ChuckTV.net The CHUCK archive
Yvonne Strahovski returns to our screens tonight with the premiere of ABC’s limited summer series, The Astronaut Wives Club. Based on the book by the same name, the series looks at the space race of the 1960s through the eyes of the women married to the men who would go into space.
Yvonne plays Rene (pronounced “Reen”, rhymes with “peachy keen”), the bombshell blond wife of Scott Carpenter (played by Wilson Bethel) and mother of four. The first episode is mainly focused on introducing us to all the players and giving us a bit of insight into their relationships, specifically that of Alan and Louise Shepard.
We do see some glimpses of Rene’s personality and ambition in this first episode, however. In a photoshoot for Life Magazine, where the wives were instructed to wear pastel shirtwaist dresses, Rene cheerfully disregards the mandate and shows up in a vibrant, form-fitting sheath instead.
“They’re NASA, not Christian Dior,” she quips. “I’m just doing my job.”
Her vibrant style and Marilyn Monroe-esque looks seem to indicate a “ditzy blond”, but Yvonne plays Rene with warmth and kindness, all while doing whatever she can to further her husband’s career.
Not enough Yvonne for you? Don’t worry, Rene has more to do next week, and her backstory is the focus of the third episode, “Retroattitude”, airing July 2.
The Astronaut Wives Club premieres tonight at 9/8c on ABC.
