Army Wives

Over at SpouseBuzz, they have a couple of posts with discussions covering the first two episodes of the new Lifetime show Army Wives. The storyline is based on a book by Tanya Biank called Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives. There has been talk about the series for a while in military publications and by the spouses. After being around the military family scene for the better part of a decade in a half. What do I think? (Mild spoilers ahead)

I’ve seen all of these characters; I worked with a spouse who was a surrogate mom. I’ve seen pettiness and gossip and also some of the lengths spouses go to support their husbands or wives. The show picks up on the extremes of everything you would get out of the average base, not out of a neighborhood. Glad I don’t have this kind of drama in my life.

Spots that struck me? I like Roxy, I’m glad my wife didn’t salute my boss when she first met him though but she comes from a military background, her grandfather was a 28 year Marine and her dad was a Navy optometrist and her minor was in military history. She’s a strong character dropped into an unfamiliar situation.

I’ve known the people who spend beyond their means like the husband of Pamila, betting on a check that will come any day. The LtCol’s wife who has bruises which come from an unexpected source. The male spouse who’s wife is suffering from PTSD and is acting out, I’ve seen this from both sides.

We’re both looking forward to future episodes, as dark as some of the scenes have been, they haven’t even been as dark or as bright as it can be. Give it time.