, I turned to a female mind (my mother, who is almost perfectly within the demographic that “Army Wives” supposedly appeals to), and she too found it a troublesome bore of a show, so ignore my previous gender-biased musings. The series follows the lives of a group of women (and the military men they are married to). There’s Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney), the uppity bitch archetype that most of the women talk about behind her back, because, you know, she doesn’t sleep around or get beat on by her husband, General Holden (Brian McNamera). Conversely, we have Denise (Catherine Bell), the cheating wife, who has marital problems and a mildly abusive husband. And Roxy (Sally Pressman), a newly married initiate into the Army wife culture, who struggles to raise her two kids from a previous relationship, as well as come to terms with the failing bar that she co-owns. These woman are all genre staples – clichés down to their last – so it comes as somewhat of a surprise that there is a break from the formula present in this show, with the Burton’s – wife Joan (Wendy Davis) and husband Roland (Sterling Brown). In a switch from the norm, Joan is the officer in the military and Roland the "Army Husband." This third season focuses highly around them and their new daughter, who Roland is charged with when Joan redeploys. In this one couple I see where the show could have been good – had the writers and producers decided to not make the world of their show so black and white. But Joan and Roland (the exception to the rule) are imperfect too. As are all the cast. One of “Army Wives” biggest flaws – outside of the obvious technical problems in scripting and basic execution – is that the series wants to be so serious (and it does want to be, right on down to the sweeping music and overlong external monologues). By default then, the show wishes to be a realistic depiction of base-life and Army families, but the creators fail to deliver on that tone. The actors fail to create real, believable people, and instead seem like actors playing a part. They’re all too attractive for real life, with their perfectly white smiles and flowing, groomed hair, too fashionable and too dramatic. Likewise, the scenarios in which they interact are too orchestrated and big to be realistic. It can’t just be a rebellious teen; the daughter must run away and plan to get married in some faraway little church to their boyfriend that no one else in the family likes, because he’s a bum. Spouses can’t just argue – the moment that happens the man must become an angry abusive monster and things spiral out of control. People don’t just die; they die in overly elaborate and manufactured ways. And people don’t just have problems – they have problems that will forever change their lives in every way, shape or form. Yes, all of the above sometimes happens in "real life"... sometimes. But, for the characters of "Army Wives" the overly-dramatic and theatrical is just a normal everyday occurrence, and I just don’t think that it’s believable for everything to be always one hundred percent such an overdramatic and exaggerated “event”, which pits friend against friend and family members against each other. I’m sorry, surely this fictionalized world of heightened life is entertaining to those who like to watch it (it must be), but I think it’s just too much. On the bright side, production values are admittedly acceptable – for cable – but nothing spectacular and the show’s direction borders on dire tedium, but is nonetheless technically professional. But when "Army Wives" isn't awful, it’s by-the-numbers television – in writing, most of the acting, and more – and that is hardly something that will cause me to heap great praise. To be slightly above terrible is not something to be proud of. In preparation for the shows new fourth season in broadcast, ABC/Disney releases “Army Wives: The Complete Third Season” on DVD. "The Complete Third Season” arrives in a 5-disc set which contains all 18 episodes from the shows original June to October run last year. Episodes include: - “Best Laid Plans” - “About Face” - “Moving Out” - “Incoming” - “Disengagement” - “Family Readiness” - “Onward Christian Soldier” - “Post and Prejudice” - “Coming Home” - “M.I.A” - “Operation: Tango” - “First Response” - “Duty to Inform” - “Need to Know Basis” - “As Time Goes By” - “Shrapnel and Alibis” - “Fire in the Hole” - “Fields of Fire”
Video
Granted an anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen transfer, the standard-def image looks decent, if not exactly what one would consider the essence of perfection. Colors and skintones are lively, bright, but limited to the series’ warm color palette, which fails to offer much variance. Shot on HD video the picture is crisp and essentially without artifacts, but occasionally a little soft (the vanity of the actresses is largely to blame and not the actual transfers themselves, I’m sure). Contrast is rich and stable, and the discs themselves look to be free of unneeded secondary manipulation like edge-enhancement or DNR. “Army Wives’” third season is a perfectly acceptable standard definition presentation, that’s only hampered by the limitations of the DVD format and the shows intentionally soft photography.
Audio
I’m not sure that it benefits much but “Army Wives: The Complete Third Season” is afforded an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Dialogue is clean, clear and well presented in the center channel. There’s little in the way of discrete effects to funnel to the rear speakers and thus they remain relatively silent throughout the whole series. A smattering of material is splashed to the left and right speakers and in those moments, the track does well with stereo separation and providing some interest outside of the dull talky norm, but those moments are limited. This is a functionally proficient but totally unimpressive mix; again, the show’s intentions are to blame – not the DVDs themselves. Optional English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish subtitles are included.
