Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday – Mistresses

I’ve been quiet here lately,  but for good reason (if you ask me)…. I had a baby!

My Little Guy’s Monkey Feet

I am trying to slowly get back into the swing of things, despite all of these new and very important tasks filling my days and nights, and have decided it’s time to throw out a new blog post.  Well, kind of a new post… today’s post is a rerun from last summer with updated information.  So if you are still wondering about ABC’s Mistresses, this post is for you!

Based on the popular British television series of the same name, Mistresses is a sexy drama following the lives of four girlfriends as they discover who they really are via their friendships, relationships, and sex.

Sound familiar?  I’m thinking of one of my favorites here… Sex and the City.

The series stars: Alyssa Milano (Charmed) as Savannah “Savi” Davis, who is learning to cope with loss and starting over in both her personal and professional life; Jes Macallan as Josslyn Carver, Savi’s single and carefree younger sister, who has recently launched a brand new career; Rochelle Aytes (Detroit 1-8-7 and The Forgotten) as April Malloy, a single mother, who owns her own boutique shop; and Junjin Kim (Lost) as Karen Kim, a formerly successful therapist, whose practice fell apart following an affair with one of her patients… and his son.

All four women are beautiful; they’re all successful; and they’ve all got issues.  Serious issues.

The series began last year with hot and steamy sex… for network TV.  Viewers watched Savi and her husband “role playing” during their attempts to make a baby.  We also first met Joss while she was having a little “afternoon delight” with her then boss.  And let’s not forget about the flashback sex scenes between Karen and her patient.  In season one, April was the only one not sweating between the sheets—but things certainly do change in season two.

Savi trying to be zen…

There for a while, it appeared prime time soap operas were a thing of the past.  Mistresses, however, definitely brings the drama and the sexy back to television…

First, let’s meet the girls.

When Savi and her husband (Harry) learned of their fertility issues last season, he pushed her away as he blamed and punished himself for having abnormal sperm.  This catapulted Savi into the arms of her coworker (Dominick) and they had one night of hot, steamy sex.  And guess what?  She discovered she was pregnant…she didn’t know who the father was… she came clean to Harry, ruining their marriage… and the season ended just as her car was smashed by another in a highway accident. Sadly, Savi lost her baby and her husband. But she also found a light at the end of the tunnel—Dom. Who cares if he’s now her boss?

Meanwhile, as if sleeping with her dying (now dead) patient wasn’t a big enough issue for Karen, the patient’s family couldn’t seem to stop themselves from leaning on her.  His wife didn’t appear to have a clue about the affair (at first), but his son knew there was another woman and he wanted answers… from Karen. One thing led to another… she slept with the son… the wife tried to kill her… her partner reported her to the board and she lost her license to practice… a total downward spiral. Now she’s back, working at the Emergency Room and with one patient in a brand new solo-practice. Karen’s life seems to be back on track. But is it?

Then there’s April… poor April.  Last season, she had a hard time letting go of her dead husband, so much so that she believed that a few prank calls she had received were actually his ghost telling her to not move on.  But it turns out those calls weren’t from her husband, they were from her husband’s mistress and their illegitimate son.  As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the woman wanted money… after all, her son was entitled to some of the inheritance April’s daughter received from the insurance company—right? Next, April’s supposedly dead ex showed up on her front doorstep. That’s right; he faked his own death. It took her a while, but she finally kicked them both to the curb, somehow managing to keep all of this from her adolescent daughter. Now, April is on the rebound…

And last but not least, we have Joss… we discovered early on that she had climbed her way to the top of her realty company by sleeping with her boss.  But he left and her new boss wasn’t falling for any of her tricks (at first).  Work didn’t seem to be what she was best at, but she surprisingly got her act together. Now, Joss has left realty for a career in event planning. And somehow, she has found herself as the voice of reason when it comes to her sister, ex-brother-in-law/business partner, and her friends. I’m just waiting for the old Joss to return…

April, Joss, and Karen

Now, let’s talk about the title for a minute.

According to Webster, a mistress is a woman who is the head of a household, country, or state… or a woman with whom a man is having a prolonged affair with.

Let’s focus on the latter.

Not only do I watch a lot of television programs, but I also enjoy a good talk show here and there.  Especially when the guests are stars I like.  Alyssa Milano stated in at least two TV interviews that I watched that the girls, her character included, are not all mistresses.  Not by the definition we are most familiar with anyway.  She included the show is in no way glorifying mistresses or situations that tend to break up marriages and relationships… (even if it does seem to us, the TV audience, that each woman is connected to a traditional mistress in one way or another—it’s true; I know people who stopped watching the program for this very reason very early on in season one).

Ms. Milano also stated in an interview that while this program is based on the BBC series, the writers took an entire season of the British version and wrapped up the storyline in one episode… I’m assuming that was the pilot… and that this series is all its own.

I went into Mistresses not expecting to like it.  For one, I’m a big Sex and the City fan and initially felt this series was trying to cash in on Carrie’s and the girls’ success.  But because I’m an Alyssa Milano fan (I watched Who’s the Boss? as a little girl and LOVED Charmed more than words can say), I knew I’d give it a shot.

And after season one, it turned into my new summer guilty pleasure… I was thrilled when ABC gave the show a renewal.

Mistresses earns the JFTV rating.  It’s definitely not good for us, but I couldn’t stop at just one episode. Heck, I couldn’t stop at just one season. And despite having difficulty finding a lot of time to watch (and pay attention to) my television series right now with the new addition to our family, I am all caught up on this one.

Do you watch Mistresses? I’d love to hear from you!

*****

Tiffany A. White is the author of the YA mystery Football Sweetheart series available on Kindle and Nook.  She is available for contact via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or via email at tiffany {at} tiffanyawhite {dot} com.