OT - The Pacific.
I thought it was outstanding also, and it's really cool to see how they're interpreting Guadalcanal, one of the most interesting battles of the war. I can't wait until next week!
March 15th, 2010 at 12:23 PM ^
Episode 1 was simply phenomenal. The way they portrayed Guadalcanal thus far is amazing. Also, hard to judge on the latter parts of the season, but the season preview they gave after the credits was simply astonishing. This series is going to be just as epic as Band of Brothers.
Jim..Rome? is that you??
Hell of a show so far. That night scene was ridiculous. Really looking forward to more fight scenes like that one or even better.
can't wait until all these sick people get out of my office so I can spend more time on mgoblog and watching the tv shows I enjoy. Sick people just have no consideration for others......
Doctor, I'm terrified! Every time I cough, my heart stops for a full minute! I need you to see what's wrong.
Oh, but I only cough once every four hours, and I just coughed in your waiting room 5 minutes ago. Wait with me for the next one, will you?
Worst Flank Ever. I forget, was DeBord the Japanese OC at that point?
They were spreading out too much for that to be a DeBord offensive.
I thought it captured the tone of the Pacific war pretty well. The Marines march through jungle for two days not knowing when or where they'll make contact with the enemy. The tension just kept building for the first half of the episode. The scene where they wake up in the morning and find the Navy has retreated and stranded them on the island, that was pretty intense too. I can't imagine being in that situation. Those guys were some tough hombres.
No kidding man. It went from pure excitement of watching the naval battle to the ultimate buzzkill of wreckage and desertion. Definitely has me hooked and excited for next week.
March 15th, 2010 at 12:28 PM ^
Yes, they captured that scene very well. You could almost feel the first signs of serious tension as they first truly realized what they were up against. Especially with all the Japanese boats just chugging along the horizon with no real resistance. It is going to be a great show.
I thought it was awesome. I like how they are following three guys in particular instead of a Unit like band of brothers. It gives a new feel to the show. I also like how they jumped right into battle - where as - in Band of Brothers it wasn't until the 2nd episode where they landed on Normandy.
I am a little confused about the 3 guys though. Are two of them on Guadalcanal, and the other at home trying to get into the war? I definitely know the first guy with the curly hair, then there is the little 17 year old kid at home where his dad won't let him join (until the next episode) and the, what seemed like, new york guys who had the family dinner. My question is where are the New York guys? Are they on Guadalcanal as well? I couldn't pick them out of the bunch of guys they were following if they were.
The New Yorkers were with the 7th division that rolled in late.
Ahhh, see I just didn't get that because they never spent any time on them and to be honest they looked like everyone else. I'm interested to see if they just stay with one island or do they branch out to others like Wake.
I'd imagine that they will go through the whole process similar to what they did in BoB. Beginning to end in their selected points of view.
Well I do know that they are only focusing on the 3 guys this time around. So I guess it just depends on if any of those three guys went anywhere else throughout the war, I'm assuming they did.
One of the main characters, a Medal of Honor recipient, dies during the first day of Iwo Jima. His story will be very sad.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
Basilone. I've read about him and what he did. Pretty amazing story so it will be interesting how they show it. Medal of Honor and a Navy Cross so I'm sure they'll do him the proper justice.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Eugene Sledge (from Alabama) enlisted in the Marines later in the war because of his age and trying to go through OCS in college, so his first battle was on Peleliu in 1944. The other two (Robert Leckie and John Basilone) were on Guadalcanal in 1942.
For anyone who doesn't know, Leckie and Sledge wrote perhaps the two greatest memoirs of the Pacific War--Leckie's "Helmet for My Pillow" and Sledge's "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa." Both are great reads, particularly Sledge's account. Basilone, after receiving the Medal of Honor and going on a war bond tour, was granted his request to return to action and he was killed on Iwo Jima.
I'm bummed that I don't get HBO since my grandfather was in the 1st Marine Division and fought in the battles of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu. I'll have to wait for it on DVD.
I recently finished Helmet for My Pillow and am halfway through With the Old Breed. I also have Hugh Ambrose's The Pacific companion book.
Looking forward to the next episode.
