"Army Wives" mini-cap: You can't always get what you want

Clearly the network interfering and the changing of the some of the producing guard have really effected the show.  Where season one had an ensemble scope to it this season the whole cast is forced to play islands on to themselves.  The flow of the show is gone and therefore so is all the heart.

I miss what made the show special in season one.  Where is all the interaction between the girls?  Where is all the friendship and support they have ALL offered each other from time to time?  Where is the blasting away of all the social rules of the military that allows the wife of the head of the base to hang with the owner of the dive bar?

Where most shows get better with age this one has slipped back to dullsville.

 Unless this Brenda plot is laying ground for a season three adventure for Pamela (say with Renee O'Connor) it was a waste of what could have been an interesting character development/reveal.  

 You were so right - by far the least interesting kiss of ANY kind on any show this season - forget same sex - worst TV kiss moment ever.  SNORE!

And thank goodness you mentioned the toe touch - what in the HECK was that dropped in there for?  A way to keep the subtext fans talking after giving them something after the fastest same-sex swinger character development - EVER!

 The thing is - unless Dont Ask, Don't Tell gets lifted leaving it okay for a woman to serve open and unless Chase (or any of the other men were to cheat and leave their wives) this soap can't really get to soap status anyway.  I just hope they get things back on track in season three.  High ratings or not - this show is creatively dull.

First, make it more realistic to reflect the lives of real Army wives.  I served in the Army for a number of years at various Army bases, and while being a lesbian precluded me from being an actual Army wife, I met plenty of them.  Some do cheat on their husbands with other men; some are faithful, some are happy to be alone, some take refuge in the church, drugs, or alcohol.  Some can't deal with their husband's war injuries, whether it's PTSD or a physical injury.  The divorce rate on Army posts is sky high.

I'd like to see Katherine Fugate, the executive producer, address some of the real-life issues that I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

As for the scene between Brenda and Pamela, talk about LAME!  Most boring "lesbian" kiss ever recorded.  I was insulted by Pamela and Roxy's conversation afterward; they were dismissive of the whole thing and acted like it was disgusting.  Yet, there is more chemistry between Catherine Bell and Kim Delaney than between them and their husbands.  Ditto for Pamela and Roxy.  But, their characters will never kiss, because that would be too disgusting.

Stop trying to make "Army Wives" be a poor military version of "Desperate Housewives" (Katherine Fugate, you are no Marc Cherry!), and why not interview and meet some real Army wives, who are suffering from depression, loneliness, infidelity, adultery, drugs, alcohol, etc., not to mention dealing with their husbands' war injuries.  But, that might be TOO realistic.

Exclusive: 'Army Wives' Creator Relieved of Duty

Army Wives' top lieutenant has been discharged. Sources confirm to me exclusively that the creator of Lifetime's top-rated drama ever, Katherine Fugate, has been shown the door.

"Army Wives is a fantastic tribute to the real life heroes serving in our armed forces and I'm so happy to have been a part of it," Fugate said in a statement. "With the show such an established hit, now seems like a logical time for me to step away and focus on developing new projects."

Rumors of behind-the-scenes tension between Fugate and the show's corporate spouses, Lifetime and ABC Studios, have persisted pretty much since day one. As evidence, Wives has weathered three show-runner changes in its two years on the air. The most recent switch came this spring, when Dee Johnson was relieved of duty and replaced by Nick Thiel.

In its own statement, ABC Studios said, "Katherine is incredibly talented and we’re grateful for her work in creating Army Wives. We are very happy to have had the opportunity to work with her."

What exactly does this mean for Army Wives? Probably not much. Thiel has pretty much been running the show these past few months, and I'm told he's not going anywhere. Whispers an Army source: "Everyone is very happy with Nick."

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"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right..." - Judge Learned Hand, The Spirit of Liberty

I agree, HotHandle, you're right - let's see some of the real issues affecting army wives. Let's see some risk and challenges on the show. The writing has become really lazy. They probably think they're taking risks but the reality is far from it.

The Brenda/Pamela storyline - UGH! Ok, that whole thing with Brenda sleeping with other women isn't considering cheating? Oh RIGHT! Because we all KNOW that when a woman sleeps with another woman, it's not real sex because lesbian sex is less valid than heterosexual sex, so of COURSE it's not cheating. Right. Gotcha, thanks Army Wives for clearing that up.

Honestly, I haven't watched the show each week since the first season. It's definitely lost it for me, though I had to tune in for the alleged lesbian action, especially involving Pamela. Oh well.

Thanks linster, I will continue reading your recaps regardless!