The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD - Page 3

forgop · 03-19-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JE3146

HBO is a luxury not many people (want to)/(can) pay for, including myself.

Understood, but this was a comparison of previous series shown on HBO. Obviously, it could mean a much higher percentage of people don't have HBO today compared to BoB or other previous shows, but for the most part draws upon the comparison of viewers to what The Pacific received. This wasn't at all an comparison to regular network programming.

mithrilG60 · 03-19-2010, 07:11 PM

Probably also doesn't take into account that there's a much higher percentage of people who are now downloading some/most/all of their tv, something which was completely unheard of back when BoB was screened.

macpappy · 03-20-2010, 06:23 AM

I think comparing The Pacific to BOB is sort of like comparing the ETO to the PTO. Beyond the fact that they were both wars fought during the same basic time period, you can't. The two theaters were fought differently because of the geography and I think because of the emotional issues involved.

I'll explain more later. But the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbor so IMO that made the Pacific more personal to most of the Americans who fought there.

macpappy · 03-20-2010, 07:19 AM

To continue...

I've talked to veterans from both theaters and found that while some of the ones I spoke to from the ETO said that they didn't particularly hate the German soldiers (with the exception of the SS) and that they actually started feeling sorry for them near the end. The ones who served in the Pacific never said anything about respecting the Japanese soldiers they fought against. Every one of them hated all of the Japanese.

Now this wasn't a scientific study or anything, just the opinion of some old men I've talked to.

The other difference between the two was the geography. In Europe you had the wide open spaces that made full scale armored combat a possibility. Just look at what Patton accomplished during some of the campaigns he was involved in. And while supplying the front lines in Europe wasn't easy, it wasn't nearly as difficult as it was in the Pacific where the Marines were basically hopping from one island to the another.

Of course all this is my opinion based on speaking to some veterans and reading history books.

My point is that I would expect The Pacific to be a completely different story from BOB.

hotreds · 03-20-2010, 05:34 PM

Happened to luck into the 1st episode while spending the night en route back home. Liked it, interesting to recognize some names- this before I looked into Hugh Ambrose's book and read the backstory. Should be something to see EB Sledge's book made into an episode or two.

And, indeed, MacPappy is quite correct; many veterans still have not forgiven the Japanese for the way the fought the war. My God Mother(RIP!) interviewed for the Army returning POWs from the Japanese camps. To her dying day she used profanity to describe the Japanese and what they did to "our boys over there."

I was at an airshow where there was a fellow reenacting as a Japanese soldier. Many of the pilots there were very negative towards him, epecially those flying Corsairs and other PTO planes.

About the only thing that compares to the brutality of the PTO was the Eastern Front in Europe. No dime was given nor expected.

I look forward to ordering The Pacific on Netflix once it's available.

M1903A1 · 03-20-2010, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotreds

I was at an airshow where there was a fellow reenacting as a Japanese soldier. Many of the pilots there were very negative towards him, epecially those flying Corsairs and other PTO planes.

I used to follow the military reenacting world on the 'net, and ironically Japanese Army reenactors (some of whom would come all the way from Japan for reenactments in the States) were regarded as some of the best reenactors of all.

JE3146 · 03-22-2010, 02:31 PM

Anyone know when episode 2 will be available to watch on HBO.com?

03-22-2010, 03:33 PM

I really wish they did a training episode like in Band of Brothers especially because it helped character development. Ive been having a hard time keeping track of all the dudes with black hair with torn clothes.

CigarDisciple · 03-22-2010, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JE3146

Anyone know when episode 2 will be available to watch on HBO.com?

It is already on HBO on demand.

forgop · 03-22-2010, 05:24 PM

I thought last episode 2 was better than the first, but I don't think we're seeing the plot development like BoB had though.

OLS · 03-23-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle53

Ive been having a hard time keeping track of all the dudes with black hair with torn clothes.

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.......eh

I think the free episode on HBO.com or wherever was the first time your crack is free kinda deal.

VirtualSmitty · 03-23-2010, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgop

I thought last episode 2 was better than the first, but I don't think we're seeing the plot development like BoB had though.

I thought episode 2 was good, but I liked the first one better so far. The second episode just kinda ended, the intro showed it to be a long drawn out fight with near staving GIs, but I really didn't get that from this episode. They looked dirty, ate rice, and one five minute fire fight, but I think they really missed the mark with one.

Mugen910 · 03-23-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirtualSmitty

I thought episode 2 was good, but I liked the first one better so far. The second episode just kinda ended, the intro showed it to be a long drawn out fight with near staving GIs, but I really didn't get that from this episode. They looked dirty, ate rice, and one five minute fire fight, but I think they really missed the mark with one.

I agree...but it was nice to bring some of my Marine Corps knowledge back with the name John Basilone.

yourchoice · 03-28-2010, 09:43 PM

Well, with Episode 3 we certainly got some character development.

VirtualSmitty · 03-30-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Well, with Episode 3 we certainly got some character development.

I watched it on demand last night. Pretty good episode, and there were some funny scenes mixed in there too

forgop · 03-30-2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yourchoice

Well, with Episode 3 we certainly got some character development.

Gratuitous booby shots don't hurt either.

MortonMilo · 03-30-2010, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgop

Gratuitous booby shots don't hurt either.

They've gotta keep me watching somehow if there isn't any fighting going on!

