Hey readers, as a treat, we thought we would give you a whole page dedicated to our new feature, the TV thursday's where we give you the latest and greatest reviews of recent TV shows that you may have missed or want to read more about. So some back every Thursday for an update!
The Pacific
Let’s begin with a short introduction to the new TV Thursday’s, and give the short story of where it came from. I’m not gonna lie, i have got nothing planned for the summer. I’ve got three months of doing fuck all, and i thought, as to cover my time productively, instead of getting into shape, volunteering, seeing family members I’ve haven’t seen in years, sorting out lose paperwork, or consolidating my debts, I’m gonna review some TV shows for shits and giggles. And one of the biggest releases, which finished last month, was The Pacific. Luckily, i watched each one, and write down short reviews of each part, and for the next 10 Thursdays, you’ll have the pleasure of getting the review of each one, which will lead to, at the end, having a massive review for the whole series, which I’ll tie up sometime in September. And hopefully after that, reviewing a similar type format show, possibly a whole series of something new. I’ll decide nearer the time. So, let’s begin with part 1 of the massively constructed, war-drama epic The Pacific! Now with added photos!
Where’s the Smoke Monster when you need it!
Part 1: Directed by Tim Van Patten
Starts off with a short narration by the legendary Tom Hanks, i really wasn’t expecting this and it also gives archive footage of the war, which shows it’s based on real events with the main characters representing the real people in the war. Now going into more detail about the leads. Three different set-ups are seen, where Leckie’s father doesn’t talk to him and doesn’t have a great relationship with him. Then there is Basilone who is eating a family meal and they are encouraging him to war and the third is a young adult who cannot go because of a heart defect. It shows Leckie later on with the group of marines and clearly stands out being the intellectual of the group. The 1st lot of marines land onto the island and it’s quiet. Too quiet. Straight away, the detail of the show is incredible, the costumes, the setting, the make-up, everything looks spot on. I love this so far. On the island, the war sequences, well i say war, i mean the fighting, between the Japanese army and the Marines is amazing. Really is. This has gone so quickly and it’s an hour. So far, very pleased with the episode. The connections between the marines are very strong and you can tell that they are in this together. And especially after their stock boat is destroyed. The climax with the gun fight on the creek is a great build and shows that the American Marines means business especially Leckie’s group of men. I’m looking forward to what happens next with the 7th Marines and Basilone who is only briefly shown.
He needs to upgrade to level 27 to get the red laser sight!
Part 2: Directed by David Nutter
Leading off straight from part 1, the action turns to Basilone and the 7th Marines, landing on Guadalcanal and helping to keep the airbase that will ensue victory for the Americans. It’s a long and bloody battle, leading to many men being killed, but due to Basilone with his steer determination and willingness to fight, along with the help of his marines, they kill thousands of Japanese soldiers and the airbase is safely American. In-between the fights, the closeness of the group is shown, where they wait until the fighting begins again, just waiting, making jokes, smoking, reading letters sent from back home. It’s a horrible life to lead and when seeing the amount of death and carnage, it surely gets to you, and it’s shown in how a couple of soldiers can’t handle the war and begin to lose their minds. You can tell by just watching these sequences that a lot of thought and money has gone into it, with every scene having a function and being set out perfectly to continue on the story. With two episodes of war and fighting in the island, and the Japanese army now moving away, it seems that The Pacific will either follow a different battle somewhere else or keep following these soldiers as they dock to new places. And i especially like the scene at the end where they enter the ship that finally comes to pick them up, and they are recognised as being heroes back home. The joint expression of honour and sadness is played very well in how these soldiers look along with the fantastic score which throughout this episode is astounding. Looking forward to the next instalment and wondering where it will go next!
