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