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olivegirl92
Reviews
The Pacific (2010)
Good series, but I understand the complaints....
The Pacific had its great moments, but it also had moments that made me ask 'why?'. First of all: yes, I am a devoted fan of BoB, but I also realize that these series are entirely different.
The Bad: It was hard to keep track of the story lines for first few parts because it jumped around so much, leaving me with no attachment to any particular character. It wasn't until the last half of the series that I found myself caring about the characters: Sledge and his friends, Snafu and Burgin in particular. The series, for me, is exceptional for parts 5,6,7, and 9 while I feel part 3 as well as most of 4 and 8 are lacking.
I feel the series could have been better had it had it focused on only Leckie and Sledge, simply transitioning, as it did, between the two at Peleliu. The interjection of the Basilone storyline, I feel, takes away from the series as a whole after the Battle of Guadalcanal. I also feel it could have done without most of episode 3, though I understand it is an important part of what happened, and parts of episode 8, which was good, but had no need to have such a huge focus on romance and small focus on the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The Good: As mentioned before, parts 5,6,7, and 9 are outstanding and my favorites--this is probably due to them feeling more like BoB style episodes, where almost everything is focused on one group of men (Sledge and those around him). In these four episodes one feels a sincere attachment to the group and easily learns the names and faces of its members, which was much more difficult with Leckie and Basilone's friends. Unlike the deaths of Manny or Basilone, I felt saddened by Hillbilly and Haldane's deaths and was troubled to see the deterioration of Haney that followed. There was something special about the beginning with Leckie and the latter half with Sledge that really made the aforementioned parts as well as parts 1, 2, and 10 enjoyable.
It was also nice to see that the ending would not be a letdown, as I so feared part 10 would be. It was emotional seeing Snafu's face as Burgin was greeted by his family and then later to see Snafu leaving without disturbing Sledge's slumber or anyone to greet him
Something about his character was mesmerizing, and he definitely was the standout of the series. Likewise, seeing Lena visiting the Basilone family was touching, and the fact that she gave them his Medal of Honor turned into a bittersweet moment.
Well, I guess that just about sums it up. It was a good series that I will definitely purchase and hope to learn to love more with every viewing.
The Prisoner (2009)
Why so negative?
I feel anyone who makes a review referencing the Original does not understand what this was... It was not to be a remake, but rather a modified, re-imagining of the show intended for modern audiences.
That being said, as someone who has never seen the original, I highly enjoyed the series. Don't get me wrong--the various plot twists and turns left me scratching my head at every commercial break wondering how in the world they could explain that (especially the big, white ball thing, which I am told was in the original as well(?)); however, that was part of the fun of it. Yes, certain things seemed irrelevant, but you accept that they are there and move on.
If anything, the series needed to be longer to spread out the stories and to put everything into context... but maybe it was meant to be this way. Maybe it was meant for us to make our own interpretations of the storyline and what certain characters meant to the story.
Likewise, after viewing the first episode the first time I was left in utter confusion, but then I watched it again before episode two and things began to click. I would say that if one wanted to properly view the series, they shouldn't jump to conclusions and watch each episode more than one time.
All in all, it was an all right series. Yes, there were plot holes and confusion, but the acting was wonderful and it was interesting enough to keep me hooked the whole time. That, and the ending was just brilliant, in my opinion, and left it somewhat open to the viewer for interpretation.