(S02E12) There were too many story lines in this episode, too many threads pulled from the fabric. It felt like they were setting up the show for the end of the season and building suspense. For that reason, it felt very disjointed to me.
Claudia Joy's parents, Randall and Charlotte -- nicely played by Len Cariou and Marsha Mason -- have settled in the Holden's house as they deal with their marital/financial issues. The kind of money problems most families are facing in this country right now are not like this, so it's hard to relate. It's also hard to buy that his gambling has never impacted on Claudia's life before. Her hero worship has blinded her to his flaws, but how can you keep money troubles that secret?
Kim Delaney is not Quinn Cummings, but the actresses share one thing in common: Marsha Mason as a mom, on screen that is. Army Wives has cast Marsha Mason, Oscar-nominated actress for The Goodbye Girl, as Claudia Joy Holden's mom. She will be appearing on at least two episodes this season, visiting Fort Marshall and her daughter, the general's wife.
Marsha, who is actually has been Oscar-nominated as Best Actress four times in all (Cinderella Liberty, Chapter Two, Only When I Laugh), will guest on Army Wives as Charlotte Meade, Claudia's socialite mother. Her relationship with her daughter is strained and her visit comes without warning.
Judging by the Nielsen ratings Lifetime is raking in for Army Wives in its second season, this show has found its audience. It actually started last spring when Army Wives was a national surprise -- to everyone in the business outside of Lifetime, which picked up the show when ABC passed.
It's still amazing to think that ABC had a chance to put this show in their schedule and let it get away. Their loss is Lifetime's gain -- and they're feasting on it.
If you missed the first season of Army Wives, and didn't get into the show until the fifth episode -- like me -- then you'll be glad to know that Army Wives: The Complete First Season is now available on DVD. It's a great set, too, with some very nice bonus features and quality commentaries.
(S02E04) If there's one thing about Army Wives that bothers me, it's that life is rarely this tidy. With a few exceptions, this episode was about as neat and organized as Frank Sherwood's sock drawer. If you know that character, you know what I mean.
The really good part of the show dealt not with the wives, but with the husbands. Michael Holden, usually the Rock of Gibraltar, finally was shown to be in pain.
It was fitting that Michael wouldn't make it easy for Claudia Joy to find out what was bothering him. A general doesn't show his soft underbelly, not even to his wife.
The twist of having George's sister, Leah, appear was a good development. It was unexpected that the sister of the guy who bombed the Hump Bar would approach the Holdens, but it worked because it gave Claudia Joy a chance to counsel Michael.
(S04E03) Last night we joined Cat, Nigel, Mary, and Tyce in Charleston, South Carolina for more auditions. I, for one, am getting sick of the two-hour audition shows already. We talked about this last week and I have to point it out again: maybe if they showed more dancing, these audition shows would be better.
Cat assured us at the beginning of the program that Charleston would not disappoint as SYTYCD went there in season two. Who did they find in South Carolina? Natalie, Dimitri, finalist Heidi and none other than Travis Woll, season two's runner-up. In the second hour, Mary and Nigel headed to D.C. where they were joined by Dan.
Find out what happened in both cities after the jump.
He's out! Stephen Colbert is not going to be America's next president, or indeed, even the next presidential candidate.The South Carolina Democratic Executive Council voted to keep Stephen Colbert's name off the primary ballot, which pretty effectively ends his presidential campaign. Nevertheless, Colbert would not be Colbert without making a showy public withdrawal.
Colbert has been running for president in South Carolina, and chronicling his campaign adventures on The Colbert Report. Despite Colbert's position as a mock Republican, he campaigned as a Democrat, probably -- as The Huffington Post notes -- because it was less expensive to file as a liberal.
MSNBC has just announced that they will air the first debate of the 2008 Presidential campaign. The network will have the first Democratic party debate at South Carolina State University on April 26. A few weeks later, on May 15, FOX News will air the first Republican party debate from South Carolina.
Um...wait a second. The election isn't until November of 2008 but the debates are already starting this April? More than a year and a half before the election? Has this always been done? I usually pay close attention to these things but I can't remember them starting this early before.
Then again, all the supermarkets and drugstores had Christmas candy on the same shelves as Halloween candy a few months ago, so I guess everything starts early these days.
(S02E12) There were too many story lines in this episode, too many threads pulled from the fabric. It felt like they were setting up the show for the end of the season and building suspense. For that reason, it felt very disjointed to me.
Kim Delaney is not Quinn Cummings, but the actresses share one thing in common: Marsha Mason as a mom, on screen that is. 
Judging by the 
(S02E04) If there's one thing about Army Wives that bothers me, it's that life is rarely this tidy. With a few exceptions, this episode was about as neat and organized as Frank Sherwood's sock drawer. If you know that character, you know what I mean. 
He's out! Stephen Colbert is not going to be America's next president, or indeed, even the next presidential candidate.The South Carolina Democratic Executive Council 
MSNBC has just 
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