I've been waiting on this series for a very long time, and my review is likely to be highly biased- you've been warned.
The episode starts off introducing Buck Cleven and Bucky Egan. These two are going to be super-important for the show, as two of the future squadron leaders within the 100th Bomb Group. How do I know this? Harry Crosby (who is the narrator here) wrote a FANTASTIC book about his experience as the group navigator for the 100th, published back in 1990. I've owned this book since then, and it is one of the great memoirs of the USA military in WW2. Read. It.
Back to the episode: we are briefly introduced to many of the key officers (and a few NCOs) of the 100th, as the episode progresses. We also get to see some early glimpses of the horrors they will soon be flying into. We also get to see how Egan is a bit of a loose cannon (holding very well to reality as told by Crosby).
Coming at this from a historical perspective, they've done a tremendous job here. The names, places, dates, details, etc. Are all top-notch. You can find many of these details on the 100th Bomb Group website. There might be a few liberties taken on specific events here and there, but they are illustrating the reality of what it was like to be in these men's shoes.
What does it do very well? For one thing, all of these guys look young. Harold Huglin, the group commander, was the old man of the bunch at 36. Even Cleven and Egan are in their early 20s. Everyone looks young, and they should be- they were new adults thrust into hell. The actors all do a great job as far as I can tell.
What does it do poorly? Well... the narrative is a bit hard to follow at times. There is so much happening here, and a lot of that is happening behind oxygen masks, and it will be easy for people to lose track of who is who and what is what. You're really going to have to pay attention.
Nowhere is this more true than in the combat scenes, which are excellent otherwise. It is pretty hard to tell crew from crew outside of knowing specific crew positions. A lot of these actors just look alike as 'generic white guys' (no offense intended). This is where key guys like Butler, Turner, and Keoghan are useful because they do have very unique eyes and voices, and are adept at acting with them. Everyone else... well, it's just hard to tell who is who, and this is a bit of a problem when they start bleeding and dying. I will say that I find Butler's accent and hair to be a bit overdone for the time... but it does set him apart from the others.
Overall, I am very excited for this one. In the vein of BoB and The Pacific, I think they're going to get it right. Can't wait for the next episodes to run!
The episode starts off introducing Buck Cleven and Bucky Egan. These two are going to be super-important for the show, as two of the future squadron leaders within the 100th Bomb Group. How do I know this? Harry Crosby (who is the narrator here) wrote a FANTASTIC book about his experience as the group navigator for the 100th, published back in 1990. I've owned this book since then, and it is one of the great memoirs of the USA military in WW2. Read. It.
Back to the episode: we are briefly introduced to many of the key officers (and a few NCOs) of the 100th, as the episode progresses. We also get to see some early glimpses of the horrors they will soon be flying into. We also get to see how Egan is a bit of a loose cannon (holding very well to reality as told by Crosby).
Coming at this from a historical perspective, they've done a tremendous job here. The names, places, dates, details, etc. Are all top-notch. You can find many of these details on the 100th Bomb Group website. There might be a few liberties taken on specific events here and there, but they are illustrating the reality of what it was like to be in these men's shoes.
What does it do very well? For one thing, all of these guys look young. Harold Huglin, the group commander, was the old man of the bunch at 36. Even Cleven and Egan are in their early 20s. Everyone looks young, and they should be- they were new adults thrust into hell. The actors all do a great job as far as I can tell.
What does it do poorly? Well... the narrative is a bit hard to follow at times. There is so much happening here, and a lot of that is happening behind oxygen masks, and it will be easy for people to lose track of who is who and what is what. You're really going to have to pay attention.
Nowhere is this more true than in the combat scenes, which are excellent otherwise. It is pretty hard to tell crew from crew outside of knowing specific crew positions. A lot of these actors just look alike as 'generic white guys' (no offense intended). This is where key guys like Butler, Turner, and Keoghan are useful because they do have very unique eyes and voices, and are adept at acting with them. Everyone else... well, it's just hard to tell who is who, and this is a bit of a problem when they start bleeding and dying. I will say that I find Butler's accent and hair to be a bit overdone for the time... but it does set him apart from the others.
Overall, I am very excited for this one. In the vein of BoB and The Pacific, I think they're going to get it right. Can't wait for the next episodes to run!