I reviewed F/X’s series “Over There” last week, and, needless to say, I wasn’t going to watch the second installment.
Baldilocks, who has a stronger stomach than I do, did. Her analysis?
by John Cole| 9 Comments
This post is in: Excellent Links, Military
I reviewed F/X’s series “Over There” last week, and, needless to say, I wasn’t going to watch the second installment.
Baldilocks, who has a stronger stomach than I do, did. Her analysis?
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BoZ the Rider
I can’t believe a network would even air such a show while the war is still going on! It’s designed not only to turn Iraq into a television show, but to spread the propaganda that yes, there is hard fighting, but we’re perfectly a-OK.
Nothing more, nothing less.
gratefulcub
I don’t really like the show. The acting is terrible. from what I gather, former military that watch the show say that this isn’t the way the military works. All that being said, I think the show does have some merits.
The checkpoint episode tried to show how difficult it is for a common soldier to be in that situation. How easy it is to shoot a civilian. how hard it is to accept that you may shoot a little girl. How you must react to save yourself, even while wrong decisions can be made.
i think the show is making an effort to show how difficult it is to be in iraq. Some Iraqis are happy we are there, others try to kill us. We don’t always know which is which, nor can we know.
i don’t think the show has put forth an opinion about the war in general.
But, there are enough problems with the show that make it hard to watch.
BumperStickerist
fwiw, every stinking episode of JAG misuses Zulu time for local time and yet Catherine Bell remains hot. She speaks Farsi, too – which makes her extra hot, imo.
Colonel Mackenzie – Hand Salute!
Just for kicks, I’m going to rewatch the old TV series ‘The Rat Patrol’ and come up with poor use of military tactics.
And after that, F-Troop.
Maybe I’ll then document the atrocities presented in ‘Hogan’s Heroes’
followed by Combat! — now there’s a series fraught with nits to be picked.
Black Sheep Squadron had an underaged Marine aviator and females deployed in combat zones – not to mention violation of ordinances regarding alcohol consumption prior to flying. Oh, and the crusty chief mechanic smoked around avgas.
Operation Petticoat broke a few strictures regarding military protocol, I’m guessing.
Sure – Over There is about and Iraq is current … Should we therefore ding ‘Rescue Me’ because it’s a story of likely first responders that may take theatrical license with the inner workings of a fire company? That show happens to be pretty damn funny once you ignore the potential of an almost naked thrusting Dennis Leary. Of course, you ignore the potential at your peril. Once you’ve seen an almost naked thrusting Dennis Leary on your television screen you’ve no choice but to go all Elvis on your set.
BoZ the Rider
I remember why I stopped watching TV now…
Stormy70
Maybe we should consider the source – The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Starved (funny as hell) all come to mind. I don’t watch Rescue Me or Over There, but they are probably in the same genre.
Mithrandir
You don’t have to stop watching TV, BoZ – just F/X.
After about 10 minutes into the second episode, the knife fight between PFC’s just disgusted me. Anyone who knows anything can figure out that regular Army personnel aren’t going to act as if they’re on an East-LA back alley…
Another Jeff
In other shocking news, most assistant DA’s don’t look like Angie Harmon.
jg
You take that liberal propaganda somewhere else you you lying leftist scum.
:)
Whatever happened to Darrell?
Bob
Regarding military knifefights: A guy in my squad threw a knife at me sticking it into a wall next to where my head was. I was drunk, back from the club, so I got up and laughed at the motherfucker and wrestled him to the floor and laughed at him. I think it was the laughing at him that dissuaded him from further felonious fuckups.
Regarding “Over There,” my guess is that after we get past the bad acting, criticisms about the reality of the show pale against the real problem. War is hell, at least for the participants. Any pointing to how war destroys people is bad for the war effort. The war effort. That angers people who want to support the war. All wars suck. A very few are necessary. Not this one, not this time.