Extras
“Army Wives” arrives with a package of supplements that is honestly better than expected. Contained entirely on the fifth disc are a few featurettes, a collection of webisodes, a blooper reel, 15 deleted scenes and a splash of bonus trailers for other ABC and Disney products. In all this is not a bad haul for fans of the series. Certainly not the most groundbreaking round of extras (and I found absolutely nothing of interest to me), but if you like the show, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the bonus material. DISC ONE, TWO, THREE & FOUR: These discs contain no bonus material. DISC FIVE: “Stationed in the South” is your standard EPK making of featurette. This thing is pretty tacky, and comes off as a “come to Charleston” infomercial. The producers talk about shooting the show there and the locations that the city provides them with, including the Army base, barracks and the “the beautiful backdrop of the historical southern city.” The cast talks about what they like to do in the downtime between shooting, which includes boating, among other things. Clips from the show are interspersed with interview footage. Many of the actors “take” viewers on a tour of their favorite activity, with stock footage and material shot on a handycam filling in the narrative. It’s pretty basic, boring stuff to be honest, but I can see the appeal in what this would offer fans, as it’s overall harmless and (if unrewarding for someone such as myself) gives viewers more time with the actors that they like. 21 minutes 50 seconds, in anamorphic 16x9. Also included is a blooper reel comprised of the expected series of slip-ups, flubs and production gaffes. Meh. Runs 8 minutes 34 seconds, in windowboxed 16x9. 15 deleted scenes from various episodes throughout the third season are included, with optional audio commentary by executive producer Jeff Melvoin. There’s nothing all that substantial here, meaning watch the scenes if you must but, don’t expect any great reveals in scenes (or insider info for that matter, because Melvion’s commentary offers little insight beyond the basics). Video quality is a little rough, presented in windowboxed 16x9, complete with time codes and miscellaneous junk in the letterbox. Scenes Include: - "No Comment" runs for 1 minute 38 seconds. - "Pushing Buttons" runs for 42 seconds. - "Not Prying" runs for 1 minute 11 seconds. - "Only Human" runs for 38 seconds. - "Denver" runs for 38 seconds. - "Joan’s List" runs for 55 seconds. - "Go Bulldogs!" runs for 14 seconds. - "Missing Wallet" runs for 17 seconds. - "She’s Gone" runs for 16 seconds. - "Resigning From The Service" runs for 47 seconds. - "Upset Stomach" runs for 58 seconds. - "Hurry Up and Wait" runs for 1 minute 30 seconds. - "Jeremy At Rison’s" runs for 39 seconds. - "Surprise!" runs for 1 minute 23 seconds. - "What Do You Wish?" runs for 59 seconds. A series of webisodes are also included, broken down into two categories, following two characters from the show in their own mini-episodes. Windowboxed in 16x9, the material is split between: Joan Burton: - “Time Marches On.” Wife Joan and husband Roland talk about their daughter, the couple’s plans for the future and Joan’s deployment. 2 minutes 34 seconds. - “At Ease.” Joan talks about her deployment with her baby daughter. 2 minutes 22 seconds. - “Duty Calls.” Joan and Roland have a hearted argument about her deployment (okay, seriously, I tried to think of another way to say that, but really this segment is just so repetitive of the other two, that that’s the best I could come up with). 2 minute 34 seconds. And Jeremy Sherwood: - “Private Conversations.” While deployed Pvt. Sherwood has difficulty keeping his head on straight with the weight of his parent’s marriage issues, girlfriend problems and a whole mess of other melodrama holding his down. 1 minute 54 seconds. - “The War at Home.” Jeremy talks about his mother’s infidelities with a friend. 2 minutes 22 seconds. - “Separation Anxiety.” A moody Sherwood laments the news of his folks splitting up by playing guitar – poorly. 2 minutes 1 second. “‘Army Wives’ Gives Back” is a series of featurettes in which the actors and production crew of “Army Wives” visits real soldiers and their spouses, and does something nice for them. Usually, it’s not outlandish – instead just something simple, but nice, like taking Aneana Pearce, a sergeant and single mother, out for a make over and day at the spa. Three “Gives Back” pieces are included: - "Actress Wendy Davis & Aneana Pearce" runs for 2 minutes 7 seconds. - "Actor Sterling Brown & Jodi Petit at Fort Lewis, WA" runs for 2 minutes 7 seconds. - "Actress Wendy Davis & Brooke Atkins at Fort Campbell, KY" runs for 2 minutes 1 second. The “Sneak Peeks” menu houses 3 bonus trailers, including: - “Greek: Chapter 4” runs 1 minute. - “10 Things I Hate About You” runs 1 minute 10 seconds. - “The Boys Are Back” runs 1 minute 21 seconds.
Packaging
The five-disc set comes housed in a clear keep case with a slip-cover.
Overall
Fans of “Army Wives” should be happy with this third season release of the series, as it offers faithful A/V and what’ll assume will be worthwhile extras to them. On the other hand, personally, I found “Army Wives” to be a difficult, rather uninteresting experience. The show is just too “Lifetime-y” for me, and not well enough made to overlook it’s few glaring technical flaws (primarily acting and writing missteps). I won’t say that it’s a bad series per say, but rather that I’m definitely not a member of the target audience (or gender), and assume that is why I didn’t like it.
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