Growing up, I remember my mother watching “Army Wives.” Being a military brat herself, she was positively obsessed with the show. I remember it was always on, so as an adult I decided to give it a chance and I was not disappointed.
The show’s first season came out in 2007 and is based on a book by Tanya Bianks that was published earlier that year. “Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage” is about Tanya and her friends’ own experiences as army wives.
The show is about four army wives, one army husband and their day to day lives as army spouses. Each spouse has their own unique life, but their status as army spouses tie them together.
Roxy, played by Sally Pressman, is a single mother of two boys who married her army husband, Trevor, played by Drew Fuller, after meeting him in a bar three days before.
Pamela, played by Brigid Brannagh, is a mother of a young daughter and son. She is married to Chase, played by Jeremy Davidson, who is a sniper and part of a covert team. Pamela never knows when her husband will stay or go.
Claudia Joy, played by Kim Delaney, is the mother of two teenage girls, and her husband Michael, played by Brian Mcnamara, is a high-ranking army official stationed on base.
Denise, played by Catherine Bell, is the mother of a troubled teenage boy and the wife of Frank, played by Terry Serpico, who is stationed overseas.
Finally, there is Roland, played by Sterling K. Brown, who is a physiatrist on base and is married to Joan, played by Wendy Davis, who has just returned from a three year deployment.
The first season begins with Roxy and Trevor moving on base with her boys. It seems as if the show is going to go in a fish out water direction, but the show takes a turn with the quick friendship of the five spouses at the end of the first episode.
Pamela begins the first episode pregnant with twins and hiding the fact that she’s surrogating for a young couple. She goes into labor in the on base bar, an event which would become a staple of the show.
The other four army spouses jump in to aid Pamela despite barely even knowing her. They also go as far as to harbor her and her twins until their parents can pick them up.
The rest of the season follows the changes in their lives–Denise’s son and Claudia Joy’s oldest daughter falling in love, Denise’s son’s eventual deployment, Trevor adopting Roxy’s boys, the reveal of Pamela’s surrogacy, Joan’s institutionalization and eventual pregnancy.
It also follows the changes that they make in the military wife community: Roland’s constant support of his fellow army spouses and Denise becoming a nurse for the on base hospital. Roxy comes to work for the on base bar and Pamela’s radio show to encourage the spouses of military personnel on base.
The show is wonderfully written and each character feels distinctly human. Even the “antagonists” of the show are depicted as real human people and not catty caricatures. Some of the situations can seem over-the-top, but the characters act so naturally that it is easy to overlook.
I highly recommend giving this almost twenty year old show a try, and for a warning, the first season ends with a bang.