Synopsis: Following the aftermath of the bombing at the Hump Bar, the Army Wives struggle to put their lives back together. Roxy awaits word about Trevor from his superiors. With the news of Joan's pregnancy, Roland and Joan reevaluate their relationship. Claudia Joy accompanies Amanda as she embarks on her freshman year at college.
Anyone planning on watching S2?
I admit to getting sucked into this show last summer. It started clunky, but it matured late into the first season's run. I think the performances are mostly strong, particularly the lesser-known Brigid Brannagh and Sally Pressman. The writing needs some tweaks though.
Wow. I thought this was the best hour this show has produced. The writing was much improved, and the acting was uniformly good.
Brannagh's scene where she confesses her hatred for Marilyn was great as was Pressman's scene when she watched the video from Trevor. Delaney's scenes seemed disconnected from the rest of the action until that wallop of an ending. The next few weeks look like they'll give Delaney some great material, which I felt she was lacking last season.
The show needs to work on its pacing though. Some hour-long dramas feel like they go by in 30 minutes, but this show actually feels an hour long. The writers also need to flesh out Roland and Joan. These characters and actors are both bland and uninteresting.
I totally agree with your assessment. This episode was the finest hour this show has produced. It was very well-written and acted by (almost)all, and that ending left me in a puddle of tears. It did seem strange that Claudia Joy and Amanda seemed so distant from the rest of the story, and that the other wives seemed so concerned when the only (known) victim was Betty, but the way it all came together at the end was shocking and sad, and very powerful. I had all but given up on this show last season, but if the rest of this season is half as good as what I saw last night, then I'm gonna have to give it another shot.
I was really impressed with Pamela and Roxy last night, and I'm disappointed with the way the writers have underused the wonderful Catherine Bell. Hopefully she'll get a better storyline this season. Last season's was good but was a written with a hamfisted approach. Hopefully we'll see some great scenes for her this season. And ya gotta love Sally Pressman as Roxy. She's amazing. And I also agree about Joan and Roland. Those two are the worst thing about the show, and it's only partially because of the writing. Neither of the actors have impressed me thus far. Hopefully we'll see some better performances with this pregnancy storyline.
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According to LifetimeTV.com, 4.5 million views watched the season premier of Army Wives, making it the highest-rated original drama series telecast in Lifetime's 24-year history.
Pressman was great. I liked her unraveling. It was very real. All the other wives have gotten used to it but she's brand new. Delaney was great in the final scene. I think she will be Emmy worthy again. Last season she had a really good story involving a hit and run.
WILLIAM PETERSEN: Well, this is a shock. The only explanation for this is that somehow in the last year, every one of you tried to act with rubber gloves and tweezers.
Posts: 5788 | Location: NY | Registered: December 01, 2002
Synopsis: The Army Wives deal with the aftermath of an unexpected tragedy. Joan struggles with her decision to terminate her pregnancy. Roxy takes in Betty while she recovers from the bombing at the Hump Bar. Pamela finds herself frustrated by Chase's ongoing secrets about his work.
Judging from the previews, this looks like a possible submission for Kim Delaney.
Good episode, though I think last week's was stronger. Delaney was great here, and I think this would make a great submission for her. Brian McNamara was excellent as well.
Catherine Bell continues to be underused, but it looks like her storyline will pick up next week.
Wendy Davis' Joan continues to bore, and I think her storyline could have moved in more interesting directions if she'd had the abortion. Of course, that would have vilified her character even more. Joan and Roland continue to be a snooze fest, which brought this episode down a notch for me.
The writing is much improved from last season, and the writers have tightened the plotting. Many of S1's episodes had short story arcs. Bell, for example, submitted a great tape for this year's Emmy consideration, but her storyline concluded within the first half of the episode. The second half of this episode then focused on a completely new and different storyline that Bell played no significant role in. The acting on this show has always been better than its writing, and it is nice to see this season's writing finally catch up to its actors.
I watched this last night for the first time since the pilot. Whoever is playing Kim Delaney's daughter is a horrible actress. I mean, absolutely awful. She ruined any and all scenes she was in. I was so focused on how bad an actress she was, pushing so hard to bring the tears and emotion, that everything else was pushed to the background. It's like she was reading lines off a well placed cue card. On the plus side, what I saw was better than the pilot, but I thought the pilot was jus terrible. The writing is still very weak and doesn't make use of a pretty solid cast.
Okay, Lindsay, are you forgetting that I was a professional twice over— an analyst and a therapist. The world’s first analrapist.
While the rest of Ugly Betty cast makes the move to New York City for Season 3, Ana Ortiz will be making a pit stop in Charleston, S.C. There, the increasingly in-demand actress will film a plum guest-star gig on Army Wives.
On Lifetime's sizzling summer series, Ortiz will play Sandi, a litigious waitress who gets mixed up with Roxy (Sally Pressman) and Trevor (Drew Fuller).
I liked this episode a lot though not as much as the premiere. The Holdens continue to be the most compelling group for me though the new actress for the daughter is awful. Delaney and McNamara did a great job making their grief feel very real as well as giving a clear picture of where each character was in the process.
I don't like the voiceovers they seem to be fond of this season. I didn't mind Claudia Joy's as much only because it felt more relevant to her current story but Trevor's felt tacked on, even moreso because Roxy's story was about Betty this week not Trevor. I also didn't really see the point of the Trevor scenes- I would have much prefered for him to go the way of Frank as long as he's overseas.
Pamela's brother story also felt tacked on but I liked the rest of her story a lot. I'm glad to see her and Chase dealing with her feelings about his absences but I'm also glad Branaugh didn't hit the melodrama too hard. Her feelings and frustration felt reasonable even knowing the realities of Chase's job. Pamela is my favorite mother- her interactions with her kids feel very natural.
I'm glad Joan didn't get the abortion because I think Roland and Joan need a story. If she had gotten the abortion they would have been right back where they were last season, retreading the same problems. They need a new direction, and hopefully this one will be more interesting than their last one.
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Originally posted by RyanB: Catherine Bell continues to be underused, but it looks like her storyline will pick up next week.
Considering Catherine Bell was used a lot last season and I ended up hating Denise in storylines where I should have been overwhelmingly sympathetic towards her less is more where I'm concerned. I think my problem with Bell is that Denise is written as a very warm character, particularly in scenes with Claudia Joy, and I don't get any of that from Bell. I think she's trying to do self-contained but too often it comes off as self-centered or superior. I actually haven't minded her all that much this season though so maybe my feelings will change.
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Synopsis: Finn, who develops a school boy crush on Claudia Joy, convinces his mother to let him ask her out on a date. Denise bonds with a soldier named Mac who has lost his legs from the war; his upbeat attitude about his treatment reminds Denise of her more carefree days. Chase tells Pamela and their kids that he has to leave on another mission, and Katie, their eldest daughter, doesn't handle the news well.
Synopsis: Denise continues to assert independence by trying new things, including learning to ride a motorcycle. Joan finally speaks openly about her pregnancy.
