For anyone living in a cave, or for those of you who have no reason to tune to Lifetime during the rest of the year, let me be the first to announce that Army Wives season four is set to premiere this Sunday night. How cool, right?
If you’re like me, however, that news is received with a bit of trepidation. Because we all know how uneven (read: trending towards bad) the show was in season three. But fear not, fellow fans, because I believe Army Wives had gotten back on track by the season finale. And here’s where things stand as the new season commences.
Roxy and Trevor have been struggling financially ever since we’ve known them. And the issue has come into sharper focus as first Roxy’s struggled with her restaurant, and then Trevor has questioned whether he has what it takes to be a recruiter. Plus Finn (John White Jr.) being a genius and needing to go to private school. But now, the impending arrival of their first child together, and third child overall, might force Trevor to make a drastic move. I hope not, because if he left the Army they’d be off the show, but a change may very well be in order nonetheless.
Michael’s promotion to Major General has certainly solidified his position in the greater Army apparatus, but this season may find him (and Claudia Joy) fighting to keep Fort Marshall open. And I’m sure that Emmalin isn’t about to make their lives easy, so there’s always potential drama there. Plus Claudia Joy’s diabetes is likely not yet under control, meaning health problems are always going to be possible for her. Not a great time for Lenore Baker (Rhoda Griffis) to be lurking about.
At home, Roland is meant to appear frazzled by caring for Sarah Elizabeth on his own, as well as by the disappearance of his business partner Price (Clifton Powell), currently wanted by the FBI for a 1980 protest. But his real drama is going to come with the news that Joan’s unit came under fire in Iraq, with the launching of a surface-to-surface missile at her position. Chances are she’s okay, but we’ve yet to know what physical, or psychological, damage the incident will inflict on her.
Meanwhile, in the other life-or-death cliffhanger, Frank and Denise returned home after a night out to the sounds of a gunshot coming from their house. Jeremy had been depressed since his return from Iraq, and there’s more than a fair chance that he’s actually laying dead inside. I doubt that the writers would leave both potentially dead people alive, and Joan’s death would leave her daughter motherless, and would force Roland to move off the base. Jeremy’s death would leave Frank and Denise shattered, but there’s little more fallout than that with the loss of this mother-beater.
And just in case that’s not enough, remember that Pamela and the kids disappeared after Chase reneged on his promise to take them all to Myrtle Beach. The entire season developed the struggle that Pamela and Chase have been going through — his lack of interest in his family, her pressing him after he returned from captivity. It’ll be very interesting to see the effort that Chase puts in to winning Pamela back. I think he’s always going to put the Army first — as a Delta soldier he’s trained to put country above all else — but we’ve seen glimpses of just how much his wife and kids mean to him. If he brings his “A” game, it could be great to watch, and it will give Pamela the type of story she deserves.
I’m psyched for the new season to begin. Check it out with me this Sunday night, April 11, at 10:00 pm on Lifetime.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Apr 09, 2010 @ 12:36 EST5EDT
