After over a year of watching Combat, I finally arrive at the fifth and final season, which is also the only one in color. This episode starts it off right and provides plenty of action (especially towards the climax), tension, and shots of vast landscapes and vineyards that really take advantage of the show's new look. The episode starts with Saunders, Caje, Kirby, Little John, and two other squad members (Weed and Reiser) trying to attack a German encampment with the aid of a tank and halftrack. The german position houses a wheeled anti-tank cannon camouflaged under a net. The tank and halftrack are destroyed by the gun, and Saunders rescues the tank's pilot, Sergeant Hagen (Warren Stevens). Reiser is also killed. They then attack the germans on foot and capture the gun. The germans are all dead, but a nearby radio starts messaging the position. Knowing the germans are going to come looking for hostile forces if the radio isn't answered, Saunders tells everyone to move ahead, but there's a catch: the entire reason they needed the tank is because a german bunker needs to be destroyed before Hanley and more americans come upon it, but now that it's destroyed, the squad has no choice but to substitute the tank for the thing that blew it up. The others voice their doubts about how they'll never manage to haul such a heavy weapon over a mile in such a short span of time, but they have no choice. After much agonizing time, they manage to find a horse and let it tow the gun for them, but half a dozen germans come across the now empty gun position and determine it's been stolen, so they set off in pursuit. Shortly before they catch up, Saunders orders the gun towed off the road while everyone hides in bushes on either side. During the ensuing gunfight, the horse breaks free of its ropes and runs off, and the gun slides right down on top of Weed and crushes him to death. Even when not being fired, it managed to kill a person. Hagen is enraged. Even before this happened, he hated having to lug this thing around (even if it's necessary) because it's what destroyed his tank and killed Reiser. Finally, the squad comes to a steep hill. Saunders and Hagen climb it to see what's up there, and thankfully, it's their last obstacle as the bunker is located on the other side of a large lake. The bad thing is they still have to get the gun up there somehow. As the others try extremely hard to get the godforsaken thing up the steep hill, Saunders ties one of the ropes around a tree to make the job easier, but they must still rest frequently and prop the back up with wood. During their second break, a piece of wood fails to stay in place and the gun rolls all the way back down the hill. Clearly exhausted and frustrated by this point, the squad finally manages to reach the top of the hill and drag the gun into position. Unfortunately, when it slid down the hill earlier, the gunsight broke, so Hagen is going to have to rely on his instinct and time as a tank crewman. As Hagen starts firing at the bunker, Saunders and the others shoot at the germans stationed outside near a fuel depot. Eventually, the bunker is destroyed and the remaining germans are killed. Saunders then blows up the gun, and the mission is completed. Hagen is relieved the gun doesn't need to be carried back. While this episode was kind of tedious to watch due to its central plot element, that was basically the whole idea. Saunders realizes everyone hates pushing this thing, but it needs to be done. For Hagen, the hatred goes deeper than just seeing the gun as a hunk of metal (as Kirby calls it). It destroyed his tank and made him into a vulnerable infantryman who has to learn to survive outside an armored vehicle for a change. As for the visuals, they went above and beyond here, and hopefully it'll continue to look just as impressive going forward. You can tell they were excited to finally have a color episode since so many petrol barrels and other things start blowing up at the end, and flames from explosions even cover the pond. The Gun is a thrilling ride from start to finish, but also manages to be riddled with setbacks, grievances and uncertainty.
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