I wonder if there will be any boot camp scenes. I was expecting to see that in the first episode.
From what I've read they will be depicting Eugene Sledge's boot camp experience sometime in the middle of the series (in order to keep things chronological).
Solid episode. One of the Marine's they're focusing on is Eugene (E.B.) Sledge. It's worth reading his book/memoir "With the Old Breed".
I like anything WWII, and Band of Brothers was just outstanding. This was a good start, and I really liked how it ended with them singing a version of "Happy Birthday" I had never heard.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
I was glued to the TV as well. Anyone else see the WWII footage on History? Interested to see how they deal with the emotional level of mass suicides. That was the most vivid image for me. Women and children jumping off cliffs as the American soldiers were approaching.
What a mental **** that must have been.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:50 AM ^
I'm curious what you guys think of the actual battle plan of sending troops into the jungle. Is it just me or does that seem like a wasted suicide mission?
The objective was to make sure the air field wasn't being built. Well if I saw no japaneese around I just blow up what they have built and then fortify my position. Going in to the jungle after them seemed a pretty foolish thing to do.
Did anyone catch the guy with his cock in his mouth when they came across the dead soldiers?? It was absolutley revolting, but the camera never really focused on it. Not sure if it was done for effect and supposed to be closer up but then cut in editing or I didn't see it clearly. Thought it odd something so dramatic was never mentioned or they would go out of their way to show that if it was just going to be background.
The Japanese were known to do that to prisoners. It has been documented in several books I have read, along with interviews. You would be appalled to hear what they did to the Chinese during their invasion.
As we moved past the defilade, my buddy groaned, "Jesus!" I took a quick glance into the depression and recoiled in revulsion and pity at what I saw. The bodies were badly decomposed and nearly blackened by exposure. This was to be expected of the dead in the tropics, but these Marines had been mutilated hideously by the enemy. One man had been decapitated. His head lay on his chest; his hands had been severed from his wrists and also lay on his chest near his chin. In disbelief I stared at the face as I realized that the Japanese had cut off the dead Marine's penis and stuffed it into his mouth. The corpse next to him had been treated similarly. The third had been butchered, chopped up like a carcass torn by some predatory animal. My emotions solidified into rage and a hatred for the Japanese beyond anything I ever had experienced. From that moment on I never felt the least pity or compassion for them no matter what the circumstances. My comrades would field strip their packs and pockets for souvenirs and take gold teeth, but I never saw a Marine commit the kind of barbaric mutilation the Japanese committed if they had access to our dead.E.B. Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 148, 2010 Presidio Press trade paperback
...I highly recommend the series of posts on the topic available at steeljawscribe.com, a high quality milblog specializing in naval aviation and ballistic missile defense topics and run by a colleague of mine. There are 21 separate posts on the campaign, so if you're a serious or casual military history buff, dig in and get some great context for your "The Pacific" viewing.
March 15th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^
I was thoroughly unimpressed by it. Vin Diesel sucks as an actor, and a monkey could do a better job of babysitting those kids. I can't believe the neighbors were spies all along, though!
Wrong title.... good try though.
That said, caught Tom Hanks on Colbert, he said something to the effect of "This show will make every man age 18-45 who hasn't enlisted feel like a pussy"
Edit - Magnus, did you actually watch the pacifier to know that the neighbors were spies?!?!?!
Uh...I just read the synopsis on IMDB. Yeah. Er. Um.
Look over there!
The introduction with Hanks narrating and the real footage from Pacific Theatre was extremely well-done. I thought the acting was superb and realistic, as were the fight scenes. Also I like how they made the Japanese to look like regular ole' fellows who also had lives and families.
Also it was pretty neat to see that kid from Jurassic Park all growed up.
but trying to catch up on the Starz Spartacus series before I start this one.
Regarding the former, it is pretty entertaining if you like the ancient Roman era. Not as good as HBO's Rome series, but it is a very watchable hour of TV.
March 22nd, 2010 at 12:18 PM ^
What did you guys think about last nights episode? I just saw the first one this morning, unfortunately after I had seen the second one. But both were excellent, captures way more then just fighting. Like said above, the fact they showed the Japanese as people just like them was excellent.
Can't wait for the rest of the miniseries.