I’m happy that The Pacific aired its tenth and final episode tonight.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like it – in fact, the opposite. I shake my head at the unwarranted criticism that was increasingly aimed at this exceptional production as the series unfolded.
The Pacific differed greatly from its wildly successful older sibling, Band of Brothers. Too many people were expecting and wanting a type of Band of Brothers II.
It only took a couple of episodes before it became apparent that those expectant viewers were going to turn off, disappointed. Hell, given the atrocious attrition rate of the Pacific campaign it was probably even fitting.
The Pacific was much harder work to watch than Band of Brothers but ultimately more rewarding, because what it conveyed so emphatically was the unique brand of absolute hell that was intrinsic to the U.S. campaign through the Pacific.
There was nothing linear about The Pacific – the campaign or the TV series. The island settings could and would change abruptly, brilliantly evoking a maze of confusion, lack of purpose and loss of direction.
Characters entered and departed against a backdrop of terrifying nightfall, putrid mud, torrential monsoons and parched volcanic rock landscapes.
The Pacific did not afford viewers the chance to bond with characters in the same way they had in Band of Brothers, where they moved with one unit through boot camp and ultimately to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.
Death was also never far away. The horrific casualty rate of the campaign has been well documented, and the producers did a fantastic job trying to create a sense of what only those marines who served will ever understand.
Rarely were Japanese soldiers seen throughout the series. The marines were largely fighting against an invisible enemy who waged unimaginable terror out of the darkness of night or subterranean holes and tunnels.
Many times in this series I was left physically tense and wincing in the thick of a battle scene, wondering how on earth it was possible for young men to endure those levels of panic, alarm and killing. Harrowing, is a mediocre descriptor.
I’m happy for The Pacific to finish tonight because I’d had enough and seen enough. The arduous story had been told wonderfully well.
To all those soldiers and civilians who have died in conflicts and wars, may you Rest In Peace.
