Wildfire: Season Two

One of the best advances that have come along with television is the creation of very demographically specific series. When there was only three networks a series had to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. There is everything from science fiction to comedy have their own channel. One of the best of this heavily targeted cable channels is the ABC Family Channel. They have been providing original programming geared towards the 12 to 16 year old group. While this group is far from forgotten with other networks the Family Channel has something the others don’t; class. Sure your kids can tune into a teen oriented drama almost anywhere but what they see there is not exactly conducive with strong family values. Some networks have the teens with designer threads jumping from bed to bed as the parents ignore what is going on. The Family Channel’s successful series, ‘Wildfire’ gives a welcomed alternative. There are thoughts of sex and general rebellion in the show. It is family friendly not set in some alternative universe after all. The difference is how these topics are treated in Wildfire. They are handled in such a manner as to acknowledge to moral decisions the youth must make without being condescending. The main character has a juvenile criminal record but she realizes that she made a mistake and is trying to find a better way in life. To be able to give a little lesson while entertaining the whole family is something special especially in today’s environment. Lion’s Gate now has the second season of this series out on DVD and it is worth getting. In fact if you don’t have the first season go for both of them. This is something that you really can watch as a family. A lot of series make that claim but few live up to it. This one does. It is fun for the kids to watch and something parents don’t have to be afraid to let them get involved with.

Kristine "Kris" Furillo (Genevieve Cortese) was considered a trouble youth. She was convicted of auto theft and served her time in a juvenile facility. She takes a job at the Raintree farm working as a groom fro their horses. One horse in particular, Wildfire, becomes a special project for Kris. She saves the horse from being put down and trains it to become a champion racehorse. She also finds herself in a sporadic relationship with Junior Davis (Ryan Sypek) and Matt Ritter (Micah Alberti). Junior is the son Ken Senior (James Read), the most powerful man in town and owner of a rival farm. Matt is the son of Jean (Nana Visitor), the owner of Raintree. Of course since this is basically a soap opera we need a nasty female rival for Kris. She appears in the person of Dani Davis (Nicole Tubiola), the daughter of Ken Senior and half sister to Junior. She hates Kris not only for her choices in men but also for her superior riding abilities. One rival is not enough so the first season also introduced Tina Sharp (Amy Jo Johnson) who is not only after Kris’ place on top of Wildfire but her men as well.

At the end of the first season Kris on Wildfire takes on Tina on Avatar. It is neck and neck going into the home stretch and Avatar pulls ahead to win. Kris blames her self for letting Tina’s taunts during the race get to her resulting in the loss. Although Kris is certain that Tina’s actions during the last moments of the race were cheating there is no proof available; it looked like a clean race. Tina called out to Wildfire and the horse recognized her voice and the race was over. In the post race TV interviews Jean praises Kris who comes across as a humble and good loser. Dani shows up drunk to the owner’s party and does everything possible to humiliate her father including airing the dirty family secret of her real mother. Kris winds up being a celebrity despite coming in second. This doesn’t sit well with the egocentric Tina or the hateful Dani. Kris soon has to get an agent to help with the offers pouring in and does a commercial on television. Later on in the season Kris faces a famous horse trainer who challenges her natural ability with horses. She even has a moment of self doubt feeling that she is in too fart over her head with professional riding. She finally regains her confidence and has to convince a wealthy woman to back her and Wildfire in the ultimate race, the Breeders' Invitational race. The cliff hanger has Kris facing the most important decision of her life; stay with Raintree or go off to fame and fortune.

In many ways this is Dynasty light. The romantic relationships aren’t romantic triangles they are full blown polygons. Still, there is something here that is missing from so many of the plethora of other teen dramas, heart. Even at an age far removed from the target demographic I found myself pulled into the stories. A large part of this is the addictive nature of the soap opera format. It has been so well honed over the years that the writers of this series know how to keep an audience interested. Topics that are addressed are somewhat mature but never presented in a puerile manner. Teens do have sex. As a father of a daughter I wish that wasn’t true but the facts are it is. Here there is an emotional commitment instead of the usually hedonistic fling. Every action the characters take has realistic consequences. Parents are not portrayed as foolish or absent characters. They impact the lives of the teens here offering something for the real life parents and kids to discuss. The production values of this series are as good if not better than the major network counterparts. The direction is always to the point keeping the story lines moving.

This series also features a great cast. Genevieve Cortese started her role as the blue collar girl in the midst of rich folk. She has grown with her character making her identifiable to the legion of fans. She has a natural way of emotionally connecting with her audience. Cortese is someone to watch in the future. Nicole Tubiola seems to have a lot of fun with her role as the deliciously evil Dani. It takes a lot of control to play a soap opera villainess successful and she does it. She takes her character to the very edge but never goes too far over the top. If anyone can demonstrate the dangers of teen drinking it is this character.

Lion’s Gate put a lot of consideration for the fans into this DVD season box set. Of course the technical specifications are great; the source material is recent after all. The anamorphic 1.78:1 is bright and realistic. The Dolby 5.1 audio shows off the music while never overwhelming the dialogue. The extras make this set something special. There is a cast and crew commentary not just on selected tracks but every single episode. There is also a featurette that shows off the popular music used in the series. While the adults watching may not fully appreciate it the kids will enjoy hearing their favorite artist here. This is something you can watch, appreciate and enjoy as a family; get it.

Posted 11/02/07