The show about the wives
of the biggest heroes of their times in America details the friendships that
were tested but true on various levels
“Based on the book by
Lily Koppel, this 10 episode series tells the story of the women who were key
players behind some of the biggest events in American history. As America's
astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, Life magazine documented the astronauts' families, capturing the
behind-the-scenes lives of their young wives. Overnight, these women were
transformed from military spouses into American royalty. As their celebrity
rose and tragedy began to touch their lives, they rallied together.”
ABC’s
overview of what the series is about captures what’s on the surface of the
series. As the beginning of the series takes us into the space race
of the 1960s, we soon discover that there was a lot at stake for the nations
that wanted to take the first step towards exploring what was truly out of the
world.
As Life magazine begins to chronicle the events of the missions to
space, the approach they take is to focus on the wives of the elite group of
seven astronauts who are selected to make their way out in successive trips. While
Russia beat America to it by sending the first man to space—Yuri Gagarin—America’s
aggressive approach to orbit the Earth, to make more significant advancements in
the field, soon puts a lot of pressure on the astronauts and their wives. The
series captures all of the above quite perfectly. It’s a time when public
opinion and support is paramount, as making favorable appearances puts a lot of
pressure on the wives, who aren’t always prepared for it. As the stories of the
wives shed light on the conflicts they face, coping with the anxiety, yet trying
to live up to the pressure of painting a positive picture of hope.
Expectations of being
the perfect partners aren’t always easy to fulfil, as we begin to discover the
intricacies of the marriages of these new celebrities in America. Details about
their pasts are woven into the plot with the appropriate subtlety, as the
series unravels characters for us to see as complete human beings, with their
dreams and ambitions as well as fears and insecurities.
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB
does justice to almost every character in what is quite a large cast, in a
short span of time. The story is paced well, and still manages to effectively capture
the endearing and lighter moments between the friends, showing the significance
of their bonds, which really is what’s at the heart of the series. As these women
try to stick together and be there for each other, knowing that only they can
truly understand each other, the men try and do the same, as they anticipate when
their turns will come and how they will fare.
A show full of lovely
portrayals of relationships, THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB it set against a backdrop
of ’60s. It was a socio-economic time that was not only about advancements such
as man taking a step outside the atmosphere, but also a time that was seeing a
tremendous amount of change. While the race divide was still far more prominent
than it is today, women were growing to realize that they could have a voice if
they wanted to, and they could also dream big like their husbands did. And THE ASTRONAUT
WIVES CLUB shows us how its characters navigate these tricky waters quite well.
I look forward to seeing more of this promising series, an offering that’s rather
different from most of what we have on TV these days.
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| The cover of Lily Koppel's book features a Life magazine photo, the shoot of which is is seen in the pilot of THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB |
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