Roush on Army Wives
Question: I wanted to ask your thoughts about the
Army Wives second season opener. I've just finished watching it, and I can't stop crying. I'm not usually a crier with television shows, but for some reason this show just gets to me. I'm not an Army wife or girlfriend, but I just love a compelling show that's excellently written and acted, and
AW is just that. It was such a shock to find out in the end of the episode that it was all a dream that Claudia Joy was having and that her daughter Amanda was the beloved one that had died. (I thought it was going to be Betty or Marilyn Polarski.) I wasn't expecting that at all, especially since I truly thought that Claudia Joy had taken Amanda off to college, but I soon realized that it wasn't at all what they wanted the viewers to believe. I want to applaud the writers on the riveting scene between ghost Amanda and Claudia Joy in the end where's she's telling her mom to let go before she walks into that big white heavenly glow. It was definitely a tear-jerker ending. Also, do you know why they changed actresses with the character of Emmalin? There was a much younger actress in the role tonight.
— Qua
Matt Roush: That tragic twist was very effectively handled, I thought, and I heard from a number of fans who were similarly affected. This is such a perfect Lifetime show: just soapy enough, but also just timely enough with its real-time war backdrop adding an element of tough realism to the otherwise earnest soap opera. Not a show that entirely floats my boat, but I'm glad it's a success. I wasn't aware they'd recast the other daughter, but in most cases, these are creative decisions having to do with the producers' needs and plans for the character. If I hear otherwise, I'll let you know.
