Prisoners' Wives: Complete Collection

As the title indicates, this British drama focuses on the lives of women struggling to carry on while also sustaining relationships with incarcerated husbands (and boyfriends, and—in one case—a son). The series begins with a bang: Gemma (Emma Rigby), a young pregnant woman, is enjoying a tender moment with her boyfriend when a strike team charges in and arrests him. In the next scene, she goes through the check-in and body search for a prison visit, which is not exactly dehumanizing, but is—despite a sweet, soft-spoken guard walking her through the process—certainly alienating. Gemma becomes our introduction to a routine that is already familiar to Francesca (Polly Walker), the wife of a career criminal (Iain Glen), and Lou (Natalie Gavin), a mother and former drug runner whose husband is serving time for her crime. Later, the sisterhood is joined by Harriet (Pippa Haywood), a widow whose troubled, emotionally fragile son—a recovering drug addict—blames her for his situation. The series is built as much (if not more) on the relationships the women form and kindnesses they provide one another as it is on their relationships with the men inside. Gemma and Lou leave the show in its second and final series, which introduces Aisling (Karla Chrome), a bride-to-be whose father is in prison, and Kim (Sally Carman), a mother of three fighting to prove her husband's innocence. Prisoners Wives is a well-written drama that deals with the sometimes violent ramifications of the men's crimes but focuses on the difficulties and camaraderie of the women as they provide advice, friendship, and emotional support. Compiling all 10 episodes from the 2012-2013 first and second seasons, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)