THE PACIFIC - Episodes 9 & 10

 

EPISODE 9 (Okinawa)  -  Sledge is sent to Okinawa with his unit replacing an Army unit.  This episode concentrates on the difference between replacements and veterans.  Sledge and Snafu have to deal with a naïve private named Hamm who gradually earns their respect by trying to do what’s right and standing up to their hazing.  Hamm represents the green Sledge and his unrusted humanity is contrasted to Sledge’s descent into wanting to kill all Japs.  The episode has a dominoes falling subplot involving Snafu’s “trading” his old, hole-filled pancho for a newbie’s brand new one.  This will have tragic results. This episode also focuses a lot on the effect of war on civilians.  The combat has a no man’s land feel to it with the Japanese civilians caught in the middle.  There is an incident where Japanese use civilians as human shields.  Some of the grittiest battle scenes occur in this episode plus the added affronts to humanity.  The set is amazing -  full of mud and dead bodies. Sledge goes to the edge of barbarism, but pulls back from the brink in a heartbreaking scene involving a dying woman in a hut Sledge had hit with a mortar round.  This is the best episode of the series and the acting by Joseph Mazello and Raimi Malek is outstanding.   

 Grade = A+

EPISODE 10 (Home)  -  The war is over and Leckie is convalescing in a hospital.  Sledge is still on Okinawa, but has been out of combat for weeks.  He and Snafu celebrate the wars end.  Leckie returns home and starts dating the girl next door and renews his career as a journalist.  Lena visits Basilone’s family and they have some bitter sweet moments.  Sledge returns to his caring parents, but is suffering from PTSD and has trouble adjusting to civilian life.  This episode is a lackluster post script to the series.   

Grade = C

THE PACIFIC - Episodes 7 & 8

 

EPISODE 7 (Peleliu Hills)  -  Still on Peliliu, Sledge gets deeper into the Hell of the miserable island.  The Japanese are holed up in caves in a Hellish environment.  Flamethrowers make their first appearance.  Days pass in a montage using Sledge’s journal to mark the passing weeks.  Turns out being on a mortar crew is not that safe, especially when you “volunteer” for stretcher duty.  At one point, Sledge is helping carry a wounded friend when the friend is killed on the stretcher.  The big set piece is the taking of a bunker.  The use of a flamethrower results in the line “let the bastards burn” (where have I heard that before?).  The hardships are incredible and the men look totally exhausted.  How bad is it?  The Gunnery Sergeant cracks!  The men are developing a tight bond with and adulation of their leader (the “Skipper”).  Premonition alert.  We get the famous “pebbles in the Jap skull” incident from Sledge’s book.  That is just one of numerous gruesome dead bodies.  The smell must have been horrendous, but the men seem to be used to it.  In spite of all this, they still can laugh at a mate who is attacked when he is trying to take a shit.  Themes include the dehumanization of civilized men by combat and the strong bonds that develop in war.  Also, war corrupts even the most moral soldiers.  To show this, Sledge starts smoking and briefly contemplates taking gold teeth.   

 Grade = A+

 

Note:  The three episodes on Peliliu are unmatched for sustained combat.  But it is not combat porn and the narrative is just as strong as the combat.  They were an incredible filmmaking achievement with the most amazing sets ever seen in a war movie or miniseries.  I just shook my head throughout wondering why they were even on that accursed island!

 

EPISODE 8 (Iwo Jima)  -  Sledge’s unit is taken out of combat.  This episode will be Basilone-centric.  He is chafing on his bond tour and itching to get back into combat.  The Marines reluctantly grant his request and he begins to train a new machine gun crew.  In the meantime, he falls in love with a feisty, hard-to-get field cook.  They are married and deserve to live happily ever after.  Suddenly we are in the thick of the landing on Iwo Jima.  Basilone is doing his Rambo imitation in cinematography reminiscent of “Band of Brother”’ this time.  The action frenetic, violent, and graphic.  The scene on Iwo Jima is in the top 5 combat scenes in war movie history. Once again we have combat that makes you wonder how could men go through that without quiting.  And it makes me wonder if our current Army and Marines could do that. Basilone’s death is heart-breaking.  Especially because he selfishly put himself ahead of his marriage.  There was absolutely no reason for him to be there.  War movies sometimes make heroes of men who were in fact selfish towards the ones they loved. Themes include even the greatest warriors sometimes run up against the odds and warriors will be warriors.  Not to mention that true love can be ephemeral.   

Grade =  B

Masters of the Air – Episode 6

 

 

            Our roller coaster ride continues as we get another episode with no action. This trend is getting concerning. Did I wait years for this? Episode 6 covers three threads. One is our sad sack navigator Crosby who is off to Oxford for some lectures. A second is Rosenthal’s crew (the only surviving bomber from the Bremen mission) on R&R at a mansion that is the equivalent of a cruise ship. And finally, we follow Bucky as the evades capture in Germany.

            “Masters of the Air” is being compared to “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”, and both those other series had episodes that developed characters instead of sating the male audiences’ desire for more combat. But both of those other series had a core of characters that were appealing and stuck around through the series (mostly). And the action was consistent in both of those.  “The Pacific” had two non-combat episodes (3&10) and BoB (1, 9, & 10). So far, MOTA has already had two (4&6) and they are both poor, unlike the noncombat episodes in the other two series.

            I have not checked on accuracy of the series yet because I do not want to know what happens, but based on this episode I have to assume the stories of Crosby, Rosenthal, and Evans are true.  Because if they are not, then the screenwriter (John Orloff) has some explaining to do. Crosby is sent to the conference because he needs time away because of the death of one of his friends. This is a guy who has a desk job, and he needs time away? Is the series seriously arguing that a guy flying a desk needs help more than the guys flying bombers? But wait, I must be wrong because Rosenthal’s crew is given a break, too. After THREE missions. Instead of concentrating on one of the B-17s from the original group (there are three left), the series decides to focus on a new crew. As far as the Bucky scenes, we get the obligatory scene where he has to see the damage American bombs do to civilians. Remember, he was the guy who argued it’s justified because its war. He and some other American flyers are assaulted by German civilians in a brutal scene. I personally felt sympathy for the Germans and definitely would have done what they did. It is a bit ironic that this happens to Americans, instead of to Brits. At least we were trying to avoid collateral damage, unlike the RAF. Bucky turns out to be an incredibly lucky guy as he ends up alive and in a Stalag. Guess who is already there.  Let me put it this way, female viewers must really love the end of episode 6.

            I gave the series a pass after the bad episode 4. It was back on track with episode 5, but this episode is putrid. The two R&R threads are terrible and that is not just because there are no combat scenes. Crosby’s roommate is a British female. However, we know nothing is going to happen because Crosby is not the type to cheat on his wife, so what is the point?  I would guess the purpose for this pairing is to get female viewers.  Rosenthal has the obligatory talk with the psychologist where he claims he doesn’t need a break. But then the episode proves him right. He shows no PTSD, nor do any of his crew. So, what is the point? While the 100^th is flying missions off screen, these guys are taking an unearned break!  As far as Bucky, he escapes capture twice and certain death twice. His thread gets the obligatory train carrying Jews.  Holocaust reference – check.

            MOTA has one of the best opening credits that I have ever seen and much of the clips are events that have not cropped up yet. This leads me to believe the series still has a lot of good scenes coming up, but it’s getting late in the series. There are only three episodes left. We still have not seen the Red Tails. And I assume the resistance thread will be revisited. There was nothing in this episode.  Instead, we spent most of the episode watching uninteresting characters resting.

 

GRADE  =  F