JE3146 · 03-30-2010, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CigarDisciple

It is already on HBO on demand.

HBO.com allowed you to view the episodes for free after registering.

Seems they didn't get the ratings they wanted, so now they've stopped showing them online

And they've pushed back the release of the DVD/Blu-ray as well.

forgop · 04-15-2010, 09:21 AM

I thought the last 2 episodes were a bit better. Are we just dealing with a difference in the fact that Band of Brothers was just a much better book and story as a whole than what The Pacific is taken from?

mithrilG60 · 04-15-2010, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgop

I thought the last 2 episodes were a bit better. Are we just dealing with a difference in the fact that Band of Brothers was just a much better book and story as a whole than what The Pacific is taken from?

I think it's multiple things, the primary one being that BoB was based on a single book that had taken many different individual experiences and used them to create a single cohesive storyline with a standardized narration style because it's written by a single author. The Pacific is based on 2 primary works written by very different men with different viewpoints and opinions, and that naturally leads to the story line being more disjointed than BoB. Both those works were also personal memoires written more as exercises in self-catharsis than as the historical essays/analysis which BoB was intended to be before HBO turned it into the mini-series.

Ultimately The Pacific is a very different mini-series that BoB, but that's fitting considering the PTO was a very different war and experience than the ETO.

03-19-2010, 07:11 PM	#42
mithrilG60 Feeling at Home Join Date: Dec 2008 First Name: Geoff Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada Posts: 733 Trading: (2)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD Probably also doesn't take into account that there's a much higher percentage of people who are now downloading some/most/all of their tv, something which was completely unheard of back when BoB was screened.

03-20-2010, 06:23 AM	#43
macpappy Rider on the storm. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Slidell, LA Posts: 851 Trading: (0)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD I think comparing The Pacific to BOB is sort of like comparing the ETO to the PTO. Beyond the fact that they were both wars fought during the same basic time period, you can't. The two theaters were fought differently because of the geography and I think because of the emotional issues involved. I'll explain more later. But the Germans didn't bomb Pearl Harbor so IMO that made the Pacific more personal to most of the Americans who fought there. __________________ WARNING: I am a Southern White Male. I have a brain and I know how to use it.

03-20-2010, 07:19 AM	#44
macpappy Rider on the storm. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Slidell, LA Posts: 851 Trading: (0)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD To continue... I've talked to veterans from both theaters and found that while some of the ones I spoke to from the ETO said that they didn't particularly hate the German soldiers (with the exception of the SS) and that they actually started feeling sorry for them near the end. The ones who served in the Pacific never said anything about respecting the Japanese soldiers they fought against. Every one of them hated all of the Japanese. Now this wasn't a scientific study or anything, just the opinion of some old men I've talked to. The other difference between the two was the geography. In Europe you had the wide open spaces that made full scale armored combat a possibility. Just look at what Patton accomplished during some of the campaigns he was involved in. And while supplying the front lines in Europe wasn't easy, it wasn't nearly as difficult as it was in the Pacific where the Marines were basically hopping from one island to the another. Of course all this is my opinion based on speaking to some veterans and reading history books. My point is that I would expect The Pacific to be a completely different story from BOB. __________________ WARNING: I am a Southern White Male. I have a brain and I know how to use it.

03-20-2010, 05:34 PM	#45
hotreds Ephesians 2:8 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5 miles past "Resume Speed" Posts: 11,670 Trading: (63)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD Happened to luck into the 1st episode while spending the night en route back home. Liked it, interesting to recognize some names- this before I looked into Hugh Ambrose's book and read the backstory. Should be something to see EB Sledge's book made into an episode or two. And, indeed, MacPappy is quite correct; many veterans still have not forgiven the Japanese for the way the fought the war. My God Mother(RIP!) interviewed for the Army returning POWs from the Japanese camps. To her dying day she used profanity to describe the Japanese and what they did to "our boys over there." I was at an airshow where there was a fellow reenacting as a Japanese soldier. Many of the pilots there were very negative towards him, epecially those flying Corsairs and other PTO planes. About the only thing that compares to the brutality of the PTO was the Eastern Front in Europe. No dime was given nor expected. I look forward to ordering The Pacific on Netflix once it's available. __________________ God loves you so much, that he made you read this, just to let you know.

03-22-2010, 02:31 PM	#47
JE3146 Jordan #2 Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Jordan Location: Tigard, OR Posts: 2,115 Trading: (26)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD Anyone know when episode 2 will be available to watch on HBO.com?

03-22-2010, 03:33 PM	#48
Eagle53 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD I really wish they did a training episode like in Band of Brothers especially because it helped character development. Ive been having a hard time keeping track of all the dudes with black hair with torn clothes.

03-22-2010, 05:24 PM	#50
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD I thought last episode 2 was better than the first, but I don't think we're seeing the plot development like BoB had though.

03-28-2010, 09:43 PM	#54
yourchoice Down the stretch Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Joel Location: South Jersey Posts: 4,100 Trading: (36)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD Well, with Episode 3 we certainly got some character development.

04-15-2010, 09:21 AM	#59
forgop Not a puffer Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Duane Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,869 Trading: (40)	Re: The Pacific - DISCUSSION THREAD I thought the last 2 episodes were a bit better. Are we just dealing with a difference in the fact that Band of Brothers was just a much better book and story as a whole than what The Pacific is taken from?