"Masters Of The Air" - from the Band of Brothers team

[ArizonaTank]

In case anyone was wondering how the underground got on to 'Bob' (I was) Here is a possible explanation.

https://www.outkick.com/culture/masters-of-the-air-death-bob-explained-german-infiltrator

Not to mention the Babe Ruth baseball question. As the movie Battleground taught us...baseball knowledge was a critical life skill...:)

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I think it was the way he wrote the date, the way he wrote the number 7, and the lighter he was carrying.

[ArizonaTank]

I think it was the way he wrote the date, the way he wrote the number 7, and the lighter he was carrying.

Yes, but there was also a trick Babe Ruth question as well.  :)

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Wow!  Episode 5 was amazing.  Best of the series so far.  I was hoping they'd show the Munster raid and focus on Rosenthal's arc and they certainly delivered.

I've been watching some reaction videos to the series on YouTube.  Apart from one mother/son team, none of the reactors have any real knowledge of the history so its been an education seeing how they react.

I'm eager to see how they react to this one.  I suspect they'll have a very different take on it that I did. I think the music and lighting in the first half of the episode are well done and will produce the desired effect of building tension.

Having said that I'm still not sure who the target audience for this series really is.  Is it written and directed for history buffs or is it meant for a wider audience?  As a history buff, I'm loving it even though I know they've changed up a lot of the official record in favour of making things more dramatic.  I'm not sure how it's going over with the normies though.  They were a bit confused in eps 1 and 2 and they were having trouble distinguishing between the different characters because of the oxygen masks and they didn't understand some of the more technical aspects.  Ep 3 went over well and shocked a lot of them.  Episode 4 angered them and many complained that they didn't like not being shown what happened.  A few said that if Elvis has really left the building, they'd stop watching.   I think the fact that ep 5 doesn't show anything more about Quinn and Bailey's e&e or answer questions raised in episode 4 is going to lead to some further frustration.  One couple who are reacting lamented that they didn't get to hear the testimony from the actual vets like they did in Band of Brothers.  The guy wondered if this was because this came out much later than BoB and he thought maybe the vets had passed on.   I almost jumped in to the comments to tell him why, but instead decided to take the advice from the pilot on episode 1 "don't tell them anything.  They'll see it soon enough".

Back to the episode.  I loved the early bits where we are given a more detailed look at the planning room and we're then given a bit more thorough look at the internal workings of the bomber and the tasks the crew carried out on the run up to the target.  The interrogation back at barracks and Crosby's reaction to the letter both hit hard.

[GDS_Starfury]

anyone complaining about CGI is an idiot.  what are they expecting?  its not like there are lots of B-17s in flying condition lounging around the world.

[Windigo]

anyone complaining about CGI is an idiot.  what are they expecting?  its not like there are lots of B-17s in flying condition lounging around the world.

Not to mention having more than one needing to get shot down/damaged in a variety of different ways

The original Battle Star Galactica reuse of combat footage comes to mind.

Way better to CGI it all

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Ep 6 was pretty decent despite there being no action in the air.  Feels like the character development is really hitting its stride (even though they seem to have left off Quinn's story for quite a few episodes now).

More evidence of Spielberg really having something against the Brits, unfortunately.  Once again, they're portrayed as condescending dickheads throughout.  I also thought they went a bit overboard with their portrayal of ze Germans.  They came across more like caricatures from a Captain America comic than real people.

Still loving the series though.  I really wish they'd do something like this covering Bomber Command.

[ArizonaTank]

Ep 6 was pretty decent despite there being no action in the air.  Feels like the character development is really hitting its stride (even though they seem to have left off Quinn's story for quite a few episodes now).

More evidence of Spielberg really having something against the Brits, unfortunately.  Once again, they're portrayed as condescending dickheads throughout.  I also thought they went a bit overboard with their portrayal of ze Germans.  They came across more like caricatures from a Captain America comic than real people.

Still loving the series though.  I really wish they'd do something like this covering Bomber Command.

I liked Ep6 as well, and my wife got a big smile on her face when Elvis 'came back into the building.'

Interesting song choice for the montage. I approve. But it's just that Woody Guthrie's original version was a bit of a toe-tapper. In the montage, it was slow and ballad like.  Almost didn't recognize it. Here's Woody's version:

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Dirty proto-hippie...

[ArizonaTank]

Dirty proto-hippie...

 

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Also, The Dude should totally fly a B-17.  Walter could be he bombardier.  Donny could be in the bill turret.  The Jesus could be his crew chief.

They could put the rug between the waist guns and maybe drop Bunny's toe on Bremen.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Ep 7.

That was a jarring time jump.  I'd have preferred to follow Rosendale's progression rather than have it abruptly jump from 3 to 25 like that.  Same with Quinn and Bradey's evasion story. Disappointed with Crosby's choice.

Too much Hogan's Heroes, not enough 12 O'clock High for me.

[ArizonaTank]

Yeah...Ep7 seemed like it was just transitional, but I am not sure to what. But yes, the time jump made it feel like there was an Ep6.5 that was 'left on the cutting room floor.'

Still, overall, I enjoying the series.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

It seems like the last 1/3rd of the series is suffering from the same problem as the Midway movie.  They're trying to cram too much stuff into too few episodes.  As a result, storylines are starting to feel rushed and disjointed.  They're also glossing over important events or skipping them entirely. The narrative structure is starting to fall apart.  What's the point of having Col. Bennett and Rosie talking about the change in tactics and the need to use bombers as bait to lure the Luftwaffe into the air so the fighters can wipe them out (aka Big Week) at the end of Ep 7 only to skip over Big Week entirely in Ep 8? 

It's all so frustrating because this series had the potential to be so much more.  Eps 2-6 were very, very good overall.  Eps 7 and 8 were both very disappointing.  

[ArizonaTank]

...Eps 7 and 8 were both very disappointing.  

Sadly, I agree. Ep8 seemed pretty rudderless...and rushed.