Watching The Pacific
Feb. 13th, 2023 01:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerRecently I started watching The Pacific, a WWII miniseries streaming on HBO+. Released in 2010, it's a companion to 2001's Band of Brothers. The writers are different but the executive producers are the same: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. And, of course, the setting is different. Where BoB told a story of an army unit fighting in Europe, The Pacific follows various marines fighting in the Pacific theater.
Unlike Band of Brothers, which I heard about more than 20 years ago and had on my mental to-watch list since then, I wasn't even aware of The Pacific until recently. It was literally when I watched BoB and popped up as "People also watched...."
My reasons for watching are twofold. First, I enjoyed Band of Brothers so I'm curious to see how this miniseries goes. I've set my expectations cautiously, though, since I'd heard nothing about The Pacific. The fact I haven't seen/heard any recommendations or discussions about it suggests that it wasn't as popular with critics or audiences.
My second reason for tuning in to The Pacific is a family connection. My great uncle John fought in the Pacific in WWII. John never wanted to share his war stories, though. They were too painful. I hope this series will let me look through a window onto what his service must have been like.
The first episode begins with backstories for a few of the Marines starting in the days and weeks following the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. This identifies who the main characters will be better than Band of Brothers did in its first episode. We meet:
My uncle John could've been a young man like Leckie or Phillips in December 1941.
Unlike Band of Brothers, which I heard about more than 20 years ago and had on my mental to-watch list since then, I wasn't even aware of The Pacific until recently. It was literally when I watched BoB and popped up as "People also watched...."My reasons for watching are twofold. First, I enjoyed Band of Brothers so I'm curious to see how this miniseries goes. I've set my expectations cautiously, though, since I'd heard nothing about The Pacific. The fact I haven't seen/heard any recommendations or discussions about it suggests that it wasn't as popular with critics or audiences.
My second reason for tuning in to The Pacific is a family connection. My great uncle John fought in the Pacific in WWII. John never wanted to share his war stories, though. They were too painful. I hope this series will let me look through a window onto what his service must have been like.
The first episode begins with backstories for a few of the Marines starting in the days and weeks following the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. This identifies who the main characters will be better than Band of Brothers did in its first episode. We meet:
- Sgt. John Basilone, an NCO from New Jersey who'll ship off to the Pacific
- Robert Leckie, an aspiring writer/journalist who enlists in the Marines
- Eugene Sledge, a young man in Alabama who wants to enlist but is stopped by his father, a doctor, who diagnoses him with a heart condition that disqualifies him from service
- Sidney Phillips, Eugene's best friend, who enlists in the Marines
My uncle John could've been a young man like Leckie or Phillips in December 1941.
